In the Darjeeling region of the eastern Himalaya, you have walks with panoramic views that stretches all the way from Mt. Everest to Kangchenjunga. This view combined with walks through villages and forests of rhododendron - and a stay in Darjeeling makes a superb holiday. Darjeeling, which borders Nepal and Sikkim, is situated on a ridge with superb views of Kangchenjunga, the world's third highest mountain and its surrounding peaks. Its unique blend of many cultures, from remnants of the Raj to Tibetan monasteries, its institutions such as the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute and Snow Leopard breeding centre and its busy bazaars and tea plantations, to say nothing of its famous 'Toy Train', make it a destination in its own right. It is from the Planter's Club in Darjeeling - that early expeditions to Mt.Everest else where took off from.
The treks in Sikkim take you close to the world's third highest mountain - Kangchenjunga. These treks are more demanding. Sikkim is a tiny state in India that borders Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. It is a naturalist's heaven ranging as it does between semi tropical forest in the bottom of the valleys, through oak and rhododendron forests to the glaciers and snow covered peaks around Kangchenjunga - the world's third highest mountain. The treks we operate here is to Lamini 4840m, a view point directly below Kangchenjunga and the more recently opened routes to the Green Lake near the Zemu glacier - the east face of Kangchenjunga, where possibly less than 2000 westerner's would have been so far.
Our treks in Nepal are to the popular region of Mt. Everest. The friendly Sherpa people and the spectacular mountains including Mt. Everest in the Khumbu region of Nepal makes this a great trekking destination. We also use Kathmandu as our base for many of our trips into Tibet.
Mt. Everest 8848m. The world's highest mountain attracts trekkers from around the world. We offer a variety of treks under this heading. You can choose a not so challenging trek that takes you along the Singalila ridge in Darjeeling for a panoramic view of many of the world's highest mountains including Mt. Everest. Alternately for a more challenging trek, you can join us on a trek to the Advance Base Camp 6450m along the Rongbuk glacier in Tibet or choose from a variety of trips to the Base Camp of Mt. Everest in Nepal.
Our treks in Tibet are to Mt. Kailash in western Tibet, to the Advance Base Camp of Mt. Everest 6450m and to the Kangshung (East) Face of Mt. Everest. The Mt. Kailash trek is a pilgrimage route. Mt. Kailash is considered holy by both the Hindus and Buddhist. The Advance Base Camp trek is possibly the highest walking tour that one can take. The Kangshung trek is more demanding and the route is across high mountain passes, bushland and high altitude yak grazing fields. The dominant mountain one sees on this route is Makalu.
We also do an overland journey from Lhasa to the Base Camp of Mt. Everest in a four wheel drive. We often combine this with a walk to the Base Camp of Mt. Everest in Nepal.
Trekking in Bhutan is a marvellous experience. The forests, its fast flowing rivers, high mountain passes, spectacular snow clad mountains, isolated villages, and few other travellers, make this a very special destination. Combine this with sightseeing in the towns of Paro and Thimphu and you have a perfect holiday! Our treks are to the Ha Valley in western Bhutan and to Chomolhari to the north. In addition we are offering short tours of Bhutan that we combine with treks in Darjeeling and Sikkim.
Almost two thousand kilometres north west from Darjeeling, Sikkim and Bhutan is Ladakh. This is a dry trekking region that is so different from the lush green regions of the eastern Himalaya. This region offers a rugged environment, with mountain views and villages that have been built close to river fed valleys. It has perfectly preserved ancient Buddhist monasteries, a reflection of what the monasteries in Tibet were like before they were destroyed. A great place to visit, because the culture here is intact, because for about six months of the year the road to the outside world is cut off by snow. Our treks here are to the Markha Valley. We also combine this with is a trek in Darjeeling region.
I have always had happy memories of my trek in the K2 region. This is a demanding trek in more ways than one. The weather can be extreme either very hot or very cold, the trails can sometimes be narrow, and you may even have to get on a flying fox to cross raging rivers. And even getting to the trek head or Skardu can be an exciting journey . If the flight from Islamabad to Skardu is cancelled you have to make 24 hour journey on the Karakorum highway by bus to get there. But if you can put up with all this - the journey can also be rewarding. The trek is absolutely stunning. We operate one trek a year to Concordia and the K2 Base Camp. We operate this trek with a minimum of 6 people and a maximum of 12.
In South America we trek around the Cordillera Huayhuash in Peru. This is possibly one of my favourite walks. The walk takes you over high mountain passes almost every day of the trek. The walks can be reasonably demanding, but rewarding.The campsites are often next to snow fed lakes with spectacular mountain views. You can extend your holiday here by adding four days to take in the Inca culture by visiting Cusco and Machupicchu.
Our other destination is in Patagonia where we stay in simple but comfortable, warm huts and do day walks in the Fitzroy and Paine National Parks. We visit the Moreno Glacier and make a lake crossing to Bariloche before travelling back to Buenos Aires. This is magnificent journey - but the weather can be cold and windy!
It is not often that I trek to the same destination twice within 12 months. That is what I did to get on top of Kilimanjaro last year! We now have this wonderful trip in Africa where we spend a couple of nights camping and game viewing, then a another two days walking through Masai villages, before setting off to Climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro on the Shira route.
Tours: In addition to the treks that we have listed, we operate tours in India to Rajasthan and South India and other journeys that combine Vietnam, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Sikkim and Darjeeling. Quite often we combine a trek with a tour to these parts.
China is an amazing destination and its modernisation is stunning, in addition it has such a rich cultural history. We explore these on our trips to Beijing and Xian . We have combined some of these trips with trips to Tibet, Nepal, and India.
Vietnam is a delightful country. On our trips there we include the Ha Long Bay - which has been classified as world heritage, and a visit to the hill tribes around Sapa. We have combined trips to Vietnam with that to China, Tibet, India and Cambodia to make a wonderful holiday.
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