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March/April 2018 —NEPALHimalayan highlights
Experience the majesty of Nepal’s Himalayan
peaks on this tour offered by the TripAdvisor
company Viator, in partnership with local
operator Royal Mountain Travel.
The centrepiece of the trip is a five-day trek
in the Khumbu – the region that surrounds Mt
Everest – at demanding altitudes of up to 3,800m
above sea level, with your start and end point the
thriving and historic city of Kathmandu.
The trekking portion of the journey begins
with you landing, after a short f light, in Lukla.
There you get a gentle introduction to altitude at
a height of around 2,800m. Follow the milk-white
Dudh Kosi river then to reach the overnight
stop at the small village of Phakding, where
you’re free to explore and taste Nepali cultureat an authentic teahouse. Set out for the region’s
largest settlement, Namche Bazaar, the next day
via Jorsale, a small village built on an outcrop
above the river. Trekking higher still, look out
for a possible early glimpse of Everest on the stiff
climb before Namche which will make the whole
trek worthwhile.
Royal Mountain’s end of the package is three
nights spent in the capital which comes complete
with a complimentary day trip in the Kathmandu
Valley to introduce the must-see cultural and
religious sights.
Go to http://www.royalmt.com.np for more
packages and details of their sustainable
initiaitives including community-based tourism
based around homestays.OMANMountain up
ANANTARA AL JABAL AL AKHDAR RESORT
is taking adventure in Oman to new heights.
The Ultimate Jabal Activity Wall –
incorporating nearly 200m of via ferrata snaking
across the cliff edge and including Oman’s first
mountain zip lines – is one of the highest in the
Middle East.
Climbing the expanse of craggy limestone
cliff, you get an unsurpassed view of the valley
below from an otherwise inaccessible angle.
Designed to European safety standards,
the route can be set for anyone from entry level
to advanced, with a series of escape points for
anyone unsettled by the exposure.
Beginners can book the 90-minute Jabal
Activity Wall from US$78 per person, while more
experienced climbers can opt for the ultimate
two-hour session priced from US$130.
Visit jabal-akhdar.anantara.com for details.CHINA
All points adventure
HONG KONG-BASED ADVENTURE
trekking specialist, Whistling Arrow, has
recently announced its 2018 expedition schedule.
Kicking things off in June will be their
annual botanical excursion into the pristine
northern Gaoligong Mountains that straddle
the wild border between Yunnan and Burma.
Staying with Western China, they will also be
leading trips into the sacred peaks of Golok
and Yading, in July and September respectively.
There they expect to forge new routes into what
founder Adrian Bottomley describes as ‘simply
two of the most spectacular and undiscovered
mountain ranges in the region’.
In another of their core markets, Western
Mongolia, their latest adventure explores
a previously untrekked region of the Altai
mountains. Supported by a train of Bactrian
camels and guided by one of the Altai’s fabled
eagle hunters, Shohan, this will be offered in
August. ‘In short’ says Bottomley, ‘we fully expect
this year to be our most extraordinary yet’.
For more details of Whistling Arrow’s
small-group expeditions, as well as their
customised private adventures, visit their site,
w w w.whist lingarrow.com