… Although I love hiking, I also love comfort so I started searching on-line for an “Everest Luxury Trek” and found the Yeti Mountain Homes, a group of luxury lodges located on the classic trekking route in the Khumbu area. I contacted them and as from that moment I was blown away by the Yeti Mountain Home experience … a lovely lady called Pasang patiently and very professionally answered all my questions and created a customized itinerary for us. …
Unfortunately there are no Yeti Mountain Homes (yet) all the way up till Everest Base Camp but Pasang made sure that we had the best possible accommodation in every place. …
Remote and rugged, the Wakhan Corridor is an almost-legendary strip of land that extends from Afghanistan to China, with Tajikistan bordering to the north, and Pakistan to the south.
Surrounded by the snowcapped peaks of the Hindu Kush, Pamir, and Karakoram mountains, it is a spectacularly beautiful part of the world that remains virtually unknown to the vast majority of outsiders. Populated almost entirely by nomadic herdsmen, the Corridor is a realm of stark beauty, difficult terrain, and some of the most breathtaking landscapes on the entire planet.
Travel through the Wakhan Corridor in 2015 as part of an expedition led by Secret Compass. The trip is 21 days in length, and departs on July 20. …
We were up before the dawn, wanting our best chance of success climbing Mt Bwahit.
Our guards had slept outside beside the tents, despite the cold.
The day before our arrival a young Swiss couple had had their daypack stolen. Cameras, money … passports. 😦
It happens all over the world. It happens here, but not very often. Best guess was that one of the mule drivers had grabbed it. Might have been a young shepard boy, though they are chased out of Camp right quick.
I had my valuables strapped to my waist in a passport case, as always.
Our guide had said that our best chance to see Walia Ibex would be this morning. We weren’t disappointed. We saw a number up on a ridge. And later down by the road. They are not shy.
… only about 500 individuals survived in the mountains of Ethiopia, concentrated in the Semien Mountains, largely due to past poaching and habitat depletion. If the population were to increase, the surrounding mountain habitat would be sufficient enough to sustain only 2,000 ibex. The adult walia ibex’s only known wild predator is the hyena. …
I was still feeling weak though I had not lost my dinner from the previous evening.
I’d not slept much. Happily, as we climbed, I seemed to get stronger.
Though we ascended about 800m in less than 3 hours, it wasn’t all that cold. The sun helps for sure. We added and removed layers frequently.
Disappointingly, the road winds up close to the top of the mountain. At times we walked it.
There’s not much traffic, of course. Clouds rolled up the escarpment early. We’d need to reach the top before the clouds did.
We were very surprised to see snow on the top.
This is one of the few spots in Africa where snow falls regularly.
Nadine found snow in Africa
Mt Bwahit (4430m) is the third highest mountain in Ethiopia and the 13th or 14th highest in Africa.
This is as far as we got following the escarpment. But the road continues to Mekane Berhan, 10km past the Park.
In fact you can keep going 17 days all the way to Lalibela, if you like.
Nadine turns back. She’ll be reunited with her husband later in the afternoon.
Neither Nadine or I felt many altitude symptoms. Lucky. She gave some medication, on the trail, to one of the other hikers who was feeling rotten.
Obama is wildly popular in Africa though most distrust the American government.
We saw many more baboons on the descent. We’d left too early to see them on the way up.
The decent was quick. Psychologically, I was ready to go. The Simien a success.
In most high mountains lammergeier (bearded vulture) stay far away from me. But here they float right over your tent. After many attempts, this was the best photo I got. They have up to nearly 10ft (2.83 m) wingspan.
Here’s Josh’s best photo.
In Ethiopia, they’ve become more tolerant of people, now common near trash piles on the outskirts of small villages and towns.
We saw wild chickens on the way down, too. Nur told us that when he was a shepard, age-5 to age-10, he loved to try to catch one for dinner.
Heading out, I risked eating lunch.
Nadine was the one of the few hikers who completed ALL the original planned itinerary. But she was ready to head back to Gondor.
It’s a long, bumpy ride back to the Park gates. The roads are bad even in a Toyota Landcruiser.
The closest good hospital is in Dabark. If you crash like this 😦 … they have an ambulance. Another ambulance, I mean.
Rich tourists from the highest lodge in Africa take a short day hike to see baboons. Or do a tourist ride. Meh.
We tipped around 10% of our tour cost, aside for the cooks who got almost nothing. If the clients get sick, the cooks didn’t do the job.
I suggested to Mohammad, a super guy, that he and the other cooks put a big bottle of alcohol gel on the dining tables. Every time. And to ask cooks and assistants to use it non-stop while preparing food for foreigners.
About half of the hikers I spoke with had stomach problems. Clearly the cook house is not sanitary enough. Cooks work together. If one has dirty hands, it’s possible that all the food will be infected.
When we arrived at the Four Sisters restaurant in Gondar that evening, to celebrate, there was a large bottle of alcohol gel on the table. But don’t expect to see one on a Simien trek any time soon. Inertia is great in Africa.
I’ll suggest to future hikers that they consider bringing their own stove, cook their own food.
Thanks to Nur and Halie, childhood buddies, who are still working together. Nur Hassan is Coordinator for SimienMountainsTour.com. I’ll be recommending them.
Our cost was $1000 for 3 people for 4 days, all inclusive. The lowest price I heard quoted was $250 each for 7 people in one group.
Langtang is the closest trekking region to Kathmandu. Yet over 5 trips to Nepal, I’d left it to last, opting for the other major areas in previous trips: Everest (2009), Annapurna and Manaslu (2013).
Langtang is considered the easiest of the four. We learned, however, that Langtang is NOT easy.
Langtang is lower elevation … unless you opt to do side trip trekking peaks or base camp hikes, that is. Many do. I did.
The 2014 Nepal snowstorm disaster had just happened, killing at least 43 people including at least 21 trekkers. That was in Annapurna and Dhaulagiri. Alarmist news headlines had parents of hikers worried, but on the ground in Kathmandu it was business as usual. Some people did divert from Annapurna to Everest or Langtang.
It was easy to find the trekking permit office in Kathmandu. And to buy my own TIMS card. And Langtang National Park permit.
As with many Nepal hiking adventures, the biggest challenge (and risk) for the independent trekker is getting to the trailhead. Bus rides in Nepal can be more dangerous than high alpine passes. 😦
For Langtang, almost everyone needs to get from Kathmandu to Syabrubesi 1500m.
It’s simple to organize transport back from the small town, but in Kathmandu it’s not so easy to find transport up into the mountains. My guidebook (by Bob and Siân) was useless.
• Jeep
• Super Express mini-bus $5
• Express mini-bus
• local bus
They all left from the same area of town – Macha Pokhari.
In Thamel, travel agents seemed disinterested in me paying them a commission for arranging a ticket for the following day. Instead, I ate my free hotel breakfast at 7:30am, then took a taxi to Macha Pokhari arriving about 8:20am.
I’d happily pay for a Jeep, if I could get a seat. Super Express was my second choice.
Unfortunately I missed all modes of transport heading north for the day. 😦 The trip takes 6-11 hours, depending, and it’s dark in November by about 5:30pm.
Feeling stupid, I walked back to Thamel (via the Monkey Temple) as punishment for not showing up by 6:30am, to be sure of getting a seat.
This is one of the challenges for an independent hiker in Nepal. If I had a guide, he would have arranged my travel. (Most likely on the local bus, as it’s a few dollars cheaper.)
To walk down from the Gateway of the Sun (Inti Punku) to the site of Machu Picchu is one incredible experience. …
The nice thing about getting to Machu Picchu via the so-called Inca Trail is that walking past a number of other remarkable Inca ruins provides a context as well as a build-up for the ruins of Machu Picchu. Here is a graphic that I’ve “borrowed” from the SAS Travel site because it very neatly and quickly encapsulates the entirety of the trek. …
Once you’ve decided on the destination, here’s our advice for best hike for independent trekkers:
1) Annapurna – Annapurna Circuit 21 days
2) Everest – Three Passes 20 days
3) Langtang – … various options 5-15 days
If you insist on going with a guide, consider the trip fastest gaining popularity, the Manaslu Circuit, near Annapurna. Guides are mandatory on Manaslu.
If you are short on time, go to Langtang. It’s close to Kathmandu. Easy and inexpensive to organize.
I did 16 days in both Annapurna and Everest by pushing some long hiking days. That’s minimum, I’d say. I wish I’d had more days on both trips.
You really don’t need a guide in any of these 3 highly developed destinations, but you may want to hire a guide and/or porter(s) to enhance your holiday. My advice is to do that as you go in the villages of Nepal. Almost any Guest House can arrange those for you with just a few hours notice. This way all your money goes directly to the local people. (You might want to hire a porter just for a day or two, for example.)
Recall that you can carry a very light pack in Nepal. Sleeping bag, clothing and personal essentials are all you need. And a stack of Nepali Rupees, of course, to pay for your bed and meals each day.
I saw independent hikers at Everest Base Camp who had never before done an overnight hike. (Tolerance for smelly, freezing pit toilets is the main “talent” required. Not high altitude trekking experience.)
Kyle likes African Walking Company and Ultimate Kilimanjaro. They charge $2,000 to $3,500 per climber. Mid-range.
Here are the Ultimate Kilimanjaro trips for autumn 2014.
African Walking Company does not seem to have an easy-to-browse calendar. I emailed them. UPDATE: They got back to me by email, a 7-day trip starting Aug 26th costs $1850. … Those dates are not likely to work for me.
The Dientes Circuit in Chile is of the best hikes in the world.
It’s also called:
• Isla Navarino Circuit
• Circuito Dientes de Navarino
• the teeth of Navarino
Leo Turpan via email:
Just got finished with the Dientes trek yesterday. Pretty amazing stuff out there.
Got a bunch of snow, but it made for a beautiful christmas and even more beautiful landscape. …
Getting to Puerto Williams:
Option 1- Boat from Ushuaia (doesn´t leave everyday, need to check departures at Ushuaia dock) $750 Argentinian Pesos, about $115
Option 2- Ferry from Punta Arenas (leaves only once or twice a week, Tranbordadora Austrual Broom, takes 30 hours but is highly recommended) $90,000 Chilean Pesos, $170 US
Option 3- Flight from Punta Arenas (one flight everyday, I think.) $60,000 Chilean, $115 US
Town/Trek Info:
-There is one map of the trek, not professional, but does have contour lines and GPS markers. The map can be purchased from a small camping store near the center of town. The store also stocks some types of gas, knives, tents, sleeping bags, etc. You can also rent a GPS there that has the circuit route already uploaded
-There are two supermarkets in the center of town that stock all the basic food necessities
-Multiple hostels in town, all priced at 10,000 Pesos or more. All have info about trek
-Register for hike at the police station, no rangers or servicemen on this trek
Trek/Logistics:
-31 Km route, 4 days 3 nights recommended, some do it in 5 days but pace is slow
-clockwise direction starting from Puerto Williams; do NOT reverse the route, you will not have a good time.
-A decent amount of trailfinding will need to be done, do not underestimate the mileage, miles are long due to weather, trailfinding, and trail conditions
-The route can be extremely muddy and wet, gaiters and gortex are a good idea
-Can camp virtually anywhere
-Tons of water
-can extend the trek with a connection to the Lago Windhond trek
-2 hour walk back to Puerto Williams on the road once you reach the end of the trail, but Chile is known as an easy place to hitchhike
If I could do ANY thru hike in the world, it would be this one.
… one continuous trek. The 152 day trek commences in the far east in the Kanchenjunga region where the world’s third highest peak stretches skyward, and traverses the country to the high plateaus on the Tibetan borderlands in the far west.
Along this 1700km trail you’ll encounter some of the wildest and most remote mountain environments imaginable. You’ll see all of Nepal’s 8000 metre peaks, cross tens of passes ranging from moderate to extreme and witness villages where the culture has remained intact for centuries.
It’s a trek that should only be considered by those with extensive trekking and mountaineering experience, a high level of fitness and a flexible approach as there will be the need to adapt to a range of situations throughout the trek. …
besthike.com 