Alexandra penned Kilimanjaro Uncovered in real time while preparing and during her climb on the Northern Circuit, a little-known hiking route away from the crowds to the top of Kilimanjaro.
She provides valuable guidance for those interested in climbing themselves and tells a broader story of a truly life-changing experience.
Alex is a rookie mountain climber. She over-prepares. Is cautious and thoughtful about every aspect.
The book is very informative for anyone who has never done a serious multi-night tent trip.
I admire her courage in planning that big adventure on her own. I admire her honesty and vulnerability sharing fears and problems on the trek, big and small.
Alexandra Tanbai made the summit. In fact everyone in her guided party made the top though one had a serious ankle injury. No helicopter was available for evacuation.
Less than a year after publishing Kilimanjaro Uncovered, Alexandra founded KiliGATE.com—the first and only online Kilimanjaro tour booking platform committed to responsible tourism.
Her goal—make it easy for tourists to book their climb with a responsible tour operator and promote fair porter treatment.
You might be able to find it on the National Geographic Channel.
In 2016 filmmaker/photographer Pete McBride and writer Kevin Fedarko set out on a 750-mile journey on foot through the entire length of the Grand Canyon.
From the outset, the challenge was far more than they bargained for. More people have stood on the moon than have completed a continuous through hike of the Canyon.
… But their quest was more than just an endurance test – it was also a way to draw attention to the unprecedented threats facing one of our most revered landscapes. …
Uranium mines, tourist development, maintaining indigenous flora and fauna. Native peoples are interviewed thoughout.
But we’ve not yet talked to anyone who’s hiked there. (Leave a comment below this post if you have more information on Kamchatka.)
In the meantime, check some photos from Dark Roast Blend:
Wilderness without bounds, in a typical Russian style.
There is a place in the world so remote and so wildly beautiful, that very few decide to go there and those who do, carry the enchantment for the rest of their lives. Land of towering volcanos and magnificient Pacific coastline, as boundless and pristine as the Canadian North, but far less known and definitely less travelled. Life is harsh there, and ghosts of communist past are never too far behind.
With the exclusive permission of “Kamtravel” – Kamchatka photography site, we give you some examples of its exhilarating terrain:
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatski lies in the shadow of Avacha volcano
Trees are good in MANY ways, including pulling CO2 out of the atmosphere.
Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson, some guy who got popular on YouTube, started a campaign that raised enough money for more than 20 million trees to be planted across the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Haiti, Indonesia, Ireland, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nepal, and the United Kingdom.
The U.S. State Department advises against travel due to terrorism.
On the other hand, I’m inspired by Eva zu Beck, a Polish travel vlogger, who spent many months there. She thinks it could be the next Nepal for trekkers.
UPDATE. As of April 1, 2023 the Nepal government required that major treks can no longer be done independently. Hiring a guide for Everest is mandatory. The obvious alternative is the Indian Himalaya. We’ll leave this post PUBLISHED in case the government reverses this policy sometime in future.
December 2019. I’m just back from Nepal, my first trip since 2014 where I hiked Langtang.
Around 9,000 people diedduring the Nepalearthquake of 25 April 2015.
One tiny village in the Langtang Valley accounted for 243 of them: 175 villagers, 27 local tourism staff (guides and porters), and 41 foreign trekkers.
Yet in the 2018-19 fiscal year, a record 21,945 tourists (16,386 foreigners and 5,559 Nepalis) visited Langtang National Park.
So far as I could see, Nepal trails are busier than ever. And easier than ever as you could connect to the internet almost everywhere with a Nepal Telecom (Namaste) SIM card in my mobile phone. I didn’t once have to pay for electricity in the mountains.
The big 3 trekking areas for those who want to hike independently are
The 2-3 week adventure in green connecting those 3 hikes would be far more enjoyable than the Annapurna Circuit.
You can do all on the same permit.
Best independent hikes – Langtang Region
Our recommended route. Perhaps 14-16 days.
Drive to Syabrubesi, trekking Langtang first (top of the map). Then backtracking to the Gosainkund & Helambu trek, walking most of the way back to Kathmandu.
map via NepalSanctuaryTreks.comOur group atop Kyanjin Ri (4773m) LangtangLaurebina Pass (4600m) on the Gosainkund & Helambu
This will be far less crowded than either Everest or Annapurna regions.
You can easily and inexpensively hire a guide and/or porters on any hike in Nepal for your whole trip … or short sections. But we’d recommend you do those listed above independently.
If we were to do a guided hike we’d choose areas of Nepal where guides are mandatory. For example:
American human rights activist and hiking guru Marinel de Jesus moved to Peru full-time.
Right now she’s fundraising to put together a documentary on mistreatment of porters on the Inca Trail.
KM 82 is the documentary that will tell the porters’ stories directly to the world and reveal the inequities behind the trekking tourism industry.
The women porters have recently become a part of the trekking industry and we want to support their voices to ensure that porter conditions improve and that they can work safely on the trails.
The Inca Trail is one of the world’s best hikes. But this is one of many problems which makes us prefer the Salkantay Trek to Aguas Calientes followed by a visit to Machu Picchu. Salkantay can be done independently carrying your own backpack. For the Inca Trail you must be guided.
besthike.com 