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Bale Mountains National Park treks

Ethiopia. Guided.

Nominated in 2009 to the World Heritage Tentative List, Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP) is a national park in Ethiopia with one of the highest incidences of animal endemicity of any terrestrial habitat in the world. …

Bale Mountains National Park is open year-round although the most popular time to visit is November through April when the rains have stopped. The Park can be reached by private car or public transportation from Addis Ababa. Visitors may choose to trek throughout the Park either by horseback or on foot, or alternatively to visit the Park entirely by car. Treks range from one to 12 nights and travel through all the different ecosystems of the Park. …

map

Download the FREE Park guide (PDF):

Treks range from 3,000m to above 4,000m altitude. Explore all habitats of the Bale Mountains National Park as you trek across the home of the Ethiopian wolf, mountain nyala, giant molerat and Bale monkey. Experience stunning Afroalpine mountains and natural scenery while heading deep into the heart of the Sanetti plateau – a floating land.

Explore vast moorland and discover Afroalpine plants as you camp in the wilderness. Hike amongst rock pinnacles etched out of the lava flows by millions of years of ice and winds, and pass waterfalls and alpine lakes. Camping in the Harenna forest may reward you with a sighting of the elusive animals that live there. Wildlife that can be seen along the way includes the olive baboon, warthog, rock hyrax, Starck’s hare, klipspringer, grey duiker, African wild dog, giant forest hog, leopard, lion and birds of prey. …

Bale

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10 epic long distance hikes

Gear Junkie:

1. Appalachian Trail
2. Greater Patagonian Trail
3. Continental Divide Trail
4. Nepal’s Great Himalaya Trail
5. Grand Italian Trail
6. Wales Coast Path
7. Pacific Crest Trail
8. Great Wall of China
9. Tokai Nature Trail
10. Te Araroa

10 Epic Long Distance Hikes Around The World

Wales Coast Path
Wales Coast Path
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mountains – “Cathedral effect”?

In the Himalayas it’s common to see shafts of sunlight projecting up from behind the high peaks.

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Is there a name for that phenomenon?

It’s something like beams of light penetrating a dark cathedral.

Those I shot at the Monkey Temple in Kathmandu. More photos.

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hike Rota Vicentina, Portugal

mapa_secciones211Rota Vicentina is a long distance path along the SW coast of Portugal, between the city of Santiago do Cacém and the Cape of St. Vincent, totalling 350 km to walk along one of the most beautiful and best preserved coast lines of southern Europe. …

It’s easy to section hike. Easy to hike independently. Or sign on with a guide.

The official website is excellent – RotaVincentina.com

Click PLAY or watch a beautiful promo edit on YouTube.

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Sherpa Adventure Gear

Shout out for this Nepali company.

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Tashi Sherpa, President:

Sherpa Adventure Gear was inspired by sheer chance in 2003. Back then, my family and I owned an import clothing business. In May of that year, while walking down the streets of Manhattan, a magazine issue commemorating the 50th.anniversary of the first ascent of Everest caught my eye.

The craggy lines of the familiar face staring at me from the cover belonged to none other than my Uncle, Ang Gyalzen Sherpa. I was amazed to discover that he was one of the original Sherpa on Sir Edmund Hillary’s celebrated expedition in 1953.

…I felt a powerful urge to share the Sherpa story with a wider audience. So I created Sherpa Adventure Gear and began making outdoor clothing and gear. Then I started sponsoring the best high altitude climbers in the world to test our products –the Sherpas themselves.

about Sherpa

Click PLAY or watch their promo video on YouTube.

official website Sherpa Adventure Gear

I shopped all the real gear – and North Farce – available in Thamel. And ended up refreshing my wardrobe most at Sherpa. The shop is not in the tourist ghetto, rather a 10 minute walk at Lal Durbar Marg next to Jai Nepal Cinema.

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Makalu Base Camp 2015?

For my 6th trip to Nepal, where should I hike?

Dolpo? Mustang? Kanchenjunga?

So far I’m leaning towards Makalu. You can fly to the start, avoiding horrendous overland travel. 🙂

Known for its rural farming villages and a diversity of flora and fauna, the area receives few trekkers due to its relative inaccessibility.

OVERVIEW

Starting at 400m in Tumlingtar along the banks of the Arun River, you’ll need strong legs to carry you for an elevation gain of 5120m to reach Makalu Base Camp. A rustic teahouse trek (don’t expect deep-fried snickers bars), you’ll find yourself at the foot of Mt. Makalau (8485m), the world’s 5th highest mountain, with Lhotse (8,516m), Everest (8,850m), Baruntse (7,220m) and Chamlang (7,319m) not far off.

It is a culturally rich perspective on Nepal best suited for people who have been trekking in Nepal before.

Trekking Partners

Makalu Base Camp

related – 2012 trip report by sathya

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hiking Portugal’s vineyards

If you love Port and Portuguese wine, consider a week long guided hiking tour through famed Douro valley.

The pitch:

This fantastic program will get you to one of the most beautiful places in Portugal, de Douro region. From Porto to the Douro slopes you’ll take train journeys who lead you to amazing vineyard terraces scenery, today UNESCO heritage site.

While hiking thru the vineyards, you’ll have the chance to taste some of these wines, world class wine!!! Return in a cruise descending to the river mouth at Porto and, finish the trip at the famous cellars of the port Wine.

» UNESCO World Heritage Sites

» One very good time to taste wines from the Douro region.

PortugalPortugal Nature Tours

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I’ve hiked nearby Peneda-Gerês National Park. Combining a wine walk with this National park on one trip would be idea. Click through for more information.

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Great Himalayan Trail

The Great Himalaya Trail is a proposed trail of more than 4500 km stretching the length of the Greater Himalaya range from Nanga Parbat in Jammu & Kashmir to Namche Barwa in Tibet thus passing through Kashmir, India, Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. When completed, it will be the longest and highest alpine walking track in the world …

It will never be “completed”. There are many GHT routes, higher and lower. They can be hiked continuously or by section.

map

Check out two main websites, both pretty good:

• greathimalayatrail.com

• thegreathimalayatrail.org

The second mostly covers GHT Nepal.

The guidebook I’m researching is from Trailblazer – Nepal Trekking & the Great Himalaya Trail 2011 by Robin Boustead.

He’s got a coffee table book, as well, that I’ve never seen – The Great Himalaya Trail.

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Stuart Bilby solo’d the Nepal GHT Nepal in 127 days in 2014, an incredible accomplishment. No cars, buses, planes, donkeys or yaks for transport. Stuart lost 19kg body weight. Actually, the first half he did with Lisa Lee-Johnson.

Linda Bezemer published a (much more reasonable) GHT Low Route electronic guidebook which you could use with an iPad on the trail. 1550km broken into 11 sections.

Seth, Kathleen and John did a 2014 east-west GHT Nepal traverse.

But my favourite is Gerda Pouler’s account of her 2012 very personal adventure – Great Himalaya Trail: 1,700 Kilometres Across the Roof of the World [Kindle Edition].