Trekking in the Himalaya
A trek in the Himalaya usually involves a trip to the ancient, bustling, grimy striving city of Kathmandu. Nepal itself and Kathmandu in particular are largely Hindu areas. From Kathmandu you travel to a trailhead and begin your journey in the company of a guide and porters.
Trekking to the Annapurna Sanctuary is a moderate introduction to trekking in Nepal. Of course, there is a lot of up and down; but there is really only one long uphill. The Sanctuary itself is a bowl at 14,000 feet surrounded by rugged snow capped mountains including Annapurna. At night you can hear the glaciers calving.
The visual highlight of the trip is actually not Annapurna but Machapuchare, the double summit, unclimbed, sacred mountain. There are several great views.
The most popular trek is Everest Base Camp. The trek begins after a white knuckle flight to the small cliffside airstrip at the village of Lukla. The trek took us 30 days including a gradual acclimation process. It is very scenic with dramatic mountain backdrops, long, swinging rope bridges and small villages. The Khumbu region, which includes Everest, is the homeland of the Sherpa people and Sherpa Buddhism, including several temples.
The summit of Mt. Everest is not visible from Everest Base Camp; so the treks generally include a hike to the summit of Kala Patthar, a "minor" peak at only 18,192 feet. From Kala Patthar, there is great view of the Everest summit including the famous Hillary Step.
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