Those on an Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal have recently gained a new luxury: along with some of the world’s most elevated hot showers and inside toilets, Everest Base Camp trekkers now have access to high speed 3G internet.  This is courtesy of Ncell, a Nepali telecoms company that is a joint venture between [...]

If you go on an Everest Base Camp trek, you’ll come across numerous prayer flags along the way: bright rectangles of cloth strung along mountain ridges and peaks or tied to sacred places.  In the often stark high altitude landscape, these bands of colour are stunning.  But what do they mean?

We’re always pleased to read about the experiences of travellers in and around the Annapurna Circuit, especially when they result in such a sense of accomplishment as described in this blog post on the Ottsworld blog. The feeling of achievement that overcoming a challenge on a trek, especially a personal challenge as described on the [...]

If you’re planning to enjoy the local customs and culture on your Bhutan treks, one unique experience is to witness the national sport of Bhutan: archery. Though you might think it strange for a peaceful Buddhist nation to practice a sport that has its origins in ancient warfare and hunting, the bow and arrows can only be used in [...]

Many travellers on Bhutan tours are somewhat surprised upon arriving in Paro; encountering a city whose inhabitants, whilst maintaining a deep cultural pride and traditional values, are not afraid to embrace a progressive approach to education and technology.
Bhutan tours and treks remain the mainstay of the country’s economy, and Paro is home to the only [...]

Conquering Everest is certainly viewed as one of the toughest challenges a person can put to themselves, and not everyone is cut out for it. Rigorous training is required and as much mental as physical preparation is needed to fulfil the dream of summiting the world’s highest mountain. The much more accessible Everest Base [...]

“Let me tell you something, you have not partied till you’ve partied at dawn in complete silence with Buddhist monks”, said Cameron Diaz when reminiscing about her Bhutan trekking holiday with Eva Mendes. The two Hollywood A-listers were sent to the hidden kingdom in the Himalaya by MTV to highlight the conservation work carried out [...]

Those lucky enough to be on a Bhutan trek in May of this year who had a keen interest in the myths, legends and folklore of the region would have had a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the inaugural Mountain Echoes Literary Festival. The first of its kind in Bhutan, the birth of [...]

When you’re trekking the strenuous Annapurna Circuit you’ll find that filling up on carbohydrates is pretty much de rigueur. All the exercise that you’re getting on the trek provides a great excuse for filling up en-route and it may surprise you to find that, in the foothills of the Himalaya, fried apple pie is a [...]

I found a photo today of the Base Camp Hotel on the Tibet side of Mount Everest. Check out the image below posted on Webshots by davishongkong. I didn’t realise there was this kind of thing on the Tibet side of Everest.

The last picture I saw of Tibet’s Everest Base Camp, it was all tin shacks [...]

Rosanna will be back soon, having completed the Everest Base Camp Trek. She sent me her kit list a few days before her departure. It reads like equipment for an adventure - I hope it did the trick.
Kit so far:
3 pairs of walking socks
Thermals
An ice-breaker top
Walking trousers
Waterproof trousers
Walking boots
Wind proof/water proof jacket
2 beanies
2 medium layer [...]

This amazing photo was taken by mckaysavage1 and posted on Flickr. Many thanks.
Click on the image to navigate in a light box.
This is the view from Kala Pattar: the sharp peak of Nuptse and Everest rising mistily behind it.

The sky was amazing this morning! The clouds that had covered the village the day before had completely lifted and we could see snow-capped mountains all around us. We had no idea we were surrounded by such beauty. First up was a gentle walk up to Gorak Shep. On the way we passed glaciers and [...]

I was surprised to find there was no pain this morning and my face was back to normal. Hurrah!!!
Overnight, Andy had slept downstairs in the dining room being unable to walk up the rickety stairs to the bedrooms. He couldn’t keep walking with the group so guides had arranged for a helicopter to evacuate him [...]

I woke up this morning and my face was feeling swollen so I took some ibuprofen. I decided to ignore the pain though because, knowing the benefits, I really wanted to do the acclimatisation walk.
Breakfast was at the more student-friendly hour of 9am and we left at 10 for the walk. Only about half of [...]

Hi.
This is a video I found showing what we can expect Rosanna and David to be seeing and doing between Day 8 and Day 10 of the Everest Base Camp trek.

This video was posted on Youtube by wwwcelticvideocom. I quite like the narrator’s accent.

I woke up feeling so much better. This morning’s walk was gentle and was followed by a lunch of Tibetan bread (deep fried bread) and macaroni cheese; it was really pasta with ketchup and grated (partially mouldy) yak cheese, but we were all very grateful all the same.
After lunch my throat started to feel rather [...]

Thyangboche is absolutely tiny. It’s quite desolate and there’s not much here apart from a large, striking monastery. A prayer ceremony began at 3 and we were able to sit and watch. In front of the monastery is a beautifully impressive archway covered in vibrant colours and carvings of Buddhist gods.

I had a veggie fry up this morning which was a great start to the day - even though the baked beans were strangely spicy and tangy. After the rest day, I felt much more energised and happy to walk up the mountain. The first half of the day wasn’t too difficult and we saw [...]

When I woke up and looked out of the window I was speechless. I couldn’t see a thing out of the window; the whole of Namche was enveloped in a cloud! For this reason the gallery below shows photos from the day before; our approach to Namche Bazaar.
Today was an acclimatisation day AKA “the rest [...]