Go up to the mountain
Hiking the Himalaya range will give you a glimpse of true mountain life, where food still arrives by donkey.
There is no feeling quite like standing at the foot of the world’s tallest mountain range in complete silence – above the clouds, above most other humans, above the busyness and stress of modern life. It’s one of the best travel experiences we’ve ever had.
But we almost didn’t do it; we simply thought it would be too hard. And while it was tough, it turned out to be much less strenuous than we thought – we’ve done treks in New Zealand that made our legs ache more.
So, put the excuses aside and take a trip to the Himalayas: here are seven reasons you can’t miss it.
1. Sunrise is like no other
Unless you’re in a plane, not many people get to watch the sunrise above the clouds. But when trekking in the Himalayas, it’s standard.
Because the peaks are so tall, you’ll see them turn a fiery orange well before you get a glimpse of the sun. Then eventually, the cloud all around will also start glowing. No other sunrise is quite like it.
2. The stars
The Himalaya range has virtually no light pollution and has been named one of the best ‘‘dark skies’’ on Earth.
Look outside in the middle of the night and you’ll see more stars than you thought possible.
3. The trekking trails are spectacular
You’ll find hundreds of different treks for all fitness levels that range from a day hike, to more than 12 days.
You’ll also never be short of a spectacular peak to admire – in Nepal alone there are more than 1300 mountains higher than 6000 metres!
The treks typically begin in dense bush, and wind their way up through valleys and rhododendron forests until you reach the mountain range proper.
Some treks are very popular and busy; on others you’ll see very few tourists.
4. You’ll be taken back in time
Each trail weaves through a network of too difficult, or that we might get altitude sickness.
But if you space the trek out, you’ll only need to walk 3-4 hours per day, and at that pace the risk of altitude sickness is greatly reduced. Our guide told us it’s those who go too high too fast that have problems.
There are also dozens of teahouses on most routes, meaning a welldeserved rest is never far away. You can hire a porter to carry your bags for around $15 a day, and a guide will cost around $20 a day. Having both makes it significantly easier.
And don’t let age be a barrier; on our trek we met a group of fellow New Zealanders in their sixties going higher than us.
7. The hot springs
There’s no doubt you’ll get some pretty achy muscles, and that makes the 50 hot springs dotted on the Nepalese side of the Himalayas an absolute paradise. An entry ticket only costs around 50 cents.