Mount Kailash & Lake Manasarovar via Simikot Tibetans believe that many of their mountain tops are places where their early kings alighted after descending from heaven, but Mount Kailash has vastly more significance even than this. It is believed to be the hub of the universe and from its locality spring four of Asia’s most important rivers; the Indus, the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra), a tributary of the Ganges and the Sutlej. It is curious that Mount Kailash is the result of a special upthrust when the Himalaya was young (30 million years ago) and that two of the world’s mightiest rivers go east and west, each to eventually swing round either end of the Greater Himalaya. Strange also that this incredible peak, so perfectly shaped, stands on its own and that in the centre of one face is a gully, with regular rock steps, resembling a ladder descending from the summit. Tibetan pilgrims travel vast distances to set eyes upon Mount Kailash, and many circle the mountain by prostrating themselves head to toe, all the way round. We will take four days to cover the same ground – walking! The trek follows an ancient trail via Simikot in Western Nepal, to cross the border at Sian. This avoids the lengthy and uncertain road journey from Lhasa, which was the only way of reaching Kailash until very recently. This year we are again offering the chance to trek along the northern shore of the holiest lake in Asia, Lake Manasarovar, which lies close to the foot of Kailash. The remoteness and expense has meant that Mount Kailash has been rarely visited by Westerners, but for those interested in the Himalaya it is the ultimate goal. The first departure is timed to attend the famous Saga Dawa festival at the foot of Kailash. 36 Download detailed itineraries from www.himalayankingdoms.com e: info@himalayankingdoms.com On the banks of Lake Manasarovar Photo: Steve Berry Tibet £2,895 £2,360 Dates: Thu 05 Jun – Mon 30 Jun*, Thu 11 Sep – Mon 6 Oct † land only Grade: Strenuous On Trek: 18 days European Leader: Steve Harbert* “Beetle” Seymour-Williams † Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 5 Camping: 19 Optional: Single Room £150 Single Tent £70 Insurance: £156 (Insurance Plus) Days Itinerary Duration: 26 days 1–3 Fly to Kathmandu, At leisure 4–5 Fly to Nepalganj, fly to Simikot, begin trek 6–11 Trek to Tibetan border, drive to Taklakot & Manasarovar –12 Trek northern shore of Lake Manasarovar, drive to Mount Kailash 13–17 Trek the Kailash Kora (1st departure attends Saga Dawa Festival) drive to border 18–23 Trek to Simikot 24–26 Fly to Kathmandu, rest, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients Trekking in from Western Nepal 5 Lying in the rain shadow of the Greater Himalaya, Tibet is a barren, high-altitude plateau of brown rolling hills, pierced occasionally by enormous peaks, and covering an area the size of Western Europe. It has always been a difficult country to enter. When Tibet enjoyed self rule they preferred isolation and shunned contact with the outside world. Reaching Lhasa was one of the last great problems during the era of exploration in Empire days. It is a country that personifies all that is mysterious, and its red and yellow hat sects of Tibetan Buddhism are growing in strength again after the shock of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The exiled Dalai Lama encourages Westerners to visit his country and we also believe a journey to ‘the Roof of the World’ to be a worthy and fascinating goal. Capital City Town Airport Major peak International Border Road Railway Pass ] [

37 tel: 0845 330 8579 (local call rate, UK only) international tel: +44 1453 844 400 www.himalayankingdoms.com Tibet Everest’s Kangshung Face & Sherpa Tenzing’s Birthplace Look at a map of Everest and you will see that there are basically four ways to approach the base of the world’s highest peak. Firstly from the Nepalese side on the original 1953 base camp trail, secondly from Tibet up the Rongbuk glacier (see our Trail to Tibet), thirdly via the east Rongbuk glacier – the famous offshoot that early explorers missed but which leads to the North Col route, and lastly, the all but forgotten Kangshung glacier approach. Of course the gigantic mountains and connecting ridge of Nuptse and Lhotse protect a direct approach from the south. The problem with the Kangshung approach is that one needs acclimatisation before embarking on the trek itself. We have therefore built in time at Lhasa to adjust and to attend the Shoton Festival. It then takes four days to drive to the start of the trek by which time we should be wellacclimatised. Tenzing Norgay was in fact born in a village very close to the roadhead. The trek itself is tougher than our normal Trail to Tibet route, the Kangshung side less frequented, but the views equally impressive. In particular the world’s fourth and fifth highest mountains, Lhotse and Makalu, are close by and are vastly impressive, not to mention that we are approaching to within four miles of the east face of Everest itself. There is time to celebrate the adventure in Kathmandu afterwards! Trail to Tibet This is one of our most diverse adventures and gives a journey with a succession of excellent objectives, not least of which is walking in the footsteps of Mallory and Irvine at the original Base Camp of Everest. From Kathmandu a three-hour drive takes us to the Balephi Valley in the Jugal Himal. This is little frequented by Western trekkers and provides a glorious hike to the Tibetan border. The route follows a long airy ridge, giving superb views of the mountains on Nepal’s northern border. After five days we reach Bhairev Kund, our home for the next two nights. The time spent here provides important acclimatisation for our visit to the Tibetan side of Everest. Time for local exploration or you may prefer to rest at camp, perhaps meeting pilgrim visitors to the nearby holy lake. A long descent, taken over two days, leads to the hot springs at Tatopani and the Friendship Bridge. Crossing the border into Tibet, we drive up a huge gorge to emerge onto the Tibetan Plateau. During this memorable journey, the terrain undergoes a complete transition from fertile valleys to arid plateau. It takes two and a half days to reach Everest Base Camp in the Rongbuk Valley. From here the world’s highest mountain is at its most spectacular, rising in a sheer 3,000m/10,000ft wall from the head of the high altitude valley. We expect to trek up the historic Rongbuk glacier to see the famous ice pinnacles and visit Tilman’s Meadow. Another long dramatic journey visiting Shegar, Shigatse and Gyantse leads to the ‘Forbidden City’, Lhasa. The Potala palace, ancient monasteries and the beautiful Tibetan people make this city perhaps the most celebrated in the Himalaya. To round off the whole experience we fly over the Himalaya back to Kathmandu, passing close to Kangchenjunga, Makalu and Everest. £2,995 £2,460 Dates: Wed 27 Aug – Sat 20 Sep land only Grade: Strenuous On Trek: 10 days European Leader: tbc Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 11 Camping: 11 Guest House: 1 Optional: Single Room £195 Single Tent £45 Insurance: £149 (Insurance Plus) Days Itinerary Duration: 25 days 1–3 Fly to Kathmandu, at leisure 4–6 Fly to Lhasa, sightseeing, attend Shoton Festival 7–9 Drive to roadhead via Gyantse, Shigatse & Shegar 10–14 Visit Sherpa Tenzing’s birthplace, trek to Everest base camp 15–16 Exploring Kangshung base camp area 17–20 Return trek to Khata 21–23 Drive to Kathmandu 24–25 At leisure, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients Shoton Festival 5 £2,650 £2,125 Dates: Fri 28 Mar – Sun 20 Apr*, Fri 26 Sep – Sun 19 Oct † land only Grade: Vigorous On Trek: 11 days European Leader: Roope Roine*, Chris Brightman † Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 10 Camping: 11 Lodges: 1 Optional: Single Room £195 Single Tent £50 Insurance: £99 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 24 days 1–3 Fly to Kathmandu, at leisure 4–12 Drive to road head, acclimatisation trek in Jugal Himal 13–14 Drive into Tibet to Everest Base Camp North 15–16 Exploring the Rongbuk Glacier 17–20 Drive to Lhasa, via Shigatse and Gyantse 21–22 Sightseeing in Lhasa 23–24 Fly to Kathmandu and London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of5clients Other Everest treks – see page 32–34 & 38 Left: Tibetan lady Right: Mt Kailash Photos: Steve Berry