If you check the global map, you will discover that the territory of Nepal is nothing but of mere ant size, while its neighbors are passable as a baby elephant in contrast, and I mean no disrespect when I divulge this stale discovery. The topic here, as you know, is of Nepal, and despite its humble land coverage (which is just 0.03% of world's total land area), the presence of mighty Himalayas, including eight tallest peaks of the world, have given the country a remarkable reputation among hikers and mountaineers. In fact, some even remark it to be the trekking capital of the world. Applause aside, we would like to introduce to our fellow hikers 5 of the best trekking routes of Nepal, around Everest and some other tall mountain peaks.
1. Everest Base Camp
Touching the Everest is every human's fantasy, and while mountaineers dare risk their life to touch the mighty summit, we hikers have another challenge - making it to the Base Camp of this towering peak, and it is not easy. Your greatest fear, while tramping over the Himalayas, is not the steep slopes, wild animals or the freezing cold; what you must be really afraid of is the ailment called altitude sickness. Word of advice is to acclimatize properly to the mountain environment before you proceed to climb above 25000 meters. Let me add that this spectacular Himalayan trail requires hikers to stand at a whooping 5545m altitude - they say the view from this height, i.e. Kala Patthar, is simply awesome. It's Mount Everest, after all, the summit of the world.
2. Upper Mustang Trekking
In a country so green and lush that the thought of a desert would never cross your mind, travelers tramping over the Upper Mustang area, aka the land beyond the Himalayas, have been rendered speechless. They had entertained a mental picture of green Nepal, and therefore were unprepared to behold the sight of barren hills and arid desert-like landscape.
While geologists have a complex theory for this strange phenomenon, suffice it to say that the area falls in the no-rainfall zone, an obvious trait of a land in close proximity to the Tibetan plateaus. Amidst this rare geographic diversity of Nepal, there lies a mystical city, La Manthang, from where a king, now retired, once ruled the Himalayan country. All the same, you will find the city's varied attractions truly hypnotic. Along the trail, hikers will also have the honor to visit the sacred temple called Muktinath, where they say an eternal flame blazes from time immemorial.
3. Annapurna Circuit Trek
Just type "what are the most beautiful hiking routes of the world", and Google will retrieve back numerable web pages, all touting about the enchanting trail of Annapurna Circuit area, which blossoms with lush vegetation and stunning mountain vista. Let it be noted that Annapurna represents thirty mountain peaks, with, of course, Annapurna I (8091m) as the tenth highest peak of the world; it's siblings are generally above seven or six thousand meter high. You see, you are going to make a circuit of this amazing mountain landscape, and along the pleasant trail, you will be sometimes admiring the green landscape; sometimes witnessing the queer lifestyle of the hillside villages; sometimes gawking at the magical scenario of the sun setting or rising behind the mountains; and, most of the times, shooting pictures of the lovely snow peaks.
4. Manaslu Base Camp
It never fails to shock us that a young British lady, novice in mountaineering and in her early twenties, made it to the summit of Manaslu, creating a sensation as the youngest British woman to acquire such a daring feat. From then on, crowds of mountaineers and hikers came from all over the world to touch the summit and to make it to the base respectively. I would like to address the brave hikers, and warn them that this challenging and restricted trail to the Manaslu Base Camp, while spectacular with wonderful villages, Buddhist shrines and picturesque landscapes around, is fraught with peril. Bear in mind that the trail is quite far away, requiring you to spend several cold nights under warm tents (pray that weather doesn't go on a rampage), and you will also be daring to cross the Larkya La pass (a glacial saddle), which lies at an incredible height of around 5213m (beware of altitude sickness) and, admittedly, offers a breath-taking panorama of the Himalayas.
5. Gokyo Trek
Call it the sweat of the Himalayas or its tears, either way the glacial lakes are a wonder to behold. And, the alpine valley of Gokyo, with six sacred glacial lakes, never fails to enchant the hikers with its picturesque beauty. Nonetheless, let me warn you that the Gokyo valley, which lies at the altitude of 4970m, commands a rogue reputation as the Valley of Death, owing to the death of numerous hikers caught in the grip of altitude sickness. And, there's this one hill, actually a small peak, called Gokyo Ri and hikers, in pursuit of the perfect viewpoint to capture the ultimate picture of the majestic Himalayas, climb this 5357m high peak, often falling or slipping down in their recklessness. All the same, I must say the view is worth the climb.
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