The number of adventurers visiting Nepal from Britain is on the up, say dull reports about visitor numbers. But the reasons for this aren’t dull at all. First, of course, are the mountains – and oh boy are there mountains. It’s often quoted that Nepal has eight of the world’s 10 highest mountains, but did you know that it also has over 240 peaks higher than 6,000m? Blimey. It’s hard to imagine.
But it’s not just mountains we’re going for. Among them are glacial lakes and incredible valleys. To the south of the great Himalaya are tropical jungles. There are rivers to play in – look out for the September/October edition of Adventure Travel where contributor Will Smith is kayaking the most extreme one. And there’s Kathmandu, one of the most hectic yet culturally amazing cities in the world. And lots more. So much more that in association with Qatar Airlines, we’ve put together our top five adventures in Nepal. Once you’ve chosen, check out www.qatarairways.com to get there.
We buckle into our cockpit, trying to shut the roof over our heads without leaving a wasp inside; no mean feat when there’s a wasp’s nest in the nearby hanger and the bright white aircraft happens to be of particular interest to them. After my instructor Mike has shown them who’s boss, using his sunhat as a weapon, we’re all set.
He starts the single-propeller engine and briefs me on how to manoeuvre the HK36 Super Dimona aircraft. Not altogether sure if I’ve taken everything in Mike’s said (perhaps due to my soaring adrenaline levels, which are inevitably inhibiting my concentration levels) we make our way over a short piece of lawn and on to the runway. Take off’s moments away. Am I going to be asked to do anything at this early stage? I don’t remember being informed of any such take-off instructions.
To my relief, Mike takes care of getting us airborne and to our cruising altitude of 2,000ft, giving me time to enjoy the view and take a few snaps. Then it’s down to business. I’m shown how the plane responds to the various joystick movements we’d practised back on the ground, which results in us being thrown around in all directions under the safe hands of Mike.
Want to explore the real unexplored? Want to do it really soon? This unique trip takes you on a ship from Alaska to Russia, and it looks glorious. Here’s more…
What: Alaska to the Russian Far East
Where: From Nome, Alaska, in the north, to Sakhalin, Russia, in the south
When: 7 September 2010, for 19 days
How much: From US$11,074 (£7,383) per person. World Expeditions’ all-inclusive policy ensures there are no local payments.
They always come to us – isn’t it our turn to go to them? It’s time to bin those imagines of a cold, grey, post-communist country. Language teaching company earworms has launched Polish course, and here they offer 10 reasons why Poland’s a fab place to go on holiday.
1. The variety. Poland has 524km of coast line with sandy beaches and dunes; mountains up to 2,444m high and two lake districts.
2. When out walking, there are no fences, no barriers and no paths you have to stick to.
3. The weather. In summer, temperatures can reach 40°C…
Want to go to the world’s highest and arguably most awesome mountain range but worried you don’t have the time? Here’s a 12-day adventure where you get to not only hike in the foothills of the Himalayas but explore them via canoe and elephant – and there’s some white water rafting thrown in for extra entertainment. We’re sold.
What: Annapurna and Chitwan adventure
Where: The Himalaya and Chitwan National Park, Nepal
When: Weekly departures from 19 September to 1 May. With clear, mild days and cool nights, autumn (September - November) is the best season.
Surfing in the desert? Really? Yes of course. Well, kite-surfing actually. On this week’s splendid top adventure, which is suitable for novices, experts and everyone in between, you can power around a flat water desert lagoon by day and sample traditional Moroccan food by night. Here’s more…
What: Kite-surfing.
Where: A 25km lagoon near Dakhla in the Sahara Desert, southern Morocco.
When: All year round.
How much: From £699pp (two sharing) including seven nights’ full-board accommodation, tuition, equipment and transfers (excluding flights).
Don’t you always forget how close Africa is? Morocco, home of mysticism, is just a short hop away – probably why you can do this cracking eight-day trip for just £650 including flights. Climbing North Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Toubkal at 4,167m, you get to see views from the Atlantic Ocean to the Sahara, and the trip also gives you time to soak up a bit of the street life of Marrakech. What a super summer adventure.
What: Mount Toubkal Trek
Where: Morocco, to summit Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak at 4,167m
When: Departures throughout summer: 23 July, 6 August, 27 August, 10 September, 17 September
How much: With £50 off the 23 July and 27 August departures, prices for the eight-day trek start from £649pp. This includes flights, transport, accommodation (three nights hotel, two nights gite, two nights refuge/camping), most meals (daily breakfast, three lunches, four dinners) and an experienced group leader.
High up on the magnificent ceiling of the Sistine Chapel lies one of Michaelangelo's masterpieces, 'The Creation of Adam'. The image displays the moment that God created humans: his outstretched hand meets the hand of Adam and sparks the electric thrill of life into his new body.
Regardless of your religion, 'The Creation of Adam' is a powerful, beautiful image. In this week's video of the week we see one of the most amazing sights on Earth, a tornado, and the link to 'The Creation of Adam' makes it even more special.
The shots are almost magical and as the video nears an end the swirling wind morphs into a re-enactment of the famous Michaelangelo painting. It has been said that clouds are the natural veil of a heavenly visitor, and as much as I like to say I'm an atheist, it does look like something was sent down from heaven in this video.
Natural weather phenomenons can make or break your adventures, and even the most violent of storms can be the most beautiful thing you have seen. I know if I were to see something like this on a trip, it would leave my jaw dropped for months.
This feature ran in March/April's Adventure Travel - they were our first people to star in the 'adventurers' column. But we like it so much we're going to run it here too. And if you've done something equally adventurous, let us know in the comments section at the bottom...
“White people don’t walk,” laughs Helen Jones. “That and ‘your donkeys will die’ were the most common things Gambians said to us when we explained what we were doing.”
Helen and her partner Jason Florio walked 600 miles round the whole of the Gambia, a small country in West Africa, in November and December of last year. It’s not surprising the locals were dubious. Whites in Gambia get around by 4x4 and Gambians don’t venture far from their home villages. The pair reckon they’re the only people to have ever done the trip.
“The Gambians we were with had barely left the small area they grew up in,” says Helen. “That was one of my highlights – showing three people their country and seeing how thrilled they were to make such a historic journey.”
The couple did the expedition to raise money for Gardens for Life, a charity that teaches children to grow gardens so they can sustain their villages and ultimately have a way of trading. After half a year of planning and very little training (“we ran out of time”) they teamed up with Janneh (the translator), Momadou (the donkey handler), Samba (the Gambian culture expert) and Neil and Hadley (the donkeys) and set off into the heat and dust of the red roads.
The sun’s out – has it got you pining for the mountains? (it has us). Innsbruck-based Alpinelements offers a range of fun holidays in the Austrian Alps, with all sorts of activities. Oh to feel the rock in our hands…
What: Alpinelements Adventure trip
Where: Innsbruck, Austrian Alps
When: Summer sports May-October, winter sports Nov-April. (Courses are run to coincide with flight schedules. Easyjet flies to Innsbruck from Gatwick Saturday and Wednesday. In winter there are frequent flights from Liverpool, Manchester and Bristol too.)
Located near Long Island in the Bahamas, Dean's Blue Hole is the world's second deepest underwater sink hole. The naturally formed cavity is 202m deep and was formed during the last ice age by rain water penetrating the limestone rock. It is amazing how natural wonders like this get created, and it is one of the most beautiful and mysterious things I have ever seen.
This week's video of the week isn't like the others I have showed. It's not an extreme paraglider, nor is it some mad mountaineer speed climbing the Eiger. This week's video is an artistic masterpiece. In it we see the (once) world champion freediver Guillaume Néry performing an underwater base jump into Dean's Blue Hole.
While the video took several takes to film, Néry has still dived without oxygen to depths of 109m, spending huge amounts of time holding his breath underwater. The Frenchman held the world record for constant weight freediving (without fins) until December 2006 when current world record holder Herbert Nitsch beat it by 3m, diving to a depth of 112m.
Austria-born Herbert Nitsch has held world records in all eight of the free diving disciplines, and got himself the nickname of 'deepest man on Earth' when he set the record for no limits diving (with fins) at 214m. To date, Nitsch has held a total of 30 official world records in free diving, and one for static apnea (holding his breath underwater), with a time of 9 minutes 4 seconds. His time was beaten a year later by 4 seconds.
This video was filmed by Néry's girlfriend Julie Gautier, who recorded the whole thing on breath hold, in other words, she was filming without oxygen. So, turn up the volume and check out this amazing, beautiful video.
The number of adventurers visiting Nepal from Britain is on the up, say dull reports about visitor numbers. But the reasons for this aren’t dull at all. First, of course, are the mountains – and oh boy are there mountains. It’s often quoted that Nepal has eight of the world’s 10 highest mountains, but did you know that it also has over 240 peaks higher than 6,000m? Blimey. It’s hard to imagine.
We buckle into our cockpit, trying to shut the roof over our heads without leaving a wasp inside; no mean feat when there’s a wasp’s nest in the nearby hanger and the bright white aircraft happens to be of particular interest to them. After my instructor Mike has shown them who’s boss, using his sunhat as a weapon, we’re all set.
Want to explore the real unexplored? Want to do it really soon? This unique trip takes you on a ship from Alaska to Russia, and it looks glorious. Here’s more…
They always come to us – isn’t it our turn to go to them? It’s time to bin those imagines of a cold, grey, post-communist country. Language teaching company earworms has launched Polish course, and here they offer 10 reasons why Poland’s a fab place to go on holiday.
Want to go to the world’s highest and arguably most awesome mountain range but worried you don’t have the time? Here’s a 12-day adventure where you get to not only hike in the foothills of the Himalayas but explore them via canoe and elephant – and there’s some white water rafting thrown in for extra entertainment. We’re sold.
Surfing in the desert? Really? Yes of course. Well, kite-surfing actually. On this week’s splendid top adventure, which is suitable for novices, experts and everyone in between, you can power around a flat water desert lagoon by day and sample traditional Moroccan food by night. Here’s more…
Don’t you always forget how close Africa is? Morocco, home of mysticism, is just a short hop away – probably why you can do this cracking eight-day trip for just £650 including flights. Climbing North Africa’s highest mountain, Mount Toubkal at 4,167m, you get to see views from the Atlantic Ocean to the Sahara, and the trip also gives you time to soak up a bit of the street life of Marrakech. What a super summer adventure.
This feature ran in March/April's Adventure Travel - they were our first people to star in the 'adventurers' column. But we like it so much we're going to run it here too. And if you've done something equally adventurous, let us know in the comments section at the bottom...
The sun’s out – has it got you pining for the mountains? (it has us). Innsbruck-based Alpinelements offers a range of fun holidays in the Austrian Alps, with all sorts of activities. Oh to feel the rock in our hands…
