Top Peaks of the World Archives - Friendship Nepal Trek

Top Peaks of the World

We offer climbing expeditions to Island Peak, Mera, Lobuche, Chulu East or West, Pisang, Naya Kanga, Mardi Himal, and other summits of Nepal. Join a fully organised climb or a guided backpacking trip.

The “Trekking Peaks” of Nepal give hobby-climbers an opportunity to tackle a high Himalayan peak without having to organise a major expedition. Although these peaks are lower than their more famous cousins – the 8000-meter peaks – many of the climbs are no less demanding and adventurous in nature.

These Trekking Peak climbing trips offer a chance to climb a Himalayan summit and, a taste of being in the `white wilderness,’ without burning a big hole in your pocket! The Trekking Peak climbing trips we offer are run in the popular trekking areas with relatively easy access to the mountains. Most of these trips can be completed within a short period of time. For instance Naya Khang in the Langtang valley can be completed in less than twenty days with plenty of time allocated for acclimatisation.

Whereas on the Pisang & Chulu trip, you can ‘bag’ two summits in less than one month with an itinerary that also takes you on the famous Annapurna Circuit trek. In the Everest region the popular peaks are Mera Peak in the remote Hinku Valley, Island Peak, Khongm-tse and Lobuche peaks near the Everest Base Camp area.
Though most of these climbs require little or no previous mountaineering experience, it is essential that participants are in excellent physical condition and have some outdoor background. Knowledge of use of ice axe, crampons and ropes will come in handy.

Before the actual climb begins we will teach you the basics of handling ropes and other climbing devices including safety considerations. All our climbing treks are guided by trained guides who are registered with the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA). Each of our climbing guides are locals who are intimately familiar with the mountains and routes they guide on. Join one of our Trekking Peak climbing treks to experience the pains and joys of climbing in the high Himalayas – a privilege that once was reserved only for the fabled ‘expedition climbers.’

Included in the Trip Cost:

– Road head transport, camping/lodging and meals on the trek and during the climb.
– Group climbing equipment and high altitude food, fuel and kitchen ware.
– Sherpa Guide and support sherpas for assistance during the trek
– Climbing Guide during the climb, porters and/or pack animals to carry baggage.
– Insurance cost for Sherpa team.
– Domestic airfares are extra as shown separately.

Not Included in the Trip Cost:

– Personal equipment such as down jacket, sleeping bag, etc., and personal climbing equipment such as ice axe, climbing boots, crampons, harness, figure-8, carabineers, goggles etc., as required (full list will be provided after participants sign-up on a climbing trek).
– Client insurance and emergency evacuation.
– Nepal Visa cost (US$ 30 for 60-day single entry visa).
– Hotels & meals in Kathmandu.
– International Airport tax – (Rs. 1100 – US$ 15.00);
– Domestic Airport tax – (Rs. 165 – US$ 2.5);
– Extra baggage charge over 20kg Nepal.

Trekking Peak- the designation trekking peak is an unfortunate misnomer, because most of the peaks are significant mountaineering challenges. Few of the trekking peaks are walk ups and some of them technically demanding and dangerous. However the trekking peak climbing requires some technical skill and previous experience. The weather is often bad and may force you to sit in your tent for a day or more. Usually a well-equipped base camp is necessary and the ascent of a peak require one or two high camps that must be established. Most of the peaks require a minimum of two days to climb and can take as long as three weeks. Since 1978 the Nepal Mountaineering Association NMA has had the authority to issue permission for small-scale attempts on 18 peaks. Though it is not necessary to go through a long application process, hire and equip a liaison officer, or organize a huge assault on a major peak in order to try Himalayan Mountaineering.

Expedition:

Nepal Himalayas (Mountaineering in Nepal)

Nepal is a country well known for its Himalayans Mountains. Among the 10 highest peaks in the world, eight, including the highest peak Mt. Everest, crown this country. Nothing on earth can beat the exhilaration of scaling them. No wonder Nepal is the favorite destination for mountaineers and every year more than 600 expeditions trudge up the Himalaya, including the trekking peaks.

Himalaya is known as the rooftop of the world. The Himalayas are the highest mountains in the world. Their scenery is legendary. These mountains have had an air of mystery until recently. Even today, the vast area of the Himalaya is untouched. It has always remained a source of fascination and inspiration for people from all walks of life in the world. Himalaya (“Him” means snow and “Alaya” means abode), the abode of snow and the Gods, extends about 2500 Kilometers. The Brahmaputra (Assam) in the east and Indus river in the west demarcate the length of the Himalaya. It is 300 Kms wide and rises nine kilometers above the sea level.

The Nepal Himalaya is in the centre of the Himalayan range. Eight peaks that exceed 8000 metres including the world’s highest peak Mt Everest are the prominent members of Nepal Himalaya. It has a convergence of 1310 magnificent peaks over 6,000 metres. Nepal has become famous through out the world due to these mountains.

It is a very interesting thing to know that there was a sea (the Tethys sea) between Indian Gondwana continent (Indian sub-continent and Eurasian continent). Around 70 and 80 million years ago, the Himalaya began to come into existence. It is a peak of each evolution only about 10 to 20 million years back. Therefore, the Himalaya is extremely young and geologically active. According to geologists, mountains are growing at a rate of 15 cm (6 inch) a year as the Indian plate is moving northward and forcing under the Eurasian plate. This process (plate tectonics) causes the earthquakes in this region. Geologists say that the collision of continents is squeezing up sedimentary rocks that were once below the sea. The mountains of Himalaya are the result of the collision of continents.

How much can be said about the Himalayan giants encountered in Nepal, or how much can be added to the legendary climbs that have taken place on the eight of the highest summits of the world that are in Nepal? Indeed, the top of the world is on the Tibetan Nepalese border, known as Sagarmatha under its south face and Chomolongma on the northern side. But Mt. Everest as westerners have named it barely keeps under its shadow all the other mountains above 8,000 meters and only its prestige as the highest makes it a dream destination to all climbers in the world.
Expeditions have become big business and climbers now approach the job with the appropriate degree of seriousness and dedication. It is not uncommon for expeditions to refuse trekkers admission into their base camps. The team members do not have the time or energy to entertain tourists, and there have also been incidents of trekkers taking souvenirs from among the expensive and essential items that often lie around such camps.

Expeditions to any of the highest mountains of Nepal, including all those ranging in between 7,000 and 8,000m requires long-term planning and through organization. We have categorised mountaineering into three different part; peaks above 8000m, peaks below 8000m and trekking peaks. Please visit related site and if you didn’t find what you are looking for, don’t go away! Just write us an email we will back with an answer of your mail within 24 hours.

Nepal opened its mountains to all the mountaineers around the world in 1949. Only then mountaineers started coming to climb the mountains of Nepal. Especially, the 8000 meter peaks attracted most of the climbers. Afterward, climbers attempted the various untried routes without oxygen. Today, the Nepal Himalaya has been proved as a great theatre of mountaineering activity.

Why are the mountaineers or saints or philosophers or researchers or adventurers of the world attracted towards the Nepalese Himalaya ? It is not just the height that gives the Himalaya their grandeur, but it is also the tremendous contrast with the deep valleys that wind between the peaks. Within these deep valleys, one can see the flow of the glacier-fed rivers that are swift, white, and exciting.

The Nepal Himalaya can be divided into nine mountain regions, which are as follows:

Khumbu Himal Region
Kanchanjunga Region
Rolwaling Himal Region
Langtang and Jugal Himal Region
Manaslu and Ganesh Himal Region
Annapurna Himal Region
Dhaulagiri Himal Region
Kanjiroba Himal Region
Far West Himal Region

Interesting Facts About the Himalayans or Expeditions

The word ‘Himalaya’ means the home or abode of snow.
According to Hindu mythology, God Shiva resides in the Himalaya.
There are eight peaks with a total of 19 points above 8000 metres in Nepal.
Fourteen mountains in the Himalaya exceed 8000 metres.
There are 25 points in all which exceed 8000 metres in the Himalaya.
Nameha Barwa peak is the easternmost and Nanga Parbat is the westernmost peak of the Himalaya.
The geological age of the Himalaya is approximately 70 million years.
Himalayan rivers are older than the Himalayan peaks.
Kumbhakarna is the new name of mount Jannu (7,710 m).
Gosainthan (8046 m) is the Nepali name for Shisha Pangma.
Ninety-five percent of earthquakes occur in mountainous regions.
Sir Andrew Waugh, Surveyor General of India wished to honour his predecessor, Sir George Everest. For this, Sir Andrew pretended that there was no local name for Everest and hence named the mountain as Mount Everest though there were two local names of the mountain. e.g. Sagarmatha in Nepal and Chomolungma in Tibet.
Sir Andrew Waugh announced the name ‘Mount Everest’ in 1865.
The ideal height gain per day for mountaineers is 1,000 ft above 10,000 ft.
Nepal opened its borders to the world in 1949.
Mallory described Mount Everest from Rongbuk as, ‘a great white fang excrescent on the jawbone of the earth’.
Why do men climb Everest ? Mallory said, “Because it is there.”
Sir Edmund Hillary led an expedition to find the Yeti in 1958.
According to Dr. George Schaller, the existence of Yeti unknown to science cannot be ruled out at high altitude.
Reinhold Messner climbed Everest alone without oxygen.
Tenzing buried his daughter’s red and blue pencils on the top of Everest.
Approximately 150 people have died in different expeditions of Mount Everest so far.
Tenzing was known as ‘Himalayan Club Sherpa No 48’.

Top Peaks of the World

Mountain	Country	Height	Date of Ascent
1. Everest	Nepal	8848m / 29028ft	29-May-53
2. K2	Pakistan	8611 m / 28251ft	31-July-54
3. Kanchanjunga	Nepal	8586m / 28169ft	25-May-55
4. Lhotse	Nepal	8501m / 2789Oft	18-May-56
5. Makalu	Nepal	8463m / 27765ft	15-May-55
6. Cho-Oyu	Nepal	8201 m / 26906ft	19-Oct-54
7. Dhaulagiri	Nepal	8167m / 26794ft	13-May-60
8. Manaslu	Nepal	8156m / 26758ft	9-May-56
9. Nanga Parbat	Pakistan	8126m / 26660ft	3-Juan-53
10. Annapurna	Nepal	8091m / 26545ft	3-June-50

Mountaineering in Nepal

Mt. Everest:

Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world measuring 8848m (29,028 feet) I height. It was first climbed on May 28, 1953 by a New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay of Nepal. Mount Everest is also known by the Nepali Name Sagarmatha (Mother Of Universe), Tibetan Name Chomolungma (Goddess Mother of The Snow)
Everest had been attempted many times before the important expeditions begin that of 1922, 1923 and 1924. The body of George H.L. Mallory, who died in an earlier attempt (1924), was discovered on the mountain in 1999. More than 600 climbers from 20 countries have climbed the summit by various routes from both north and south. Climbers’ ages have ranged from nineteen years to sixty. Climbing on Everest is very strictly regulated by both the Nepalese and Chinese governments. Climbing Everest and treks to Everest Base Camp are becoming increasingly popular on both the north and south side of the mountain. On the north side, a Buddhist monastery stands at the foot of The Rongbuk Glacier, beneath Everest’s Spectacular north face. The monastery is one of two whose locations were selected specially to allow religious contemplation of the great peak. The other is the Thyangboche Monastery in Nepal. The once active Rongbuk monastery in Tibet has required much rejuvenation from the destruction it experienced following China’s invasion of Tibet.

Kanchenjungha:

Kanchenjungha (8586) is the third highest mountain in the world. From 1838 until 1849, it was believed to be the highest. It is an enormous mountain mass, and many satellite peaks rise from its narrow icy ridges. It is located on the boarder of Nepal and Sikkim, just 46 miles North West of Darjeeling. It is the most easterly of the great 8,000 meter peaks of the Himalaya. Through not successfully climbed until1955, it was first attempt-ed in international parties where killed in an avalanche. As inspiring as Kanchanjunga’s beauty is that at least the first three parties to ascend the mountain never attempted the final few feet to the summit out of the voluntary respect for the Sikkimese, who consider the summit sacred. The successful British expedition of 1955 set the standard by stopping a few feet short of the actual summit, in honor of the local religion.

Lhotse:

Lhotse (8516) is the fourth highest mountain in the world. Its long east-west crest is located immediately south of Mount everest And the Summits of the two mountains are connected by the south col, a vertical ridge that never drops below 8000 meters Lhotse is sometimes Mistakenly identified as the south peak of the Everest Massif. No serious attention was turned to climbing Lhotse until after Everest had finally been ascended. Lhotse was First Climbed in 1956 by two Swiss, Fritz Luchsinger and Ernest Reiss
In addition to main summit, there are two subsidiary peaks, Lhotse Shar, which is immediately east of the main Summit, and Nuptse, a high peak on the mountain’s west ridge.

Makalu:

Makalu (8463) is the fifth highest mountain in the world. It is an isolated peak, located Just 14 miles east of mountain Everest. Its Size alone is impressive, but its structure, that of perfect pyramid with four sharp ridges, makes this mountain all the more spectacular.
It has proved to be a challenging climb, as only five of its first sixteen attempts where successful. Previously, it had been admired and studied by several Everest Parties, but like so many other giants in the Khumbu region, it was not attempted until the summit of Everest had been attained in 1954. A French group first climbed Makalu in the year 1955.
Chomo Lonzo (25,650ft.) is a subsidiary peak of Makalu, rising just north of the higher summit separated by a narrow saddle.

Cho Oyu:

Cho Oyu (8201) is the sixth highest mountain in the world, located a short distance to the west from Everest and Lhotse (the fourth highest) in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal along the Tibetan Border Its towering peak stands with Everest well above the surrounding mountains. It became a familiar landmark to climbers ascending Everest’s north face just west of Cho-Oyu is the Nangpa La , a 19000 foot glacier pass, and the main trade route between the Khumbu Sherpas and Tibet. Cho Oyu’s proximity to the Nangpa La has earned it the distinction among some climbers as being the easiest 8,000 meter peak. It was the third such peak climbed, and the first climbed in autumn by two Austrian.

Dhaulagiri:

Dhaulagiri (8167), whose name means White Mountain, is the seventh highest mountain in the world. It is an enormous Himalayan massif, located in north central Nepal. It is the highest mountain located entirely within Nepal. After its discovery by the western world in 1808, it replaced Ecudador’s Chimborazo (20561ft,) as the Postulated highest mountain in the world. It maintained this standing for nearly 30 yrs until the discovery of Kanchenjungha, which was then falsely believed to the world’s highest mountain
Dhaulagiri’s crest stretches for thirty miles, lending structure to an otherwise tangled topography of twisting ridges glaciers, and ice falls, along the main crest, several pyramid- shaped peaks rise. Four of these summits, numbered from east to west, rise above 25,000 feet.
In 1960, the Swiss/ Austrian expedition who first reached the summit did so despite their airplane having crashed during the approach. This was the first Himalayan climb supported by an airplane, although the plane was subsequently abandoned on the mountain.

Manasalu:

Manasalu (8163) is the high peak of the Gorkha massif, and is the eight highest mountains in the world it is located about forty miles east of Annapurna, the tenth highest mountain. The mountain’s long ridge and valley glacier offer feasible approaches from all directions, and it culminates in a peak that towers steeply above its surrounding landscape, and is a dominant feature when seen from afar. The name Manasalu is derived from the Sanskrit word Manasa and can be roughly translated as Mountain of the spirit. An all female Japanese expedition successfully ascended to the summit, there by becoming the first women to climb an 8000 meter peak.

Annapurna:

Annapurna (8091) is an enormous Himalayan massif, the tenth highest mountain in the world. In 1950, it became the first 8000 meter mountain to be successfully climbed. It is located east of great gorges cut through the Himalaya by the Kaligandaki river. The mountain has glaciers on its western and northwest slopes, which drain into this gorge.
Annapurna is a Sanskrit name that can be translated as Goddess Of the Harvests or more simply The provider. Of Annapurna’s many highs peaks, five are labelled using some variation of the name Annapurna. Of these, the two highest (Annapurna I and II), stand like bookends at the western and eastern ends of the massif.

Seasons
There are four mountaineering seasons: spring (March-May), summer (June-August), autumn (September-November) and winter (December-February). A total of 153 Himalayan peaks are open to mountaineers. Climbing permits are issued by the Ministry of Tourism & Civil Aviation (MOTCA) for 135 peaks known as mountaineering peaks, and by the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) for 18 smaller peaks, known as trekking peaks, which range from 5,587 to 6,654 m in altitude.

Permission
The following documents have to be sent to MOTCA, Mountaineering Division when applying for a climbing permit: completed application, endorsement of the National Alpine Club, short biographies of all the members of the expedition (with photograph and signature), map and/or photograph of the mountain indicating climbing route and approach route map. Enlistment of the expedition’s name does not require any fee and it should not be paid before receiving the permit from the Ministry of Tourism.

Permits to climb the 18 trekking peaks are issued by NMA on “first come first served” basis. It is necessary to appoint a government recognized trekking agency of Nepal as a local liaison for the expedition in Kathmandu. The trekking agency will look after all the requirements during the expedition.

Payment of Climbing Permit fee (royalty):
The leader of the expedition team is required to compulsorily pay the full amount of climbing permit fee (Royalty) within TWO MONTHS of the date of permission. Incase of Failure of the payment of royalty within two months such permission may be CANCELLED.

The climbing permit fee (Royalty) must be paid directly to the Ministry of Tourism or Friendship In Nepal Trekking & Expeditions P. Ltd. in its favor either by bank draft of bank transfers, Payable in convertible foreign currency.

Fees
For fees and other details please contact: info@friendshiptrek.com

Restrictions
Food and equipment imported for expeditions require an import license and should be custom cleared. Walky-talkies, Tran receiver sets and other communication equipment are controlled items in Nepal and have to be declared at the customs office at the entry point.

Preparation in Nepal for Expedition

Import of foods and equipment:
Invoices and airway bill or bill of lading (four copies each) have to be submitted to the Ministry of Tourism for import license and customs clearance for the import of expedition foods and equipment to Nepal. CIF Katmandu value is to be clearly mentioned in the invoice.

Communication Equipment:
As Walkie-talkies, Transceiver (Wireless) sets and other communication equipment are controlled articles in Nepal. Please declare these articles in the customs office (at entry point) that you wish to bring into Nepal for use during climbing period. Such equipments have to be collected from the customs office by receiving permission letter from the Ministry of communication. For the clearance of the equipment-completed application form and invoice with catalogue or specifications (four copies each) should be submitted to the Ministry of Tourism, which are latter to be sent to other concerned government offices.

Filming or Documentary:
Permission is required for filming or documentary. The Ministry of Communication must be contacted any time for queries about filming in Nepal. Please let us know your requirement, we will send all the details and the costs of the filming that you are going to shoot.

Contact
For further information please contact info@friendshiptrek.com