Blogs

I kept a small notebook in my jacket pocket the whole trip, mostly because there was nothing else to do in the evenings once the sun went down and the cold set in. Reading back through it now, most entries are short — too tired, too cold, or too busy staring at something to write much. Here's what I've got, more or less in order.

Day 1 — Pokhara Long drive out from Kathmandu along the Trishuli River, arriving lakeside by late afternoon. Everyone in the group a little quiet, that pre-trip nervous

For trekkers who've conquered Everest Base Camp or the Annapurna Circuit and are hungry for something rawer and far less traveled, the Makalu Base Camp Trek delivers an 18-day journey into one of Nepal's last true wildernesses. Tucked in the remote eastern Himalayas, this trek leads to the foot of Mount Makalu, the world's fifth-highest peak, through a national park so pristine it sees only a fraction of the trekkers found on Nepal's more famous routes.

Face to Face With the World's Fifth-Highest

Deep in the Annapurna region, tucked against the Tibetan border, lie two valleys that most trekkers never even hear about. Nar and Phu were closed to outsiders for decades, and even now that they're open, the restricted-area permit requirement keeps visitor numbers remarkably low. For experienced trekkers who've done the classic Annapurna routes and want something rawer, quieter, and far more remote, the Nar Phu Valley Trek delivers one of the last genuinely hidden corners of the Nepal Himalaya.

If Everest Base Camp sounds incredible but two-plus weeks of trekking and a nerve-wracking flight into Lukla don't fit your schedule, there's a shortcut most travelers never hear about: the Pikey Peak Trek. In just six days, this easy-to-moderate route delivers one of the most spectacular sunrise panoramas in the entire Himalaya — a 360-degree sweep that takes in Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Kanchenjunga — all without flights, technical terrain, or serious altitude risk.

A Sunrise Worth Setting a