Fortunately mountaineering in Nepal is no longer limited to the exhibition heroes of old who scaled the Himalayan summits. The exhilaration of climbing is now open to everyone. For this reason, one of the most popular reasons for visiting Nepal is to partake in mountaineering activities.
Nepal is home to 8 of the world’s highest mountains. The highest of them all is Mount Everest. In 1953, Hillary and Tenzing reached the summit of Mount Everest and hence paved the way for others to flood to Nepal in their thousands to try and capture some of the exhilaration of climbing these beautiful peaks.
It is worth noting however, that mountaineering in Nepal can be extremely dangerous due to the height of the mountains and the inherent dangers which climbing them poses. As an example, almost as many people have lost their lives trying to climb the Annapurna massif (with the highest mountain being the tenth highest mountain in the world) as have actually reached the summit.
It is essential therefore that you join a reputable trekking organisation if you are intending do to any mountaineering or climbing whilst in Nepal.
If you wish to climb one of the lower Himalayan peaks then the majority of trekking associations in Nepal do not require you to have previous mountaineering experience. However, they do recommend that you are in good physical health prior to joining. The trekking associations will all give you initial training on the use of climbing apparatus and on techniques such as rope handling.
The length of expeditions depends on the peaks being climbed. Mountaineering exhibitions to Nava Khang in Langtang valley often last approximately three weeks. You may be able to see more than one peak during an exhibition of the Annapurna massif in just over a month.
To climb one of the mountains in Nepal, it is necessary to apply for a permit from the Ministry of Tourism’s Mountaineering Section in Kathmandu. It is likely that many mountaineering associations will do this on your behalf.
Although permits for climbing Mount Everest are currently being charged at $50,000 you will find that the smaller peaks are far more affordable!
