We have reached the end of the world—or so it feels. After this village, the road stops for vehicles and if you want to travel deeper into Sikkim, you have to walk. However, we are visiting Yuksom during the monsoon, which comes with zillions of leeches. Freaked out as I

It seems almost everyone knows at least a piece of the history of mountaineering on Everest. Whether it’s having seen a movie about it, reading Into Thin Air, or just hearing stories about the 200+ deaths on the peak, Everest teaches us that climbing can be dangerous. But Everest is

One of my favorite weekend activities is to spend a Friday or Saturday night camping at Hattiban with a group of friends. Hattiban is a forested area located in the hills to the southwest of the valley, above Pharping. The Himalayan Height Resort is located up there and provides nice

Monsoon season in Nepal has officially started. If you’re taking advantage of the off-season to travel in the country without many other tourists around, you may end up finding yourself in Kathmandu on a rainy day. If you don’t want to get wet and muddy outside, then here are some

In February 2016, I was in Solukhumbu conducting fieldwork and I decided to stay an extra few days for some mountain bike exploration. Specifically, I had my eyes on Pikey Peak, a “hill” of just over 4,000 meters with spectacular views of the Himalayas. Back in October of 2015, I

Everyone needs an occasional break from Kathmandu – the traffic, pollution, noise, and chaos can be a little overwhelming. Whether you live in the city or are just visiting for a while, there are several easy-to-reach places that make for good weekend trips away from Kathmandu. Here are a few

I once had the misfortune of traveling by public transport from Jumla District, in the west of Nepal, to Kathmandu, all in one long push. After 31 hours in a jeep and a bus, I arrived home completely exhausted. Long jeep and bus rides in Nepal can be pretty unpleasant,

Nepal is famous for Mt. Everest, and every year there’s plenty of news about climbers who have scaled the world’s tallest mountain. However, there are also some great climbing opportunities for visitors and locals who are looking to spend a day, or even a week, on some rocks. Remember, for

I spent almost a month in the Land of Lamas (officially known as Ladakh), in far northern India. The high-altitude area is dotted with beautiful lakes and is home to a rich and diverse culture. It’s a popular tourist destination, and if you’re planning a trip there, there are a

Nepal has a lot to offer to mountain biking enthusiasts. The country is covered in amazing trails, and the biking scene is gaining more and more momentum. It possible to go mountain biking in just about any part of the country, but here are three of the top multi-day mountain