Introduction Himalayas, About Himalaya, Mountain Ranges, Travel Tips, Hill Stations

Interestingly, a vast shallow sea, the Tethys, existed where the Himalaya stands today. The submerged landmasses on either side started pushing towards each other, giving birth to these mountains. This was a relatively recent occurrence in the geographical time frame, so the Himalaya is considered a young and fragile land formation. Scientists speculate that the whole process took five to seven million years. Fossil finds at heights of over 8,000 metres (26,000 feet) support these theories. The Himalaya has risen about 2,000 metres (6,600 feet) in the past 20,000 years and continues to rise at the rate of 7.5 to 10 centimetres (3-4 inches) a year.

Why does one wander about in the hills? Why does one trudge up steep slopes only to descend to a point where another formidable ascent stares mockingly? Why does one shiver endlessly in a thin sleeping bag, most inappropriate for the place or the time, only to wake up to further misery as the late night rain finally creeps through the tent floor and creates a dreadful little puddle near your head? And why does one so lovingly plan another trek after having curse and howled through the previous one and questioned one's sanity sixteen times a day?

For the answers, armchair travelling just won't do. You have to go on any one of the treks detailed in the book to find out why trekking in the Himalaya is so insidiously addictive. As any self-respecting street peddler would tell you just have to try trekking to feel what it could do to your senses, your world-view, your life.

Trekking is not about the challenge and the triumph of scaling that brutally tough 26,248 ft / 8,000 m-plus mountain through that complicated route that nobody has dared before. It's not about that glorious placard which attaches itself to your back, screaming 'conqueror' as you descend to base camp. Trekking in fact, is about that bracing bonfire which spirals up to meet the stars. It's about pitching camp overlooking a stunning waterfall. It's about sanding transfixed on that rock outcrop as you look at the golden eagle glide pas the precipice, breaking the symmetry of the trans-Himalayan vistas, and swooping down on the unsuspecting mountain hare. It's about lying down on a carpet of anemones next to a gurgling stream. It's about stopping the knees from shaking after you have just been rescued by an obliging porter from a narrow ledge where loose rocks were giving way in a hurry. it's about feeling envious of those climbers who haughtily march past you like zombies, totally focused on that awe-inspiring peak another 10,000 ft / 3,045 m above you _ you could get closer to that only by using your long telephoto lens. And after being overwhelmed by everything around you,. it's about looking inwards and remembering and then trying to forget the pain of the journey. The five regions that comprise the trekking heartland of the Himalaya are: Ladakh / Zanskar; Himachal; Garhwal/Kumaon; Sikkim/ Darjeeling; Nepal and Bhutan.

- :Your Travel Kit To Himalayas Tourism: -
TRAVEL DESTINATIONS HILL STATIONS TREKKING ITINERARIES HOTELS
-:Best Tour Options for Himalayas:-
Kailash Mansarover Tour	Pilgrimage Tour Chardham	Everest Base Camp
Kangchenjunga Base Camp	Nanda Devi Base Camp	Kangchenjunga Trek - Feel of Real Sikkim
Ladakh the Last Leg	Land of Gods: Kumaon & Garhwal	Monasteries Tour Ladakh

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