HIMALAYAS - WHERE LIES THE BEAUTY IN ITSELF.
" In a hundred ages of the gods, nobody could tell
thee
of the glories of the Himalaya". Thus does tradition
call down to us from the Puranas. The Himalayas, is a
spectacle
of awesome dimensions that ranges upon ranges, tiers
of rock,
sharp sky piercing peaks and canyons, deep beyond
measure.
How did this come about, whence rose these citadels
of ice?
How did this three thousand kilometer long mountain
range
come into existence?, for the Himalaya is not only
the most
impressive of all the mountain chains, but also the
youngest.
You have to stretch your imagination a bit to
comprehend the
cataclysmic events that led to the formation of the
Himalayan
ranges.
The last up thrust affected not only the
Himalayas, Trans
himalaya and the Karakorum, but also the whole of
the Tibetan
region. With an area of 2.5 million square
kilometers, this
region is the highest land mass on earth and in
the last
1 million years it has risen by nearly 5,000
meters, an
average of 4-5 millimeters per year. The uplift
continues
even today at a measurable 10 meters every hundred
years.
Mount Everest has itself risen 8.2 meters in the
last 100
years.
Very little is known about the start, duration and
extent
of the Ice ages in the Himalayas. Geologists have
however
determined that the second last was the most
severe. The
period after this major ice age saw a marked
retreat of
the glaciers and this was also the period that
most Himalayan
lakes came into being, amidst the ice polished
rock landscape.
The Pangong and the Chandratal are classic
examples of such
glacial remnants.
All
the
major rivers of the Himalayas have their source in
the holy
Kailash region. The Indus to the north, the
Yarlung -Brahmaputra
in the east, the Sutluj in the west and the Ganga,
Karnali
streams to the south and southwest. This amazing
situation,
making Mt. Kailash the literal lynchpin of the
Himalaya,
is the result of a 30 million year old upthrust of
the Kailash
range at a time when the Himalayas were in the
slow, initial
phase of their formation.
Sikkim is situated to the south of Tibet and east
of Nepal.
Many of the most famous mountains in the
Himalayas, including
the majestic Everest, lie in Nepal. Neighbouring
Bhutan
also shares in the grandeur of the Himalayas. The
entire
country is a closed basin between two parallel and
deeply
intersecting transverse ridges. The 8,682 metre
(28,483-foot)-tall
Kanchenjunga overshadows all else in Sikkim. This
beautiful
mountain is considered sacred by Hindus and
Buddhists alike
and its name translates as the ' Treasure of Five
Jewels'.
It is the third-highest mountain in the world. In
Sikkim
there are many adventures you can enjoy; one being
trekking
in Sikkim to the foot of the second highest
mountain in
the world - Mt. Kanchenjunga. For many who wish to
see the
snow and visit the sacred lakes in Sikkim one can
conduct
jeep tours. Sikkim has to offer the best for the
adventure
seekers in the Himalkayan mountain region.
The Himalayan kingdom of Nepal is today's most
popular Himlayan
(trekking and mountaineering) destination in the
world.
Offering something special for everyone. One can
easily
combine wildlife safari, river rafting, a small
trek to
a normal tour. The distance are not too long and
the possibilities
are many. It is also possible to combine a tour to
Nepal
with a visit to Lhasa, or an extended over land
tour to
Tibet. There is no seasonal constraint on
travelling in
and through Nepal. Even in December and January,
when the
winter is at its severest, there are compensating
bright
sun and brilliant views. Trekking in Nepal to
Kailash in
Tibet. Trekking to the famous base camp in Everest
in Nepal
and Tibet. High altitude adventure treks in the
Himalayan
regions of Sikkim, Darjeeling, Nepal, Tibet and
Bhutan.
Nepal is a trekkers paradise. One can trek along
the beaten
trails or virgin tracks. There is something for
everyone
- the magnificent tumble of great snow summits;
the highest
in the world, or great-ridges carpeted in alpine
flowers,
forest of Rhododendrons, isolated hamlets,
villages, small
mountain towns, birds, animals, temples,
monasteries, many
different people etc, trekking can be done from
March-May
and October-December.
Tibet is one extraordinary destination, where
adventure
lurks around every corner. Its name the “Roof of
the World”
is not a mere statement. The valley bottoms are
higher than
the highest mountains elsewhere. Adventure on the
road is
never short on the beautiful Trans-Himalayan drive
of over
970-kms, through the four mountain passes,
promising a panorama
of a cultural and scenic diversity unsurpassable
anywhere.
Bhutan, or the land of the Thunder Dragon, the
second and
the only remaining Buddhist Himalayan kingdom is
still perhaps
the world's most exclusive tourist destination. An
unspoiled
country with majestic mountains impressed with a
certain
mystique; a unique cultural heritage preserved
intact and
with a continuity of many centuries; an
architectural style
like no other; a land full of warm hearted and
friendly
people.
The Eastern Himalaya is also climatically very
different.
High rainfall and gentler conditions make the
eastern Himalaya
a recognized haven for bio diversity. Trekking in
himalayas.
This is what everybody have known and is in quest
for conquering
it's Highest Point in the World, which one of
those is the
Mighty and Magnificently hidden in the laps of the
Great
Himalayas - EVEREST.