Everest Base Camp, and the amazing high country around it, are high on the bucket list of hikers everywhere. Embark led a fantastic trip there in 2011, and here trip leader Jim Ronning narrates a series of amazing photographs from the trip.
{ 0 comments }
In 2011 Embark led a climb of Island Peak, or Imja Tse, in Nepal. Here, trip leader Jim Ronning narrates a spectacular photo display from the climb. This is what being in the Himalayas is all about.
{ 0 comments }
These are the new tents Embark will be offering on all trips in Africa and Asia moving forward. The tent is a Mountain Hardware Trango 3.1–meaning it sleeps 3, although we only put only 2 people in each.
{ 0 comments }
Embark is exploring trip options to Ladakh, a trekking region in northern India that borders Tibet and Pakistan. Ladakh plays peaceful host to Indians, Pakistanis, and such a great number of Tibetans that the region, so strongly influenced by Tibetan culture and religion, is called “Little Tibet.”
Embark adventurer Ken is currently reporting from the city of Leh in the Ladakh region, which is surrounded by the giant Himalayas. His colorful blog includes great photos and personal observations, including: You land at 11,580 feet and the affects of the altitude are immediate (headaches, chills); every other bag at baggage claim on arrival is a 50-pound bag of rice brought in by locals returning after a bitter winter; and the hotel provides a hand bucket for the toilet and a red bucket for bathing.
Clearly Ladakh is no tourist trap–in fact it is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Kashmir–which makes traveling there both hard (not as many restaurants, easy-to-read maps, etc.) and luxurious (no tourists). Embark is excited to continue to explore this rugged terrain in the hopes of offering up an affordable but breathtaking step off the beaten path.
{ 0 comments }
CNN has released its 10 best trips for every type of traveler in 2011–described as Foodie? Adventurer? Beach bum? No matter what type of traveler you are, here’s the perfect vacation for 2011–and one of our hot new treks is on it.
Exploring the Andes through the mountains and people of the High Antiplano and Lake Titicaca along the border of Peru and Bolivia, we enjoy the city life of some of the highest cities in the western hemisphere and trek deep into the mountains, where the stars have a dazzling quality and angle unique to the region. We even devote a few days to grade 5 climbing deep into our trek, but this it optional, and there are routes for any level, including first-timers and experts alike.
Interested in this trip? Have any questions? Send us your thoughts through our contact page.
{ 0 comments }
Aside from its expansive serentiy and Gross Domestic Happiness agenda, what sets the Kingdom of Bhutan apart from the rest of the world is its $200 daily travel fee required of all visitors.
The fee is essentially a permit, and it is a flat fee charged to any visitor regardless of income level, length of stay, etc. There is, simply put, no way around it. And the Bhutanese government plans to raise the rate to $250 a day in 2011.
But what many outsiders do not know is that this fee covers all the in-country basics: food, lodging, permits, etc.
Bhutan’s economy, incidentally, is the second-fastest-growing in the world, due in large part to a big hydroelectricity project. Even still, as of March 2006, the country’s per capita income was $1,321, so your incoming travel dollars go far.
Embark will be announcing more trips to Bhutan soon, but for now, our existing trip provides a great outline for what you’ll get out o f a trek through this magnificent, well-preserved, and tranquil landscape. The base cost covers the daily travel fee.
{ 0 comments }
In January 2010, artists and adventurers Renan Ozturk and Corey Richards packed up their bags and headed to the Khumbu region of Nepal to tackle Tawoche, a 21,463 foot peak that stands in the shadow of Ama Dablam.
But they decided to send their own dispatches, with their own footage, writing, edits, and production, literally as their journey happened, instead of relying on experts back home to take all their footage and compile it into a third-person narrative months after the action.
The result is stunning and intimate, not to mention all the more thrilling knowing that even they do not know what will happen next. Check out the compiled mini dispatches below. It’s well worth the 16 minutes.
{ 0 comments }
