Mountaineering Tours of India
” In these hills, nature’s hospitality eclipses all man can do. The enchanting beauty of the Himalayas, the bracing climate and soothing green, envelops you. I wonder whether the scenery of these hills and its climate are surpa -ssed or equaled by any of the beauty spots of the world.”
- Mahatma Gandhi.
Mountaineering Tours in India is one of the most popular adventure sports in India. The greatest adventure of all is scaling the Himalayan peaks of India. These mighty mountains stretching across the northern borders of India, from west to east, have hundreds of peaks, inviting the intrepid mountaineer for adventure tours. The states of Himanchal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim offer bases for mountaineering expeditions. For information and arrangements you are requested to contact with the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (Benito Juarez Road, New Delhi-110021). Your agent will make all the arrangements including transport, food, porters, camping equipments etc. and will also process and clear all formalities. The best season for mountaineering tours is from May to October.
More than a third of the Himalayas life in India, spanning the entire northern stretch of the sub-continent - an astonishing arc nearly 3,200 kilometers long. Within this mass of peaks and valleys are some of the country’s most beautiful states. In the northwest lie Jammu and Kashmir‚ with the dramatic high altitude deserts of its Ladakh district. No other state offers such scenic diversity: green, alpine vales; flower-strewn meadows; rushing rivers and streams feeding numerous lakes; and glacier-topped mountains. Ladakh, most often referred to as the ‘little Tibet’, transports you to the high-altitude world of dramatic landscapes, rugged passes, ancient Buddhist monasteries and gentle, benign people.
In northern West Bengal, Darjeeling‚ built on a narrow ridge jutting out into the Teesta basin, looks across a wide expanse, 1,300 metres below, to Himalayan peaks which stretch along the northern horizon for 96 km. Kanchenjunga is only 56 km away.
The extreme east of India, is the land of the seven sister states Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. In this region lies the Assam Himalaya, inhabited by friendly tribal people of mongoloid stock. This area spreads through high, rain-sodden, thickly forested spurs and ridges of the lesser Himalayas. Spread beneath these hills lies Assam, sliced by the wide Brahmaputra river. Home of the one- horned Rhinoceros, this state claims twelve of the best wild life sanctuaries in north India. Arunachal Pradesh, on the north eastern tip of India, once called the ‘Hidden Land’, is now open to visitors. It boasts of a rich tribal culture, rare orchids, turbulent rivers, dense rain forests, making it a haven for anglers, rafters and hikers. Entry being regulated through special permits, these areas still remain pristine and remote.
The mountain and valleys of the small state of Himachal Pradesh, east of Jammu and Kashmir, include a smaller Buddhist mountain kingdom called Lahaul‚ and Spiti‚ and the tribal belt of Kinnaur. A place to explore the quiet side of India where the beautiful haunts are less traveled.
Further east, is Uttaranchal, a place that represents the essence of Hinduism, which holds sway in this part of the Himalayas. Here lies the source of the Ganga, India’s holiest river and four most sacred shrines making Uttaranchal the abode of the Hindu gods. A destination for pilgrims, trekkers and rafters.
Sikkim, north of West Bengal and east of Uttar Pradesh, is in India’s Eastern Himalayas. The five peaks of Kanchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world, loom over this tiny state. Paths meander through forests, follow turbulent streams, wind through valleys and dales and pilgrim routes patiently cut across mountains reach sacred monasteries perched high in splendid isolation.
So If you’re fired by the spirit of adventure, let the sparks in your heart fly…… in India, a land blessed with lofty snow-clad peaks, crystal glaciers, rolling meadows, jagged rock faces, verdant valleys, meandering rivers, cascading waterfalls, dense forests, and hospitable people, blessed with a rich culture - a land perfect for mountaineering, trekking, and rock climbing.