For newcomers to the mountain environment, the choice of ranges and peaks can appear bewildering. Even when you have decided where to go, you then have to choose whether to organise the whole trip yourself or sign up with a tour operator. In this exclusive extract from ‘The Mountain Traveller’s Handbook’, Paul Deegan spells out some of the options available to the 21st Century trekker and mountaineer.
Where To Go?
Think of Europe and most people think of the Alps. There are, however, dozens of other mountain regions worth exploring, from the Pyrenees of Spain to the Pindos mountains of Greece. Most Scandinavian countries have mile-upon-mile of deserted summits and tundra. The Tatras offer alpine climbing at a fraction of western European prices. Even southern European countries such as Portugal – which are often dismissed by trekkers and climbers as only suitable for sun-lovers – have their own pockets of highland, if you look hard enough for them.
Africa’s mountains are crowned by Mount Kilimanjaro, the continent’s highest point. ‘Kili’, together with its equatorial neighbours Mount Meru and Mount Kenya, offers both trekkers and mountaineers the opportunity to ascend from a sub-tropical to a sub-arctic environment in little more than a week (although whether it is wise to do so this quickly is open to debate). Yet Africa offers the mountain explorer much more than these sub-6000m peaks. Uganda’s Ruwenzori, Ethiopia’s Simien mountains, and Morocco’s Atlas range – the last just a stone’s throw from Europe – are just a few of the continent’s less well-advertised mountain jewels.
South America is home to the Andes, the world’s longest and perhaps most diverse mountain range. Running for virtually the entire length of the continent, the Andes contains a lifetime’s worth of opportunities for the backpacker and mountaineer. Highlights include Peru’s Cordillera Blanca, Bolivia’s Cordillera Real and Ecuador’s high altitude volcanoes, as well as the region known as Patagonia which straddles southern Chile and Argentina.
North America contains a stunning choice of mountain ranges. The USA boasts the Sierra Nevada and the Cascades, as well as rock climbing meccas such as Yosemite and Joshua Tree. Canada is not short on mountain wilderness: backpacking opportunities abound in the infamous Yukon and the North West Territories, whilst the St. Elias range rivals the climbing in the adjoining American State of Alaska, which is one enormous playground for mountaineers.
If you can’t decide between the USA and Canada then head for North America’s most renowned mountain range, the Rockies, which spans both countries.
Australasia’s premier snow-capped mountains are to be found in New Zealand’s Southern Alps, which offer alpinists technical climbing on mountains such as Cook, Tasman and Aspiring. Trekkers (or trampers, as they are known in New Zealand) are able to tackle world-class trails such as the Milford and Routeburn Tracks. Australia is perhaps less well-known for its mountains, but there are plenty of highland areas including the Snowy Mountains and Blue Mountains. The Carstensz Pyramid is perhaps the most well-known piece of rock in the Pacific, but there are gems here for the trekker too: the Kokoda Trail and the Shaggy Ridge in Papua New Guinea are tough treks steeped in the history of the Second World War.
Then there is Asia, home to the world’s highest mountain range, the Himalaya. Bhutan, Tibet, Nepal, India and China all have a share of the thousands of peaks that make up the chain, and there remain many untrodden summits and valleys awaiting discovery. A number of other principal mountain ranges also vie for attention within Asia. The Karakoram is dominated by K2, the world’s second-highest mountain, whilst Central Asia’s Pamirs and Tien Shan ranges straddle the Central Independent States of the former Soviet Union and neighbouring China. Dozens of other locations, from the Hindu Kush to the Kamchatka volcanoes, await your discovery.
Finally, Antarctica has in recent years begun to reveal a new and frozen world of adventure in the Ellsworth Mountains and Queen Maud Land to those with the means to reach them. Meanwhile, the mountains that line the Antarctic Peninsula now offer increasingly affordable opportunities to climb on the Earth’s most remote continent. It is interesting to note that Greenland has recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity and is currently a very attractive destination for the adventurous mountain traveller eager for new challenges in an environment not dissimilar to Antarctica.
When To Go?
Deciding where to go is one thing, deciding when to go is quite another. You might have to take your holiday at a particular time of year, when the area you wish to visit is not at its best. But if this is the case, don’t worry too much. For example, people who can only take long holidays in the summer months, but who wish to visit the Himalaya, may be discouraged to learn that most of Nepal is besieged by the monsoon at this time of year. However, pockets of the country – such as Dolpo and Mustang – are still accessible in July and August. Furthermore, vast tracts of the Indian Himalaya, most notably Ladakh and Zanskar, are at their very best during the summer. So too is the Karakoram, and anyone who has been to Concordia would argue that this part of the world is every bit as spectacular as the Himalaya. [The Mountain Traveller’s Handbook includes a comprehensive month-by-month breakdown of the most popular ranges and when they can be visited – Ed.]
How Long To Go For?
In theory, it is possible to fly to Kathmandu, trek to a point within sight of Mount Everest and be back at your place of work within a week. In reality, a few more days would allow you to enjoy (rather than endure) the experience. Calculating the correct number of days that are required to complete a particular mountain journey safely and successfully can be worked out by answering three principal questions: How far away from your home is the country you wish to visit? What is the distance to the peak from the runway, road, or railhead? What altitude do you want to reach?
The number of hours (or days) it takes to travel to the country is important, as the amount of time spent travelling to your destination can eat up much of the time you have at your disposal. Two classic examples (for people travelling from the UK) are the Southern Alps of New Zealand and Patagonia in South America. Whilst the trekking in both of these stunning areas takes place at comfortable low altitudes, the number of hours spent flying to and from these locations makes a trip of less than three weeks impractical to all but the most determined travellers. When it comes to altitude, the restrictions are entirely physiological. It is dangerous to expect the human body to adjust to heights above 2500m without an appropriate period of acclimatisation.
Catch-Up Days
Treks and climbs are sometimes unavoidably extended by several days because of prolonged bad weather. Furthermore, flights can be cancelled due to high winds, roads can be washed away by landslides, leaves can make trails slippery with all the possible delays that can occur, many experienced travellers prefer to build in one or two ‘catch-up days’ at the end of their journey so that they don’t miss that all-important flight home. If you are unsure from the outset that you will be able to make the return flight, it might be worth paying slightly more for your airline ticket so that you can change the return date without incurring a large financial penalty.
Organising your trip
Once you have chosen where and when to go, one of the next things to decide is whether you want (or are required to have) the services of a commercial company. Your options include: Using a travel agency based in your home country, employing the services of an operator located in the country you are visiting (known as an ‘in-country operator'), or doing it all yourself.
Each has its advantages and disadvantages. How much you want to arrange for yourself, whether you want to travel in a group and the size of your budget will help you decide which approach is right for you. You could end up using a mix of two (or on occasion all three) styles of travel, depending on the nature and duration of your journey.
Travel Agency
Trekking and expedition agencies based in your home country exist to take care of every part of your trip. These companies secure international flights, arrange internal transport, book hotels, offer appropriate insurance, arrange permits and hire guides. A responsible agency will also help you obtain a visa, place you in a group of people with a similar level of mountain experience to your own, and offer advice on suitable types of clothing and equipment. An agency can also act as an emergency point of contact for your relatives whilst you are in-country. In the event that you have a less-than-satisfactory experience, the travel agency is likely to be accountable to the laws of your own country. Of course, this level of service comes at a certain price, which is why booking through a travel agency is normally more expensive than using an in-country operator.
In-Country Operator
The majority of travel agencies use in-country operators. Some of these companies are wholly or partly owned by the relevant agency, whilst others are independent businesses which sell their services to one or more agencies (or other in-country operators). Booking directly with an in-country operator cuts out the middle-man (in this case the travel agency) and is therefore cheaper; sometimes by a significant amount. There are various ways to track down a suitable company: you might receive a personal recommendation by someone who has travelled with a particular outfit, or decide to take the advice of a recently published guidebook or magazine article. Most people who book with an in country operator have time on their side and are able to personally visit the various businesses upon arrival. Booking directly with an in-country operator is not always the ideal solution for backpackers who have only a short period of time at their disposal and no prior experience of their intended destination. Bear in mind that if you do receive a poor service, obtaining any sort of compensation in certain countries could be a forlorn hope.
One significant advantage of in-country operators is that most will be prepared to make partial arrangements for you. For example, you might ask the operator to only organise internal flights and trekking permits. Or you might want to hire a guide, but choose to carry all your own personal equipment rather than employing additional porters or pack animals.
Going It Alone
Going it alone can create a wonderful sense of independence. You are answerable to no-one and, unlike on trips organised by travel agencies, you are not required to make any effort to be sociable with people in a group who are simply ‘not your type’. You are more likely to be accepted by local communities than if you travel with several other people. You can take as many days off as your schedule will allow and alter your itinerary on a whim. However, should things start to go askew, you will have no-one to turn to for advice and assistance; in an emergency you will probably have to rely entirely on the sympathy of complete strangers. It is also important to point out that there are certain mountain regions in the world where trekking on your own is inadvisable because of the political situation in the country. (Appendix A includes a list of organisations able to identify destinations unsuitable for solo travel.)
Of course, there is a way to deflect some of these potential drawbacks, and that is to travel independently with a friend (or friends). There is at least a modicum of psychological strength to draw on when your team numbers more than one, albeit at the expense of uninhibited freedom.
If you choose to travel independently (either on your own or with friends) you will need to take on all the tasks that would otherwise have been handled by a company. Securing visas, registering with your embassy and organising communication with the outside world in an emergency are just some of the many logistics you will need to concern yourself with.
In addition to a visa, you may need a permit to trek in a particular region or to climb a certain mountain.
Such requests are usually processed by the government’s ministry of tourism, or the country’s official mountaineering body. These permits might take a long time to secure, so as soon as you have decided where you want to go, it is a good idea to contact the embassy and find out whether such permissions are required. Indeed, government regulations may require you to enlist the services of an in-country operator.
Other trekking permits can only be obtained when you arrive in-country. It is worth arriving early at the department that issues the permits, in order to avoid the inevitable mid-morning queues. Find out in advance the cost of the permit, and in what denomination payment is required. Try to have the exact money. If you cannot be bothered to stand in line, then find an in-country agent who is prepared to arrange your permit in return for a small fee.
If you do choose to go it alone, build in sufficient time to organise all the necessary paperwork. It is probably worth keeping a couple of spare self-portraits in your passport whilst travelling, just in case one is required to accompany an unexpected piece of documentation. It is advisable to carry photocopies of all your essential documents.
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