All treks to Mount Everest begin with a mountain flight to Lukla.

After planes safely land at Lukla airport, passengers usually burst out in applause. They have just arrived at the gateway to Mount Everest.

After 25 years of traveling to Nepal there is one thing I have learned very well…people’s expectations and reality can only meet once they land in Kathmandu.

Despite our best attempts to prepare people for their trekking trip, there will always be a sense of uncertainty and unanswered questions. Looking through guide books, blogs and other related articles can not prepare you for the sights, sounds and smells of Nepal.

More than 100 mountaineering peaks in Nepal never get visited

One-third of the hundreds of peaks open to climbing in Nepal never see a visitor. Only a handful of the country’s most famous mountains remain the focus of mountaineering expeditions and most of these are located in the Khumbu region near Mount Everest.

Two-time runner up finally wins Everest Marathon title!

MAY 29, 2013 NAMCHE BAZAAR, NEPAL: After finishing runner-up the previous two years, local runner Ram Kumar Rajbhandari finally won the Tenzing-Hillary Everest Marathon in a time of 3:59:45 and Nepali runners continue their dominance at the world’s highest altitude marathon. In the women’s race, Ang Dami Sherpa took her second title while clocking 6:02:10. Ang Dami was a previous winner in 2006.

Entry 5. Nepal: The trek to Mount Everest Base Camp - The Classic Journey to the World's Highest Peak.

2013 confirmed group dates: October 19 to November 3, November 6 to November 21 & November 16 to December 1.

Standing on the mass of moraine and ice surrounded by frozen tundra and glaciers, I looked around and felt so blessed – this was it; this was the Base Camp of books, IMAX movies and dreams realized and shattered. Mount Everest Base Camp, 17,500 feet, high in the Himalayan Mountains of Nepal. I was filled with awe. I was standing on hallowed ground where so many had come before.

While we could argue that there are better hiking trails in the world, what makes this Himalayan trek so special and challenging are the elements you constantly battle: blazing sun, numbing cold, panting in the high altitude, walking over rock-strewn trails shared by other trekkers, porters, guides, local “commuters” and trains of hairy yaks. This trek has it all!

Become a member of our website and you and your traveling companions automatically receive 10% off the Everest Base Camp Trek in 2013.

Entry 11. Karakoram, Pakistan: The Concordia and K2 Base Camp Trek -To the 'Throne Room of the Mountain Gods'. Confirmed date of August 18 to September 8, 2013

Over the years there have been numerous books which have brought together collections of articles on the subject of the world’s greatest treks. The editors of these books all agree that the trek up the Baltoro Glacier to Concordia is one of the classics!

Some fun ways to spend 48 hours in Kathmandu, Nepal

May 29, 2013 marks the 60th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Mount Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Adventurers the world over are flocking to Nepal to celebrate at Everest Base Camp. Almost all trips to Nepal include some time for exploring the ancient temples, royal palaces and maze of streets in the Nepalese capital.

Entry 4. Nepal: The Sacred Tsum Valley Trek - Nepal's Hidden Sanctuary

Group date confirmed for November 17 to December 8, 2013

The Tsum Valley is situated in the northern Gorkha district of Nepal, surrounded by the Buddha Himal with Himal Chuli to the west, Ganesh Himal to the south and Sringi Himal to the north. Tsum is one of the eight sacred valleys (called Beyuls) in the inner Himalayas and owes its genesis to the 8th century Buddhist saint Padmasambhava.

Entry 12. Tibet: The Mount Everest ABC Trek -The World's Highest Trek

This truly is the highest trek in the world! After a stunning flight from Kathmandu to Lhasa, we will spend numerous days in this ancient capital acclimatizing and visiting the Potala Palace, Sera and Drepung monasteries, Barkor Square and Jokhang Temple.

Celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Hillary and Norgay's first successful climb of Mount Everest: May 19 to June 5, 2013. Trip Itinerary in PDF.

Just named by National Geographic Traveler magazine as '50 Tours of a Lifetime' 2013!

At 11:30 on May 29, 1953, Edmund Hillary and the Nepalese Sherpa Tenzing Norgay became the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Trekking Duffel Bag: Use a soft-sided duffel and make your porters happy!

On an adventure trip, especially a trek where your gear is carried by human porters or pack animals, we recommend traveling with soft-sided, rugged duffel bags. On a Himalayan trek, your bag may be in for some rough treatment as it is strapped to a horse or yak or tossed on the roof of a jeep and tied down. A duffel bag made from a durable fabric such as Cordura, will make sure it is pliable enough to be easily handled by porters, who may lash several duffels together and add a reasonable amount of water-resistance. For added protection, put items such as your sleeping bag, books, maps, toilet paper…in garbage bags or Ziploc bags. Most adventure companies (such as yours truly One World Trekking), provide all group members with trek-tested duffel bags.

Thinking of finally going on your first trekking trip? Here is some food for thought!

Being able to boast about completing a trek in the shadow of the world’s tallest mountains is enough motivation for any avid hiker. You don’t need to be an experienced hiker or seasoned world traveler. If you are in good shape, love to walk, have an open mind to different cultures and sense of adventure, you can make this dream a reality!

Entry 10. India: The Markha Valley Trek - The Mountains and Monasteries of Northern India

For close to 900 years, Ladakh was an independent kingdom, its dynasties descendent from the king of old Tibet. Its political fortunes ebbed and flowed over the centuries, and the kingdom was at its greatest in the early 17th century under the famous king Sengge Namgyal, whose rule extended across Spiti and western Tibet up to the Mayumla and beyond to the sacred sites of Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar.

Entry 9. Nepal: The Humla Trek - A Journey into Nepal's Hidden West

All but forgotten by the rest of the world, the isolated territories of Humla offer vistas that are both limitless and intimate. Here is a land of eternally snow-capped mountains and sweeping valleys - a landscape as forbidding as some distant moon.

Patagonia: The Torres del Paine Circuit Trek - Into the 'Land of Fire and Ice'. Group date confirmed for November 6 - 14, 2013.

Discovered by Magellan, Patagonia (the ‘Land of Fire and Ice’) is situated almost at the extreme southern tip of South America, just to the north of Cape Horn. We access this remote area by way of the small town of Punta Arenas. From here, we will transfer by bus to a comfortable fixed EcoCamp in the Torres del Paine National Park. The rugged territory of Patagonia is renowned for its breathtaking scenery and this is nowhere better exemplified than in the Torres del Paine National Park, where pink granite towers, iridescent blue lakes and surreally sculpted glaciers compete for the viewer’s admiration. This is also the setting for one of the world’s great trekking challenges, the 7-day and 60 mile-long circuit of the Paine Massif.

Entry 8. India: The Frozen Zanskar River Trek - A Winter Trekking Expedition into the Buddhist Stronghold of Zanskar, India. Coming January 12 - 30, 2014.

There are few, if any, Himalayan adventures to match the Chadar Trekking Expedition in Zanskar, India. In terms of sheer, awe-inspiring beauty, this trip is hard to beat…as it takes place in the heart of the Himalayan winter!

Entry 7. Nepal: The Dhaulagiri Base Camp Trek - A Circuit Trek to the World's Ninth Highest Mountain

The circuit of Dhaulagiri and the crossing of the French Pass take us to the high peaks and remote valleys of the Nepal Himalaya.

Entry 6. Nepal: The Lost Valleys of NarPhu Trek - A Unique Twist on the Annapurna Circuit

This adventurous trek in the Annapurna region is for those wanting to explore hidden Tibetan valleys, trek off the beaten path and cross the challenging high passes of Kang La (17,435 feet) and Thorong La (17,765 feet).

Himalayan Travel Tips: Surviving that long flight to Asia

As most of us already know from past experience, preparing for an overseas vacation can be rather stressful before we even step foot on a plane. Wrapping up work commitments, packing, remembering passports, travel money and tickets, traveling to the airport, queuing up for check in, going through security screening - not to mention dealing with long layovers and unexpected flight delays - can all leave us feeling exhausted before we even get to our final destination.

Entry 3. Nepal: The Upper Dolpo Trek - In Matthiessen's Footsteps

The Great Himalaya Trail is a network of electrifying trails which link together to make up one of the world’s longest and highest walking journeys. Dolpo, making up one of the trail’s western sections, is a high altitude region in Nepal and basically closed to the outside world until 1990. The Dolpo-Pa, the original Tibetan inhabitants of Dolpo, are thought to have settled here over two thousand years ago. This is a Buddhist land with an authentic Tibetan culture remaining largely unchanged for centuries. From lush valleys, alpine meadows, high plateaus to magnificent mountain passes and landscapes, Upper Dolpo owns a raw beauty all to itself.