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EcoVitality |
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TREKKING IN THE WESTERN HIMALAYAS
mk059: North Face of nanga Parbat Above
Fairy Meadows and Raikot Glacier
With 5 of the 14 peaks above 8000 meters (26,300 ft) and more than 100 above 7000 meters (23,000 ft), northern Pakistan has the greatest aggregation of high mountains in the world. The three highest ranges, the Himalaya, Karakoram, and Hindu Kush, converge in this area. nanga Parbat, the westernmost of the Himalayan giants, is the 9th highest mountain and perhaps the largest in area covered. The rapid rise in elevation from the Indus River at 3500 feet above sea level around nanga Parbat's base to the mountain peak at 26,660 ft. is the greatest vertical differential on the Earth's surface. Our trekking tours will begin on the northern approaches to nanga Parbat and then shift to a spectacular route along its eastern flanks.
TREKKING ROUTE HIGHLIGHTS
Our trekking route on the northern flank of nanga Parbat visits Fairy Meadows, Raikot Glacier, Byal village, and the nanga Parbat base camp. A monument at the base camp lists climbers who have lost their lives attempting to scale the treacherous ice-covered walls, explaining why nanga Parbat has come to be known as the "Killer Mountain" in technical climbing circles. We'll be hiking on the mountain slopes and will stay at campgrounds in Fairy Meadows and Byal, from which we'll trek to about 13,000 feet at the nanga Parbat base camp. This area will be visited first to acclimatize trekkers to the slightly higher altitudes on our subsequent route.
The treks along the eastern flank of the nanga Parbat Massif offer outstanding views of the Chongra Peaks, nanga Parbat, and the Harshu River gorge. After crossing Chongra Pass, we camp above a magnificent waterfall fed by a glacier and the following day we descend through Rama Forest, one of the Alpine forests EcoVitality is working to protect.
These are PRIVATE group tours that require 13 days in Pakistan and 3 days for air flights. We expect that most clients will want to leave on a Friday evening, which will fit the trekking tour into two weeks and an adjacent week-end. We would like prospective clients to put together a compatible group and then tell us when you want to visit the nanga Parbat region between the beginning of June and the end of September.
mk060: Rama Lake and Forest
We have a pool of several exceptional tour leaders who may be available for these private trekking tours. For example, look at the credentials of this guide:
John Bellezza has been leading Himalayan trekking tours in many regions since the mid-1980's. He speaks "Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Pahari, Tibetan, and Spanish as well as a little in some other languages," and he formerly served as an interpreter for the Dalai Lama. John is a co-author of the present " Lonely Planet Guidebook to Tibet" and has contributed to several other Himalayan guidebooks. He has also published a more scholarly book, "Divine Dyads: Ancient Civilization in Tibet," and articles on various aspects of Himalayan cultures. He is now working on a book about his archeological discoveries in northern Tibet. A decade ago, John served as an environmental consultant to the Northern Areas Council and assessed ecological conditions in many mountain and valley areas in northern Pakistan, including all places to be visited by our trekking tours.
Photo Gallery of our Trekking Route and Nearby Areas
CLIENT SAFETY
Pakistan received a lot of bad press in the past year that certainly is not warranted in the remote northern areas where our trekking tours will be conducted. Based on information from our contacts in Pakistan and from a series of articles in the New York Times, the change of government last October has not led to any rise in violence or social unrest. Rather, the military overthrow of the previous Pakistan government, which was corrupt and oppressive, appears widely popular. We do not support military governments, but the Pakistanis benefiting from our activities are poor villagers in remote mountainous areas, not politicians or generals, and our goal is the conservation of forests, biodiversity, and mountain scenery that certainly need environmental protection regardless of the national political leadership.
The Villages participating in the EcoVitality program will benefit directly from employment as guides and porters, from usage fees for campsites, from sales of locally produced food, and from our substantial development assistance. Unlike commercial "ecotourism," which may mean anything, EcoVitality tour revenues will be funding schools, irrigation channels, wood- working training, and other rural development projects chosen by the local communities. We will also be working with these poor communities on a continuing basis to protect ecological systems. These villagers understand very well that all of these benefits are conditioned on providing our tour clients with outstanding experiences, and as a result the villagers have compelling personal and group incentives to protect the safety of our clients.
There has never been any violence directed toward tour groups in the Northern Areas around nanga Parbat. State Department advisories on Pakistan in September and December, 1999, do not even mention the district around nanga Parbat. The Northern Areas has been among the safest provinces in Pakistan for visitors because it is on the other side of the nanga Parbat massif from potential hostilities in Kashmir, and it is a remote region where religious and ethnic strife have seldom affected foreigners. Tourism is also among the area's main industries and employers.
The safety of our clients (and staff) is a paramount concern. Yet, we see no reason to abandon a very worthwhile conservation and development program because a military government has replaced a less stable but equally authoritarian government in the national capital, more than three hundred miles away from the area where our tours will be conducted.
TOUR PRICES
TOUR PRICES: These tours are designed to fit into two weeks plus an adjacent week-end. The cost of the 16-day tours (including the 3 days for air flights) is $4000 plus airfare.
REQUIRED DEPOSIT: $1000 is due upon booking, and the balance of $3000 will be due sixty days before the beginning of the applicable tour dates. We cannot hold places on any tour without the appropriate deposit. See the Terms and Conditions below for a description of our trip cancellation fees.
Premium Tour Features
EXCLUSIVITY:
While our clients are trekking on the nanga Parbat/ Chongra Pass/Rama Forest route, the local villages have agreed to preclude other groups from visiting these marvelous, unspoiled locales. This promise was given in return for the conservation and development benefits the villagers will be receiving from EcoVitality projects in their region.
For environmental and cultural reasons, we will take no more than 8 clients per tour and we will operate no more than 5 tours on any trekking route per year. We must have a minimum of 4 clients per private tour.
Air Transportation: We have arranged a special fare of around $1500 plus tax for Club Class air tickets on Pakistan International Airlines from New York to Islamabad. This is the highest category of seats and services PIA offers. Many of our clients will be frequent travelers who may prefer to make their own air arrangements, which is why we did not bundle the airfare into the price of the tours. The PIA flights leave on Friday evenings and return on Sundays. They are the only direct flights from New York City to Islamabad, with a refueling stop in Ireland but no change of planes.
Tour clients will stay Saturday night at the Pearl Continental, the best hotel in Rawalpindi, and then will take a chartered air-conditioned bus to Chilas in the Northern Areas, where they will spend Sunday night in one of the two leading hotels. Monday morning we will drive for about an hour to Raikot Bridge, the starting point for the Fairy Meadows trek.
OUTSTANDING CLIENT SERVICE AND COMFORT ON TREKS:
We can arrange private or group equipment consultations with American Terrain Outfitters, the leading mountaineering and trekking outfitter in the New York metropolitan area.
We will provide accommodations in the best hotels in each area for the nights before and after treks.
Our clients will travel by air-conditioned motor vehicles whenever available.
We will provide meals at the best hotel restaurants in Pakistan cities, and professional trail cooks will prepare a variety of Pakistani and American foods on the treks.
Meals will consist of the highest-quality Pakistani foods and imported American foods not available in Pakistan.
We will offer tea breaks with snacks on the trail, as well as three full meals each day at the campsites.
Our staff will be trained to ensure high-quality hygiene in food preparation.
We are hiring one porter for each client’s baggage in addition to dozens of porters for carrying group equipment and food.
We are providing a spacious (3-person) mountaineering-grade tent for each client, though couples may double-up if desired.
Our porters will carry high-tech deluxe tables and chairs that will be assembled at each campsite for client comfort.
Each client will sleep upon a ThermaRest Deluxe self-inflatable mattress.
For privacy and comfort, we will set up portable enclosed showers and toilets at the campsites.
Our staff will provide laundry service on the trail.
To protect the beauty of these areas and their ecological integrity, we have adopted a carry-it-in, carry-it-out policy for all garbage and wastes.
We will distribute extensive information packets to our clients, including lists of necessary equipment and recommended personal items, the required vaccinations and other medical considerations, information on Pakistan visas and travel arrangements, meal descriptions and forms for indicating individual food preferences, and other relevant material. Do not hesitate to ask us for additional information if you are uncertain about any aspect of our tours.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Please read these Terms and Conditions carefully! They contain essential information on Booking Procedures, Cancellation Fees, Fitness Requirements and Training Recommendations, Medical Emergency Procedures, and the Comprehensive Liability Waiver Provisions. This material makes clear that personal fitness and personal safety are the responsibility of individual clients.
To make Bookings for specific dates, fill out the Booking Form on the Terms and Conditions Page. To ask for additional information, please contact:
or call
212-966-8803
Photo Credit: Dr. Kidd---Aerial View of nanga Parbat Massif
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