Our November '09 group successfully summit Mera Peak

The Mountain Company November '09 Mera Peak expedition arrived safely back to Kathmandu this morning. Congratulations to the five members of the team (Ian O, Greg, Ian H, Richard and Karen) who successfully climbed to the summit of Mera Peak while experiencing very strong winds and cold conditions. A full expedition report will follow in due course.

Roland will lead his fifth consecutive Mera Peak expedition in November '10, please get in touch if you would like to join the group.

Our October '09 group successfully complete Manaslu Circuit

The Mountain Company's October '09 Manaslu Circuit group got back to Kathmandu yesterday after four members of the group successfully crossed the Larkya La pass and walked out to Besisahar (starting point of Annapurna Circuit).

I went for a meal with the group in Kathmandu last night to hear more about the trek and I gather they had great weather and good conditions while crossing the pass. Many thanks to their Sirdar Nurbu Tamang and the rest of the trek crew for looking after them so well.

We are organising two Manaslu Circuit treks for 2010, the first in April and second ater the monsoon in October.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Our October '09 group successfully complete Dhaulagiri Circuit

The Mountain Company's Dhaulagiri Circuit group safely arrived back to Kathmandu yesterday after successfully crossing both French and Dhampus passes from Dhaulagiri Base Camp over to Jomsom. Congratulations to all thirteen members of the group and thanks to the group leaders Gary Pfisterer and Jhire Rai. A full trek report will follow shortly.

Roland Hunter will lead our Dhaulagiri Circuit group in October 2010 please get in touch if you are interested in coming along.

Garden of Dreams at Keshar Mahal in Kathmandu

The Garden of Dreams at Keshar Mahal is located on the edge of the busy Thamel tourist area, however once you walk through the door into these gardens you are taken to a calm oasis away from the mayhem of modern Kathmandu.

The gardens and six pavilions were constructed in 1920s by Field Marshal General Kaiser Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana, however after his death in 1964 fell into decline and returned to jungle. In 1998 during the Visit Nepal year there were only two pavilions standing and at the last minute the decision was made to save the gardens and remaining pavilions. The project was taken on by an Austrian NGO Eco Himal and the gardens opened in 2006.

If you are visiting Kathmandu I recommend you take time to visit (the entrance fee is only 160 rupees), within the grounds there is also the Kaiser bar and restaurant operated by Dwarikas hotel group.

Photo: Entrance on Tridevi Marg

Photo: view of Basanta pavilion

Photo: view of Basanta pavilion with pond

Photo: statue of Laxshmi

Photo: statue of elephants

Photo: Kaiser restaurant

New website for The Mountain Company

If you have checked our website recently you will no doubt have noticed that there has been a lot of changes!! On October 15th the new website for The Mountain Company was launched.

Our aim was to design a site with increased search functionality to help you choose an appropriate trek as well as incorporating improved information and a clearer layout. We have also included our favourite photos taken from our treks to give you an idea of what to expect, hopefully you will find our selection of images inspiring!

We would be very interested to hear what you think about the new website, please get in touch if you have any comments or feedback. We are planning a second phase of the website's development shortly, so please check in regularly to see the changes and updates.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

Ninth edition of Lonely Planet's Trekking in Nepal Himalaya

The latest edition (ninth edition August 2009) of the Lonely Planet's Trekking in Nepal Himalaya has now been released. The classic guidebook has been updated for new treks and also for changes to existing itineraries resulting from road construction in the hills of Nepal.

At The Mountain Company we are delighted to be included under UK Travel Operators on page 26 for the first time. We are also listed in the excellent TrailBlazer guidebooks to the Everest and Annapurna regions.

Roland Hunter

www.themountaincompany.co.uk

WWF Report reveals that 353 new species discovered in the Eastern Himalayas

A World Wildlife Report published today reveals that more than 353 new species have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas between 1998 and 2008. The Eastern Himalayas region includes Bhutan, northeast India, Myanmar, Nepal and southern parts of the Tibet Autonomous Region (China).

However, the report also highlighted the fact that only 25% of the original habitats remain intact due to population growth and rapidly increasing demands for commodities by global and regional markets.