The Great Himalaya Trail is the subject of my post over at travel blog Gadling.com this morning as well, but wanted to share the details here too. The GHT is a new long distance trekking route that will officially open next February, and will run the entire length of the Himalaya mountain range, connecting up a number of smaller individual trails, to form one giant epic adventure that will challenge even the most experienced trekkers.
All told, the Great Himalaya Trail will run roughly 2800 miles in length, crossing through five countries in the process. Thru-hikers can expect the entire route to require approximately 150 days to complete, as they march through Tibet, Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Pakistan. And if you don't have 5 months to dedicate to walking the longest high altitude trail in the world, fear not. The GHT will be broken down into seven smaller segments, each taking between 18-35 day to finish, allowing travelers on a time constraint to still have a chance to experience its wonders.
The inaugural trek of the GHT is set to get underway on Feb. 15th, 2011. Adventure travel company World Expeditions is organizing the trip, and you can book the entire 150-day journey, or any one of the seven smaller routes with them now. Due to the logistics of the trail, the permits required, and the visas necessary to hike it, it is not recommended for independent trekkers at this time.
As of this writing, the Nepali section of the GHT is the only one that is complete, but the other countries are all scrambling to finish up their routes as well. When it is finished, the route will extend from Namche Barwa in Tibet all the way to Nanga Parbat in Pakistan, crossing through some of the most remote and beautiful places on the planet along the way.
Seems like adventure travelers and backpackers just gained another addition to their "Bucket Lists".
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