5 extreme Himalaya adventures in Nepal: Including Pokhara skydiving

Nepal is a destination that offers an unrivalled selection of extreme Himalaya adventures. From Everest climbing to Pokhara skydiving the Nepalese Himalayas offer challenges and thrills to excite even the most hardened adventurer.

Top 5 extreme Himalaya adventures

So we have decided to bring together the top 5 extreme Himalaya adventures. Although some require years of training and experience, we’ve included options that can be completed by almost anyone with the right desire and fitness.

Pokhara skydiving

Pokhara is located about 200km west of Kathmandu, flanked by the towering peaks of some of the Himalayas largest mountains. Annapurna, Manaslu and Dhaulagiri all loom in the distance, creating an incredible skydiving backdrop.

The dropzone is just west of Phewa Lake, where you’ll freefall from 11,000 to 13,000 feet. As you exit the chopper, the stunning landscape of Pokhara will rush towards you before your canopy opens and you float gently down.

It’s a perfect combination of activity and destination. And to ensure you’ll never forget the Pokhara skydiving experience (as if!), there’ll be a jump cameraman capturing every incredible moment.

Experienced skydivers can jump on there own, but almost anyone can have a go at a tandem skydive. You can find out more about Pokhara skydiving at: www.nepalskydive.com

Rafting

Cascading for more than 270 km through very rugged terrain, the Sun Koshi River is a challenging rafting adventure. Expeditions vary between short two-day excursions to longer two-week trips rafting more than 150 km of the river.

With icy cold glacial water cutting its way through vast mountain gorges, and regular class IV and V rapids, the Bhote Kosi is another exceptional rafting river.

You can also paddle the Kali Gandaki and Trishuli, each offering big rapid sections and calmer stretches where you can enjoy your surroundings.

White water rafting does not require previous experience and river difficulty varies based on the river grading system. Easy rivers are suited to families but even class V rivers can be rafted by beginners.

Mountain Biking

MTB tours in the Himalayas can be relatively easy, riding through the villages and rice paddies of the gentle foothills. Following winding rivers, stopping at cultural attractions such as temples and monasteries on non-technical trails.

Or they can be pretty extreme! At higher altitudes good levels of fitness and stamina are required to tackle high passes. And as you leave the fairly well maintained roads for tough technical terrain you are going to need some skills.

Surrounded by snow-capped peaks, this is the kind of riding that requires complete concentration. The single track at Tumlingtar is perhaps the toughest of the lot. There’s also renowned technical riding below Mt Kanchenjunga.

With eight of the world’s fourteen 8000m+ mountains, Nepal has some of the most challenging mountaineering in the world. Peaks such as Everest and K2 may only be achievable to those with experience, but there are mountains beginners can summit.

A good example is the 7132 metre Api Himal and Pumori expedition in the upper Khumba. This is still challenging mountaineering and you’ll require exceptional fitness, but first time mountaineers can reach the top.

Trekking

There are trekking routes all over Nepal, the most popular of which are the Annapurna Circuit and Everest Basecamp. But even these well trodden trails can be made more extreme by taking the off-track treks around Dolpo and Mustang.

But for an extreme Himalaya adventure the Makalu base camp trek (three weeks) and the 3 Cols trek (four weeks) are hard to beat. They’ll take you into deepest Himalaya where the trekking is as wild as it gets, including a high mountain traverse across the Barun Glacier on the 3 Cols trek.

Other extreme trekking options can be found around the Dhaulagiri, Manaslu and Langtang regions.

Extreme Himalaya adventures don’t come much more exciting than Pokhara skydiving. But trekking, MTB, rafting and mountaineering are all incredible experiences to really challenge yourself. All can be booked through Explore Himalaya at: www.explorehimalaya.com