Nepal

The Himalayas — a dream come true since my teenage years. The sheer size and vastness of these mountains cannot be captured in photos, no matter how hard I tried. After a flight to Kathmandu and the unforgettable experience of traveling by bus on local roads to Besisahar, we set off for 19 days in the mountains.

The first three days brought the well-known local rains, but after that, we enjoyed only beautiful weather. Seeing an eight-thousander for the first time, in our case Manaslu, was surreal. The acclimatization climb to the Ice Lake, where we spent 1,5 hours alone thanks to an early start, was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life.

The ascent to Tilicho Lake was challenging and slightly dangerous due to the landslide-prone area, but the lake, nestled below the towering seven-thousand-meter Tilicho Peak, was breathtaking. Crossing the Thorong La Pass was the high point of our trek. We then enjoyed two wonderful days of rest in Muktinath, overlooking the majestic Dhaulagiri.

The final ascent to Poon Hill was rewarded with the sight of Annapurna I finally revealing itself to us. At the end of our month-long trek, we stepped into a completely different world at Chitwan National Park. Encountering a rhinoceros from just three meters away was a true adventure.

We wrapped up our journey with two days in Kathmandu, where we were lucky enough to witness part of a Buddhist ceremony—a perfect cherry on top of an extraordinary trip.