At Nat Hab, it’s secure to say we’re enamored with mountains. So it’s no shock that we’re excited to rejoice International Mountain Day on December 11—particularly for the reason that theme for 2022 is “Women Move Mountains.”
Women Move Mountains
Women play an integral half in defending mountain environments. They are sometimes the first caretakers of mountain assets, guardians of biodiversity, keepers of conventional data, custodians of native tradition and consultants in regional plant medication. Yet mountain ladies and their influence are routinely denied the popularity and credit score they deserve, due largely to an absence of decision-making energy and unequal entry to assets.
When ladies have the assets and help they should implement optimistic change, they turn into a formidable pressure towards starvation, malnutrition and rural poverty. Women are additionally lively within the improvement of sustainable mountain economies. International Mountain Day 2022 is a chance to push for gender equality, figuring out that when ladies are seen, revered and uplifted, it’s a win for everybody.
Mountains host about half of the world’s biodiversity hotspots and 30% of all Key Biodiversity Areas. Because of this, rural mountain ladies are important to biodiversity conservation. Of the 20 plant species that provide 80% of the world’s meals, six originated and have been diversified in mountains: maize, potatoes, barley, sorghum, tomatoes and apples. On prime of that, greater than half of the human inhabitants depends on mountain freshwater, making these areas additional necessary to preserve.
In honor of International Mountain Day, listed here are some epic mountain locations that deserve a go to:
1. Denali: Alaska
We couldn’t go away this one off the listing, as Denali is the tallest mountain in North America. Denali means “The Great One” within the Athabascan language, and our air excursions (a part of our Ultimate Alaska Wildlife Safari) give us a singular vantage of the grandeur of the 6-million-acre Denali National Park. One of the planet’s nice wilderness preserves, its alpine tundra and taiga present a wholesome habitat for wolves, grizzlies, moose, caribou and Dall sheep.
In the spirit of “Women Move Mountains” and letting feminine voices take the lead, here’s a webinar from Alaska resident and Expedition Leader Annie Van Dinther sharing her love of all that majestic Alaska has to supply the avid nature traveler. Pretty a lot a large playground, right here you possibly can disembark a flightseeing aircraft straight onto a glacier on the slopes of Denali, float slowly amongst icebergs on the lagoon in entrance of Spencer Glacier and raft the languid Placer River beneath the frosty Chugach Range.
Learn More: Ultimate Alaska Wildlife Safari
2. Himalayas: Nepal & Bhutan
In tiny Bhutan, high quality of life is measured by way of Gross National Happiness—and so they have loads to be joyful about! Bhutan is a worldwide conservation chief, not solely carbon-neutral, but in addition carbon-damaging. The “Land of the Thunder Dragon” is a superb instance of dedication to preserving its Himalayan peaks and glacial rivers. Here, peaceable villages reside in connection and concord with the encircling mountainside.
© Harsha Jayaramaiah
A spotlight of our Wild & Ancient Himalaya: Nepal & Bhutan journey is a go to to Taktsang Monastery, extra generally referred to as the “Tiger’s Nest.” It’s a posh of Seventeenth-century temples that seemingly defy gravity as they cling to the aspect of a cliff practically 3,000 toes above the valley flooring. Legend tells of Guru Rinpoche, a tantric mystic who introduced Buddhism from India to Bhutan within the eighth century. Landing right here on the again of a flying tigress, he stayed to meditate in a cave for 3 months. Your journey with us to the world’s highest mountain vary might not contain meditating for 3 months, however we guess you’ll come out of the area slightly extra enlightened as to the significance of mountain conservation for the cultures that rely a lot on it.
Learn More: Wild & Ancient Himalaya: Nepal & Bhutan
3. Kilimanjaro: Tanzania
Yes, we all know that Kilimanjaro is technically a volcano, nevertheless it’s additionally the best mountain in Africa and the best single free-standing mountain above sea degree on this planet. Most linguists and etymologists agree that “Kilimanjaro” means “Mountain of Whiteness” or “Shining Mountain,” though a enjoyable various that’s telling of its towering heights is “That which is impossible for the bird.”
On our Great Migration journeys, we arrive at Kilimanjaro Airport and drink sundowners whereas gazing at this majestic mountain on our very first evening in Tanzania. From there, we head to the Ngorongoro Highlands, descending right into a volcanic crater twelve miles throughout and a couple of,000 toes deep that’s house to greater than 30,000 animals, together with elephant, buffalo, hippo, zebra, blue wildebeest, eland, gazelle, waterbuck and typically even the uncommon black rhino. Lion and hyena are ample predators that hold every part in verify on this place that’s been named one of many Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.
Learn More: Tanzania’s Great Migration & Ngorongoro Crater
4. Alps: Switzerland
We couldn’t not embody this one from our buddies at Duvine. They take adventurers by way of the picture-postcard Swiss Alps by bike, permitting company to slowly soak up each second of the magical surroundings. Routes snake alongside rivers (and the relaxed itinerary leaves room for refreshing dips), by the enduring mountain peaks of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, and even to attractive Trümmelbach Falls, which transfer greater than 5,200 gallons of water per second.
© Duvine
While it is a pretty bodily lively journey, fear not: there’s numerous fueling up with lengthy picnic lunches, evenings spent on the resort spa and naturally, winding down after a protracted day on the street with a glass of wine and the decadent fondue that the Swiss Alps are recognized for.
Learn More: Duvine’s Switzerland Bike Tour
5. Dolomites: Italy
Italy’s reply to the Swiss Alps is the Dolomites, and this Italy journey by Off the Beaten Path is all about mountaineering them. The Dolomites are recognized for his or her towering pinnacles, light foothills, and luxurious valleys sprinkled with picturesque villages. If you’ve by no means hiked in Europe, effectively, let’s simply say that that is luxurious mountaineering. Cable vehicles and chair lifts do many of the laborious work to get you to trailheads at elevation, that means that you simply’ll have extra vitality and time to absorb the views. Mountain inns (rifugios) are nestled alongside the paths to supply hikers a pleasant lunch or a glass of wine.
© Off the Beaten Path
This journey consists of attending to know the Ladin valleys, Mount de Bulacia and the Filln Kreuz (Fillner cross) with beautiful valley views. You can even have the prospect to discover the UNESCO World Heritage Puez-Odle Nature Park. To reward your self after every week of trekking, the journey ends on the “Strada del Prosecco”—the Prosecco wine route, which consists of a small group within the foothills of the Treviagian Alps that was developed within the twelfth century by Cistercian monks.
Learn More: Off the Beaten Path’s Italy’s Dolomites
6. Mount Fuji: Japan
If you like to slower journey on foot, take into account taking within the serene sights of Japan on an expertly guided Classic Journeys strolling tour. After arriving in trendy Tokyo, head to the character heaven that’s Hakone and start to deeply unwind. This place affords tranquil forest within the shadow of Mount Fuji (thought-about one in all Japan’s three sacred mountains and the best within the nation at 12,389 toes).
© Classic Journeys
The area simply occurs to even have each scorching springs and a hidden shrine. You’ll have the prospect to journey a ropeway tram, which affords quick access to some beautiful excessive mountain views. The journey culminates in historic Kyoto with a go to to the enduring Arashiyama bamboo forest and a stroll by way of a conventional tea farm.
Learn More: Classic Journeys’ Japan Cultural Walking Adventure
7. Canadian Rockies & Columbia Mountains: Canada
In a spot the place large mountains are in all places you look, it’s laborious to inform when you have got technically left the Rockies to enter the Columbia Mountains, that are in flip divided into numerous sub-ranges just like the Bugaboos. On our Nat Hab Canadian Rockies Mountain journey, we see all of them. Sharper and extra imposing than their American counterparts, the Canadian Rockies are the results of an historic inland sea mattress that was uplifted hundreds of thousands of years in the past by intense geological forces after which sculpted by glaciers that carved deep valleys throughout successive ice ages.
In a spot the place grizzlies outnumber individuals, this journey is stuffed with quiet introspection in a few of the most remoted mountain locations that we go to with out Nat Hab company. We begin out in Banff with a dawn overlooking Moraine Lake and the Valley of the Ten Peaks. Later, we journey the Lake Louise Summer Gondola for stupendous views of the turquoise Lake Louise and the animals that decision the world house, like grizzly bears, black bears, lynx, moose, mountain goats, elk and deer.
The icing on the cake is heli-hiking the lesser-known Bugaboo Provincial Park, the place a helicopter gives memorable transfers to distant valleys and excessive alpine meadows, house to marmot, floor squirrels, pika, mountain goats, golden eagles and presumably moose or grizzly bears.
Learn More: Remote Peaks & Meadows of the Canadian Rockies
8. Rwenzori Mountain Range: Uganda
The Rwenzori mountain vary, additionally referred to as the “Mountains of the Moon,” usually surprises guests with its snow-capped heights that tower above 16,000 toes—not the everyday picture that most individuals have of an African safari. On our Uganda Gorilla Safari, you’ll hike by way of a misty, verdant jungle that early explorers referred to as the “Impenetrable Forest.” Yes, Uganda’s oldest and most biologically various primeval rain forest, which dates again greater than 25,000 years, will be difficult, slick and steep, however the rewards include the prospect of seeing and interacting with a few of the estimated 400 mountain gorillas—roughly half the world’s inhabitants.
But mountain gorillas, whereas the celebs of the present right here in Uganda, are accompanied by different fascinating wildlife. There are greater than 600 fowl species within the space and even some uncommon tree-climbing lions within the neighborhood (one in all simply two populations of lions that climb bushes as a part of their common conduct—the opposite is present in Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania).
Learn More: The Great Uganda Gorilla Safari
9. Andes: Patagonia
Don’t assume we had been going to make an inventory of our favourite mountain adventures and never embody the millions-of-years-old sheer granite heights of Torres del Paine National Park. Straight out of a fairy story, the southernmost Andes rise upward as glaciers circulate down in frozen rivers, ending dramatically in surreally turquoise lakes with floating blue icebergs, surrounded by lenga, ñire and coihue bushes. Patagonia definitely is aware of the right way to do “dramatic”!
© Robert Anthony
Exploring this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on our Patagonia journey, hold an eye fixed out for puma, guanaco, fox, huemul (South Andean deer) and armadillo, in addition to eagles, hawks, rheas, buzzards and the South American condors that benefit from the wind currents right here. Wind down within the night at EcoCamp Patagonia, the place you’ll sleep beneath clear skies in cozy domed suites which can be modeled on conventional Kawesqar huts.
Learn More: Patagonia Wilderness & Wildlife Explorer
There are a couple of methods to rejoice International Mountain Day 2022. You can share the necessary function ladies play in mountain conservation, or put up a photograph of your favourite mountain on social media utilizing the hashtag #MountainsMatter. Tag your favourite ladies working or residing in concord with mountain tradition. And, after all, you possibly can all the time attain out to us at Nat Hab to assist plan your subsequent epic mountain journey!