Nature Archives | Page 2 of 6 | World Jewish Travel

Lobuche East Peak , Nepal – Kosher and Shomer Shabbos

Lobuche East Peak is a perfect adventure in the Himalayas, offering stunning unique views of the surrounding mountains and valleys, with stunning views of enormous peaks, such as Nuptse, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Makalu, and Mount Everest. Enjoy the feeling of being dwarfed by a multitude of surrounding peaks.

Lobuche East Peak is known as the toughest trekking peak to climb in the Everest region.

The mighty Lobuche East stands tall with 6,119m height in the scenic Khumbu region.

This peak offers more challenges than its neighbours, Mera Peak and Island Peak, and has a more technical feel to it. It is a better choice for those who have had some mountaineering experience in the past.

The itinerary combines Lobuche East Peak Climbing with Everest Base Camp Trek. You will also be climbing to Kalapathar for better acclimatisation and for a closeup view of Everest, the highest mountain in the world.

Annapurna Base Camp Hike, Nepal – Kosher and Shomer Shabbos

The Annapurna Base Camp Trek is one of the best treks to discover the mountain range, with the foremost spectacular mountain scenery, providing a desirable insight into the hill life of Nepal.

This is a unique trek on local trails, through forests, villages and terraced farmland treating you to unique mountain scenery, surrounded by huge glaciers providing you with an experience into the Nepalese life and culture.

Annapurna Base Camp follows the Modi-river and passes through the dense undergrowth of rhododendron and bamboo. By the time you reach the massive rock overhanging, called Hinku Cave, you will notice that the vegetation has receded and the gorge narrowed to be only a couple of hundred meters wide.

Steep snow-covered ridges falling from Hiunchuli on the left and Machhapuchhre on the right from the doorway to the Sanctuary. As we go through the “gate” and enter to the Sanctuary, you will discover yourself in a very large amphitheatre encircled by a solid wall of natural covering peaks.

On the trail, you will see numerous chortens (Buddhist stone monuments), prayer flags, yaks grazing, bamboo and rhododendron forests, and the unique Tibetan style architecture of this region.

One of the main features of this trek is being exposed to the unique cultures of various villages and their enduring lifestyles high in the mountains, such as the Gurung, Tamang, Sherpa, Magar, and Thakali people. Many of these villages have age-old Buddhist and Hindu temples.

Mt Longonot to Mt Suswa Hike, Kenya – Kosher and Shomer Shabbos

We start our hike at Mt Longonot, walking along a beautiful and windy gorge. The gorge is a tributary to an ancient lake that once existed. We will explore the curving walls of the gorge and experience the aptly-named sections – the devil’s sitting room, Hell’s clinic, and the devil’s mouth. There are several small waterfalls, both cold and hot, as well as stunning, multi-coloured rock strata and formations. You might even recognise some of the locations – they’ve been included in productions such as Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life, and inspired others such as The Lion King.

We will pass though Hell’s Gate, one of only two Kenyan national parks in which you are explore the park on foot. Apart from the spectacular geology, Hell’s Gate is also home to a wide range of wildlife. Despite its relatively small size, the area’s wildlife includes giraffes, lions, leopards, buffalo, thomson gazelles, and eland antelopes.

Soon we head towards the Mt Suswa mountain. In the evening we will visit the caves for Baboon Parliament, one of the wonders of the natural world.

After our Mt Suswa expirience we reward ourselves with a visit to Olkaria Geothermal Spa. A well earned morning at the spa, then after enjoying lunch we head to Nairobi

Mt Meru, Tanzania – Kosher and Shomer Shabbos

At 4,566 m Mt Meru is the fifth highest mountain on the African continent and the second highest in Tanzania.

The mountain is often used as warm-up hiking in preparation for Mt Kilimanjaro. However, the technical requirements are greater on Mt Meru than on the Kilimanjaro Routes.

About 250,000 years ago, a massive volcanic eruption blew away the entire eastern flank of the mountain and left it with the distinctive appearance it has today. The Mt Meru ascent passes through many different vegetation zones. The dry forest of the lower region changes to a dense mountain rainforest, which then turns into scrubland. Closer to the summit, vegetation becomes less and less and gives way to alpine terrain.

As the vegetation changes so does the wildlife. During the ascent, you might come across large game such as giraffes, buffaloes, baboons, colobus monkeys and antelopes. To be safe, it is obligatory to be accompanied by an armed park ranger on your tour.

Kenya Bike Ride, Kenya – Kosher and Shomer Shabbos

Our 6 day African cycling adventure will take you to three of the most spectacular natural sights in Kenya. This is a cycle challenge suitable for beginner to intermediate cyclist. We will be covering approximately 250km over 4 days of cycling.

Our ride begins at Lake Naivasha. Located in Nakuru County, Lake Naivasha is a large freshwater lake which sits just outside the town of Naivasha. Situated at an elevation of 1,884m, Lake Naivasha is the highest lake within the Great Rift Valley.

Along the way we pass through Hell’s Gate National Park. The park lies south of Lake Naivasha in Kenya, north west of Nairobi. Hell’s Gate National Park is named after a narrow break in the cliffs, once a tributary of a prehistoric lake that fed early humans in the Rift Valley. Established in 1984 as a small national park, it is known for its wide variety of wildlife and for its scenery.

Our journey ends at Lake Magadi, the southernmost lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley. During the dry season, it is 80% covered by soda and is well known for its wading birds, including flamingos. Lake Magadi is a saline, alkaline lake, approximately 100 square kilometers.

The lake is an example of a “saline pan”. The lake water, which is a dense sodium carbonate brine, precipitates vast quantities of the mineral trona (sodium sesquicarbonate). In places, the salt is up to 40 m thick.

Mt Aconcagua, Argentina – Kosher and Shomer Shabbos

Named ‘Acconcahuac’ (the stone sentinel) by the Incas, Aconcagua is the highest peak in the Southern and Western hemispheres, the second highest of the Seven Summits and the world’s highest summit outside of the Himalaya.

PJS Challenges are the only operator able to offer this huge adventure Kosher and Shomer Shabbos.

Our approach to Base camp will be from the North East through the Vacas Valley. This is a much less frequented approach than the normal Horcones Valley, giving you a far better experience away from the crowds. The Vacas Route offers the strong mountain walker, with prior ice axe and crampons experience, the opportunity to ascend one of the world’s highest trekking summits. Although you will not require any previous climbing experience, the ascent is at very high altitude and therefore requires a high level of fitness, commitment and determination.

The climb is very weather dependent but our high guiding ratios, small group size and levels of support generally gives us a big advantage and improves our summit success.

We provide leaders/guides on a ratio of 1:3 throughout the expedition and the team is limited to 9 or 10 climbers. Our aim is to reduce the physical hardship and create maximum flexibility to give you the best chance of summit success as we can more easily deal with clients varying walking speeds/fitness and weather

Ben Nevis, Scotland – Kosher and Shomer Shabbos

Summiting the mighty Ben Nevis, the highest peak in the UK, during winter conditions makes this a very different experience from climbing in the summer. In the winter Ben Nevis can be cold, windy and has a substantial snow covering!

It is an almost unrecognisable mountain from the summer months, making this a challenge to remember.

You will receive winter climbing skills training prior to your climb and will be led by some of the best Professional Guides on the mountain.

Completing the full day ascent of Ben Nevis will be an amazing achievement. Therefore we often reward you the following day with tours around a couple of the best Whiskey Distilleries in Scotland.

About the Challenge:

Highest peak in the UK at 4,408ft
8-10hrs of ascent/decent over 11 miles
Winter skills training provided
Qualified winter mountain guides with years of experience on Ben Nevis
3 day challenge
Includes transfers, accommodation and technical equipment
Fully Kosher

3 Peak Challenge, United Kingdom – Kosher and Shomer Shabbos

The Three Peaks Challenge is an attempt to climb the highest peaks in the United Kingdom – Scotland, England and Wales in ‘one go’.  These peaks are Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England, and Snowdon in Wales. 

We travel to Fort William on the Wednesday, starting with Ben Nevis on the Thursday morning, climb Scafell Pike that night and finish Snowdon on Friday in Wales.  This is a tough event and people participating should have the necessary fitness and be prepared to do without sleep!  If your aim is to complete the event in 24 hours then we will need to complete Ben Nevis in 5½ hours, Scafell Pike in 4½ hours and Snowdon in 4 hours.  The standard for measuring your official total time on the event is mountain time plus a fixed 10 hour drive time.  The challenge is supported by qualified mountain leaders and a driver will be with you all of the way.  We’ll do everything we can to get you through the challenge as quickly as possible.

Over the course of 24 hours, you will trek around 26 miles and ascend to a total height of almost 3,000m. This is a serious and tough challenge which requires a good level of fitness, as well as plenty of grit and determination. Ultimately, however, your hard work will be rewarded with spectacular views and a huge sense of achievement.

Atlas Mountain Trek, Morocco – Kosher and Shomer Shabbos

The Atlas are a mountain range in the Maghreb. It separates the Mediterranean and Atlantic coastlines from the Sahara Desert. It stretches around 2,500 km (1,600 mi) through Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The range’s highest peak is Toubkal, which is in central Morocco, with an elevation of 4,167 meters (13,671 ft).

The Atlas Mountains are primarily inhabited by Berber populations. The terms for ‘mountain’ are adrar and adras in some Berber languages. These terms are believed to be cognates of the toponym Atlas. The mountains are also home to a number of animals and plants which are mostly found within Africa but some of which can be found in Europe. Many of these species are endangered and a few are already extinct.

The most impressive range within the Atlas system is the High Atlas, which extends for some 560 kilometers (350 miles) through the center of Morocco and has an average elevation of around 3,050 meters (10,000 feet). Many High Atlas peaks are snow-clad for much of the year.

Most of the populations around the Atlas are small villages, rather than cities. The most famous and numerous of the Atlas populations is the Berber People, a North African culture which traces its roots back thousands of years.

Mt Toubkal Summit, Morocco – Kosher and Shomer Shabbos

At 4,167m high, Mount Toubkal, also known as Jebel Toubkal, is North Africa’s highest peak. Set in the High Atlas Mountain range in Morocco, this iconic mountain presents a challenging yet rewarding trek that is perfect for regular walkers with a reasonable level of fitness. With roughly 40% less oxygen than at sea level, the altitude of Mount Toubkal will undoubtedly make this hike harder. But your experienced local guide will ensure that you have plenty of food and set the pace of the walk at a sustainable rate to help you acclimatise, giving you the best chance of the reaching the summit.

The Mount Toubkal ascent only takes two days, with most of the walking done on the first. Leg one of the trek takes around 5 hours during which we’ll follow 11 kilometres of mule paths zigzagging up into the rocky valley towards towering snow-dusted peaks on the horizon. Our destination is the Neltner Refuge at 3,207m at the base of Toubkal where we’ll enjoy a well-earned rest, gather around a wood-burning stove to share stories with other climbers from around the world and acclimatise to the altitude before setting off early the next morning towards the summit.

Mount Toubkal requires no technical climbing and most people in good physical condition should be able to make the summit, if they are well prepared and respect the altitude of the peak. However, it is not an easy hike and there is always the risk of injuries and even fatalities on the climb.

Post Tour Tag: Nature