Although only a handful of us aspire to actually climb Mount Everest in our lifetimes (AKA "Nutjobs"), I count myself among those who want to at least see this colossal peak before I die. To me, the Himalayas still represents a far-off adventure few of us actually get to see in person, but many of us have on our lifetime to-do lists.

So imagine how exciting it was for me to run across http://www.mtsobek.com/, a travel company that specializes in putting together small group adventure travel tours to the most awesome mountains in the world. No, we are not actually talking about climbing such mountains as Everest (although Africa's Kilimanjaro is a mountain they conduct hiking tours onto), but mtsobek.com can take you on hikes and treks to see these breathtaking mountain regions.

For example, the Himalayan tour not only takes you to see the highest mountains in the world, but you will also meet the diverse ethnic people of Nepal, Tibet or Bhutan. Mtsoke.com offers nine Himalayas treks, so you can choose the adventure tour package that suits your physical condition, time and aspirations.

Among the many things you can do and see are:

Explore Buddhist monasteries that seem to be from another time;

Visit the Everest base camp and view what is arguably the most breathtaking sight on this planet;

The remote Gokyo Valley, with its beautiful turquoise lakes and moonscape-like glaciers;

Follow an ancient caravan track to the spectacular Namtso Lake, which sits on the Tibetan Plateau and appears to all the world like a great sea made of sapphire;

Meet traditional Himalayan highlanders: farmers, yak herders, and monks

So, you can bet a Himalayan tour is on my list of things to do. If you are new to adventure travel, you may also want to check out Andy McDowell's article, Adventure Travel - An Exciting Thrill (here is the link: http://guerrillatraveler.blogspot.com/2006/01/adventure-travel-exciting-thrill.html ), which I have reprinted on my website, www.guerrillatraveler.blogspot.com.

COPYRIGHT © 2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved.