Bhutan -> Nepal, Kathmandu (flight along the Himalayas)

November 22, 2010

After a few truly impressive days, it was time to say goodbye to Bhutan, with its remarkable scenery, its joyful culture and its warm, unspoiled people. My guide and driver were a little worse for wear after last night, but they still managed to get me to the airport just in time. The sun was shining, the sky was smiling – even the weather gave me a farewell to remember – all the more so since my flight back to Kathmandu/Nepal would take me along the Himalayas.

The plane took off, giving us a clear view over Bhutan’s mountainous landscape.

A mountain ridge held back the clouds…

…like a sharply drawn border.

The clouds weren’t a problem, though, because the Himalayan massif stood out clearly on the horizon. The flight attendants were kind enough to tell us which mountains we were flying past. It sounds like a dream, but it’s true – in the order we spotted them: Kangchenjunga (8,586 m, no. 3), Makalu (8,463 m, no. 5), Nuptse (7,861 m), Lhotse (8,516 m, no. 4), Mount Everest (8,846 m, no. 1), Cho Oyu (8,188 m, no. 6), Melungtse (7,181 m), Gauri Sankar (7,134 m). Except for K2 in Pakistan (8,611 m), I saw the world’s six highest mountains from above within a single hour. What else is there to say but: IMPRESSIVE!!!

Kangchenjunga in the middle (8,586 m, no. 3).

The big chunk in the middle at the back is Mount Everest (8,846 m, no. 1), on the right is Lhotse (8,516 m, no. 4), and in front of and to the left of Mt. Everest is Nuptse (7,861 m).

A small slice of the Himalayas.

Flying between two layers of cloud at the height of the roof of the world.

Gauri Sankar (7,134 m) – a German scientist once mistook it for the highest mountain.

Finally the Kathmandu Valley, a World Heritage Site, appeared in all its glory, with the Himalayas on the horizon.

From paradise in the sky it was back down to earth with a bump, at Kathmandu airport,…

…where a German Air Rescue plane happened to be stationed.

One quick photo of the Himalayan glider’s cockpit, and then it was on into Nepal’s bustling (and smelly) capital. Ah, Bhutan, how I miss you already… But the impressions of this country and that glorious flight back along the highest mountains on earth will definitely stay with me forever – quite literally the crowning finale.

Further reading:

1. Himalayas – highest mountain range, roof of the world
2. Kangchenjunga – 3rd highest mountain on earth (8,586 m), considered the highest until 1852
3. Makalu – 5th highest mountain on earth (8,463 m)
4. Nuptse – 20.5th highest mountain on earth (7,861 m)
5. Lhotse – 4th highest mountain on earth (8,516 m)
6. Mount Everest – highest mountain on earth (8,846 m), top of the world
7. Cho Oyu – 6th highest mountain on earth (8,188 m)
8. Melungtse – a seven-thousander (7,181 m)
9. Gauri Sankar – once wrongly believed in Germany to be the highest mountain on earth (7,134 m)
10. K2 – not seen (yet), 2nd highest mountain on earth (8,611 m), in Pakistan
11. Kathmandu Valley – World Heritage Site in Nepal