Trekking in the Himalayas

Publication Year: 1983.

Trekking in the Himalayas. Stan Armington. Third Revised Edition. Lonely Planet Publications, South Yarra, Australia, 1982. 218 pages, black and white illustrations, maps, bibliography. $6.95.

Contrary to the implication of the title, this book is a guide to trekking in Nepal, with two pages devoted to trekking in China. The author describes various approaches to trekking but is biased towards the use of an agency which will make all arrangements in advance. In view of the fact that many visitors to Nepal successfully follow a more informal or spur-of-the-moment approach, this is surprising. In contrast to Hugh Swift’s descriptive The Trekker's Guide to the Himalaya and Karakoram, this is essentially a “how-to” book on trekking. The route descriptions are detailed and complete but they cover only five or six of the most frequented areas. There is less background information on the culture and the characteristics of the areas visited than in the Swift book. The route descriptions are divided in terms of trekking days, whereas several other guidebooks to Nepal, such as Stephen Bezruchka’s A Guide to Trekking in Nepal, describe routes in terms of hours of walking between given points, permitting more flexibility in the length of each trekking day and selection of alternative camping sites.

This book is certainly useful for planning a first trip to Nepal. The traveller who prefers to adventure more independently will want to consult other guidebooks, including Swift and Bezruchka, as well as several from Japan and Europe.

Gene F. White