If mountaineering is one of your hobbies, climbing an 8,000-meter-tall mountain is probably on your life list of goals. That means a trip to the Himalayas. While climbing Mount Everest is a difficult and expensive undertaking, there is a more accessible option for amateur mountain climbers- Cho Oyu,  the “Turquoise Goddess” of the Himalayas.

At 8,201 meters above sea level, Cho Oyu is the 6th highest mountain in the world. There are 14 mountains in the Himalayan range with summits higher than 8,000 meters. However, Cho Oyu is generally considered the easiest and most approachable of these giants.

That doesn’t mean you can just go without any preparation, however. 8,000 meters is way up there, and the risk of altitude sickness and other altitude-related problems is still quite present even with the help of oxygen and a team of Sherpas. You need to be in the best possible shape before you climb a peak like this, and many of the companies that guide you to the top require that you’ve climbed at least one really high mountain successfully prior to attempting to summit Cho Oyu.

Most Cho Oyu expeditions start in Nepal, where you meet up with your climbing group.  However, the climb actually starts on the Tibet side of the mountain, so you’ll need both Nepal and Chinese visas to complete your journey.

Nepal visas can either be obtained ahead of time, before you leave the US, or in the airport on arrival.  If you take the time to apply for your Nepal visa in advance, you get the advantage of peace of mind from knowing that your visa is already taken care of and you’ll spend less time in the airport.  For more information about how to apply, see Nepal Visa Requirements for Tourists.

Some trekking companies will have you apply for your Chinese visa in Nepal, but you can also apply for it in advance. For more information about what you need to get your Chinese visa, see Chinese Tourist Visa Requirements.

RushMyTravelVisa can help you apply for these visas as well as any other visas you might need for your trip, including transit visas. Contact us about your travel visa requirements today!

Tags: China, China visa, Chinese visa, Nepal, Nepal visa, Nepali visa

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 31st, 2010 at 9:40 pm and is filed under Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.