Introduction
Mountains have a huge attraction for many different sorts of travellers. Experienced and adventurous travellers may want to climb a mountain, while less experienced travellers can still climb many of the world's most famous mountains. And although the highest of them all, Mount Everest, may be the most famous one, a few of the better known mountains might just be several hundreds of meters high with a cable car leading to the top. Below you will find a selection of the most famous mountains on our planet.
Africa
Kilimanjaro
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- Where - Border Tanzania and Kenya
- Height - 5895 meters
- Climb - Physically in good condition, no experience needed
The Kilimanjaro, at 5895 metres (Uhuru Peak), is the highest peak in Africa. It also has the distinction of being the tallest free-standing mountain (i.e. not in an mountain range) and the tallest "walkable" mountain in the world. But don't think that it is an easy walk. It will take many days and you need to be in a good physical condition to reach the top. The risk of getting altitude sickness should not be underestimated and can occur on heights of 3000 meters or more, although usually most people will be fine up to 4000 meters.
For those who are fine with just seeing the mountain, your best bet would be heading towards Kenya for a visit of Amboseli National Park. From this flat and dusty park you will have chances of seeing lots of wildlife and the elephants, giraffes and zebras with in the background the Kilimanjaro might just be the highlight of your trip.
Recently, snow levels at the top have been retreating much faster and it is estimated that there will be no snow at all before the year 2050.
Table Mountain
- Where - Cape Town, South Africa
- Height - 1086 meters
- Climb - Not necessary, just take the cable car
Like the 1000 or so geysers on the world which are named after the Icelandic Geysir, the Cape Town Table Mountain is the grandfather of all table mountains in the world. It is located in the Table Mountain National Park and towers above the city, while Devil's Peak and Lion's Head tower above the mountain itself. The flat top is about 3 kilometers wide and offers tremendous views over the city and the ocean. There are only small differences in height on this flat, with the cable car station only 19 meters lower than the highest point. Although in 2 to 3 hours you are able to climb (walk) up to the top, the Table Mountain Cableway takes passengers up and down the mountain, ascending over 700 meters from Table Mountain Road.
Asia
Mount Everest
The highest mountain of all, the Mount Everest or Chomolungma in the local language, is on every climber's list to do. But this mountain is not without risks and many people die when climbing or descending (!) the mountain. About 2500 people have reached the top and over 200 deaths have been recorded. The mountain is part of the highest mountain range in the world, the Himalayas.
It is internationally recognized that the mountain was first climbed and successfully descended by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953, although controversy still exists about the question whether George Mallory and/or Andrew Irvine had climbed the mountain 29 years earlier! Unfortunately, neither of them survived their early expedition. More recently, questions about the commercialization have come up as more and more climbers make the climb. Even a double-amputee (Mark Inglis) and a helicopter have made it to the top during the last year, although both did so with risk.
Mount Kailash
- Where - Far Western Tibet
- Height - 6638 meters
- Climb - No one has climbed Mount Kailash and it is off limits to climbers due to the religious importance of the mountain.
Mount Kailash is one of the holiest mountains in the world! Since it is a holy mountain for Buddhist, Hindu, Jainist and Bon traditions, thousands of pilgrims make the journey every year to this remote mountain on the edge of the world. The Hindus consider Mount Kailash to be the home of Lord Shiva, a principle Hindu deity. These pilgrims come to do a kora, spiritual walk, around the mountain. It is believe that one kora around the mountain will wash away a lifetime of sins. It can take several days to complete the kora around Mount Kailash, and some pilgrims complete it multiple times.
The other amazing fact about this mountain is the number of rivers that start from it. The Indus, Sutlej and Brahmaputra rivers find their sources from the different sides of this mountain. Many of the other rivers coming from this mountain feed into the Mekong, Ganges and Yellow rivers. Getting to Mount Kailash is very difficult and expensive, as it requires arranging a tour Lhasa with a Land Rover. The standard tour, including transportation time and a kora around the mountain, takes 10 days. Some tours include visiting ancient cities beyond Mount Kailash, but this adds about 5 more days.
Mount Kinabalu
- Where - Sabah, Malaysia
- Height - 4,095 metres
- Climb - Yes, you can walk up to the summit and back in two days
Mount Kinabalu is located in Kinabalu National Park in the Malaysian state of Sabah on Borneo. It is the tallest mountain in Malaysia and on the island of Borneo, as well as one of the tallest in Southeast Asia, trailing Hkakabo Razi of Myanmar (Burma) and, depending on where the boundary of Southeast Asia is drawn, Puncak Jaya of New Guinea.
It has been long documented that Low's peak, the summit, has an elevation of 4,101 metres. A survey in 1997 used satellite technology and corrected it to be about 6 metres lower at 4,095 metres.
Mount Kinabalu, known to be a highly accessible mountain, requires no mountaineering equipment or specialised skill to summit. Nevertheless, sufficient stamina is important for a successful ascent. The hike can be quite intense for many as the air gets thinner all the way up.
Mount Fuji
- Where - Honshu Island, Japan, close to Tokyo
- Height - 3776 meters
- Climb - Yes, walkable and can be done in a daytrip
Mount Fuji is one of the best known natural features of Japan and is conveniently located west of the capital Tokyo.
Mount Fuji has an exceptionally symmetrical cone which is a recognisable symbol of this East Asian country. Over 200,000 people climb the mountain yearly and most of them climb in the 1 July - 27 august season when huts and most other facilities in and around the mountain and nearby villages are open. It is part of the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park and although it hasn't erupted since about 300 years, it is indeed a volcano. It also is surrounded by five lakes, among which are Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Yamanaka and Lake Motosu. From these lakes and Lake Ashi (which is a little further away) people who do not want to climb the mountain can have excellent views of the mountain when the weather is clear. In winter, the summit is covered in snow.
Ararat
- Where - Eastern Turkey, close to the border with Armenia
- Height - 5137 meters
- Climb - Yes, but climbing experience needed
Mount Ararat is the highest mountain of Turkey and is located in the far east of the country, not far from the border of Armenia, which claims that the mountain should actually be on Armenian grounds. This dormant volcano has a snow capped cone year-round, so you really need crampons, an axe and some climbing experience to make it to the top.
The mountain has long been subject in debates but since 1923 with the Treaty of Kars, the mountain is on Turkish grounds, much to the dislike of Armenia. Ararat has been revered by the Armenians since ancient times as their spiritual home. Today, it is the national symbol of Armenia and on clear days the views from the capital Yerevan are tremendous. An even better view is possible from the monastery Khor Virap, a little bit more south just across the border from Turkey.
Europe
Jungfrau
- Where - The Swiss Alps
- Height - 4158 meters
- Climb - Yes, but experienced climbers only!
The Jungfrau is located in central Switzerland, in the Berner Oberland and is one of the best known mountains in the country, along with the Matterhorn. It is the highest mountain of the massif which has the same name, the other moutains in the vicinity are the Eiger and Mönch. The Jungfrau Railway is the highest in Europe and brings you to a height of 3454 meters above sea level. It is not cheap but it makes for one of the highlights of a trip to the Swiss Alps.
North America
Mount St. Helens
- Where - Washington State, Northwest USA
- Height - 2550 meters
- Climb - Yes
Mount St. Helens is best known for its catastrophic eruption on May 18, 1980 which caused 57 deaths and many homes, roads, bridges and railroads where destroyed. This volcanic event also caused the summit to shrink with no less than 400 meters. Nowadays, the summit is replaced by a 1500 meter wide volcanic crater. The mountain is located between the cities of Seattle and Portland and is part of the Cascade Range (of which Mount Rainier at 4392 meters is the highest), which is again part of the Pacific Ring of Fire which is the most volcanic active part of the world. The Mount St. Helens volcano is well known for its ash explosions and pyroclastic flows.
Popocatépetl
- Where - Central Mexico, near Mexico City
- Height - 5426 meters
- Climb - Yes, but some experience is needed
The Popocatépetl is an active volcano located in the heart of Mexico, about 70 kilometers southeast from the capital Mexico City. The mountain has been climbed since a long time ago. The Tecuanipas tribe is said to have climbed it in 1289, followed by the Spanish in the 16th century. Literally meaning the 'smoking mountain', it is the second highest peak in the country and on one of those rare clear days it can be seen from the higher parts of Mexico City. It has had over 20 eruptions in modern history, with the eruptions of 1947, 1994 and 2000 being the most recent ones. Before this last eruption, tens of thousands of people were evacuated by the government based on the warnings of scientists. The volcano then erupted, an eruption that was the worst eruption in thousands of years. It is one of only three peaks in Mexico which actually have glaciers near the summit.
Oceania
Mount Cook
- Where - South Island, New Zealand
- Height - 3754 meters
- Climb - Yes, but it is a technical one
Mount Cook, or Aoraki (cloud piercer), was first climbed in 1894 by New Zealand climbers George Graham, Tom Fyffe and Jack Clarke. It is part of the Southern Alps of New Zealand and is the highest mountain in New Zealand. The mountain is situated between the Westland and Mount Cook national parks (together forming a UNESCO World Heritage Site) to the south of Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers. The Tasman Glacier and Hooker Glacier flow down the southern and eastern slopes of the mountain. Mount Cook Village has a visitor centre which provides detailed information on the area and there are numerous walks of varying difficulty starting from here. You can either choose to walk or climb the mountain but in the latter case, be prepared and better: take a guide.
Mount Ngauruhoe (aka. Mount Doom)
- Where - North Island, New Zealand
- Height - 2291 metres
- Climb - Yes
Mount Ngauruhoe would not have made this list had it not been for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy, in which the active volcano became famous as Mount Doom. Mount Ngauruhoe is situated between Mount Tongariro and Mount Ruapehu on North Island, New Zealand. Many people hike up it on the Tongariro Crossing, which is considered one of the ten best walks in the world.
South America
Cotopaxi
The Cotopaxi volcano in the Andes mountains is located just 75 kilometers from Quito and on a clear day you can see the mountain from the capital. It is part of the chain of volcanoes around the Pacific plate known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. It is the second highest mountain of Ecuador and although it claims to be the highest active volcano in the world, actually Llullaillaco volcano, on the border of Chile and Argentina is considerably higher at over 6700 meters and is considered active as well. Nevertheless, the Cotopaxi is much more famous and active with over 50 eruptions during the last 370 years or so. Cotopaxi has an almost symmetrical cone and also has one of few equatorial glaciers in the world, at about 5000 meters and up.
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