Five Other Mountains to Climb | Travel + Leisure

Five Other Mountains to Climb

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As the explorer Francis Younghusband said, "The mountains reserve their greatest secrets for those who attain their summits." Here are five other peaks with particularly spectacular gifts, listed by height. T+L recommends you check with your doctor before going on a climb above 10,000 feet.

Mount Everest Base Camp, Nepal, 17,600 feet
Though only the most intrepid travelers attempt Everest's summit, Mountain Travel Sobek (www.mtsobek.com; 25-day treks from $3,190) escorts those with enough time and stamina along ridges, with staggering views of four of the eight highest peaks on earth, to Mount Everest Base Camp.

Mount Rainier, Washington, 14,410 feet
Mount Rainier is often used as a training ground for Everest. Rainier Mountaineering, Inc. (www.rmiguides.com; three-day treks from $795) teaches basic climbing skills that enable novices to reach Columbia Crest while attached to a guide by ropes.

Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, Peru, 13,776 feet
With Geographic Expeditions (www.geoex.com; 12-day trips from $3,950), you can take a four-day trek up through cloud forests and down flagstone trails, then spend a night in the Incan ruins. Alternatively, the luxe Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel (www.inkaterra.com; $374), in Cuzco, has just launched helicopter service, allowing you to reach the ruins in 30 minutes.

Mount Toubkal, Morocco, 13,670 feet
Trek the High Atlas through Berber country with Adrar Adventure (www.morocco-travel-adventure.com; $290). Based in Marrakesh, this local outfitter leads two-day hikes through rugged lunar landscape to North Africa's highest peak.

Mount Fuji, Japan, 12,388 feet
It's possible—and relatively easy—to scale Mount Fuji in a single day. But the most popular way is to begin the six-hour climb from the 5th Station (reached by bus) in the afternoon, spend the night near the top, and then resume climbing in the early morning to watch sunrise from the summit. Japan National Tourist Organization July and August only; www.jnto.go.jp; $396.

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