Himalaya

Having risen to the challenge of seas; poles; dhows and deserts; the highest mountains in the world were a natural target for Michael Palin. In a journey rarely; if ever; attempted before; in 6 months of hard travelling Palin takes on the full length of the Himalaya including the Khyber Pass; the hidden valleys of the Hindu Kush; ancient cities like Peshawar and Lahore; the mighty peaks of K2; Annapurna and Everest; the gorges of the Yangtze; the tribal lands of the Indo-Burmese border and the vast Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. Facing altitudes as high as 17;500 feet as well as some of the world's deepest gorges; Palin also passed through political flashpoints like Pakistan's remote north-west frontier; terrorist-torn Kashmir and the mountains of Nagaland; only recently open to visitors.