If you‘ve ever been curious about climbing the 7 summits and wondered where these mountains actually are and how hard they are to climb here is our brief guide to the 7 summits.
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mt Kilimanjaro is located in the northern part of the United Republic of Tanzania straddling the country’s border with Kenya. It rests surrounded by lush forest in the Kilimanjaro National park near two prominent townships in Tanzania, Moshi and Arusha. Kilimanjaro takes between 5 to 8 days to climb successfully depending on which route you take up this mountain. Ironically there are also 7 established routes; Marango, Rongi, Lemoshu, Machame, Umbwe, the Northern Circuit and Shira.
Learn more about our upcoming Kilimanjaro Expeditions.
Mount Elbrus
Mt Elbrus is also a dormant volcano located in the Russian Federation close to its southwest board on the Caucasus Mountains range. This mountain is not only the highest in Russia but also the highest mountain and Volcano in all of Europe. To climb this mountain successfully you can either approach the summit from the North or the South. The easer of the two is the southern route. Although this mountain is not difficult it does require the use of equipment like crampons and ice axes.
Learn more about our upcoming Mt Elbrus Expeditions.
Mount Aconcagua
This mountain is a legend, at 6,960m Aconcagua is the tallest mountain outside of the Himalayas, its the highest mountain in all the Americas and is our star as the highest mountain in the South American continent. Aconcagua has located in Argentina about 120km from the provincial capital city of Mendoza. Although not a technical climb this mountain is a beast, the altitude and weather make this a demanding and more challenging trek than both Mt Elbrus and Mt Kilimanjaro.
Vinson Massif
This mountain is the highest in the Antarctic continent with a height of 4,892m. We’ve put it as the fourth to climb because of the relative technical ease. Yes, you will use crampons, ice axes, ropes and ascenders but it is not technically challenging. The challenge comes from its remoteness, isolation and weather. Vinson Massif is 1,200km from the South Pole in the Sentinel Range of the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica.
Puncak Jaya or Carstensz Pyramid
This mountain is located in Sudirman range in the Papua Province in Indonesia. Many argue that since Indonesia is a part of Asia hence the true 5th of the 7 summits is Mt Wilhelm in Papua New Guinea. Despite this minor overlook, many still climb this mountain as part of the Seven Summits. This mountain is more of a rock climb requiring some serious rock climbing skills to bag this mountain.
Mount Denali
The Sixth on the Seven Summit list is Mt Denali at a height of 6,190m. Denali is located in the Alaska Range in the interior of the U.S. state of Alaska. This centrepiece of the Denali National park is a beast of a mountain, cold, hard, high and a technical challenge.
Mount Everest
The last, the highest and the hardest Mt Everest with a height of 8,849m. Everest is the highest peak in the world and is located in the Himalayan mountain range between Nepal and Tibet an autonomous region of China.
