Duty-free apparel sourcing from Nepal — into the EU, UK and Japan

Capital · Tribhuvan International Airport

Kathmandu

Our air-freight gateway (FCA Kathmandu), about five hours by road. Samples and urgent orders fly from here and usually land within a week.

Start of the sea route

Birgunj dry port

Nepal’s main dry port, rail-linked to Kolkata/Haldia and Visakhapatnam. Our sea cargo crosses India here — heading, like every river on this map, for the Bay of Bengal.

Lake city below the Annapurnas

Pokhara

Nepal’s lakeside city beneath Machhapuchhre and the Annapurna range — about half a day’s drive from our factory. The Seti Gandaki runs through it.

Birthplace of the Buddha

Lumbini

A UNESCO World Heritage Site in the plains west of us, near the Bhairahawa–Sunauli crossing into India.

8,849 m · world’s highest

EverestSagarmatha (सगरमाथा), “forehead of the sky”

The highest point on Earth, on Nepal’s border with China. Its Nepali name means “forehead of the sky”; the Sherpa people call it Chomolungma.

Where

Solukhumbu · Sagarmatha National Park (UNESCO)

First ascent

29 May 1953 — Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary

8,586 m · world’s 3rd highest

Kangchenjunga“Five treasures of the snow”

The world’s third-highest mountain, in Nepal’s far east. Its five summits are said to hold five treasures — gold, silver, gems, grain and holy books.

Where

Taplejung · on the Nepal–India (Sikkim) border

First ascent

25 May 1955 — Joe Brown and George Band, who stopped just short of the top out of respect for its sanctity

8,516 m · world’s 4th highest

Lhotse“South peak” (of Everest)

The world’s fourth-highest mountain, standing shoulder to shoulder with Everest — the two share much of the same climbing route.

Where

Solukhumbu · joined to Everest by the South Col

First ascent

18 May 1956 — Ernst Reiss and Fritz Luchsinger (Swiss expedition)

8,485 m · world’s 5th highest

Makalu

The world’s fifth-highest mountain, a striking four-sided pyramid rising above the Arun valley — a river that flows on to join the Koshi.

Where

Sankhuwasabha · Makalu Barun National Park

First ascent

15 May 1955 — Lionel Terray and Jean Couzy (French expedition)

8,188 m · world’s 6th highest

Cho Oyu“Turquoise goddess”

The world’s sixth-highest mountain, west of Everest, beside the ancient Nangpa La trade route between Nepal and Tibet.

Where

Solukhumbu · near the Nangpa La pass to Tibet

First ascent

19 October 1954 — Herbert Tichy, Joseph Jöchler and Pasang Dawa Lama

8,167 m · world’s 7th highest

Dhaulagiri I“White mountain”

The world’s seventh-highest mountain. The Kali Gandaki runs between it and Annapurna through one of the deepest gorges on Earth — then on past our factory to Devghat.

Where

Myagdi · west of the Kali Gandaki gorge

First ascent

13 May 1960 — Swiss–Austrian expedition (Kurt Diemberger and team, with Nawang Dorje and Nima Dorje Sherpa)

8,163 m · world’s 8th highest

Manaslu“Mountain of the spirit”

The world’s eighth-highest mountain, in Gorkha district — the homeland of the Gorkha kings who unified Nepal.

Where

Gorkha · Manaslu Conservation Area

First ascent

9 May 1956 — Toshio Imanishi and Gyalzen Norbu Sherpa (Japanese expedition)

8,091 m · world’s 10th highest

Annapurna I“Goddess of the harvests”

The first 8,000-metre mountain ever climbed. Its massif towers over Pokhara, and its snow feeds the Kali Gandaki and Seti rivers.

Where

Myagdi / Kaski · Annapurna Conservation Area

First ascent

3 June 1950 — Maurice Herzog and Louis Lachenal (French expedition)

7,422 m

Ganesh Himal (Ganesh I)Named after Lord Ganesh

A cluster of peaks named for Ganesh, remover of obstacles — clearly visible from Kathmandu on a clear morning.

Where

Gorkha / Dhading / Rasuwa · on the Tibet border

First ascent

1955 — Raymond Lambert, Eric Gauchat and Claude Kogan

7,234 m

Langtang Lirung

The high point of the Langtang valley, the closest great Himalayan range to Kathmandu. Its meltwater feeds the Trishuli — which meets the Kali Gandaki at Devghat, beside our factory.

Where

Rasuwa · Langtang National Park

7,134 m

Gauri ShankarGauri and Shankar — Parvati and Shiva

A mountain sacred to Hindus as the divine couple Parvati and Shiva, and to Sherpas as Tseringma, one of five sisters of long life.

Where

Dolakha · Rolwaling valley

First ascent

8 May 1979 — John Roskelley and Dorje Sherpa

7,132 m

Api

The highest peak of Nepal’s far west, rising above the upper Mahakali valley — remote, rarely visited and beautiful.

Where

Darchula · Api Nampa Conservation Area, far-west Nepal

7,031 m

Saipal

A lone giant of the far west, standing between the Seti and Karnali river systems.

Where

Bajhang / Humla · far-west Nepal

6,993 m

Machhapuchhre“Fish tail”

Named for its twin-pointed summit shaped like a fish’s tail. Held sacred to Shiva, it is closed to climbers — its summit has never officially been stood upon.

Where

Kaski · above Pokhara

First ascent

None — closed to climbers; a 1957 team turned back about 50 m below the summit, out of respect

6,812 m

Ama Dablam“Mother’s necklace”

Often called the most beautiful mountain in the world — its long ridges are the mother’s arms, and its hanging glacier the dablam, a pendant worn by Sherpa women.

Where

Solukhumbu · Khumbu valley

First ascent

13 March 1961 — Mike Gill, Barry Bishop, Mike Ward and Wally Romanes