Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Himalaya

By: Michael Palin
Narrated by: Michael Palin
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Summary

Winner of the British Book Awards, TV & Film Book of the Year, 2005.

In his most challenging journey to date, Palin tackles the Himalayas, the greatest mountain range on earth. It is a virtually unbroken wall of rock stretching 1,800 miles from the borders of Afghanistan to south-west China. Penetrated but never conquered, it remains the world's most majestic natural barrier, a magnificent wilderness that shapes the history and politics of Asia to this day. Having previously risen to the challenge of seas, poles, 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 traveling 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 bleak and barren plateau of Tibet, the gorges of the Yangtze, the tribal lands of the Indo-Burmese border, and the vast Brahmaputra delta in Bangladesh. He also passes through political flashpoints including Pakistan's remote north-west frontier, terrorist-torn Kashmir, and the mountains of Nagaland.

©2014 Audible, Inc. (P)2014 Michael Palin
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Brazil cover art
Into Iraq cover art
Michael Palin: Around the World in 80 Days cover art
Ghost Train to the Eastern Star cover art
Journeys to Impossible Places cover art
Lights, Camera, Jemuru cover art
Walking the Nile cover art
A Time for all Things cover art
Escape from Kabul cover art
Anna of the Five Towns cover art
Journeys in the Wild cover art
Miles & Miles: A Lifetime of Travel in Asia and Latin America cover art
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin cover art
Perilous Question cover art
The Great Railway Bazaar cover art
The 8.55 to Baghdad cover art

What listeners say about Himalaya

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    179
  • 4 Stars
    34
  • 3 Stars
    12
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    3
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    172
  • 4 Stars
    24
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    150
  • 4 Stars
    32
  • 3 Stars
    15
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating.Read it all in 3days in a dialisys war

Couldn't switch it off.Palin's explanation of the unusual was so interesting. Eyesight not good.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable -but thin on content

Where does Himalaya rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I have only ever listened to this one

What was most disappointing about Michael Palin’s story?

It was a bit rushed. One was left wanting more detail on just about everything ( Geography, history, current conflicts, landscapes). I also did not like the fact that each day was announced numerically - it interrupted the narrative - especially as some days he didn't have much to say.

What about Michael Palin’s performance did you like?

He reads very well but trying to take on different accents didn't always work.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. We used it for traveling a long distance and divided it into two sessions.

Any additional comments?

It was an enjoyable experience. Thank you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Palin is brilliant

Pain's wry observations are hilarious and his descriptions magical. I loved this and wholly recommend it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Superb

Fantastic engaging story well told. As usual with a Michael Palin story he really gets to the heart of the matter

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great experience of the Himalayas

Extremely enjoyable to read and to experience this area vicariously. Palin is dependably brilliant at travel writing and narrating.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Immersive and immensely enjoyable

A great listen! Palin’s descriptions are very immersive, and the way he recounts his journeys - and even more so the people he meets along the way - meant I felt I was journeying alongside him. Excellent narration too, varied and interesting easy-to-follow. A very entertaining account of a really interesting journey.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

brilliant

narrated by the author, it's like you were there next to him, very well done

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I feel like I am there

This book is written with such beautiful, sensory descriptive words that I felt like I was there. I have such a yurning for travel and as it is not currently possible, this book took me across the Himalayas in my mind. thank you

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Usual Palin

Absolutely superb.
As per usual Palin absorbs you into the book with his brilliant narrative, and of course there are many funny parts.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

More of the same Genius

You don't need to say alot more than, Palin, Travel, Genius. Once again Michael Palin makes you feel like you are travelling with him.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful