Peter Hinze

Since 1982, the Munich journalist, author and speaker has traveled to the Himalayas more than 35 times, including to Nepal, India, Myanmar and Bhutan, and during this time conducted interviews with, among others, Sir Edmund Hillary, several times with His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, successful and world-famous Sherpas such as Apa Sherpa or Ang Rita Sherpa as well as with the South Tyrolean mountaineer Reinhold Messner.

On The Great Himalaya Trail (GHT), Peter Hinze crossed Nepal from east to west. After 1,864 kilometers and 95,550+ meters of altitude, his incomparable adventure ended in Darchula after 87 days. His book "The Great Himalaya" became a bestseller in German-speaking countries and is now considered an integral part of required reading on Nepal. The book was awarded “Best Reportage Travel Book of the Year” at the International Tourism Exchange in Berlin (ITB) and was recognized in numerous print media and on TV.

During the adventure on the GHT, Hinze was particularly impressed by one mountain region: the difficult-to-access Upper Dolpo, one of the loneliest high regions in the entire Himalayan region.

Through a personal encounter with some Dolpo-pa during a stay in Kathmandu, Hinze quickly gains a close, very rare friendship with the last indigenous people of the Himalayas, who consider him a brother. And so, three years later, he returns to an extraordinary journey that immerses him in a strange, fascinating world whose ancient traditions and rites could also serve as a model for a more conscious, contented life in the Western world. It is a journey on the trail of the wisdom of the Dolpo-pa, who, despite their daily struggle for survival, do not lose their positive attitude towards a dignified life.

After the trip, Hinze starts his private NGO called “Dolpo Project”, which finances the construction of micro-greenhouses for poor families and supports cultural projects and victims of fire accidents. His book "100,000 Steps to Happiness" ("On the Simplicity of Life in the Himalayas") was published a little later by "National Geographic" in German-speaking countries, became a customer again and also received the "Best Travel Reportage Book of the Year" award at the ITB.

In the trail running scene, Peter Hinze has successfully taken part in various ultramarathon races since 2003 (including in Namibia, Bhutan, Ireland, Italy, Myanmar and on Mount Everest as well as often in the European Alps). He finished the Transalpine Run three times, an Alpine crossing that is considered the toughest stage race in Europe. He finished the 130km long Wicklow Way Ultra Trail in Ireland as the best foreigner in under 20 hours.

Peter Hinze is considered a proven Nepal and Himalayan expert.

Vital data:

Born in Northern Germany (born in 1958), Peter Hinze initially moved far away from his hometown Wolfsburg. In 1979, he hitchhiked around the world for almost a year, which only ended when he started studying at the LMU in Munich. But the desire to travel remained: in 1982, another trip around the world followed, including a stay of several months in China and a nearly 3,000-kilometer hitchhiking adventure through Tibet as the first Western foreigner.

After that, professional matters came to the fore: a traineeship began in 1985, the studies ended in 1987 and freelance work and permanent positions at various travel magazines followed until mid-1992. From mid-1992, member of the founding editorial team at the German-language news magazine FOCUS (Burda Verlag), initially as an editor in the “Modern Life” department, then as deputy department head and responsible for special travel productions – after almost 19 years of voluntary departure (2011).

Peter Hinze lives in Munich, is married and has a son.