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From the Ocean to the Sky: Jet boating up the Ganges
"For more than five years I had dreamed of a new adventure," writes Sir Edmund Hillary, "to travel with a group of friends from the mouth of the Ganges River upstream against the current as far as we could go ... up into the mountains where the river had its beginnings." In 1977 the 'Ocean to Sky' expedition turned that dream into reality; this is Hillary's own dramatic record of that journey.
The 1500-mile-long trek provided as many challenges as the conqueror of Everest and his crew had imagined, from powering jet boats up treacherous rapids to the ultimate test of climbing Akash Parbat, above which, according to Hindu tradition, the lord Shiva received the celestial stream of Ganga into the matted locks of his hair. Hillary's narrative, supplemented with excerpts from his crew's journals and many photographs, captures the excitement and danger of the expedition.
But From the Ocean to the Sky is far more than a simple adventure story. It is a rich and intimate encounter with the tigers of the Sunderbans, with Hindu holy men and Sikh pilgrims, with rural Bengali villagers and hysterical Calcutta crowds. at every teeming city ghat and wharf, at each remote refueling stop, the people of India - fishermen, city dignitaries, village elders, excited schoolchildren, ancient porters, yogis - all responded with an outpouring of warmth and enthusiasm to honor the Western travelers whose pilgrimage up the holy river symbolized so much for those along the banks.
The story of Hillary's exhilarating journey and this rare view into the heart and soul of India will prove as irresistable as the mysterious lure of Mother Ganga itself.
The 1500-mile-long trek provided as many challenges as the conqueror of Everest and his crew had imagined, from powering jet boats up treacherous rapids to the ultimate test of climbing Akash Parbat, above which, according to Hindu tradition, the lord Shiva received the celestial stream of Ganga into the matted locks of his hair. Hillary's narrative, supplemented with excerpts from his crew's journals and many photographs, captures the excitement and danger of the expedition.
But From the Ocean to the Sky is far more than a simple adventure story. It is a rich and intimate encounter with the tigers of the Sunderbans, with Hindu holy men and Sikh pilgrims, with rural Bengali villagers and hysterical Calcutta crowds. at every teeming city ghat and wharf, at each remote refueling stop, the people of India - fishermen, city dignitaries, village elders, excited schoolchildren, ancient porters, yogis - all responded with an outpouring of warmth and enthusiasm to honor the Western travelers whose pilgrimage up the holy river symbolized so much for those along the banks.
The story of Hillary's exhilarating journey and this rare view into the heart and soul of India will prove as irresistable as the mysterious lure of Mother Ganga itself.
273 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1979
4 people are currently reading
119 people want to read
About the author
Edmund Hillary
94 books44 followersSir Edmund Percival Hillary KG ONZ KBE was a New Zealand mountaineer, explorer, and philanthropist. On 29 May 1953, Hillary and Nepalese Sherpa mountaineer Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers confirmed to have reached the summit of Mount Everest. They were part of the ninth British expedition to Everest, led by John Hunt. From 1985 to 1988 he served as New Zealand's High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh and concurrently as Ambassador to Nepal.
Hillary became interested in mountaineering while in secondary school. He made his first major climb in 1939, reaching the summit of Mount Ollivier. He served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a navigator during World War II. Prior to the Everest expedition, Hillary had been part of the British reconnaissance expedition to the mountain in 1951 as well as an unsuccessful attempt to climb Cho Oyu in 1952. As part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition he reached the South Pole overland in 1958. He subsequently reached the North Pole, making him the first person to reach both poles and summit Everest.
Following his ascent of Everest, Hillary devoted himself to assisting the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust, which he established. His efforts are credited with the construction of many schools and hospitals in Nepal. Hillary had numerous honours conferred upon him, including the Order of the Garter in 1995. Upon his death in 2008, he was given a state funeral in New Zealand.
Hillary became interested in mountaineering while in secondary school. He made his first major climb in 1939, reaching the summit of Mount Ollivier. He served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a navigator during World War II. Prior to the Everest expedition, Hillary had been part of the British reconnaissance expedition to the mountain in 1951 as well as an unsuccessful attempt to climb Cho Oyu in 1952. As part of the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition he reached the South Pole overland in 1958. He subsequently reached the North Pole, making him the first person to reach both poles and summit Everest.
Following his ascent of Everest, Hillary devoted himself to assisting the Sherpa people of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust, which he established. His efforts are credited with the construction of many schools and hospitals in Nepal. Hillary had numerous honours conferred upon him, including the Order of the Garter in 1995. Upon his death in 2008, he was given a state funeral in New Zealand.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
December 20, 2025
In 1977 Hillary led an expedition that he had been planning for a long time. It has been one that he was able to include his wife on, as it was not mountaineering (until the end), but a jet boating expedition up the Ganges River in India. Sadly, two years before this expedition came to fruition, Hillary's wife Louise and daughter Belinda had been killed in a small plane crash in Nepal. Hillary saw this expedition as completing a plan, but also to spend time with son Peter (23 at the time).
The boats for the expedition were specially modified Hamilton Jet boats - the Hamilton Jet being a New Zealand design which uses propulsion of the water from an intake below the boat and forced out the back which uniquely leaves the bottom of the boat free of obstruction, and therefore able to operate in very shallow water. Accompanying Hillary and his were Jon Hamilton, son of the inventor of the jet, and his son Michael.
Also joining the cast of many were Hillary's friends and contemporaries (many of who are authors of their own books) - climbers Dr Mike Gill, Graeme Dingle, Jim Wilson & Murray Jones. As the Ocean to Sky expedition was a joint Indian and New Zealand effort (mostly because of money contributed) they were joined by Joginder Singh and Mohan Kohli, and by Sherpa's Mingma Tsering and Pemma. To capture the events on film (the making of a film was part of the deal) Mike Dillon and Waka Attewell were joined by India cameramen Prem Vaidya and BG Dewari. Max Pearl joined as the official doctor on the journey.
Three jetboats were used to transport this extensive crew, although for a large part they were assisted by the army with trucks as for much of the time the river conditions necessitated practically empty boats. The boats were named Kiwi, Air India and Ganga.
The Journey begins with some zipping around the Sundarbans - a wetlands mangrove forest at the mouth of the Ganga - where despite the rarity, they see and film not one but two tigers! For much of the journey upriver they are swamped by many thousands of people lining the river to catch a glimpse of the famous mountaineer. The press were rampant, and Hillary spent much of his time signing autographs and being available to the people. The other members not so much, although because Jim Wilson had a massive beard he was thought to be a foreign sadhu and was given plenty of attention as the primary driver of one of the boats.
The jet boat trip is described in detail, each major rapid get a sketch. Mixed in with this are the interactions with the people, and the significant assistance rendered by the sponsors and people in general. There is lots of information about the river, the lives of Indians on the river side as well as aspects of the history of the areas they pass through.
I would describe the writing as thorough, well researched and well put together in Hillary's typical style which is not overtly overwritten or embellished in any way, and is perhaps a bit 'workman like' in its polish.
As the boats inevitably reach a point where they cannot continue. They had travelled 1500 miles, every foot on the water, in all three boats. The press gave them, quite unfairly, a hard time about abandoning their expedition or failing, but of course they never expected to reach the top of a mountain in the jet boats!
The goal always to was to get as far as they could and then make an ascent on a mountain in the Himalaya near the source. And so as the team split up - the boats and the Hamiltons returning to Delhi (by truck); Max Pearl heading to Hillary's hospital in Nepal; the Indian contingent (although they continued to have a local liaison officer to assist) returned to undertake another expedition. The rest (except Murray and Peter who had a few weeks earlier gone on ahead to investigate the climbing options) continued on foot to Badrinath, a climb from 3,000 up to 10,000 feet over sixty miles.
The mountaineering however was of more modest success - originally targeting Narayan Parbat, this was quickly deemed very difficult, and beyond the capacity of the team. The nearby Nar Parbat was then identified as a more achievable goal. The short version is they pushed hard, carried heavy loads and did not take time to acclimatise. Hillary was particularly badly effected and required assistance to descend urgently, suffering from pulmonary or cerebral oedema (Mike Gill never really determined which), and practically unconscious. He ended up being lifted by helicopter away to hospital to recover.
After Hillary was safely removed, others in the team, Peter Hillary included carried on to complete the climb, and in eh few days this took, Sir Ed was well enough to rejoin them at Badrinath, concluding the expedition.
4 stars.
The boats for the expedition were specially modified Hamilton Jet boats - the Hamilton Jet being a New Zealand design which uses propulsion of the water from an intake below the boat and forced out the back which uniquely leaves the bottom of the boat free of obstruction, and therefore able to operate in very shallow water. Accompanying Hillary and his were Jon Hamilton, son of the inventor of the jet, and his son Michael.
Also joining the cast of many were Hillary's friends and contemporaries (many of who are authors of their own books) - climbers Dr Mike Gill, Graeme Dingle, Jim Wilson & Murray Jones. As the Ocean to Sky expedition was a joint Indian and New Zealand effort (mostly because of money contributed) they were joined by Joginder Singh and Mohan Kohli, and by Sherpa's Mingma Tsering and Pemma. To capture the events on film (the making of a film was part of the deal) Mike Dillon and Waka Attewell were joined by India cameramen Prem Vaidya and BG Dewari. Max Pearl joined as the official doctor on the journey.
Three jetboats were used to transport this extensive crew, although for a large part they were assisted by the army with trucks as for much of the time the river conditions necessitated practically empty boats. The boats were named Kiwi, Air India and Ganga.
The Journey begins with some zipping around the Sundarbans - a wetlands mangrove forest at the mouth of the Ganga - where despite the rarity, they see and film not one but two tigers! For much of the journey upriver they are swamped by many thousands of people lining the river to catch a glimpse of the famous mountaineer. The press were rampant, and Hillary spent much of his time signing autographs and being available to the people. The other members not so much, although because Jim Wilson had a massive beard he was thought to be a foreign sadhu and was given plenty of attention as the primary driver of one of the boats.
The jet boat trip is described in detail, each major rapid get a sketch. Mixed in with this are the interactions with the people, and the significant assistance rendered by the sponsors and people in general. There is lots of information about the river, the lives of Indians on the river side as well as aspects of the history of the areas they pass through.
I would describe the writing as thorough, well researched and well put together in Hillary's typical style which is not overtly overwritten or embellished in any way, and is perhaps a bit 'workman like' in its polish.
As the boats inevitably reach a point where they cannot continue. They had travelled 1500 miles, every foot on the water, in all three boats. The press gave them, quite unfairly, a hard time about abandoning their expedition or failing, but of course they never expected to reach the top of a mountain in the jet boats!
The goal always to was to get as far as they could and then make an ascent on a mountain in the Himalaya near the source. And so as the team split up - the boats and the Hamiltons returning to Delhi (by truck); Max Pearl heading to Hillary's hospital in Nepal; the Indian contingent (although they continued to have a local liaison officer to assist) returned to undertake another expedition. The rest (except Murray and Peter who had a few weeks earlier gone on ahead to investigate the climbing options) continued on foot to Badrinath, a climb from 3,000 up to 10,000 feet over sixty miles.
The mountaineering however was of more modest success - originally targeting Narayan Parbat, this was quickly deemed very difficult, and beyond the capacity of the team. The nearby Nar Parbat was then identified as a more achievable goal. The short version is they pushed hard, carried heavy loads and did not take time to acclimatise. Hillary was particularly badly effected and required assistance to descend urgently, suffering from pulmonary or cerebral oedema (Mike Gill never really determined which), and practically unconscious. He ended up being lifted by helicopter away to hospital to recover.
After Hillary was safely removed, others in the team, Peter Hillary included carried on to complete the climb, and in eh few days this took, Sir Ed was well enough to rejoin them at Badrinath, concluding the expedition.
4 stars.
July 19, 2013
Once I started, I didn't stop--and that says everything.
Adventure writing at its best--scenery, personalities, and jet boats; overbearing crowds and scary solitude; beauty and (some rather cool) beasts. All told with endearing honesty and introspection by a master of storytelling.
The plan was to follow the Ganges River--mata ganga--from her ending in the Bay of Bengal up to her roots in the Himalayan Mountains. A holy pilgrimage for millions of people but a thumping good adventure for Sir Edmund and his rugged crew. Did they make it? Read it yourself and find out.
I was really impressed by his description of puja--the devotional service offered up at the start of the journey and many more times along the way. So different from the method I grew up with--everyone stares at the ground and the oldest male says a few words starting with Dear Lord and ending with Amen. The puja touches the spirit.
There's a short essay and Hindu religion and current beliefs at the end...enlightening. I'm planning to read it again tomorrow. Also a detailed description of the jet boat design and how to pilot one in tricky water. I'll pass on that.
Five stars on this one. And a little cheer.
Adventure writing at its best--scenery, personalities, and jet boats; overbearing crowds and scary solitude; beauty and (some rather cool) beasts. All told with endearing honesty and introspection by a master of storytelling.
The plan was to follow the Ganges River--mata ganga--from her ending in the Bay of Bengal up to her roots in the Himalayan Mountains. A holy pilgrimage for millions of people but a thumping good adventure for Sir Edmund and his rugged crew. Did they make it? Read it yourself and find out.
I was really impressed by his description of puja--the devotional service offered up at the start of the journey and many more times along the way. So different from the method I grew up with--everyone stares at the ground and the oldest male says a few words starting with Dear Lord and ending with Amen. The puja touches the spirit.
There's a short essay and Hindu religion and current beliefs at the end...enlightening. I'm planning to read it again tomorrow. Also a detailed description of the jet boat design and how to pilot one in tricky water. I'll pass on that.
Five stars on this one. And a little cheer.
July 21, 2023
An audacious journey through a huge country, accomplished by a professional adventurer. Hillary needed enough help with the logistics, boat fuel, etc. that his journey was very-well publicized ahead of each stop, and that resulted in probably the ace-in-the-hole part of his trip: the adulation of the local Indians. Since he was already very familiar with many local customs, he found ways to navigate the crushing crowds of thousands who mobbed him regularly. Surprising to me was the heavy emphasis on the spiritual part of the journey, but I probably shouldn’t have been surprised, as the Ganges is by far the holiest river in the country. And so having ritual cleansings and blessings performed on him, over and over, could well have been the difference between his success and potential failure. The jet boats they used were interesting, the 15-man crew was amazing, and eventually the climb to the summit where Ganga’s (correct spelling of the river) first water drops began, was fascinating. Another fine armchair adventure, and believe me, I’m an expert in these types of adventures.
September 29, 2022
This is a good rounded book, one with a theme of travel by boat, which has great additional sources of info, maps, and photos, which adds about a third of the book, and its very well edited. I picked it up and read different parts, and it worked fine this way.
Unique in that it was by boat up the Ganges. It's as if they imagined up something not done but possible and then went out and made it happen. The rest is just magic along the way, something they never expected but nonetheless enjoyed at the moment. A perfect exploration, overwhelming them, and experience of India by boat as a celebrity.
There are moments that view a time past. Seeing the other native boats on the Ganges, the sailboats, dhows, now gone, replaced by the engine. A couple of great photos of them too. It was all done relatively quickly and with a lot of pomp. I watched the movie first and thought it was fantastic too. This is a book of its era when a lot of time and effort went into collectively creating a great book. They see India, as did the first white hippies in the Himalayan villages in the 1960s, as these wandering gods back again. There's a nice dialogue of people speaking out across tents, reading aloud tidbits of the letters from home they received in the mail run. These are pure 1970s to 90s moments of India and traveling abroad.
I loved the focus above Rishikesh and the first rocks and waterfalls coming out of the Himalayas into Rishikesh, from Devprayag (spelled Deoprayag) and above. The boating descriptions are remarkable.
Perhaps the Indians were surprised that they stopped and didn't understand why the Gods had quit. They probably expected our explorers just to pick up the boats and move them to the other side of the waterfalls and carry on like this upward to Badrinath! And later those episodes would turn into the raft flying over the falls, you know.
The 'It could only happen in India' moments are throughout the experience, which only lasts about a month on the water, and then about two weeks attempting to climb to the heaven Narayan, challenges are met along the way that alters their course.
There's a wonderful personal element explored and exposed, which is gem of this book, and comes across emotionally clearer in the movie. And this is Hillary having a redemptive moment of reflection during these pujas and elemental forces of conscious attention upon him, his recent loss of wife and daughter were killed in a plane crash. This is not mentioned in the book, but is the undercurrent of stress leading up to his episode of altitude sickness. I would bet Hillary would welcome the 'Gods failed their expedition' headline at the end. It was the experience, and it included failure and success.
Unique in that it was by boat up the Ganges. It's as if they imagined up something not done but possible and then went out and made it happen. The rest is just magic along the way, something they never expected but nonetheless enjoyed at the moment. A perfect exploration, overwhelming them, and experience of India by boat as a celebrity.
There are moments that view a time past. Seeing the other native boats on the Ganges, the sailboats, dhows, now gone, replaced by the engine. A couple of great photos of them too. It was all done relatively quickly and with a lot of pomp. I watched the movie first and thought it was fantastic too. This is a book of its era when a lot of time and effort went into collectively creating a great book. They see India, as did the first white hippies in the Himalayan villages in the 1960s, as these wandering gods back again. There's a nice dialogue of people speaking out across tents, reading aloud tidbits of the letters from home they received in the mail run. These are pure 1970s to 90s moments of India and traveling abroad.
I loved the focus above Rishikesh and the first rocks and waterfalls coming out of the Himalayas into Rishikesh, from Devprayag (spelled Deoprayag) and above. The boating descriptions are remarkable.
Perhaps the Indians were surprised that they stopped and didn't understand why the Gods had quit. They probably expected our explorers just to pick up the boats and move them to the other side of the waterfalls and carry on like this upward to Badrinath! And later those episodes would turn into the raft flying over the falls, you know.
The 'It could only happen in India' moments are throughout the experience, which only lasts about a month on the water, and then about two weeks attempting to climb to the heaven Narayan, challenges are met along the way that alters their course.
There's a wonderful personal element explored and exposed, which is gem of this book, and comes across emotionally clearer in the movie. And this is Hillary having a redemptive moment of reflection during these pujas and elemental forces of conscious attention upon him, his recent loss of wife and daughter were killed in a plane crash. This is not mentioned in the book, but is the undercurrent of stress leading up to his episode of altitude sickness. I would bet Hillary would welcome the 'Gods failed their expedition' headline at the end. It was the experience, and it included failure and success.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2013
While looking in the library for his No Latitude for Error, I found this book. Loved the idea and the trip sounds like it was amazing. The cultural and religious stuff was great, and the curmudgeonly asides about the Press and crowds made me laugh. It isn't modern and doesn't try to be politically correct, instead it is honestly open about the attitudes of the day.
October 22, 2015
A great travelogue by Sir Edmund Hillary and his team. It gives a vivid description of the Indian population living along the river Ganga, both in small villages and large cities. The adrenaline pumping adventure has been penned down very well by the author with the perspective of many crew members taken into account.
December 10, 2024
A proper adventure, with the right degree of excitement and the right amount of respect for the country, people and religion. This edition has plenty of photographs too, which brings it even more to life. I like the honesty with which it is written.
Vicarious travelling at its best.
Vicarious travelling at its best.
January 21, 2017
This was a more-than-thorough account of a trip down the Ganges -- an amazing trip, with wonderful descriptions of scenery and also of village life along the river. However, it became just too much in places -- too much description, too many words. Sir Hillary left no stone unturned or undescribed. I think I would enjoy the Everest trip more.
July 16, 2009
I thought it was a very fine book about a journey up into the Himalyas.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews