Rainbow clouds spotted over Everest

24 March 2011 14:51

The Himalayas can be an endless source of amazement for adventure seekers

The Himalayas can be an endless source of amazement for adventure seekers

An adventure traveller has spoken of his astonishment after coming across a rare and spectacular event in the skies above the Himalayas.

While gazing up at Mount Everest, astronomer Oleg Bartunov saw a formation of vividly coloured "rainbow clouds" - a phenomenon rarely seen at the world's highest peak.

Mr Bartunov, who took pictures of the magical sight, said the rainbow effect was produced by light reflecting from ice crystals formed inside the cloud's water vapour.

The 51-year-old told the Daily Mail that the "psychedelic" appearance of the cloud reminded him of a time in the past.

"If this was the 1960s I could have sworn it was some kind of album by The Beatles because the colours were so vivid and dream-like," he said.

Everest, already one of the biggest attractions of Nepal, is among the highlights of the country's Tourism Year 2011 campaign to draw more visitors to the country.

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