Pangaea Himalayan Expedition: Exploring the Heights With Mike Horn (Video)

Follow South African explorer Mike Horn and his expedition team as they trek through Pakistan's Karakoram Valley high in the Himalayas.

The Pangaea Project (PAN Global Adventure for Environmental Action) is a four-year exploration spanning the globe initiated by South African explorer Mike Horn in 2008. The project was devised by Horn as a way to engage international youth in exploring the world around them, learning about human impacts on the environment, and actively participating in clean-up and community projects.

Having engaged in beach and island clean-up projects in Borneo and India earlier this year, Horn and his expedition team now find themselves in the majestic heights of the Himalayas, guiding a group of eight young explorers on a month-long trek over Pakistan's Karakoram Valley to witness firsthand the amazing views of Nanga Parbat, Broad Peak, the Gasherbrum peaks, the Baltoro Massif, and the mighty K2.

In addition to exploring the range, Horn's team is assisting in the cleanup of several climbing basecamps along the way. The young explorers chosen for this expedition represent five different continents: Kai Pryce-Fitchen (16) from South Africa, Basil Tan She Jeeng (20) from Singapore, Jye Kluske (19) from Australia, Alexander Groos (20) and Daniel Hübner (20) from Germany, Tiziana Gee (19) from Switzerland, Hugo Clément (17) from France, and Erica Wineland-Thomson (20) from the United States.

Also traveling with Horn, a team from the Mayo Clinic is testing and evaluating the explorers' performances in the adverse conditions of a high altitude environment, utilizing new technologies that remotely monitor human physiology. Through the study, the Clinic seeks to learn more about the impacts of altitude on human physiology in the hopes that such knowledge may someday help us to expand the limits of human performance in adverse conditions.

Over the next week, National Geographic Adventure will provide daily glimpses into the final leg of the Pangaea Project's Himalayan Expedition. Meet the expedition team in the video above, then join us daily through the end of June as we go inside the expedition with Mike Horn and his team, exploring the culture of Pakistan and the majestic beauty of the Himalayas.