The Plaza Argentina Base Camp at Mendoza, Argentina
The Plaza Argentina Base Camp at Mendoza, Argentina
Googlers Dan Fredinburg and Michele Battelli on the summit of Aconcagua. (Photo by Jamie McGuinness from http://www.project-himalaya.com)
Googlers Dan Fredinburg and Michele Battelli on the summit of Aconcagua. (Photo by Jamie McGuinness from http://www.project-himalaya.com)

If you don’t feel like hopping on a plane to another country and climbing thousands of feet to reach the tops of the world’s tallest mountains, don’t worry — Google Maps has you covered.

In a blog post today, Google announced some really cool new additions to its Maps app. You can now virtually place yourself at the tops of famous mountains like Aconcagua (South America), Kilimanjaro (Africa), Mount Elbrus (Europe) and Everest Base Camp (Asia).

A group of Google employees from all different departments used a tripod and a digital camera to capture all the photos. Google’s Sara Pelosi, People Programs Manager wrote a short behind-the-scenes post about her group’s adventure.

Our adventures began with the trek to Everest Base Camp where we spent 12 days in the mountains battling altitude sickness, an earthquake, mudslides, snow storms and flash floods. The highest altitude we reached was 18,192 feet — higher than anywhere in the contiguous U.S. — and we hiked more than 70 miles (or 50 hours) during the trip. We carried our camera equipment everywhere we went and captured a collection of panoramas at key camps and other interesting stops along the way.

The Googlers behind this project are hosting a Google Plus Hangout at 10 a.m. PST today to talk about their expedition and answer questions. You can also watch below:

Previously on GeekWire: No Google Glasses allowed, declares Seattle bar

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