Google Maps offers samples of highest peaks

Adventure seekers with aspirations to climb some of the highest mountains in the world can now get a taste of what to expect at the top courtesy of Google Maps Street View service.

The web mapping service has previously given sneak previews of what it would be like in the Amazon rainforest and at the bottom of the ocean. Now, it has released panoramic imagery from some of the highest places on the planet, including the 18,192-foot-high Mount Everest base camp.

Following the move, users can now enjoy 360-degree views of four of the world's highest peaks. Climbers can familiarise themselves with the highest peak in Europe Mount Elbrus and the Plaza Argentina base camp at Aconcagua.

Users can also ascend 19,341 feet to Mount Kilimanjaro's Uhuru in Africa, which is a stratovolcano.

A Google team employed a lightweight camera and tripod with a fish-eye lens to capture the images, which can be seen in Google Maps on iPhones or Android devices.

Two years ago, the team climbed more than 70 miles across 12 days to reach the Everest base camp. Sara Pelosi, a Google Maps manager, revealed on Google's lat-long blog that the hikers were forced to battle through earthquakes, flash floods and mudslides on their ascent.