Acclimatization Guide for High Altitude Treks
 

Acclimatization Guide for High Altitude Treks

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  • By Sanchita Pokharel

Nepal is a famous trekking spot and is known for its beautiful and ain’t snow-capped mountains. But, you should know the acclimatization guide for high altitude treks. Among the top 10 highest mountains in the world, 8 of them are located in Nepal. So, with no doubt, this country is a trekking paradise. Having these giants means the high-altitude issues while trekking. The best part of trekking in high-altitude regions is the breathtaking views of the surroundings.

However, trekking in high altitudes is not easy and has many challenges. The major problem of trekking in high altitudes is thinner air. The higher you climb, the oxygen level in the air decreases. Lack of oxygen makes it difficult for the body to function normally.

There is a saying, “Prevention is better than cure.” Therefore, to prevent yourself from getting altitude sickness, acclimatization plays a role. Trekking in high altitudes is already challenging and risky because of rough routes, climates, and remoteness. Further, if you get altitude sickness, it will take all of your fun of trekking. Though altitude sickness is a common thing while trekking in high-altitude regions, it should be taken care of properly.

Acclimatization Guide for High Altitude Treks

In the end, the key to a successful trek is preventing from getting altitude sickness and acclimatizing properly. Before trekking in high-altitude regions, make sure to study the acclimatization guide for high altitude treks. As we care about your well-being, we have prepared a blog that tells all the basic details, shares tips, and an acclimatization guide for high altitude treks. By the end of this blog, you will be ready to hit the trail with confidence and the only remaining thing is choosing your destination for trekking.

What is Altitude Sickness?

Altitude sickness is an illness that is caused at high-altitude places. It happens when your body is unable to adapt to the lower oxygen levels at high elevations. The high rate of getting altitude sickness is when you are trekking or walking to altitudes above 2,500 m (8,200 ft). Our bodies require some time to adjust to walking in high altitudes so that they can produce more red blood cells to increase the oxygen automatically.

The common symptoms of altitude sickness are:

  • Mild Symptoms: Dizziness, nausea, headache, weakness, and severe cold.
  • Severe Symptoms: Extreme headache, vomiting, difficulty in breathing, confusion, and fluid buildup in the lungs (pulmonary edema) or brain (cerebral edema) which is fatal.

Therefore, it is very crucial to recognize the symptoms of altitude sickness. You should also know, it can affect anyone regarding the age, trekking experience, and fitness level. Moreover, if you have any respiratory condition, you are at high risk of getting altitude sickness. You should consult the doctor before traveling to high-altitude regions.

Acclimatization Guide for High Altitude Treks:

Activities like trekking are very effective for relaxing and cleansing your mind and body. The exciting part of the trekking is the memory, experience, and views. However, there are a few shortcomings like physical drain and altitude sickness. When you climb higher, oxygen levels also drop. To prevent getting altitude sickness, acclimatization is the best prevention. Proper acclimatization gives you a smooth and safe trip.

Acclimatization Guide for High Altitude Treks

In the given below list, we have an acclimatization guide for high altitude treks:

1. Follow the Principle of “Climb High, Sleep Low”: It is the best technique and tips of acclimatization guide for high altitude treks. The principle of acclimatization climb high, sleep low means, climbing high during the day and sleeping or resting at a lower altitude. Additionally, limit your daily altitude gain to 300-500m (1000-1.600ft). All the treks of Access Nepal at higher altitude follows this step.

2. Walk Slowly: One of the major rules of acclimatization is to walk slowly. Many of us get excited after seeing those gorgeous surrounding views and try to ascend fast. Similarly, some try to compete to reach fast which we highly suggest you avoid doing. Walk at your own pace, slowly and safely. Your body needs time to adjust your body after crossing the altitude of 3.000m (9,800ft) as the air gets thinner and oxygen level drops.

3. Acclimatization Days: The key cheat code of the acclimatization guide for high-altitude treks is adding the acclimatization days to your itinerary. These rest days are crucial parts to adjust to the changing altitudes. Before going for any significant altitude gain or after, you should add these days to your itinerary and plan according to it. During rest days, you can just relax or explore around. Generally, a trek like Everest Base Camp usually includes two acclimatization days out of 12.

4. Drink Plenty of Water: Throughout the trek, you will be walking for long hours. These types of activities are physically draining and you will lose body fluids quickly by sweating and breathing. To keep yourself hydrated, you have to drink lots of water. If you keep your body well-hydrated then it will help you on preventing from getting altitude sickness.

5. Eat Healthy and Nutritious Food: To walk for long hours, our body requires lots of energy. Eating healthy food is also another major acclimatization guide for high altitude treks. During the trek, eat high-carbohydrate food because they need less oxygen to metabolize than proteins or fats. Carbohydrate food provides more energy at high altitudes. Eat foods like potatoes, rice, bread, and pasta.

6. Be Aware of the Symptoms: If you quickly feel like getting altitude sickness then it will be safe. Therefore, it’s important to know the symptoms of altitude sickness beforehand. During the walk, if you feel symptoms like nausea, lightheaded, headaches, weakness, and chills throughout your body, immediately talk to the guide or person near you.

7. Altitude Acclimatization Medicine:  For safety and prevention another acclimatization guide for high altitude treks is taking medications like Acetazolamide (Diamox). This medicine helps speed up the process of acclimatization and is taken by most trekkers. This medicine helps in breathing which stimulates the blood by increasing the oxygen level. It’s recommended not to use this medicine without counseling the doctor.

8. Keep Checking Your Health Condition: It’s important to know your health condition before trekking in a high-altitude region as it comes with high risks and challenges. Throughout the trek, keep checking up on yourself, and if you feel any symptoms of altitude sickness talk to your guide or the friend near you. Similarly, always walk in a duo so that you can notice symptoms like confusion or any changes in behavior.

Acclimatization Guide for High Altitude Treks

9. Descend to Lower Altitudes: If the symptoms don’t go away and you feel like it’s worsening, immediately walk down. The severe symptoms will feel like extreme breathlessness, vomiting, confusion, and inability to walk. Coming down makes the condition more better. Most importantly, in case of severe conditions, you have to immediately go to the place for emergency evacuation.

10. Prepare Mentally and Physically: Another crucial acclimatization guide for high altitude treks is preparing yourself mentally and physically. Start doing exercise for 2 or 3 months prior to gaining stamina and physical strength. Going for a short hike, cycling, doing cardio, swimming, etc are very helpful for building physical fitness. This type of exercise also makes you familiar with using physical strength for long hours by walking. Additionally, you can start practicing meditation or yoga for mindfulness. These types of mental exercises help to prepare yourself mentally as you have to walk in harsh conditions with many challenges.

How to Acclimate to High Altitude Quickly?

Ascending gradually is the main tip of acclimatization guide for high altitude treks. This tip is one of the crucial to acclimate to high altitude quickly. Altitude sickness can be mild and severe, knowing basic things to cure is extremely important to avoid any further risk. If altitude sickness is not treated early then it will severely affect the lungs and brain.

Given below we have a detailed solution and tips to acclimate to a high altitude quickly:

  • Slowly Increase the Altitude Gain: One of the first steps to acclimate to high altitude quickly is ascending slowly. Don’t try to jump or gain altitude drastically just to complete the trek fast. There is a principle of how much altitude to gain in a day. Once you reach a height above 2,500m (8,200ft), add the altitude between 300 to 500m (1,000 to 1,500ft) only. Walking like this is very helpful for your body to adjust to the lower oxygen levels. Lastly, don’t forget to include a couple of acclimatization days if your trip exceeds more than 10 days and involves a high-altitude route.
  • Avoid Alcohol, Smoking, and Caffeine: Many trekkers minor mistakes by drinking alcohol or smoking thinking it will warm their bodies. However, two highly suggest you avoid drinking, smoking, and caffeine intake because they quickly dehydrate the body. They also hampers the sleep cycle which is crucial during the trek. Sleep is essential for recovering our body from walking and acclimatizing properly. Most importantly, stop any consumption of alcohol or smoking in the first 48 hours at a high altitude. This helps to adjust the body more effectively.
  • Go for an Acclimatization Walks: On your rest or acclimatization day, going for a short hike or walk is highly suggested. This is an important acclimatization guide for high altitude treks. All the packages of Access Nepal have these activities on the acclimatization days to adjust at high altitudes quickly.
  • Using Supplemental Oxygen: If you don’t have enough time to adjust or have any acclimatization days, using supplemental oxygen is a great option to avoid getting altitude sickness. Similarly, if the altitude sickness gets severe and the patient has a problem in breathing a higher region, using supplemental oxygen is helpful. These tips are hugely applied by trekkers who are going for high expeditions or treks and when rapid climbing is unavoidable.
  • Rest Sufficiently: The main foundation of adjusting to a high altitude quickly is getting sufficient rest throughout the trek. Trekking is already physically draining and our bodies are not naturally made for the certain conditions we go through during the trek. Likewise, before going for an expedition, we recommend getting familiar with physical activities like short walks or hikes.

Altitude Acclimatization Training:

Altitude Acclimatization training is a process of knowing how to adjust the body for high altitude regions by training at lower oxygen levels. This type of training is very helpful for trekkers who are preparing for a professional on the trekking field, rookie trekkers, or going for an expedition that has harsh conditions. This technique is useful to quickly cope with your body when the oxygen availability is slower. Moreover, it is crucial to avoid altitude sickness and boost trekking performance.

  1. Simulated Altitude Training: This training is the simple process of training our body for high altitude trek without going to a high-altitude place. It is usually done before going on a real trek. This training uses some type of equipment like Hypoxic Masks and Altitude Tents.
  2. Staged Ascent: This tip works by spending some to a moderate altitude when climbing up to a higher altitude. This is done by exposing the body to a high place for several days or weeks. You can train yourself by gradually ascending to moderate altitude and slowly increasing the altitude gain. Repeatedly doing the ascent and descent is very helpful.
  3. Endurance Training: It is highly suggested to do cardiovascular training prior to the trek. Endurance training is one of the most done acclimatization training as they are highly effective. Doing aerobic exercises like cycling, running, or swimming is helpful in elevating strength. You can also do high-intensity interval training which is done to boost the oxygen uptake and improve the efficiency of using oxygen by your body.

Acclimatization for Everest Base Camp Trek:

The acclimatization guide for high altitude treks like Everest Base Camp is ascending gradually, avoiding alcohol and cigarette consumption, staying dehydrated, monitoring your physical condition, eating healthy and carbohydrates food, and many more.

The typical duration of Everest Base Camp Trek is 14 days. For a trek having these many days, having a couple of acclimatization is crucial. Moreover, Everest Base Camp Trek has significant altitude gain and the harsh weather conditions make it an even higher the chance of getting altitude sickness.

Acclimatization Guide for High Altitude Treks

Best acclimatization for Everest Base Camp Trek:

The best acclimatization for Everest Base Camp Trek is following the rule of Climb High, Sleep Low. Aligning with the elevations you will gain during the Everest Base Camp Trek, the place for rest days is strategically included in the itinerary. Where you will rest is very important for proper acclimatization.

The acclimatization place of Everest Base Camp Trek are:

  • Namche Bazaar (3,440m/11286ft)
  • Dingboche (4,410m/14,468ft)

Don’t miss out on creating a lifetime journey for 2025/2026 as the best time to visit Everest Base Camp is near. Booking for the 2025/2026 trek to Everest Base Camp is open in Access Nepal Tours and Trekking. We offer an all-inclusive package and customizable features along with covering all the expenses of accommodation, meals, transportation, and expert guides to give you a dream vacation.

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