With no shortage of aspects and travel destinations, Nepal has many reasons that provoke travelling to. From mountaineering at high altitudes, jungle safari on flat grasslands, trekking on beautiful trails and encountering a wide variance of cultural heritages and traditions, Nepal is a variegated paradise. And yet, on an important context, you might want to familiarize yourself with some health and vaccination information and recommendation before venturing and trekking in Nepal. No vaccination is legally required or is a mandatory aspect while leaving or entering Nepal. But it is strongly advised that you discuss your health and physical fitness with your doctor, especially if you are overweight or over 50 years of age. There are a few health precautions that need to be considered while travelling and trekking in Nepal. Please do keep in mind however, that this is in no way a professional medical advice, but is rather a general guideline that attempts to inform you about some of the possible health precautions that you may need to understand or have some idea about before trekking in Nepal. To help you identify some potential health risks and immunization issues you may encounter while trekking in Nepal, here are some common travel health ideas and solutions which should be helpful for preparing your journey for trekking in Nepal.
Preplanning and Precautions for Trekking in Nepal
If you are trekking in Nepal for the first time, it is important to prepare your body for undergoing trekking. Physical exercises like running, swimming and long walks help to increase the body’s capabilities and physical strength. Preparing your body beforehand by doing physical exercises will help to increase your stamina and make trekking easier and less strenuous. Anyone with heart, lung or blood pressure abnormalities or an existing continued medical condition should have a check-up beforehand and should get medical advice before undergoing trekking in Nepal. For older people, you may get a heart stress test. The older you are, the more important prior fitness preparation becomes for trekking journeys.
Asthma
People with asthma do not necessarily need to avoid trekking. Looking after your medication and keeping your inhaler close to you is an important aspect. Briefing the guide or trekking leader should be done beforehand to avoid any issues later on. Besides, the fresh Himalayan air tends to make people feel better and generally lifts their spirits. The pacing of the trekking journey can also be adjusted to suit people’s conveniences. Trekking trips like the Ghorepani Poon Hill Trekking can be done with relative ease.
Hepatitis A and Typhoid risk
It is a miniscule plausibility to contact Hepatitis A or Typhoid from contaminated food or water. However, it is an unlikely scenario because all of the lodges, hotels and restaurants follow proper hygienic methods. Typhoid exhibits flu-like symptoms and can be hard to diagnose properly and immediately, while hepatitis A affects the liver. However, both of these conditions are easily avoidable with a single vaccine shot. It is recommended to get immunized leading up to your visit to Nepal, especially if you have a knack for eating and have an appetite for most offered delicacies along the trekking journey. It is also best advised to follow proper hygiene and hand-washing practices. Avoid drinking tap-water and always make sure that the water is safe or boiled before consuming. Bottled water is available on the shops in the mountains. You can carry with you water-purifying tablets as well.
Diabetes
A well-controlled and in-check diabetic condition should be practiced in order to undergo easy trekking trails in Nepal. The medication for diabetes should be kept close at all times and making sure that there are back-ups in case of an emergency is the best tactic to follow. Frequent monitoring of body glucose should be done and you should be careful to keep your blood sugar level controlled. Trekking trails with an easy trip grading like the EBC Trek for seniors and kids can be undergone as the trekking trails are relatively easy.
High Blood Pressure
People with hypertension need to consult their doctor before trekking in Nepal. It is likely that blood pressure will fluctuate more and be higher than usual because of physical exertion while on the trek, so it is very important to consult your doctor if you have a high blood pressure condition.
Staying in Good Health while Trekking/Climbing
Trekking experiences can sometimes become less good due to sickness. It is important to take care of your health while undergoing trekking.
- Make sure that you get enough rest and relax once you arrive in Nepal, as long flights and plane journeys tend to make people jet-lagged and tired.
- Do not make a habit of drinking tap water. Always opt for boiled water, using water-purifying tablets or bottled water for drinking.
- It is important to stay hydrated as trekking lower down in the valleys sometimes become hot and you tend to sweat a lot.
- Trekking for a prolonged period on high altitude in the cold weather may sometime result in getting coughs and runny noses. So, it is important to stay warm, cozy and comfortable while trekking.
- It is highly advised to use hiking and trekking boots that you are comfortable in. For this, it is advised that you buy or rent hiking boots yourself pre-trek. It is a possibility that the hiking or trekking boot you buy/hire in Kathmandu might not properly fit you or you may end up not finding the right size. Small minor inconveniences like this sometimes ruin trekking experiences. To avoid this, make sure that you have boots that you are comfortable in.
- Proper hiking/trekking boots also helps to avoid blisters on the feet.
Proper Acclimatization
Acclimatization is important to make sure that you adjust your body to high elevated conditions. When trekking or climbing above 3000m/10,000ft, it is important to take into account the effect of high altitude on your body. Most of the travel and trekking packages tend to have proper acclimatization days on the schedule. Here you can checkout the day by day itinerary for Everest Base Camp Trek including acclimatization.
Altitude Sickness
Altitude Sickness, or Acute Mountain Sickness, affects trekkers in a varying degree. It is preventable by proper acclimatization and giving your body enough time to adjust to high altitudes. Taking Diamox (Acetazolamide) can help with altitude sickness. If you suffer from it however, you should rest and wait until you feel better and the symptoms have gone away before proceeding further up. Diamox is not an antibiotic. It works well when taken on a regular basis while trekking but it isn’t necessary to take it regularly. These are some of the precautions and health information that you should be aware of if you are planning to undergo trekking in Nepal. Exercising regularly before your trekking trip, following hygienic and healthy rules and staying hydrated helps to make sure that you are in good physical condition while trekking. In order for people to enjoy trekking, they need to stay in good physical health. It does not bode well to be sick, but with good care of the body and proper trek planning, you can undergo trekking in Nepal in the most pleasant of ways.
