Is trekking right for you?
Trekking is open to most people, and age is largely irrelevant. All you need is a love of the outdoors and little getup-and-go. Many people think that you need to be super-fit to go trekking, but this is just a popular myth. Trekking is not mountaineering, but rather a fun activity that can vary from easy right through to strenuous and this allows for everyone to find a level to suit their needs. Our treks are based in a variety of continents, and therefore no two treks are necessarily the same. A trek in the Himalayas could be a well-trodden trek, through a diverse range of landscapes and cultures, and offering superb panoramic views. A Trek in New Zealand could be walking through remote areas across diverse scenery ranging from Volcanoes to luxuriant rainforests. A trek in Turkey could be off the beaten track, camping amongst the locals and swimming in the cool mountain lakes and rivers. Trekking offers a truly rewarding experience to anyone willing to make the effort.

Our Leaders
Our Trek Leaders and Guides are all very experienced personnel who excel in their field, and speak fluent English. We try to use local personnel wherever possible, as these people have a far greater understanding of the local customs and environment. Ask yourself, who better to show you a country than someone who lives there? This is also in keeping with our policy of insuring that our trips put as much back into the local community as possible.

 

Where we use local trekking staff as porters on our treks, we take their welfare, health and safety seriously, and ensure they have appropriate clothing, shelter and footwear on all our tours. We follow the IPPG (International Porter Protection Group) guidelines and support the Himalayan Rescue Association to help us achieve our responsible tourism goals.

Your Fitness
Most of our treks are open to anyone who is in good health and has a capacity for walking. Obviously some of our treks are more strenuous and may require you to have previous trekking experience and/or a higher level of fitness. Our grading system is carefully explained at the end of this page.

 

For all our treks, we do ask you to contact us for our supplementary fitness application form, if any of the following apply:

e) you have not done much (or any) energetic day hiking trips (3 hours plus) 

General Health
You are required to have adequate insurance before beginning any of our treks and, due to the remoteness of some areas you must be covered for emergency evacuation. In the eventuality of an accident or injury on the trek, your trek leader will assist in the aid of that person. Our trekking leaders are not qualified medics, but due to their experience, will know how to effectively deal with any situation. For this reason, we will discount any person joining one of our treks, who has suitable medical experience and is prepared to act in a medical capacity on that trek (this does not include any of our New Zealand/Turkey Treks). We pay particular attention to hygiene on all treks, this way we manage to avoid the most basic, debilitating illnesses.

Age Limit's and Suitability
There are no hard and fast rules about age limits while trekking. However, our general requirements are that you be over 18 years old, and are comfortable walking over varied terrain. We do welcome children on some of our treks, but please contact us first before booking. Remember, that some of these treks operate in quite remote areas; therefore you must be prepared to embrace the culture of the country you are visiting. For more detailed information regarding the specific profile of a trek, please refer to our advice in the 'Grading' Section.

Meals
On most of our treks, where meals are included, we endeavour to eat the local cuisine. As this is often considered a highlight of the trek, we ensure that the food is substantial, tasty and correct for those hard worked muscles. Where meals are not included, we ensure we get you to a suitable place where you can eat well.

 

Food
Meals may be a combination of locally purchased food, dehydrated meals and lightweight rations. Where meals are purchased at local establishments it is always highly nourishing, and often surprisingly tasty!

Acclimatisation
On any trek where we are going 'High', we are careful about our pace. We ensure that you have plenty of time to acclimatise and our Trek leaders will ensure you follow a few basic guidelines necessary for acclimatisation.

Learn more about altitude sickness from our TravelHealthZone.

 

Accommodation
Accommodation is dependant upon the type of trek that you do and the country that you choose to visit. We use a variety of Lodges, Teahouses, Bunkhouses and Hostels. Some of our treks are Camping based, which are considered by some to be the 'Only' way to experience the local surroundings. Some of our routes are away from any type of habitation so we may run fully supported camping expeditions, where we provide all the camping equipment including large two man tents, toilet tents, and kitchen tents.

Most of our trekking tours will start and finish in a large town or city and here we normally use tourist class hotels. All the hotels we use are clean, secure and offer most amenities. The hotel accommodation is based on same sex sharing of twin rooms. Single supplements are levied if you require a single room. The standard of accommodation in Lodges, Teahouses, Bunkhouses and Hostels will vary according to the type of trek you are doing and the country you will be trekking in.

Most of the equipment necessary for a trek you would probably already have. Unless stated otherwise you should always ensure you have several layers of warm clothing, a set of waterproofs, good broken-in walking boots and your own sleeping bag. On Camping Treks, we will supply all the communal equipment, including tents, tables, stools etc.

In many destinations, we are able to arrange for hire of sleeping bags and warm down jackets, so you don't have to carry these with you to the country.  

 

The carrying of your luggage (where applicable) may be done using porters, local pack mules, Ponies, Yaks, Camels, Jeeps and Minibuses. We do operate baggage weight restrictions on most treks, which are usually 15kg max. However, because we use minibuses in New Zealand, your luggage is restricted by size rather than weight (I.e. 120 Litres per person). On many of our treks, you have the opportunity to purchase or hire personal kit i.e. rucksacks, boots and jackets. However, this option is only available where mentioned on the itinerary, and often has to be arranged in advance.

Size of Group
Our maximum group size for most or our treks is 12 to 16 people, plus the required numbers of Guides, Porters and Sherpas etc. Larger groups have a far more detrimental impact on the local environment than we believe to be necessary, and on some of our treks, the maximum numbers are less.

If you do not want to trek in a group, then we are happy to arrange a private or tailor-made tour for you. Available seasons, and prices for these, are given on the dates & prices page for each tour, and you can also contact us for further details.

If you have your own group that you would like us to make the arrangements for, please let us know and we will design a tour, itinerary and price specifically for you.

Trekking Permits
In many countries a trekking permit isn’t necessary, but in others it is a legal requirement. Your particular itinerary and tour factsheet will specify whether you need a permit or not, and whether it is included in the price of the tour.
 

PDF Downloadable Factsheets
Every trekking tour that we operate has its own detailed factsheet, which is can be downloaded and printed out from our website. Each factsheet will give a day-to-day itinerary of the route and detailed background information relating to that particular trek. You are strongly urged to read the factsheet before making a decision.

Trekking Grades
If you remain uncertain, please feel free to contact us.

Easy
This is an easy trek, suitable for most people that are either weekend walkers or confident enough to embark on a trek for the stated duration. As long as you are fit and healthy, this trek should present no problems. Altitudes are usually lower than 3,000m, but there may be some steep climbs and descents.

Fair
A trek, where the terrain can vary considerably. Some days can be quite easy walking, but on others the going will be considerably harder. You must have confidence in your ability to be able to complete a day's walk even when the route becomes tough.

Moderate
Walking this kind of trek, can be physically demanding. You should ensure your fitness is appropriate for spending anything up to 8 hours a day walking. Some of those days might involve crossing a pass or a long arduous climb. Trekking experience here is useful, (but not absolutely essential).

Difficult
A serious trek, where we would expect you to have had previous trekking experience. You should be very confident of your trekking ability and be prepared to walk some long days perhaps on a steep climb (or descent). You may also have to walk difficult terrain for a number of days. This is definitely the kind of trek where you are more likely to experience extremes of altitude and/or weather. You may also be required to use an ice axe and crampons for part of this trek.

Strenuous

For a trek of this nature, we should expect you to have had previous trekking experience at altitude, and be very confident of your own physical condition. On some days you might be expected to walk in excess of 10 hours a day and for several days in succession. There may be a particular aspect of this trek that is considered very difficult, like long uphill climbs. You may also be required to use an ice axe and crampons for part of this trek and some climbing experience may be required.

* Please note that the grade of treks can vary throughout the year as weather and ground conditions change. These can vary on a day-to-day basis as well as season to season. You should be aware of this and take it into consideration when you choose the level of trek that is suitable for you.