Altitude, not distance, is what actually ends most people’s treks early. Here’s what we ask you to prepare for, honestly.

Fitness — what you actually need

You don’t need to be an athlete. You do need to be comfortable walking 5-7 hours a day, several days in a row, on uneven ground, carrying a day pack. If you can hike a full day with hills back home and recover by the next morning, you’re in reasonable shape for our moderate routes. Our high-altitude treks (Everest, Manaslu, Kanchenjunga base camps) ask for more — build up with regular cardio and hill walking for at least 6-8 weeks before departure.

Altitude sickness (AMS) — the honest version

Above 4,000m, a mild headache and reduced appetite are normal — most of a group will have both. What isn’t normal: a headache that doesn’t respond to rest and fluids, genuine confusion, or loss of coordination. Our guides are trained to tell the difference, and to call a descent even when a client wants to push on — see Reading your body above 4,000 metres in the Trail Journal for the full picture.

Every itinerary above 3,500m has acclimatisation days built in — they’re not padding, and we don’t cut them to shorten a trip. If you have a heart, lung or other condition that could be affected by altitude, talk to your doctor before booking, not on the trail.