Mount Kailash Com & HimEx Nepal Group operates this trip as a standard inclusive Holiday Package.
We provide you food, tented camp and guest houses accommodation where available. The trip will be led by one of our professional Sherpa Guide and assisted by cook and helper boys.
Our day begins soon after dawn (and sometimes before) with bed tea. After packing kit bags breakfast will be ready. The morning drive / walk usually takes 4 to 5 hours through villages and admiring the scenery before stopping for lunch. After lunch we will drive / walk for another 3 to 4 hours to arrive campsite. Now there is time to relax. The three course evening meal is served in the mess tent followed by tea. Generally we are in our sleeping bags by 9 pm, looking forward to tomorrow's new adventure.
Food: Food will be all vegetarians. Special care is taken to ensure our that food is always hygienically prepared, as this becomes an important aspect when travelling though remote Tibet. Boiled drinking water is available at all meals and disinfected water is provided for hand washing outside toilet tents and before meals. The simplicity but quality of the food our cooks can produce on such rugged terrain will surprise you.
Fitness: Obviously the fitter you are before embarking on a adventure holiday the more enjoyment you are going to get out of it. Begin a fitness programme as it makes sense to get as fit as possible prior to the trip. You need to concentrate on building stamina. Running, cycling and swimming are all excellent forms of exercise, so too is walking, particularly up and down hills [and stairs]. Be sensible in your approach to getting fit and build up fitness gradually. There will be some uphill and downhill climbs but taken slowly they shouldn’t be too much of a problem. It is preferable that you have previous camping and hill walking experience but not essential.
Acclimatization: Proper acclimatisation is very important as ascending too high, too quickly above 10,000 ft. will increase the likelihood of developing altitude sickness. This is totally preventable problem and our routes are planned specifically to allow a gradual gain in altitude. By slowly gaining height we reap the benefits of a gradual gain the fitness and acclimatisation.
Equipment & Clothing: We provide 2 men roomy tents to sleep in. We also provide Dining Tent, Kitchen Tent, Toilet Tents, Dining Tables, Folding Chairs and full kitchen utensils.
We will provide Sleeping Bag and Foam Mattress for bed.
Well fitting, comfortable boots are to be preferred over training shoes for the actual trekking and clothing will be required for both extremes of climate, for hot sun when trekking through the lower foothills to freezing temperatures at night when camping in the high valleys. Shorts, skirt or lightweight trousers are ideal in the heat of the day along with T-shirt, long sleeved cotton shirts and sun hat. During the evening and the higher altitudes warmers clothing will be needed, breeches, track
FIBRE PILE JACKET: [1]
SHORTS OR SKIRT: [1]
LIGHT COTTON TROUSERS : [1]
BREECHES /TRACK SUIT BOTTOMS /ULTRA FLEECE TROUSERS : [1]
DUVET JACKET : Down or synthetic
WOOL BALACLAVA, WOOL MITTS :
WATERPROOFS : Jacket and trousers
SUN HAT
SCARF : Silk/Nylon, useful for keeping the sun off the back of your neck
SUNGLASSES / GOGGLES : Essential to get a pair which cuts out 100% UV rays
SUN CREAM : High protection factor [15 or higher] or high altitude glacier cream
LIP SLAVE/LABISAN : Protection for the lips. Get one with a sunscreen
WATER BOTTLE : 1 litre metal
IODINE : 2% SOLUTION [TINCTURE OF IODINE] obtained from most chemists put into a small glass dropper bottle. 8 drops of iodine will sterilise 1 litre of water in 20 minutes.
TOILET ITEMS : Soap, Towel, Toothbrush, Toothpaste, Shampoo, Comb, Sanitary protection, Toilet rolls [2], etc. Toilet paper is provided on Trek.
HEAD TORCH : [ Petzl recommended] -spare batteries and bulbs
SEWING KIT
SMALL KNIFE : Swiss army style - has many uses
NOTEBOOK/DIARY/PENS
SMALL PADLOCK : Useful for locking your kit bag
4 PASSPORT SIZE PHOTOGRAPHS
A COPY OF YOUR INSURANCE CERTIFICATE
MONEY BELT
READING MATERIAL : [1BOOK]
WALKMAN and 2 tapes - for those early nights. Spare batteries
CHOCOLATE BARS, SWEETS!
PERSONAL MEDICAL KIT.
SMALL PLASTIC BAGS /STUFF SACS OR PILLOW CASES: To separate and keep the gear in your kit bag in order.
CIGARETTE LIGHTER : for burning toilet paper and rubbish.
OPTIONAL
SKI STICK : Telescopic for easy carrying
THERMAREST : Or similar self-inflating mattress, gives decadent luxury
CAMERA GEAR
GAMES: Cards, chess etc. for the evenings
UMBRELLA : Not only for rain, makes a great sunshade
WET WIPES : Or similar.
Insurance & Emergency Expenses: We suggest that clients insure themselves against a comprehensive claim policy. Which should also include Helicopter Evacuation if necessary. Please note that our Kailash Tour Package does not include any rescue or evacuation expenses in emergencies. Any Emergency arrangement other than regular straight forward tour itinerary service should be borne by the client themselves.
Camera & Films: A 35mm system with interchangeable lens will allow you to get the best shots in most situations. A wide angle [28-35mm] and a telephoto [80-200mm] are very useful. Skyling filters protect your lens [skylight IB] and a polarizing filter is useful for snow scenes. A brush for cleaning your lens is important and your camera and lens need to be in protective cases. Kodachrome 64 is excellent for slides and for prints 100 ASA film is suitable. Faster films may be needed if using zoom lenses and 200 ASA film would be required if you plan to visit Chitwan National Park. 12 rolls of film per trek is not too many for the enthusiast.
General Considerations when Packing: Keep the weight and bulk down to a minimum. Baggage allowance on most international flights is 20 Kg's/44 lbs.. Most people tend to bring more clothes than they do actually need. You will only need one change of clothes for Kathmandu. On trek it is important to dress in layers. When it is hot you will only be wearing a base layer, when it gets colder you can add to this until you are wearing most of your clothes!
Personal Medical Kit - We suggest that you bring the following:
Elastoplast
Adhesive tape
4" crepe bandage
Elasticated knee and /or ankle support if you experience strain these joints
Blister dressings, e.g. moleskin, compead, spenco dressings
Nasal Decongestant
Throat lozenges/ glucose sweets
* Wide spectrum antibiotic [Ciproxin recommended]
Anti -diarrhoea - Immodium or Lomotil
* A course of Flagyll [treatment of giardia]
* Codeine Phosphate - constipator, cough suppressant and pain killer
Cold and flu suppressant
Aspirin / paracetamol.
Rehydrate powder - useful for adding to your water bottle and for fluid replacing purposes.
Small pair of scissors
Any special medicines you require
Symptoms of High Altitude Sickness: Rather than one or two, usually a group of symptoms begin to appear as a person gains altitude. These symptoms vary in intensity and in the elevations at which they appear, depending on the individual experiencing them. The predominant characteristic associated with maladaptation to altitude is headache. Usually a headache appears in the evening after a long day of ascending. The headache should be relieved by aspirins and should go away by the following morning. The principal symptoms that accompany the onset of altitude sickness are : headache and weakness, sleeplessness, often accompanied by irregular breathing, particularly at night, fluid retention [oedema], particularly about the eyes or fingers, depending on the degree of altitude sickness, dry cough, mild nausea, loss of appetite, ataxia or loss of co-ordination and severe breathlessness at rest.
If the symptoms are a mild annoyance then you should rest until they subside. If the symptoms become more severe or do not disappear after a night's sleep, then you should descend until you feel well.
The basic treatment for severe altitude sickness is immediate descent: altitude sickness can progress rapidly once it becomes serious. The person afflicted should be taken down between 1,000 to 3,000ft. [300 to 450m.], the distance increasing with the extent of the symptoms.
The drug acetazolamide [diamox] has been used for assisting with acclimatization when travelling to altitude. Some reports indicate that the drug might be useful in treating the early stages of altitude sickness in addition to its use in prevention. It has been shown that people who had headaches, nausea and felt unwell improved considerably within 30 minutes of taking the tablets. The adult dosage is one 250mg. tablet twice a day. The most pronounced and irritating side effect is a tingling sensation which can occur at any site and without warning. The dose can be reduced to 250 mg. per day. It is recommended that the drug is started on the morning of ascent above 10000ft./300m. and is continued until descent or the person feels acclimatised. If you decide to take acetazolamide, please inform your group leader. It should not be taken by people who are allergic to sulphur drugs.
Severe altitude sickness affects few trekkers, most know when to stop and head back down. All of our treks are based on experience and are planned to gain height gradually, with days allowed for rest and acclimatization. The above brief notes on altitude sickness are to point out what it is and to note the symptoms. Prevention is simple; make a gradual ascent and allow sufficient rest at intermediate altitudes.
