Trek Guide
UV rises about 10% for every 1,000m and snow reflects up to 80% of it. Why people burn on cold days in Nepal, and the four things that prevent it.
By Prakash Tamang · Oct 7, 2026
The coldest morning of your trek can also be the one that burns you. The World Health Organization puts the rise in ultraviolet at roughly 10% for every 1,000 metres you climb, and fresh snow reflects up to 80% of it back at you. At Everest Base Camp that…
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UV is about height and reflection, not heat. The thinner air above 4,000 metres filters out less ultraviolet, and snow and pale rock throw it back up under your cap and into your eyes. The cold wind also dries your skin and lips, so they crack where the sun…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Put it on before you leave the lodge and again at lunch. Do not forget ears, the back of the neck and under your nose and chin, which is where snow glare hits.
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Best overall
Neutrogena Sport Face SPF 70+
Survives an eight-hour uphill without running into your eyes, which almost no cheap sunscreen does; it is a chemical filter, so it needs twenty minutes before you set off.
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Survives an eight-hour uphill without running into your eyes, which almost no cheap sunscreen does; it is a chemical filter, so it needs twenty minutes before you set off.
Not for: Sensitive or reactive skin. Take a mineral zinc stick instead and test it at home first.
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Best for nose and ears
Sun Bum Mineral Face Stick SPF 50
A stick goes on thick where a lotion goes on thin, which is exactly what a nose at 5,000 m needs — it leaves a visible white cast that no amount of rubbing removes.
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A stick goes on thick where a lotion goes on thin, which is exactly what a nose at 5,000 m needs — it leaves a visible white cast that no amount of rubbing removes.
Not for: Full-body coverage. This is for nose, ears, lips and the back of the neck.
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Cracked, bleeding lips are one of the most common complaints on a trek, and one of the easiest to avoid. Keep the balm in a pocket, not the pack, and use it every rest stop. A lip balm with SPF 30 or higher — paste the Amazon link here before publishing.
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Best lip protection
Burt's Bees All Weather SPF 15 Lip Balm
Cracked lips at altitude hurt more than they have any right to and take a fortnight to heal; SPF 15 is on the low side, so it needs applying often rather than well.
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Cracked lips at altitude hurt more than they have any right to and take a fortnight to heal; SPF 15 is on the low side, so it needs applying often rather than well.
Not for: Peak climbing above 6,000 m, where you want SPF 30+ and a proper zinc stick on the lips.
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A cap with a neck flap, or a normal cap with a buff pulled up over your neck and ears, covers the places sunscreen misses. The buff also filters dust and cold air on the high days.
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Best sun protection
Outdoor Research Sun Runner Cap
The cape covers the ears and neck that burn first and that no sunscreen ever gets reapplied to; you will look faintly ridiculous, and everyone who has burnt their ears at 4,000 m stops…
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The cape covers the ears and neck that burn first and that no sunscreen ever gets reapplied to; you will look faintly ridiculous, and everyone who has burnt their ears at 4,000 m stops caring.
Not for: Winter trekking, where the problem is cold rather than sun.
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Most useful single item
Buff Original Multifunctional Headwear
The best value item in this entire catalogue — it does five jobs badly enough to be worth carrying two, and none of them well enough to replace a real hat.
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The best value item in this entire catalogue — it does five jobs badly enough to be worth carrying two, and none of them well enough to replace a real hat.
Not for: Nothing. Take two.
Check price on Amazon Read the full reviewIf you buy through that link we earn a commission. It costs you nothing and it does not change what we recommend — the rental and advice-only entries in our gear guide earn us nothing at all.
Snow glare can burn the surface of your eyes. Above the snow line you want dark, wraparound lenses; our glacier glasses guide explains what to look for. Our Everest Base Camp trek takes you to Kala Patthar at 5,545m, where the sun is at its strongest, with a…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Best overall
Julbo Shield M
The one pair that works from Lukla to the Cho La — shields on for snow, off for the walk-in. You pay roughly double a normal sports sunglass for that flexibility.
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The one pair that works from Lukla to the Cho La — shields on for snow, off for the walk-in. You pay roughly double a normal sports sunglass for that flexibility.
Not for: A short trek that never touches snow. A decent Category 3 wraparound at a fifth of the price does that job.
Check price on Amazon Read the full reviewIf you buy through that link we earn a commission. It costs you nothing and it does not change what we recommend — the rental and advice-only entries in our gear guide earn us nothing at all.
The one bit of kit you cannot rent. What quietly stops working up high. What goes in it. The full checklist. The verdict: SPF 50, an SPF lip balm, a buff and dark glasses. You will not feel the sun, so do not wait until you do. Sources: World Health…
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