Trek Guide
How to prevent altitude sickness in Nepal: the golden rules, AMS vs HACE vs HAPE, a safe ascent pattern, Diamox, and when to descend — from Himalayan…
By Bikash Thapa · Jun 12, 2026
Altitude sickness (AMS) can affect anyone above ~3,000m regardless of fitness — the young and fit are often more at risk because they ascend too fast. The golden rules: climb high, sleep low , gain no more than 300–500m sleeping altitude per day above 3,000m…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) occurs when you ascend faster than your body can adapt to lower oxygen. It can affect anyone regardless of age or fitness, and commonly begins above 3,000m. The air at Everest Base Camp holds roughly half the oxygen of sea level…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Mild AMS: headache, nausea, loss of appetite, fatigue, disturbed sleep — like a hangover. Stop ascending; rest until it resolves. Severe — HACE (brain): loss of coordination (ataxia), confusion, severe headache. Test by walking heel-to-toe in a straight line…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Climb high, sleep low. Above 3,000m, increase sleeping altitude by no more than 300–500m per day. Take acclimatisation days. Every ~1,000m of gain, take a rest day with an active "climb high, sleep low" hike. Hydrate: 3–4 litres a day. Avoid alcohol and…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The rules are easy to recite and easy to break the moment a good weather window tempts you to push on. Here is what disciplined ascent actually looks like on a typical high-altitude Nepal trek: Acetazolamide (Diamox) helps the body acclimatise and can prevent…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Here is the thing an honest guide has to say: we would far rather refund the last few days of your trek because you sensibly stopped at Dingboche than carry you down from Lobuche on a stretcher. Reaching Base Camp is not the measure of a successful trek —…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
A licensed guide recognises AMS symptoms early and makes the descent call — one of the most important safety reasons to trek guided. Pair that with proper acclimatisation built into your itinerary , and altitude becomes a manageable challenge. See our EBC…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Anyone with unmanaged heart or lung disease — get cleared by a doctor first; high altitude stresses both. Trekkers on a rigid, no-buffer schedule. If your flights leave no room to add an acclimatisation day or descend and retry, you have designed pressure…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
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