I’m Rujan, a licensed trekking guide living in Kathmandu. Many people would love to see the Himalaya but worry about altitude, often with good reason: a heart or lung condition, a bad night at height before, or simply a first trek. The good news is that some of the finest views in Nepal are from hills below 3,500 m, where altitude sickness is much less common.
Why 3,500 m
Altitude sickness becomes more common above about 2,500 to 3,000 m, and much more common above 3,500 m. Below that, most people sleep well and feel normal, though a few can feel the height even at 2,500 m. The rule is the same at any height: go slowly, drink, and tell your guide how you feel. See altitude sickness.
Walks that stay low
- Ghorepani and Poon Hill, highest point about 3,210 m. The classic short trek from Pokhara, with sunrise over Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas. Busy in season. See the Ghorepani Poon Hill trek.
- Mohare Danda, about 3,300 m. A quieter ridge west of Poon Hill, with lodges run by the villages.
- The Royal Trek, about 1,730 m. Four easy days in Gurung villages east of Pokhara, down to Begnas Lake.
- The Tamang Heritage Trail, about 3,200 m at Nagthali. Tamang villages, hot springs and Langtang peaks, by road from Kathmandu.
- The Kathmandu Valley rim, about 2,200 m. Chisapani, Nagarkot and Namobuddha: easy days, comfortable lodges and no flight.
- Day hikes such as Champadevi, Phulchoki or Dhampus: see short treks near Kathmandu and Pokhara.
What you give up, and what you do not
You stand farther from the big mountains: you look at them across a valley rather than from their foot. You do not give up the sunrise on Annapurna, the villages, or the feeling of walking day after day in the hills.
If you have a health condition
Talk to your doctor before you book, tell me honestly, and choose a walk with a road close by, so that we can go down or out quickly if we need to. The lists of how high each walk goes and walks without a flight help.
If you are not sure which suits you, write to me and tell me what you hope for. I will say honestly.
Rules change. If something here is out of date, please tell me and I will correct it.Tell me
