Trekking usefull information

Acclimatization & Altitude

Consider these altitude facts:

• High altitude begins at 2438m – 3658 m above sea level (asl)
• Very high altitude is 3658m – 5487m asl
• Extremely high altitude starts above 18,000 feet / 5500me asl

Above 2438m the air is thinner, the pressure is lower and there is less available oxygen in the atmosphere. Acclimatization is the progressive process by which the body steadily adapts to these reduced ambient oxygen conditions. The key to successful acclimatization is a practical itinerary with a gradual initial height gain, hiking at a slow and steady pace, and increasing fluid intake – drinking at least 4 liters a day is advisable above 2438m. Many people have some minor side effects from high altitude, such as headache, nausea or general lassitude. The use of prescription ‘Diamox’ has proved useful for most people, as this drug works to reduce these debilitating symptoms. Native cocoa tea grown in the Andes has been used by the indigenous high mountain people for thousands of years and seems to be equally as effective as Diamox in mitigating the affects of altitude sickness. Be pragmatic and be proactive in managing the affects of altitude so that your trip and that of your team is not compromised. We offer several day hike options for our clients for proper acclimatization.

Typical Trekking Adventure Day Schedule

On a typical trekking day we would wake our clients around 6:00 AM greeting them with a hot cup of tea or coffee and warm water and a face towel brought to your tent, a delicious breakfast served in the dining tent and then we begin our trekking day before 8:00 AM. Trekking is most pleasantly enjoyed before the heat of the late afternoon arrives. At our lunch stop around midday, we serve a cooked lunch. Arrival in camp is usually around 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM in time to enjoy a restful afternoon tea and then relax for a while as we ready the main meal of the day around 7:00 PM. When you arrive at your camp your tents are already set-up by our hard-working support team of arrieros.
We support our clients’ trekking trip by providing a UIAGM and CEAM professionally qualified English speaking guides, well trained cooks, arrieros (donkey drivers), assistant guide and a rescue horse for large groups .All equipment is loaded onto our donkeys so that you only carry your light day pack containing sun scream, sun glasses, rain gear, camera, water and your snack. We provide the complementary high quality camping equipment comprised of roomy personal sleeping tents, large dining tent and food preparation/cooking tent a toilet tent and all cooking utensils.

Climate

Our trekking adventure trips in the Cordillera Blanca, Cordillera Huayhuash and Cuzco areas take place in Peru’s dry season (May – September). While our weather is generally dry and very stable, this does not mean that it won’t rain. The most common daily weather pattern is a clear bright morning sky followed in the afternoon with some puffy cumulus clouds and then it is usually clear again by evening. Daily temperatures vary greatly so pack appropriately. During the hottest part of the day and in the sun, the temperature can be 20-25º Celsius, but at night it can drop to below freezing especially at the higher camps above 4,000m where most of the trekking and most of the camping takes place.

Transport

We provide personal transport during the day traveling to and from the daily hikes or trekking circuits Based on the number of clients in the group will determine the appropriate sized transportation of either a private bus or minibus.

Food

During our trekking trips, we cater all fresh meals and will carefully pack and bring as much fresh meat and vegetables, fruits as we possibly can to accommodate our clients request. In addition to meat based meals, we are pleased to cater for our vegetarian clients on request. It’s your personal trek so it’s your personal meal choice.

Health and hygiene

We make health and hygiene our top priority. During our treks we boil all drinking water and we provide our clients with an alcohol based hand washing solution before all meals. We take extreme care with respect to our food preparation process using disinfectant while washing vegetables and fruits. With an increasing number of trekkers on the more popular trekking circuits, camp hygiene and good judgment is vital so this is why we always provide a toilet tent for our clients use while at all our camps.

Baggage

While trekking you will only need to carry what you might use during trekking day such as by example; rain gear, spare sweater, camera and water etc. Elsewhere, the majority of your personal trekking gear will be carried by our donkeys so plan to bring a durable, large trek bag to store your personal items during the day and at night in camp, your gear will be with you in your tent. You can leave some items in your hotel that you will not need while on your trek. A secure lockable bag is recommended if you are leaving valuable items at the hotel.