From its serene natural peach to the great vehemence of its people, from extreme mountain adventures to relaxing nature walks, the Himalayan nation Nepal is a dreamland for every adventure geek. This country offers an abundance of treasure troves that ignite a feeling of charm and charisma in every soul. Despite its most iconic beauty, a traveler always needs to be mindful of some health-related issues and hygiene while planning a trip.
It becomes more important when it comes to the case of Nepal Trekking. Wherever you are, whatever you do, there is always a need to take proper care of your health to get acclimatized to the contrasting environments you encounter.
Enlisted below are some of the valuable tips to stay healthy while you are trekking in Nepal.
1. Get Immunized Before Going for Trekking in Nepal
Whenever you are traveling to another country, your body experiences a change due to environmental as well as several other related factors. Due to being in a different atmosphere than the country you belong to, facing such situations is an obvious cause. Due to the hostile environments, our body usually takes time to get acclimatized to the new environments. There are high chances of getting allergies or many other health-related issues.
Therefore, the best way to get rid of severe diseases and allergies is to get yourself immunized. Immunization reduces the risk of getting sick and makes your body fit for trekking and indulging in adventurous activities. You must take some vaccines well prescribed by the doctors before setting off for any tours.
2. Don’t Forget to Drink Clean Water While on Nepal Voyage
If you are keen to stay healthy while traveling and trekking in Nepal, then start with preferring only clean drinking water. Make it a practice during the entire tour as the highest point of necessity. There are several waterborne diseases that you may get suffered from while in Nepal. So, use a clean source of drinking water to avoid any such diseases.
Bottled Water: Drink bottled water only and check the sealing and packaging date before buying the water bottles. Dispose of the used bottles in a safe place.
Purifying Tablets: Always keep the purifying tablets with you because at some places, you don’t get access to buy bottled water. In that case, you will have no option but to drink water from the taps or streams. So, you may add the purifying tablets to make it clean and potable for drinking.
Iodine: Add 5-6 drops of Lugol’s Iodine in 1 liter of water. It kills all disease-causing microbes.
Also, drink as much water as you can while trekking in Nepal. It keeps you hydrated and energetic during the entire tour.
3. Focus on Your Food Habits
Nepalese follow distinguished food habits from foreigners. They are fond of spicy and oily food that a sensitive stomach barely digests. So, the chances of suffering from Gastrointestinal problems increase in such situations.
While traveling in Nepal, you must ensure eating lesser to remain healthy. Also, avoid street foods because they contain high microbial pathogens. Make it a point that you don’t try any uncooked food. Such food might cause severe health-related issues. Staying healthy during Nepal travel directly relates to the food you eat. Do not compromise on food quality.
Eat from Good and Reputed Restaurants Only: Good restaurants prioritize hygiene and adopt food safety policies. Also, they add iodine while soaking vegetables, making them safe for eating.
Avoid Raw Food from the Untrusted Vendors: Don’t eat raw vegetables and fruits from the untrusted vendors in the streets. Unhygienic and contaminated food causes severe stomach infections. Be careful about such things while you are in a Nepal tour.
Digestive Supplements and Medicines: Always keep Digestive Supplements and probiotics whenever you are traveling in Nepal because they might also enhance the resistance and digestibility of your body. Always keep medicines related to diarrhea and other foodborne diseases with you.
4. Keep Masks with You While You Are Traveling
Though you will be walking in the remote areas most of the days, your journey always begins from the main city. From the day you land in Nepal to till your walking starts in remote areas, you will be traveling through cities that are a little more polluted.
Nepal has poor air quality due to many construction projects and vehicles plying on its roads. The serious effects of air pollution in several cities of Nepal might cause lung infections to many travelers who are not accustomed to such environmental conditions. You must use masks to cover your mouth and nose to get rid of the respiratory infections. It is highly recommended. Using masks can save you from the pesky dust and smoke in the cities.
5. Cover Yourself Up Properly
Wherever you go during your Nepal trekking tour, get yourself well-dressed and make sure it is proper dressing accordingly to the environment of the place. Proper clothes make you feel adaptable to the conditions and keep you away from severe allergies. Carry warm clothes if traveling to higher altitudes in Nepal.
Backpacking: Always keep a proper Trekking kit, including proper clothing, gloves, socks, and shoes. We will provide you a bonus link here “Ultimate Packing List for Trekking in Nepal” to learn more about what to pack on your visit to Nepal.
Insect Repellants: It is recommended to keep Insect Repellants as there is always a risk of severe mosquito infections like Dengue and Malaria. Applying insect repellants will prevent you from insect bites.
6. Acute Mountain Sickness: Know the Symptoms Before Trekking
Nepal is known for its high peaks and incredible trails. There is always a chance of getting hit by high altitude sickness problems. Such sickness that results from high elevations is known as Acute Mountain Sickness. It may cause headaches, nausea, and even some life-threatening diseases such as High Altitude Cerebral Edema and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema at high altitudes. It is, therefore, necessary to keep oneself safe from an Acute Mountain Sickness symptoms during Nepal trips. Keep an eye on the following:
Be aware of the symptoms your body shows and act carefully to find the remedies without any delays.
After a few steps, take a halt and try to get acclimatized to that particular environment of higher altitudes.
Keep the medicines ready prescribed by your doctor for the Acute Mountain Sickness related cases.
It is one of the most common problems hindering you from completing your journey. So, beforehand knowing what can ruin your long-distance, trekking is always a better way to stay conscious.
7. Wash Your Hands Frequently
During travel, it is quite obvious to get in contact with certain things that possess harmful bacteria. In that case, you should always wash your hands with soap more often on the way.
Hand Sanitizer: The best way to save yourself from harmful microbes is to keep hand sanitizers in your pocket and use that efficiently.
8. Save Yourself from Rabies
Though it is not the most common disease in Nepal, being aware can keep you safe. Therefore, It is suggested to avoid stroking dogs, cows, and other animals if found.
- Clean up any licks and saliva from animals immediately.
- Please wash your hands after touching them.
- If scratched or bitten by any animal, go to the doctor.
9. Maintain Basic Hygiene
Standards of Hygiene are required to be maintained on priority while traveling. Poor hygiene might cause diarrhea and vomiting, the most common case during trekking and traveling. It is highly important if you are camping on a trek to do the following:
- Wash your hands before and after meals and keep alcohol-based hand gel along.
- Consider proper hygiene while using the toilets.
- Keep your shoes out of your camp while sleeping.
- Keep your belongings in separate bags to avoid contamination.
- Giardia is the most common gastrointestinal parasite in contaminated water, so drink water carefully.
- Don’t forget to apply ample sunscreen during trekking as sunrays remain quite powerful in Nepal, and so do they cause sunburns.
- Follow the basic hygiene tips for travel and complete your journey without a problem.
10. Prioritize Your Health: Keep Basic Medication
It is very much important to maintain basic hygienic conditions while you are traveling or trekking in countries like Nepal. Hygienic conditions keep you away from any kind of disease-causing organisms. Some of the important things that are required to be kept in your bags include:
- Medicines related to minor headaches, nausea, vomiting, stomach ache, general weakness, fever, cold, flu, etc. Keep the required medicines in your luggage for any emergency use.
- Band-Aids and Blister strips
- Wet wipes and Anti-bacterial wipes are highly recommended to keep yourself clean.
- General Antiseptic Cream for minor bruises.
- Electrolyte powder for adding in drinking water for fluid replacement purposes.
- Imodium – as Anti-Diarrheal Treatment.
- Basic antibiotics as prescribed by the doctors like Noroxin, Ciprofloxacin, and Bactrim.
- Prescribed Medicines from your family doctors for any kind of allergies.
- Multivitamins, Including Vitamin C.
- Energy Boosters and Supplements.
You may also like:
- Foreigners Guide to Trekking in Nepal
- How to make a Successful Trekking In Nepal?
- Good and Bad Things about Nepal
Some Healthy Diet Tips If You Are Planning to Travel Nepal:
Suppose you are planning to trek in Nepal. In that case, don’t forget to take a healthy diet to keep yourself energetic and powerful, as your body will require ample energy to trek, particularly into the high trails of Nepal.
Start Your Day with a Healthy Breakfast: Kick-start your hiking trip with a nutritious breakfast, as it will keep you fit and going. It may include Upma, Poha, Idli, Dosa, Oats with Milk, Yogurt, granola bars, Dry fruits, Milk with nuts, and any other breakfast choice.
Carry Food Items that are Lightweight and Nutritious: You don’t come across common stores and shops in the mountains while trekking. So, carrying your food that provides power and energy to you throughout the journey is required. Soups and health shakes infused with Moringa, Quinoa, Amaranth, Buckwheat, and Turmeric are some of the highly useful options to prefer.
Avoid Sugar: Intake of Sugar should be cut down before trekking as it may cause problems like sore throat and dehydration. Excessive amounts of sugar can cause the ill-effects on the heart; therefore, chances are high that you might face difficulty in trekking. Remember such crucial things as part of well-planned and considered precautionary measures.
Drink an Ample Amount of Water – At Least 4 Liters: As you reach higher altitudes in escalation, the decrease in Oxygen level will certainly cause cases of weakness and breathing-related issues. Water is highly recommended to be drunk to compensate for the oxygen levels due to its oxygen properties. Also, it reduces the chances of muscle cramps, which are the most prevalent cause for trekkers to face. Such cases are common, especially in the most likely cases of first-timers.
Prepare yourself fully at least two weeks before trekking, both mentally and physically. It will boost your morale to feel better and energized. Feel free to read essential tips for trekking in Nepal.
Trekking is the best kind of Adventure that everybody desires to experience once in their lifetime. So, eat healthily, stay fit, adopt basic hygiene, and follow these valuable tips before initiating the adrenalin-filled ecstatic expedition.
We hope you enjoy the article on staying healthy during Nepal trekking. If you have any comments or thoughts on this blog, feel free to post them.