The honest test is not whether you can walk far. It is whether you can walk moderately far, on bad ground, at altitude, on the sixth day in a row, and still enjoy it.
Our four levels
| Level | What it involves | Hours a day | Highest point | Nights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Easy | Day walks between villages and monasteries | 2 – 4 | up to 4,000 m | Guesthouse, homestay |
| 2 · Moderate | Several days, short stages, one pass | 4 – 6 | up to 4,600 m | Mixed |
| 3 · Demanding | Multi-day trek with passes and river crossings | 5 – 7 | up to 5,000 m | Tent |
| 4 · Serious | Remote, several high passes, no signal, few bail-out options | 6 – 9 | above 5,000 m | Tent |
Zangla to Phuktal is level 3. Phuktal to Tsokmichik is level 4. The cultural journey is level 1 to 2.
What a walking day is really like
Up at about half past five. Tea at the tent. Breakfast, pack, and walking by seven — early, because rivers are lowest in the morning and because the sun is brutal by eleven. Two to three hours, a long stop, another two to three hours. In camp by mid-afternoon, which leaves time to rest, wash in a stream if there is one, and be cold by six.
The ground is stony, loose in places, and rarely flat even when the map says it is. There is no technical climbing, no rope, and nothing that requires a head for heights, but there is a lot of uneven walking with a river beside you.
How to judge yourself honestly
- Can you walk six hours with a light pack, over rough ground, and do it again the next day?
- Have you done at least one multi-day walk before, anywhere?
- How did you feel the last time you were above 3,500 m? If you have never been, say so — it changes what we recommend, not whether we take you.
- Do knees or ankles trouble you on long descents? Day 6 to Phuktal is 23 km, mostly downhill.
Training, if you want to
Walk. Two or three long walks a month for the three months before you come, on hills, in the boots you will bring. Add some stairs or hill repeats for the pass days. Nothing you do at sea level will prepare you for the altitude — that is what the acclimatisation days are for.
The one thing we ask. Tell us the truth about your fitness and your altitude history when you write. Nobody is judged, and the alternative is finding out on day three at 4,600 metres.