Especially trekking in Bhutan involves lots of preparation and logistics arrangements as Bhutan doesn’t have any facilities like tea houses, proper rescue services, on-call doctors, or health assistants. The success of a trek depends on many factors like trekking equipment, personal gear, fitness and training, meals, correct information, etc. Read below what all you need to know and what you can expect from us.
Trekking seasons in Bhutan.
Bhutan’s climate is tropical in the south, temperate in the central, and alpine in the north. The rainy season lasts from June to September. Except for the Snowman Trek, basically, you should avoid these months for the best trekking experiences in the country. The alpine zone where most of our high-altitude treks run remained under snow during winter months from December to February. However, we have still have lots of beautiful low-altitude treks which can be done during those winter months. The recommended seasons for trekking are Spring (March- June) and Fall (September-December).
Meals on Treks.
We bet that foods on trekking will be better than what you get in cities. Our chefs are trained and experienced and can delight you with tasty foods at any settings.
For breakfast:you will be served eggs, toast, juice, tea/coffee, sausages/ Hams, peanut butter, Jams, Honey and oatmeal(sometimes depending on the trek we do for the day).
Packed lunch: rice (white and red), noodles, meat, vegetables (seasonal), fruits, tea, coffees and juices.
Evening: Evening tea, coffee and cookies
Dinner: Soup as the starter and then main course including rice, meat (chicken, fish, pork or beef) and vegetables (seasonal). Tea or coffee (instant)
Terrain, elevation gain, distance & time
Trekking routes in Bhutan will take you through dense forests, lofty mountains, spectacular high-altitude lakes, meadows, streams rushing through lush valleys, remote villages, and nomadic camps. Many first-timer trekkers to Bhutan are surprised by the unrelenting climb, which is to say mostly up, or followed by down or gentle slopes. The weather is unpredictable on the mountains and you may get rain or snow at any time. You should be prepared to manoeuvre through muddy or snowy trails and at times through moraine rocks. The average daily elevation gain is about 500m and daily walking distance will be a minimum of 10 Km and a maximum of 22 Km, taking 4 to 9 hours. The walking distance, time, and elevation vary based on your ability to walk, weather, and instruments. So the figures mentioned on your itineraries cannot be taken as accurate, they are approximate.
Fitness
You must be physically fit and need some training to trek in Bhutan. This is because trekking in Bhutan involves much of level 0-10. Also called as easy to hard level. It is great if you have done trekking in another region before trekking in Bhutan. If not, do some training at home. like Hike, walks some average trainings to keep yourself fit and moving once you are here in Bhutan.
Altitude sickness
Altitude sickness is one of the main concerns for every trekker on the trail when we reach at higher elevation in the Himalayas. We need our body gets adjust to altitude naturally and not many people get the sickness. Our well-planned itinerary usually begins with well-paced day hikes and this helps to acclimatize. To avoid altitude sickness you must wear warm clothes, drink plenty of water, and walk at a slower pace. You should open up to your trekking guide if you feel sick and an appropriate course will be taken. Our guides are trained in handling altitude sickness. Bring Diamox if you think you will be prone to altitude sickness. Consult your primary physician to ensure it does not interfere with any prescribed medicine you may be taking.
What equipment will be provided?
Sleeping tent
We provide state-of-the-art A-shaped tents or North Face dome tents based on season and altitudes. Tents can comfortably accommodate two persons.
Dining tent
Lunch will be served in the open air on the mountains enjoying the scenery but in camps your breakfast and dinner will be served in a spacious dining tent.
Kitchen tent
Keeping in mind the health and sanity of the trekkers, the meals will be cooked in a dedicated kitchen tent. Kitchen tents are made of waterproof nylon fabric.
Sleeping bags & liners
A weather-proof sleeping bags will be provided. However, we noticed that trekkers feel more comfortable sleeping in their own sleeping bags. If you can, bring in your own sleeping bag and it must be minimum minus 20 Degree Celsius. We provide a soft and warm inner blankets to be worn inside your sleeping bag.
Sleeping mats and pillows
Rubber mat will be placed on the ground and on top it will be air inflatable mat. Combination of two mats will give you a good night’s sleep after a tiring trek. We also provide compressible pillows.
Hot water bags
On high altitude treks, we provide hot water rubber bags to each trekker because it makes you warm at night. Also, it will be helpful if you have joints and back pain.
Toilet tent & seat with toilet papers
A hole will be dug and placed a foldable toilet seat over it inside the toilet tent. A hole will be leveled by trek assistants when you leave the camp the next morning.
Table & chairs
We provide foldable iron chairs and tables with tarpaulin designs.
Kit bags
We provide tarpaulin kit bags that look something like Army kit bags. Duffle bag that you are going to bring will be put inside our kit bag and carried by horses.