FAQs

We have had kids as young as 5 year old on treks with us so you can definitely bring her along. You should choose an easy trek if it is the first time you are taking her out on a trek. If you’d like to travel with your family or some other families we would be happy to customize a private child friendly trek for you. 

All our treks in the WM LITE and Discover category (Trips page Grading Fliter) are open for first timers. Just ensure that you are excited about the trip and are in good physical shape (comfortable walking for 4-5 hours in a day). If you have above average fitness levels you could even start with a Moderate Trek.( Trips page Grading Fliter)  However, it would be wise to discuss it with one of our Trip Leaders before booking the trip. 

These are treks where you stay and eat in lodges (popularly known as tea-houses). Quite a few trails in the Himalayas now have tea-houses run by local people. The tea houses are basic but offer clean and comfortable accommodation — largely in twin-bedded rooms or four-bedded dormitories. The toilets are normally shared and away from the room, but equally clean and hygienic. Best of all, most tea houses provide hot water for showers, at a nominal extra charge. Tea-Houses are more comfortable than the tents certainly if it rains and snows. Tea House trekking is a great option for people who are put off by the idea of camping and not having showers for considerable period of time. Man treks we run in Nepal area tea-house treks namely  -

• - Everest Base Camp
• - Gokyo Ri
• - Annapurna Base Camp
• - Manaslu Circuit
• - Langtang-Helambu
• - Ghorepani Poon Hill
• - Everest 3 Passes and a few others.

- Singalila ridge trek in Indian Himalaya bordering Nepal is also a good tea-house option. 

Have a look at the Grades Explained page. All the grades are defined there and each definition mentions the level of fitness and experience required. Once you have shortlisted a trip you should also go through 'What to expect' to get a better idea about what a trip entails. We understand that this could sometimes get quite confusing and it could be hard to take a decision on the basis of the information we have put up on the website. If you are facing such a problem, please do not hesitate to call us up at +91-11-41076073 and one of the senior guides will help you choose the right grade of the trip for you. 

Some peaks popularly known as trekking peaks in the Himalaya can be attempted without a lot of mountaineering knowledge. At the moment we have listed these kind of climbs under the grade "Technical Trek". These kind of climbs require some basic mountaineering skills like using an ice axe or crampons, or using rope travel techniques for negotiating glacial terrain etc. All the skills required for such climbs would be imparted on the trip itself. However you would need to have a high levels of physical fitness and mental strength and should be prepared to climb in extreme temperatures.

Group Size: On all camping trips the max group size is 12 or less and average group size is 6-8 people. On tea-house treks in Nepal we take max 16 people as there is less pressure on logistics, ave group size on Nepal could 10-12 people. Having said that some departures run at full capacity too.
 

Client Profile: Our clients come in all shapes, sizes, ages and from all walks of life. Walking on an easy to moderate trek, we would not be surprised to find an age range from 20 to 70, with a reasonable mix of male and female travellers. Around half of our clients in a typical group will be solo travellers, with the others being couples or friends.
 

On challenging treks and climbing trips the age range could be from 30 to 60 yrs. Age is never a restriction on any of our trip, we only look for people who are passionate and commited towards the adventures they choose to do. We have had an 11 year old girl Kilimanjaro, a 15 year old climb Elbrus and a 70 year old climb Mentok Kangri with us. 

On our trips, meals served are buffet style - wholesome and delicious at camps and easy to prepare. Most adventure travel trips travel on their stomachs - we make sure they travel very, very, well. On all our trips, water used is spring water which is boiled and then treated with tincture of iodine.

We provide you with toilet tents. These are dry, pit toilets which do not require a flush system. We place a portable toilet seat above the pit for people who do not wish to squat. They are environment friendly and dont pollute the water in the nearby streams. 

We accommodate a wide variety of dietary preferences and have even served gluten free and dairy free food on occasions. The emphasis is on a high carbohydrate and largely vegetarian diet, which we have found is more easily digested in the mountains, especially at higher altitudes.

The most important thing is to not panic. All our Trip Leaders are certified in wilderness first aid. With years of experience, they are exposed to different scenarios and illnesses and it is advisable to co-operate with them. They are fully stocked with medicines and a first-aid kit, however, as a matter of principle, we avoid giving prescription drugs. It will help for you all to carry some easy to access medicine on the trip, for headaches, diarrhea, constipation, and some re-hydration powders like Electral etc. It's also a good idea to have a roll of toilet paper accessible should you need to go.

All our trips are run by experienced White Magic trip leaders (who are trained mountaineers) usually supported by local guides. All trip leaders are qualified in Wilderness First Aid too.

• - All our trip leaders are trained to foresee danger well ahead of other people and are given a complete free hand to alter the itineraries keeping the overall safety of the group in mind.
   
• - It’s the trip leader’s job to constantly brief / warn the group on what to expect which we have seen in most cases erases any chance of any accident due to a participant’s negligence. 
   
• - The entire group travels like a tight knit unit and with large groups we keep the ends covered with a lead guide and a sweep guide.
   
• - At no instance throughout the trek (unless it’s a bio-break or someone taking pictures etc.) we would let any participant stray off ahead of the lead guide or behind the sweep guide. The two guides would be in constant touch with each other on walky talky radio sets.

• - All our high altitude trips we carry a hyperbaric chamber (we use PAC – Portable Altitude Chamber, the other designs available are Gamow Bag & Certec Bag). Click to have a look at the PAC demo video. All these hyperbaric chambers are artificial pressure chamber, which simulate the altitude at significantly lower elevations with an increase of air pressure inside them.
  
   
• - The trip leaders carry a range of specific altitude sickness related drugs, pulse oximeters, survival blankets with them. 
  
   
• - In case of an altitude emergency the patient is made to descend as quickly as possible. When immediate descent is difficult due to hazards of weather, lack of manpower, light conditions, difficult terrain or geography PAC comes in handy.
  
   
• - We use Thuraya Satellite phones for our climbs in Nepal. In India Satellite phone is still restricted in a lot of regions. We do own an Iridium phone and use it on climbs where it is allowed (parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, away from the international borders). On the rest of climbs in India in case of an emergency we communicate in the traditional manner where the message is relayed over the walkie-talkies to the closest army post.

On all our trips we stay in constant touch with our office. When going to the remote locations the local administration and the army posts on the way are informed about the trip plan. In case of an emergency, an evacuation plan is formed by the trip leader depending on the location and kind of resources available to him, the safety of the victim and the whole group is always the prime concern. Once a plan is formed a message is sent to the office to activate help from their end. Normally the victim (accompanied by a guide) is transported to the nearest road and from there to the closest hospital. One of the kitchen staff / guide is rushed down to the road ahead of the victim so he can have the transport ready by the time the victim arrives at the road. In a worst case scenario the office could request the administration for a heli-evacuation.

Pack animals come in very handy and can transport the casualty quite quickly. Trip leaders are also trained in improvising stretchers for evacuation.

The general cancellation policy of a trip is available on its webpage. Once you confirm your participation on a trip you will receive a confirmation mail, which will have all the information about the trip including the cancellation policy. If it becomes necessary to cancel your trip, you must immediately notify our office by an email. Once we receive your notice, cancellation will take effect as per the terms on the Confirmation Mail.