FAQs

Find the right trip
 

• - How do I find the perfect trip for myself?

White Magic offers a wide variety of trips. We put a lot of emphasis on proposing the most suitable trip and we believe that if we find the right trip for a person, half the battle is won. You need to have patience while choosing a trip. If you are a solo traveller and wish to join a group you should look at our fixed departures. 
 We offer trips under 4 different categories

1) Discover Adventure 
2) Treks 
3) Climbs 
4) Courses 

Each of these categories of trips is graded differently. Click to read more about the trip categories and the grading system. 
Once you have chosen the category, you can visit the relevant section on the website and shortlist a few with the help of different search criteria boxes on the top right of the page. Its great if you have found a trip which matches or exceeds your requirements. If you have shortlisted a few and are finding it hard to decide please feel free to Contact Us and we would guide you to find the right trip for yourself.
 

• - What is the best time to do these trips?

Mar-Jun & Oct-Nov are considered to be the best times to be out in Himalaya. 
 Jul-Sep is when we run the trips in Trans-Himalayan regions of Ladakh / Mustang in Nepal and to Tibet which are unaffected by the monsoon rains affecting the rest of the Indian sub-continent 
 Dec-Feb is time when we get the clearest skies to view the snow-laden mountains and we run trips in the lesser Himalayas. Some trips like the Chadar (frozen Zanskar river) trek can be done only in Jan/Feb. We normally have a Kilimanjaro climb in the month of February. 

All our fixed departures are timed keeping in mind the best time to be doing a particular trip.

• - I am a solo (single) traveler, how can I join your tour?

Have a look at our fixed departures page and see if there is any trip which suits you.

• - We are family / group of friends, can you customize a private trip for us ?

We would be happy to offer our expertise to tailor a trip for you on your dates of choice. Please fill in the Query Form on our website and we will revert with the some options to suit your requirement

• - Can I bring my 8-year old daughter with me?

If you’d like to travel with your family, we’d suggest you look at our exciting range of Discover Adventure trips on offer. Alternatively, we would be happy to customize a private trip itinerary for you.

• - I have never been on a trek before. Can I still come? Will I be able to complete the trek?

All our treks in the Discover Adventure category 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 good fitness levels you could even start with a moderate trek. However, it would be wise to discuss it with one of our Trip Leaders before booking.

• - Is there a trip where we can learn some skills too?

On any White Magic trip you go you would come back having picked up some new skill or the other. You will always have opportunities to learn things like setting up a tent, making a fire, predicting weather seeing the clouds etc. All our guides have vast knowledge of the local culture, flora, fauna and the geography of the areas they travel in and are happy sharing their knowledge and experiences with you. We also have a category of trips called Courses which offer pure training of various skills required to climb mountains.

• - What is a camping trek?

A camping trek is a fully-supported, organized trek. In a camping trek, a team of guides, cooks, porters/mules will accompany you. The porters/mules carry all the gear and equipment, food, fuel and the personal belongings and the cooks prepare nutritious and hygienic meals. You only carry what you would need while trekking. Once you reach the campsite, you are provided with separate dining, sleeping and toilet tents. You will be provided with foam mattresses inside the tents to sleep on.

• - What is a tea-house trek?

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. We offer tea-house treks to Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit, Annapurna Base Camp in Nepal and Singalila ridge in Indian Himalaya bordering Nepal.

• - How do I know which grade of trip is suitable for me?

Have a look at the Trip Categories and Grades Explained page. All the grades are defined there and each definition mentions the level of fitness and experience required. If you still have problems deciding please feel free to contact us.

• - Can I join a climbing trip without any technical knowledge of climbing mountains?

Any trip graded as “Easy Climb” would be a non-technical climb and one can climb it without any technical mountaineering knowledge. If there is any skill required (like using an ice axe or a pair of crampon) training would be imparted on the trip itself. However you need to have a high levels of physical fitness and mental strength and should be prepared to deal with some extreme temperatures.

Know more about the trips

• - What is the typical (and minimum) group size and profile?

Our clients come in all shapes, sizes, ages and from all walks of life. Walking on a popular trail such as Dodital or Chopta, 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 groups of friends.

• - What is a typical trekking day like?

A day on the trek normally begins with a morning tea after which you are expected to vacate your tent so packing can begin. After a hot breakfast, during which camp will be struck and porters given their loads, we start the day’s walk. Lunch is usually had on the walk, it usually takes an hour or so and we aim to reach our overnight camp latest by 3 or 4 p.m. The support staff normally overtakes us on the trail and pitch camp before we arrive for a welcome cup of tea. This leaves plenty of time for exploring around camp and for catching up on your diary or for reading. Dinner is served in the mess tent and is a three course meal. This is a great time of day for relaxing and for discussing the events of the trek so far. On some days we will only be walking for 3 to 5 hours, whilst on the longest day to the summit of Kilimanjaro we can expect to have a 12-15 hour day.

• - What are the toilets like?

We provide you with toilet tents. We have bio-toilets in use because of closeness to water streams and forest regulations. You however, do not have to squat - there are proper seats (like the ones you have at home!).The only difference is that you cannot use the flush.

• - What do we eat? Will we get clean and safe water to drink?

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.

• - Do you accommodate people with dietary restrictions?

We accommodate a wide variety of dietary preferences and have even served gluten free and dairy free food on occasion. 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.

• - What if I get sick or injured on the trek?

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.

• - Who is the Trip Leader and who are the guides?

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.

• - What safety precautions do you take on trips?

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.

• - What rescue equipment do you use on high altitude trips?

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, however using a portable Satellite phone is illegal in India. On 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.

• - Do you have some emergency preparedness plan for trips run in remote areas?

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.

Book a trip

• - Where do I find the cost of the trip?

For signing up on any of the fixed departure trips, please send us a request through an email, and you will receive a detailed trip docket which will have the cost inclusions, exclusions, checklists and the entire pre-departure info.

If you would like us to customise a trip for you, we would first propose you a trip plan. Once the trip plan has been agreed upon we will send you the costs which would depend on the no of people in your group.

• - What is included in the cost of the trip?

All our trips are run on full board basis which means the cost includes all your meals, accommodation, transport, permits if any, services of the guide, cook and his assistants and the porterage of your personal equipment and the common group equipment. These might vary a bit from trip to trip so it is recommended that you read the cost inclusions & exclusions in details on the trip docket before signing up on any of our trips.

• - What is not included in the cost of the trip?

Normally things like cost of visas, vaccinations, tips for porters, guides and other staff, bar bills, drinks with meals, hotel refreshments, laundry, telephone calls, souvenirs, meals other than those specified in the relevant trip docket, entrance charges to some historical sites, travel insurance, personal clothing and equipment, foreign airport taxes, excess baggage charges, camera fee and any costs arising out of unforeseen circumstances such as bad weather, landslides, road conditions etc are not included in the trip cost. Please refer your trip docket for details.

• - How do I book a trip?

You will need to download the Booking Form and send us ( email, courier or fax) the filled in copy and pay the Booking Fee to have your spot reserved on a trip.

• - How do I make the payments?

Click to have a look at the different modes to make the payments

• - What if I need to cancel my trip?

The cancellation policy is outlined on the Booking Form

Get Ready

• - What luggage do I need to carry?

For treks you should take 2 items of luggage. 

The first of these should be a duffel bag, which should be big, strong and large enough to carry everything you need. 

Secondly, you should take a daypack/small rucksack, large enough to carry your camera, water-bottles, waterproof jacket and fleece jumper. For most trekking trips, a 30 litre daypack is large enough. 

We would advise that you read the equipment lists in each trip docket carefully for more information on baggage and equipment required for your chosen trip.

• - Is it possible to get equipment/gear on rent?

We have a limited stock of sleeping bags, trekking poles, crampons, ice-axes, duffel bags and gaiters available on rent. Hire requests must be made at least 1 month prior to the departure.

• - What are the individual baggage allowances during the trek / climb?

Different trips have different baggage allowances depending on the duration of the trip. For short trips it could be as little as 10kgs and on some long treks and climbs it could be as much as 25kgs. Climbing kit normally does’nt form the part of the baggage allowance and is carried in a common duffel bag. Please refer your trip docket to find the exact baggage allowance.

• - Will there be power to charge our cameras?

Normally there is power only for the first couple of days of our travel when we stay in hotels / guest houses. In most mountain areas, electrical power is not always guaranteed. Very often on our trips we are days away from civilisation where there is no phone connectivity and also no power source. 

Depending on the type of camera you have, we suggest you take a spare battery or two for long treks. On climbing expeditions longer than 2 weeks we provide solar chargers at Base Camps. This will probably be the lightest option, Modern lithium batteries hold their charge well and can easily last for a two or three week trip, depending on usage of course.

On trek, you can minimise battery use by not viewing photos and by switching the camera off as much as possible. A compact solar charger or a power monkey could also be a good investment.

• - Will there be network coverage for our mobile phones?

Whenever during a trek, we are close to civilisation there are chances that some networks might get some connectivity.

• - What additional costs can I expect when I travel with you?

As mentioned above on the Q about cost exclusions tips for porters, guides and other staff, bar bills, drinks with meals, hotel refreshments, laundry, telephone calls, souvenirs etc are not part of the trip cost and you should budget on carrying some cash with you on the trip for these kind of expenses.