Travel Advice

Health and Medicine

You should have a thorough medical check-up before each trip. Please inform your trip leader if you have developed any condition just prior to the trip and carry any medication prescribed by your physician. When travelling to certain countries you are required to get specific vaccinations - we inform all our guests about this after they make a firm booking with us.

Personal first aid kit

Although every White Magic Trip Leader carries a fully stocked first aid kit, it is advisable to also carry a small medical kit yourself. You might want to consult your doctor for certain prescription drugs. You could use the following list for a start and add to it according to your individual needs:

  • Sun Screen
  • Insect Repellent
  • Anti-septic cream
  • Anti-Histamines
  • Band-aids
  • Rehydration Salts
  • Throat Lozenges
  • Pain killers such as paracetamol or aspirin
  • Anti-diarrhoea medication
  • Diamox for treks going above 3500m

Please ensure that you carry this kit in your daypack, otherwise it defeats the purpose !

Useful medical links for travellers from the Western Hemisphere

NHS Choices:
www.nhs.uk/nhsengland/Healthcareabroad/pages/Healthcareabroad.aspx

CIWEC Clinic - Travel Medicine Center, Kathmandu. Nepal:
www.ciwec-clinic.com

CDC - (US Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
www.cdc.gov

Public Health Agency of Canada:
www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/tmp-pmv/index-eng.php

BMC (British Mountaineering Council) Medical Information:
www.thebmc.co.uk/medical

Travel advisories

Since we operate at the top-end of the market, we regularly track global health and safety issues that affect our trips for our clients. We keep ourselves and our guests informed about the latest developments affecting the travel industry. Some of the sources that could be useful for you as well are:

Packing and equipment advice

In each trip docket, we send a standard packing list, which details the items you should carry and things you should consider while packing for the trip. The trip docket will also mention items specific to the trip and you should always give this a thorough read. In case of any doubts please have a discussion with your trip leader.
If you have a technical question about special clothing items, or equipments such as crampons, ascenders, harness, etc. we recommend you to talk to a specialist retailer. However, we will be more than glad to help you on any of these with general advice through our trip leaders who have hands-on experience using these equipment.
For most trips, we use porters, mules or yaks to transport the equipment and therefore highly recommend the use of a soft duffel bag rather than a hard top suitcase. We offer specially designed White Magic Duffel Bags on rental too. These are ideal for loading the luggage on to the mules and yaks or for our porters to carry.

Training and fitness

It is vital that anyone joining on a trek knows what to expect from the trip. On some of our discover adventure trips, you should be comfortable walking for about 4-5 hours on a daily basis. On our more difficult trekking trips, there might be some long days, requiring you to walk 7-8 hours or more. On our climbing trips you should be comfortable walking 7-8 hours each day , and on summit days you can be out for as long as 12-18 hours, carrying your own rucksack. Doing suitable training to prepare for a trip is therefore a must.
Of course, altitude makes a difference and above 3,500m your ability to acclimatise is as important as your fitness.  
However, anyone with a strong pair of legs, a big heart and a spirit of adventure will enjoy the thrill of walking in the mountains.
It is advisable to make preparations as close to the trip as possible. Do not rely on your weekly badminton game (short bursts of explosive energy) to prepare you for several days of walking in thin air with major ascents and descents. Of course it’s tough to replicate the situations faced in mountains, but make sure you include ups and downs if you are preparing for a mountain trek.
After you make a firm booking with us for a demanding trek or climb, we will send you suitable material to help you train up for the trip.