Travelling in altitude

Precautions to take before a trip to the Andes

During a trip to the Andean Cordillera, whether in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador or Chile, one is necessarily confronted with high altitudes at some point.


And even here in ALPA-K where we put specific effort in design our trekking trips having in mid the most most progressive way possible regarding walking in high areas, at a given moment it will be necessary to make the big jump. Cities like Huaraz or Cuzco are more than
3000 meters high, Lake Titicaca and La Paz flirt with 4000 meters of altitude, which are already high starting points.


Precautions:
Before embarking on a trip to the Andes, it is advisable to consult your doctor to prevent altitude sickness. Especially if you are treated for heart conditions or high/low blood pressure. Your treatment could be a little different before and during the trip. For people who go trekking for several days, it is recommended that you check with a mountain medicine center before your trip.


The mountain sickness ...
has nothing to do with your age
nor with your physical condition
it's not because you didn't have it on your first trip to altitude that you'll never have it again, your state of stress and fatigue, all of this added to jet lag are the most important factors to consider.


Take the time to do things calmly.