What is a typical day like on a trekking vacation with Responsible Adventures?
You will be woken at about 6 am with a knock on your door or your tent with a warm Ayurvedic drink that will energize you for a good part of the day. You will then need to pack your bag before having some breakfast. By about 7.15 am, breakfast – and coffee – will be served.
Another 45 minutes later, the walking begins. It would be helpful if you did some warm-up and stretching exercises, especially for your leg muscles, before starting your walk. You will walk between 3-5 hours in the morning, covering most of the distance for the day before lunch. The time depends on where the lodge for lunch is located; sometimes, you might have to stop earlier depending on this factor. Since the meal is freshly prepared, it can take around 60 to 90 minutes to prepare. You can use this time to kick your trekking boots off and put on your flip-flops or slippers to allow wet socks to dry out and air your feet. It is an excellent time to read or write in your diary or admire the beauty surrounding you.
You will walk for another 90 minutes to 3 hours to the stop for the night. You get to “camp” between 3-4 pm usually. First, doing cool-down stretches of your legs, shoulders, and back muscles is good. After stretching, you can go to your lodge to change into dry clothes, get your sleeping bag laid out on the bed in the lodge room or your tent if you are camping, and come for a hot tea or coffee. Dinner is usually between 6-7 pm, so you have free time to have a shower, read, chill out, or bring out the games you have brought with you. Cards are always welcome, as are your country’s favourite games! Our trekking chef will prepare special meals that aren’t on the lodge menu you stay on every two to three days. The food can consist of superfoods to give you excellent nourishment to recover from a rigorous day of hiking. Being better-nourished means you will recover, giving you a much better chance of acclimatizing to the elevation.
Generally, after dinner, your trek leader will brief you on the next day’s hike. Every couple of days, they will talk about the history, culture, ethnography, and traditions of the country you are trekking in. You will also have the chance to have some beers or rum, sometimes wine, before bedtime. There isn’t much to do on trekking holidays, so people want to go to bed early, but we advise you to stay up at least until 9 pm. You usually sleep for 8 hours, so if you go to bed at 8 pm, you will most likely wake up at 3-4 am. On the other hand, you might just be lying in your bed wide awake; this might give you the feeling that you didn’t sleep well that night despite sleeping 7-8 hours. If you find yourself awake early, we certainly recommend pulling out the camera for the impressive Himalayan sunrise!