We deliver responsible, sustainable tourism Find Out How >
028 7083 1258

Trekking With Children in Nepal

There are a number of factors which you need to consider before signing up to a trek in the Himalaya’s with your children.

There are no rules or laws that restrict children trekking in Nepal and it is the perfect place to combine stunning scenery with an incredible cultural experience that children will learn a great deal from, however there are a number of factors which you need to consider before signing up to a trek in the Himalaya’s with your children.

Avoid the winter months and the monsoon season, most kids love being in the outdoors but December through to February can be very cold and the rain during the monsoon season of June through to early September are not ideal trekking conditions. Also, you may want to consider avoiding May, particularly the second half of the month before the monsoon breaks as it can be dusty and uncomfortably humid.

Physically a child will get colder quicker and be less able to generate his or her own heat, and therefore the clothing that your children have with them is important. Good clothing will be vital since a child will need more assistance to keep him or herself warm (including the torso and extremities) and provide extra insulation to sleep in. Similarly with the sun, ensure you have high factor sun cream, lip protection, sun glasses and sun hats.

You won’t really know how they will cope at altitude until the day it happens, so our best advice is to consider that ‘come the day’ the best preparations in the world may not be enough and their safety and well-being is clearly paramount, as long as you go with this view then you’ll always be ready to descend as obviously your child’s needs supersede your own.

The pace on treks in Nepal is generally slow but our experience is that kids like to run around a lot, especially after a day’s hiking! Best to be firm and make sure they really do rest and get lots of sleep and avoid any weight on their backs like rucksacks or hydration systems. Eating well throughout the trek and drinking lots of water is very important, be careful of sweets and so on which create energy spikes, and stick to ‘slow energy’ foods though don’t avoid sweets completely as they can provide a much needed boost to morale.

Choose a trek that has a very good acclimatisation schedule where you are gaining height gradually, avoiding big leaps in altitude like routes with high passes, trips like our Annapurna Sanctuary or Langtang trek are perfect for trekking with younger children but we can tailor make itineraries and combine trekking with cultural interaction. For example, a great child-friendly trip would be to trek from Jiri to the villages that have been developed through our charity, Moving Mountains, where your children will have the chance to mix and share experiences with local Sherpa kids in this stunning region of the lower Solukhumbu.

A lot of the challenges will mostly be psychological, keeping them interested and motivated. A young child feeling tired and fed up will sit down and ‘give up’ more easily than an adult, they lack the ability to put up with difficulty and even hardship in pursuit of an abstract aim. This is especially true when it is cold and the path is not so easy and in the evenings ensure that you have some activities or games to keep them entertained. 

People often ask whether children are affected by altitude more than adults and although there is little evidence to suggest this, their ability to convert oxygen to energy and their weight to power ratio means that they do find it harder. If altitude does strike then the only answer is descent, irrespective of age, but the reality is that it won’t be a big situation that occurs, more likely an accumulation of small things. The most obvious reasons for these small things will be food intake, amount of sleep and rest, hydration and comfort.

Gavin Bate
Written by Gavin Bate
Guide and Expedition Leader

Gavin started Adventure Alternative in 1991 during a long period of travelling, working in a wide variety of jobs, climbing mountains and organising expeditions. A solo trek across the Sahara Desert aged twenty one was a benchmark experience after which travel and adve...

Related Articles

We're dedicated to helping you make the most of your next adventure trekking holiday. That's why we've created our travel blog full of in-depth trekking guides, travel inspiration and other fantastic information. Having done all of these climbs many times already, we want to pass on our wealth of trekking wisdom to you.

Happy New Year Nepal!

Although our calendar, the Gregorian calendar, is recognised in Nepal they also have others which are used so it's also currently the...

Read More

The Road to Everest

It used to be that the quickest way to get to Everest Base Camp was to fly into Lukla airport. Now all that is about to change with the building of...

Read More

Faking Mount Everest?

An interesting story has come about towards the end of this years season on Mount Everest concerning the claim from an Indian climber that his...

Read More

How Hard is it to Trek to Everest Base camp?

A trek to Everest base camp is a very realistic opportunity for most people who enjoy the outdoors and have a good level of fitness and...

Read More

Trekking With Young Children in Nepal

I remember a friend saying he was looking forward to when his children were six or seven years old so that they could go travelling as a family to...

Read More

Accommodation in Kathmandu Guest House

We welcome trekkers, climbers, volunteers, medical students and travellers to the Adventure Alternative guest house in Kathmandu where you can get...

Read More

Nepal Named as Top Travel Destination in 2017

It seems like it’s finally the Nepal’s time to shineNepal’s name is in lights once again thanks to the travel experts at Lonely Planet, who...

Read More

How Much Does it Cost to Climb Mount Everest?

The quick answer is about $45,000.00 but there are several choices to be made when climbing Mount Everest and each have different cost...

Read More

Book Your Adventure of a Lifetime Now

Here at Adventure Alternative we pride ourselves on making your adventure experience unforgettable. If you still can’t decide where to go, feel free to drop us a line, we would be happy to help you plan your perfect adventure.
Ask Us a Question...

Ask Us a Question...

Call us on 028 7083 1258 or fill out the form below.