Trekking & Walking Tours

The difference is the shape of the journey, not the difficulty. A walk is short and usually on a defined path near a town. A hike is longer and rougher, out on mountain or bush trails, and back where you started. A trek is a multi-day journey into remote country where walking is the only way forward and you sleep on the route — in camps, huts or mountain lodges. In New Zealand the same thing is called a tramp.

Walk, with a loaded pack, on hills. That is the training that transfers. Build to several hours a session a few times a week, and if your trek is a full-pack trip, train with the weight you will actually carry. General gym fitness helps but does not replace time on your feet on uneven ground.

Give yourself three to six months for a Moderate trek and longer for anything Challenging or at altitude. One of the quiet pleasures of booking a trek is that it gives you a deadline - most people arrive fitter than they have been in years, and that is part of the reward rather than a chore.

Every trek carries a grading from Introductory to Challenging, and each grading has a written description of what an average day actually involves - hours on foot, terrain and altitude. The grading is the single most useful thing on a trip page. Read the description rather than the label.

Start with three questions: how many hours a day can you walk, how remote do you want to be, and do you want to camp. An Introductory grading, a trip of a week to ten days, and a destination you already feel drawn to is a reliable first combination. Then, talk to our expert team.

Seven to ten days on the trail is a good first length. It is long enough to settle into the rhythm - most people find their trekking legs around day three - and short enough that you are not committing years of accumulated leave to something you have not tried yet, and may not enjoy - but we doubt that will happen with our trekking eperiences.

It depends entirely on the destination - the Himalaya, the Andes, East Africa and Australia all have different windows, and some are opposite to each other. Each trip page states its season. As a rule the published departure dates are the season: we do not run treks in windows we would not choose ourselves.

Somewhere with the scenery you want and a grading you can meet. Common first choices are a multi-day walk closer to home, a lower-altitude Himalayan trek through villages and foothills, or a shorter route in the Everest region that delivers the culture and the mountains without the full base camp journey.

No - and this surprises most first-timers. Some of the widest mountain panoramas are on shorter, lower treks, where the peaks spread across the whole horizon rather than looming overhead, the air is warmer and the walking is easier. You do not have to trek to Everest Base Camp to see Everest.

Altitude is managed by the shape of the itinerary. We build acclimatisation days in rather than offering them as an option, and pace the sleeping-altitude profile for safe gain - which is why our routes are often longer than the shortest version of the same trek. Acclimatisation reduces risk. It does not remove it.

Altitude sickness is the body reacting to reduced oxygen as you climb. Early symptoms might include headache, nausea, loss of appetite, disturbed sleep and unusual fatigue. It can affect anyone regardless of fitness, age or previous experience. Our experienced leaders monitor for it daily, and often know if you are feeling off before you do.

Through route design. Sleeping altitude is the variable that matters, so itineraries are paced for safe gain with rest days built in, and our routes are frequently longer than the shortest available version of the same trek. Leaders are trained to recognise symptoms early and to act on them.

Your leader is trained to recognise it and to act on it. The treatment is descent, and the decision to descend rests with the leader rather than the traveller - that is deliberate. On our Everest treks the group carries a medical kit and a portable altitude chamber.

It can be if you don't have experience. Trekking carries real risks - altitude, weather, remote terrain and distance from medical care - and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. What reduces those risks is route design, trained leadership, communications and the judgement to turn around. That is much of what you are buying when you book a trek rather than organising one yourself.

Leaders are trained in remote wilderness first aid and are in direct contact with our in-country operations, who work with our home offices - escalation does not wait for office hours in another time zone. On our Everest treks the group carries a medical kit and a portable altitude chamber.

Yes. Your policy must cover the activity, the maximum altitude of your trek and emergency evacuation - standard policies often exclude trekking above a stated height. Check the altitude clause specifically; it is the one that catches people out. Travel insurance is not included in the trip price.

Leaders carry a group first aid kit and emergency communications, and are trained in remote wilderness first aid. On our Everest treks that extends to a portable altitude chamber. What matters as much as the equipment is the line of escalation behind it, which runs through our in-country operations to our own offices.

Not if you trek with us.Group camping equipment is provided on every supported trek, and on many treks we also include a loan trek pack, a four-season sleeping bag, a liner and a down jacket - items that cost a great deal to buy for a single use. Some operators leave these out to look cheaper on paper.

Personal clothing, footwear you have already broken in, and your own toiletries and medication. Every trip issues a detailed gear list once you book. Resist buying everything new at once - boots and a good rain jacket are worth spending on, and much of the rest can be borrowed or bought cheaply.

Boots with ankle support and a sole stiff enough for uneven ground, worn in over several weeks before you leave. New boots on day one are the most common avoidable cause of misery on a trek. Your trip's gear list specifies what that particular terrain demands.

Usually light - water, a layer, rain gear, camera, snacks and anything you want access to during the day. Everything else travels with the crew and is at camp before you are. [Confirm a typical day pack weight range with Ops before adding a figure.]

On teahouse and lodge treks, maybe at some point. But it may not dry in time, and it will cost money. On remote camping treks, expect to wash small items yourself and dry them on your pack as you walk. Most people take less than they think and re-wear more than they would at home. Nobody minds.

Not unless you want to. Our Classic style treks camp and use our Eco-Comfort lodges, mountain lodges and guesthouses throughout. Where we do camp, the camp is pitched and struck for you and there is a cook. Each trip page states exactly what the accommodation is, night by night.

Permanent, low-impact camps with safari-style tents, proper beds and hot showers - solar-powered and locally staffed. We introduced them in Nepal's Everest and Annapurna regions and run them in Australia on the Larapinta Trail and Flinders Island. They exist because remote does not have to mean uncomfortable.

It depends on the format, and each trip page says which. Teahouse and lodge treks have toilets and often hot showers. Eco-Comfort Camps have hot showers. On remote camping treks facilities are basic and your crew sets up what is needed. [Confirm standard camping toilet wording - Ops.]

MUCH better than most people expect. On supported treks all meals on the trail are included and cooked fresh by a trip cook, so you are not carrying cash or taking your chances in a remote village. Hot breakfasts, trail lunches, and a cooked dinner at the end of the day.

Often not, and for many people that is part of the appeal. Coverage varies enormously - some Himalayan routes now sell internet vouchers in surprisingly remote places, weather permitting, while other treks have nothing for a week. Assume no signal, tell people at home that, and treat anything you get as a bonus.

A maximum of 16 travellers on most guided treks, and fewer on mountaineering and technical departures. Some trips are smaller again, and the maximum is stated on each trip page. Small groups are not only more pleasant - on a trail they materially change how well a leader can look after people.

Usually a mix of solo travellers, couples and friends travelling together, across a wide age range and from several countries. Many are experienced travellers and a good number are first-time trekkers. The one thing everyone has in common is that they chose to walk rather than be driven.

On some trips, yes - we run family departures designed for walking with children, and minimum ages are stated per trip. Multi-generational groups are increasingly common and often travel best as a private departure.

Yes. Any trip can run as a private group on dates you choose, and the option appears on every trip's date list. It suits families, friends travelling together, clubs and workplaces, and it means the pace and the composition of the group are entirely yours.

Departures are labelled on the website, and 'Guaranteed to go' means the trip runs regardless of further bookings. Where a departure cannot proceed we contact you well ahead with alternatives rather than leaving it late. Choosing a guaranteed departure removes the uncertainty entirely.

It compares better than most people expect. A week in a mid-range hotel with meals out, day tours and transfers adds up quickly. A guided trek with us is all-inclusive, and typically covers accommodation, all meals on the trail, guiding, permits and logistics in one figure - and on many treks the sleeping bag and down jacket as well. Everything is listed on each trip page.

We cap porter loads by region - 30 kg in Nepal, 20 kg in Tanzania and Kenya, 18 kg in Papua New Guinea - and pay above local minimums. Porters receive three meals a day, accommodation, cold-weather clothing and footwear, accident and medical insurance, and the same emergency evacuation access our travellers have.

It is among the lowest-impact ways to travel once you are there - human-powered, with no vehicle moving you between places. The real footprint of a trekking holiday is the flight to reach it. Each of our trip pages states that trip's carbon figure, and we work to reduce what we can.

That is much of the point. A supported trek employs guides, cooks, porters and drivers locally, buys food in villages that rarely see tourism income, and puts money into places a resort holiday never reaches. Where we run our own operations we set the employment standards directly.

Our registered not-for-profit arm. WETG brands donate the equivalent of AUD$5 per traveller, and 100% of donations reach the projects - there are no administration fees and it is run by volunteer directors. Its Regenerative 2030 goal is a regenerative project in every country we operate in.

We began in 1975 as Australian Himalayan Expeditions, running our first commercial trek in Nepal, and trekking has been the centre of the business ever since. Our Nepal operation works exclusively for us to standards we set, and around 80% of our trips are run by operations we own outright or that work exclusively for us.

Local, and employed in their own countries. Himalayan leaders are trained in-house, including on a leadership course run by Tim Macartney-Snape AM - mountaineering consultant, guide, and the first Australian to climb Everest. Many of our Nepali staff have been with us for more than twenty years.

Since 1975, when we ran our first commercial trek in Nepal. Trekking has been the core of the business ever since, and our Himalayan partner relationships date from the same period.

We are accredited with ATIA and CATO and hold UK ATOL licence 4491. That accreditation is what gives your money financial protection if something goes wrong commercially - and it is the thing a direct booking with a local operator cannot offer, whatever it costs.

A trekking holiday is a multi-day journey on foot through remote country, where you sleep along the route rather than returning to a base each night. The walking is the base travel experience. Trips range from gentle introductory routes to high-altitude expeditions lasting several weeks.

You need to match the trek to your fitness rather than hope for the best. Our treks are graded from Introductory to Challenging, and every grading carries a written description of what an average day actually involves. Read that description, be honest with yourself about it, and the trip will fit. The group walks at the group's pace, not the fastest walker's.

Yes, if you start at the right grading. Introductory treks exist for exactly this. First-timers are the intended audience. What matters more than previous experience is preparing properly in the months before you go, which is one of the quiet pleasures of booking a trek: it gives you a reason to get fit.

"They helped me achieve something I didn't know I was capable of until now." - Helen M, Classic Larapinta Trek

Age isn't the qualifier — current fitness and health are, and they vary enormously between two people of the same age. We don't set an upper age limit. What we do is grade every trek and describe an average day plainly, so you can judge it against your own condition rather than against a number. If you're unsure, our trip consultants would rather talk it through than have you guess.

On most of our supported treks, no. A crew carries the camp, the food and your main pack, and you walk with a day pack. Full-pack treks - where you carry everything - are clearly labelled as such, because it changes the trip completely.

Where porters are employed, we cap loads by region: 30 kg in Nepal, 20 kg in Tanzania and Kenya, 18 kg in Papua New Guinea. Porters are paid above local minimums and receive three meals a day, accommodation, cold-weather clothing and footwear, accident and medical insurance, and the same emergency evacuation access our travellers have.

Most treks or walks you carry just a datpack (some companies refer to this as Pack Free trekking).

Not if you trek with us. Group camping equipment is provided on every supported trek, and on many treks we also include a loan trek pack, a four-season sleeping bag, a liner and a down jacket, items that cost a great deal to buy for a single use. Some operators leave these out to look cheaper on paper. Add the hire or purchase cost back in and the comparison changes.

Most days follow one rhythm: breakfast, a morning's walking, a cooked lunch on the trail, then arrival at camp or a lodge in the afternoon with time to rest before dinner. How long you walk depends on the grading - roughly 5 to 6 hours on an Introductory trek, 8 to 10 on a Challenging one.

A supported trek is one where a crew handles the logistics - carrying the camp and main baggage, cooking, and setting up and striking camp - so you walk with a day pack. It is the format most of our treks use, and it is what makes remote multi-day walking accessible to people who are not expedition specialists.

A full-pack trek is one where you carry everything yourself: your share of the tent, sleeping bag, clothing and a portion of the group food and equipment. Packs commonly run to 20 kg (44 lb) or more. These trips are always labelled clearly, because carrying your own load changes the trip entirely.

No. Trekking is walking - sometimes at altitude and on rough ground, but it does not require ropes, ice axes or technical climbing skill. Mountaineering does. A few of our trips sit on the boundary, and those are graded Entry Level Mountaineering or above and say so plainly on the page.

For most of our treks, no. Introductory and Moderate trips are designed for people without trekking experience, provided they arrive prepared. Where previous multi-day or full-pack experience genuinely is essential, we say so on the trip page rather than leaving you to discover it on day three.

Many people do, but it depends on the condition and the terrain, and it is a question for your doctor as much as for us. Long descents are usually harder on knees than climbs. Tell us what the issue is and we can point you towards treks with gentler ground and shorter days.