Trek Altitude & Acclimatization Planner
Select your trek below to see its day-by-day sleeping altitude profile. Days where your sleeping altitude jumps more than 500m above 3,000m — the main driver of Acute Mountain Sickness — are flagged, along with the rest days that fix them. For a personalized plan with Diamox screening, book a pre-trek altitude consult ($40).
How to Read Your Profile
✓ Safe Day
Sleeping-altitude gain ≤500m above 3,000m, or a rest/acclimatization day.
⚠ Caution Day
Gain of 500–700m — acceptable only if you feel zero symptoms and have acclimatized well.
⛔ Risky Jump
Gain >700m or a big jump early in the trek — insert a rest day or split the stage.
The Ascent Rate Rule
Altitude acclimatization follows a timeline the body sets — not the itinerary you prefer. Above 3,000m, the 300–500m sleeping-elevation-per-day rule is not conservative pessimism; it is the physiological reality that prevents AMS. The itinerary that violates the rule produces the altitude illness that ends the trek.
Altitude planning rules
- 300–500m sleeping gain per day above 3,000m — the hard limit
- Rest day every 1,000m — the acclimatization break
- Climb high, sleep low — the daytime hike that aids adaptation
- Descend for symptoms — the plan that adjusts to physiology
- Buffer days — the flexibility that accommodates illness or weather
The Itinerary vs. the Body
The published itinerary is the plan; the body is the reality. The trekker who follows the plan despite symptoms is the one who ends up evacuated; the one who adjusts the plan to the physiology is the one who finishes. The planner gives you the baseline; your body's response determines the actual pace.
The Planning Cost
Altitude planning cost — the consultation (the itinerary review that is provided). For the safe ascent, the professional review that is affordable.
The Extra Day
Acclimatization day cost — the ~$30-50/day (the extra lodge + the food). For the safer ascent, the rest day that is budgeted.
The Extra-Day Insurance
Planner extra day — the ~$30-50 acclimatization (the planned that prevents the evacuation). For the itinerary, the built-in that is the cheap insurance.
The Descent Cost
Unplanned descent — the porter/jeep/flight (the ~$50-300 that is the AMS response). For the itinerary, the preventable that is budgeted for.
What is the recommended ascent rate for altitude?
Below 3,000m: whatever pace suits you. Above 3,000m: no more than 300–500m sleeping elevation gain per day, with a rest day every 1,000m. The conservative rule prevents most AMS — the faster ascent risks the illness that ruins the trek.
How do I plan rest days for acclimatization?
One rest day per 1,000m of elevation gain above 3,000m — at 4,000m, that is a rest day at Namche (3,440m) and Dingboche (4,410m) for EBC. The rest day includes an acclimatization hike (climb higher, sleep lower) — the activity that aids adaptation while the elevation stays stable.
What is a safe itinerary for EBC?
12–14 days Kathmandu to base camp and back: Lukla flight, Namche acclimatization day, Dingboche acclimatization day, Lobuche, Gorak Shep, EBC, then descent. Faster itineraries risk AMS; the compressed schedule is the false economy that produces evacuation.
How do I use altitude profiles?
The altitude profile shows elevation vs. distance — the daily gains that determine acclimatization requirements. Above 3,000m, check the sleeping altitude gain each day; above 4,000m, add buffer days. The profile is the planning tool; the actual trek must respect what the numbers say.
What if I feel symptoms despite the plan?
Descend — the itinerary is a guideline, not a mandate. Persistent or worsening symptoms despite rest-day compliance mean the acclimatization is not happening — the answer is descent, not pushing on hoping it improves. The mountain will be there; the trekker who pushes AMS may not be.
