In 2024, I went on my first hiking trip in Nepal, exploring Kanchenjunga National Park in the Himalayas. Here’s a bunch of tips and hacks I learned from that adventure.

The trip was organized by Himalayan Ecological Trekking who did an excellent job, highly recommended!!!

I posted the tech part of this post to Reddit to reach more people.

(Offline) Tech Tips

I loved being offline the whole time and can highly recommend it as means of digital detox.

Map

Bring a paper map — it’s more fun than relying on apps, and OpenStreetMap (OSM) coverage in Nepal can be incomplete (see below for details).

Electricity

Nepal uses UK power plugs, though sometimes EU plugs fit. Bring an adapter, ideally one with USB ports.
Most lodges have electricity, so a single power bank was enough for me.
I didn’t use a portable solar panel, but I saw a few others carrying them.

Watch for GPS Recording

I found a wristwatch for recording my hike GPS track and monitoring my heart rate more convenient than constantly using my smartphone, and its GPS accuracy of the wristwatch is better than that of a smartphone stored in a pocket.

I use a Garmin Fenix
- Rugged hardware
- Physical buttons (great with gloves)
- Decent battery time
Bought a previous model secondhand—originally for jogging, cycling, and swimming, but it’s excellent for hiking too.

Watch Setup

I am quite annoyed that maps for other continents are not included for free. Workaround: get Offline OpenStreetMap of Nepal
- Download from bbbike
  - using choose format “Openfietsmap Full (latin1)” or “Lite”
  - Please consider donating money to keep this great service online
- Installation is simple: just copy a file to the watch, see dcrainmaker for details
Configure world clock for home and destination timezones
Save track on watch.
- Export from hiking app, see below
Save daily track endpoints and sights as waypoints into the watch.
- via Garmin Explore App

Daily check of body conditions in the morning

training stats → acclimatization for elevation
sleep stats

My hiking setup

Setup alerts for 1km distance and 100m climb, as reminder for taking pictures of the landscape

Usage

Keep an eye on your heart rate, take it slower when it is too high
For sleep tracking, I wear it on the other wrist, to release the stress on the skin

Smartphone

Smartphone Connectivity via eSIM

Despite the title of this post, there are a couple of good reasons for setting up mobile internet connectivity:

Weather forecast
Backup docs & notes and photos

I used an eSIM in Nepal, purchased from Nomad. Unfortunately, Nomad offers only eSIMs from Nepal’s provider Ncell. Provider NTC seems to have better connectivity.

Smartphone Settings

Wording of the section is for Apple. For Android the naming is slightly different.

Flight mode on
Disable notifications
Camera App Settings
- Enable GPS coordinate saving into picture meta data
  - to later know where picture was taken
  - for example to use it as input for OSM
- Enable grid helper lines
  - To align the phone evenly and to support photo composition via golden ratio
- Sync/backup photos to cloud (in case you happen to come across some WiFi connection)
- Saves a lot of pain in case your phone is dropped or stolen

Smartphone Apps

Chat/Messenger Apps
- Disable notifications
- I set a profile picture to indicate I am on digital detox, so people know they won’t reach me.
Google Maps
- Download Offline Google Maps of Nepal
- Save track endpoints and sights as list
- Set that list as default save location for new locations
Apple Maps
- Download Offline Apple Maps
OpenStreetMap Contribution
- I like Every Door (iOS and Android), Go Map! (iOS only), and StreetComplete (Android only))
- Details see OSM section below
Offline Wikipedia
- I use Kiwix
- Nice for looking stuff up, used quite often in the evenings.
Translators
- Apple translate
- Google translate (has more languages)
- Download languages for offline use for both
Hiking app that works offline
- I use Komoot
- Save track and map offline
- Export track to watch
Night sky map app
- I use Stellarium
- I like to take screenshots of this app to compare with real night sky pictures
Ebook
- I use Apple Books app and set font to white on black
- Copy a selection of ebooks onto your Smartphone
- My reading suggestion: HPMoR
Media Player with offline files
- I use vlc
- Upload media files like music/audiobooks/movies onto your phone via WiFi-upload
- Used to spend the waiting time at the airport etc.
Podcasts
- Download some episodes
- My suggestions: HPMoR [1] or [2] and Worm free audiobooks as podcast

Share your Contact Information

To share your contact data from iPhone to iPhone, use AirDrop from within the contacts app. To share between iPhone and Android, you could use Send Anywhere app above.

The fastest and most compatible way to share your contact information is a QR code containing your vcard, that you prepared in advance and stored in your phone album. Here is a simple online converter: https://goqr.me/#t=vcard.

Advanced Linux or Mac users might want to script this via

cat card.vcf | qrencode -s 10 -o card.png

Photos

Phone vs. Camera

I decided against carrying a camera, so my good old SLR stayed home.
Instead, I used my phone to take tons of pictures.
Pros
- Phone easily accessible via pocket
- Weight reduction
- GPS location saved into picture meta data
Cons
- Photo quality
- Small phone lens tends to get dirty in the pocket
I also took a small tripod (Cullmann Magnesit Copter) and phone mount with me for night sky pictures. Used it only a few times.
I shot a landscape picture every kilometer.

Share Photos

To share photos between iPhone and Android, we used Send Anywhere app. In order to get Android → iPhone to work, we needed to disable “Directly To Device” setting on the Android and use “6-digit Key Transfer” instead.

Photos Post-Processing: Add Missing Location Information

In order to add missing coordinates from your recorded GPS/GPX track into the photos’ metadata, the tool Digikam is quite nice. Its geoeditor is capable of mapping photo timestamp (double-check timezone) to GPS timestamp. Unfortunately, it does not support access to Mac Photo app storage, so photos export and import steps are required.

osxphotos

For advanced Mac users, there's an excellent Python project called osxphotos with addon add_photo_locations_from_gpx, which accomplishes the same task but in a much more streamlined and convenient way, as it directly works on your Photo app library.

Install (requires Python3)

python3 -m pip install osxphotos
# open new terminal afterwards
osxphotos install gpxpy
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/RhetTbull/add_photo_locations_from_gpx/refs/heads/main/add_photo_locations_from_gpx.py

To copy missing location info from neighboring photos: select relevant photos (with and without gps location) in Mac Photo app, than run

osxphotos add-locations --selected

To add missing locations from .gpx file for photos selected in Mac Photo app:

osxphotos run add_photo_locations_from_gpx.py --selected myFile.gpx

Location Sharing With Loved Ones

I like using Apple AirTags to share my (backpack's) location with my loved ones. AirTags use nearby iPhones to relay location information, making them an excellent option for staying connected even when my phone is offline.

Ebook Reader

I decided not to bring my Kobo/Tolino on the trip, and I definitely missed it—reading on a phone screen is much more tiring for the eyes.

Writing

Preparations
- Note down exchange rate from and to, maybe use Excel/Google Sheets as calculator
- Write down a table of your track, including altitude of goals and sights
Write down ideas
- I tend to get good ideas when hiking
- they constantly pop up, until I write them down
Write down some lessons learned (like this)
Write a daily journal/diary
I use the apps Apple Notes, Google Keep, Google Docs/Sheets and Microsoft Office.
Microsoft Office lost some of my data after an offline phone restart, so I do not trust than one any more.

OpenStreetMap (OSM)

OpenStreetMap is the “Wikipedia of maps”

Free Community project
Source of all hiking apps
Source of Garmin maps
Hence, contribution to OSM is much better than to a specific app

Learn OSM

I suggest creating an account and to experiment with the web-based editor at home.
For more convenient mobile use, I like the apps Every Door (iOS and Android), Go Map! (iOS only), and StreetComplete (Android only))
On my offline hiking vacation, I took pictures (with gps coordinates enabled) for post-processing when home.

Uploading GPS Tracks to OSM as guidelines

Before mapping missing paths and locations, I found it helpful to upload my daily GPS tracks to OSM as a guide. Tracks appear as dotted lines, which makes it easier to add accurate path data manually. I set my tracks to visibility of my uploaded tracks to “Public”, so other people can benefit from them as well.

My Contributions

Using GPS tracks and location info in photo metadata, I was able to provide the following contributions to OSM:

Paths (via .gpx upload and manual drawing / adjusting to the track guideline)
Settlements: place=hamlet
Guesthouses: tourism=alpine_hut
Teahouses: amenity=cafe or amenity=restaurant
Signposts: information=guidepost
Stupas: historic=monument; Monasteries: amenity=monastery
Camping sites: tourism=camp_site

Food and Water Tips

Food

Go local: I ate Dal Bhat (twice daily). Non-local foods might contain expired ingredients.
Avoid plastic-packaged food: Do not buy or bring food in plastic. Trash might be dumped or burned in the nature.
Skip raw veggies: They may be washed in potentially unsafe water.

Drinks

No untreated water: Use a filter, active carbon tablets, boiling, or a UV purifier.
Skip alcohol: Better energy for altitude adjustment.
Ginger-lemon-honey tea: We had galleons of it.

Hygiene

Use sanitizer frequently, especially before meals.
Bring biodegradable soap.
I used degradable moist toilet paper from Hakle.

Responsible Trash Management

Help keep trails clean—pack out what you bring in and pick up trash when possible. Carry all plastic waste out of the national park. Especially at the lower altitudes, I found it very sad to see so much trash.

Travel Planning Tips

Be Ready for Surprises

Weather: Just before we arrived, heavy rains led to floods and landslides (Reuters) (It seems like climate change shifts the Monsun)
Roads: Some bridges were destroyed, leading to multiple jeep changes (Jeep-Hike-Jeep-Hike-Jeep).(Jeep-Hike-Jeep-Hike-Jeep)
Health: Plan a buffer for illness, we were sick one day each.
Landslides: Damaged some paths.

Best Time to Go

We started on 2024-10-04, at the start of the hiking season, just after monsoon. Unfortunately, climate change seems to shift the monsoon. We had perfect weather, but some paths had recently been damaged by landslides. Early October isn’t crowded, though it can get busier by the end of the month.

Sunset

By October, sunset is around 5:30 PM, and it’s pitch-black by 6:15. Plan to reach destinations by 5:00 PM.

Travel Agency

I suggest booking the trip via a local travel agency, for the following reasons

Know many alternative routes
Adjust route to your condition and time
Takes care for all paperwork (permits, etc)
Books domestic travel (flight,bus, jeep)
Provides guide and porters

Our agency: Himalayan Ecological Trekking did an excellent job, highly recommended!!!

Guide or Independent

I suggest booking a local guide for the following reasons

Speaks the language
Knows the track
Knows the local people
Takes care for you when you are sick
Payment of local people (guide) is a good thing
I saw a guide rescuing his „employee“ who fell 15m down

Porter or Self-Carry

Most elderly (and quite some young) visitors employ porters to carry their luggage.
Not in question for me. I rather trained hiking with a heavy backpack at home.
Try to take as little stuff as possible with me

Training for the Trek

Pre-Trek Training

Test all gear beforehand, especially boots and socks.
Get used to carrying a heavy backpack.

Acclimatization Tips

Plan a high-altitude day: Spend a day at around 3000m to adjust, doing some easy up-and-down hikes without heavy backpack.
Extra walking: After reaching a daily destination, do a short, additional hike without heavy backpack to further adapt.

Equipment Tips

Gear Durability

The hike is rough on equipment. We even managed to loose a hat already on the jeep ride into the Himalayas. Happens.

Warm Morning Clothes

Stash the clothes you’ll wear tomorrow in your sleeping bag for warmth in the morning.

Airport & Travel Tips

Flight Check In at Kathmandu

Keep power banks in your hand luggage, as they’re not allowed in checked bags.
Water in hand luggage is allowed.

To the Hiking Destination

City Gear: Leave a bag with non-essential items (like flight or city gear) in Kathmandu at your hotel or with the travel agency.
Jeep Ride: We faced a 10-hour road journey plus 4 hours on gravel with 4WD, so be prepared for bumpy conditions.

Compensate the Flights' CO2 Footprint

To ease the guilt of emitting so much CO2 during the flight, I made a donation to Atmosfair. They support CO2 reduction projects worldwide, including initiatives in Nepal.

Pack List

Documents
- Print travel documents
- Passport
- ID card
- Health insurance card
- Cash
- Zip bag for passport, etc.
Flight
- Small backpack as hand luggage
- FFP2 mask
- Transport bag for large backpack
Hygiene and Medicine
- Sunscreen 50 SPF spray (used brand sun dance)
- Toothbrush, case, and toothpaste, dental floss
- Microfiber towel
- Moist toilet paper
- Hand sanitizer
- Plaster spray
- Blister plasters
- Biodegradable soap concentrate, for hygiene and laundry \+ small bottle for preparing soap solution
- Vaseline to prevent chafing
- First aid pack
- Emergency bivouac sack for 2
- Nail scissors
- Anti-diarrheal medication: Perenterol forte and Imodium akut
- Vitamin lozenges
- Cough drops for sore throat
Hiking
- Backpack
- Backpack rain cover (reimpregnated)
- Boots (newly greased)
- Spare shoelaces
- Poles
- Sunglasses
- Sun hat with neck protection
- Buff
- Gloves
- Warm hat
- Gaiters
- Waterproof packing bags for organization
Nutrition
- Charcoal tablets for water purification
- Hard plastic water bottle that fits in backpack
- CamelBak
- Effervescent tablets for magnesium and multivitamins
Sleeping
- Sleeping bag
- Silk sleeping bag liner or hut sleeping bag
- Inflatable pillow (small)
- Air mattress (not used as all cabins had free beds)
- Sleep mask (not used)
- Ear plugs
Clothes
- Rain jacket (reimpregnated)
- Poncho
- Thin zip-off pants
- Thick hiking pants
- Flip-flops (for evenings)
- Gaiters (not used)
- 3-4 pairs of Merino socks
- 3-4 pairs of Merino underwear
- 3-4 Merino T-shirts
- Merino long johns
- 2 hoodies: thick and thin
Tech
- Power adapter
- Phone + cable
- Watch + cable
- USB power adapter with 2 outputs
- 2 power banks (one would have been enough)
- Headlamp (charged)
- Mini tripod and phone holder (seldom used)
- AirTag in backpack