Walking in the Himalaya in your seventies
Altitude, stairs and long days are the three things that stop people, and you can avoid all three without giving up the mountains.
By the Lakeshore team · 6 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
We guide people in their seventies most seasons, and a few in their eighties. Age itself is almost never what holds them back. Stairs, altitude and the length of the day do, and we can plan around each of those.
Taking a standard itinerary and walking it slowly doesn't work. The days are built around where the lodges are, so a slow group arrives in the dark.
We change the trip instead, and pick routes that suit.
The three things that stop people
Stairs. Nepali hill paths are stone staircase for long stretches, and going down is harder on knees and hips than going up. For older walkers, stairs end more treks early than fitness does.
Altitude. Getting older doesn't reliably make you more prone to altitude sickness, but recovering from a bad night takes longer, and existing heart or lung conditions matter more the higher you go. Below 3,000 m most of this stops being a worry. Day length. Six hours with a heavy pack feels very different at seventy-five than at thirty-five. Four to five hours with a porter carrying everything doesn't.
Routes that suit
The Royal Trek. Four days on a low ridge east of Pokhara at under 1,800 m, with short days and gentle gradients through farming villages, finishing at Begnas Lake. There's no altitude at all and the mountains are in view all day. It's our first suggestion almost every time.
Ghandruk. Three days, 2,012 m, and a road within reach the whole way, which is reassuring even if you never use it.
Sikles. Four days, low, sleeping in Gurung family homes. The village is the point of the trek, not a viewpoint you have to climb to.
Day walks from a comfortable base in Lakeside. Take the boat across to the World Peace Pagoda, go up Sarangkot by jeep and walk down, or do Australian Camp at your own pace. A week of these plus Bandipur and Chitwan makes a superb Nepal trip that never asks for a hard day.
What we change on the ground
Shorter stages, which usually means adding a night, not walking faster. A five-day route becomes six or seven days, and each day is comfortable.
A porter, whatever you'd normally carry, so you walk with water and a jacket and nothing else.
Jeep sections where there's a road and the walking is dull. The drive to Kimche below Ghandruk saves two hours of hot road walking, and you miss nothing worth having. Our Ghandruk trip includes that jeep.
Lodges chosen for the room, not the price, with a ground-floor room where possible, near the dining room and away from the toilet.
What to tell us before you book
Tell us about knees, hips, heart, lungs and medication when you enquire. It stays confidential, and we use it to pick the route and the pace.
Anything above about 3,500 m with a significant heart or lung history needs a doctor's opinion before we take you, and we'll tell you so. The treatment for altitude illness is going down, and going down is slower for everyone at seventy-five.
Insurance is the other thing. Many policies lower their altitude limits or exclude trekking above a certain age. Read that clause yourself and don't assume, because that's where claims fail.
What people get wrong
Booking the famous trek and hoping. Annapurna Base Camp at 4,130 m, with the Chhomrong staircase twice, is a demanding trip, and doing it slowly doesn't make it any easier on the knees.
Trying to keep up with a younger family group. Settle the pace question before you leave, not on day two. Underestimating the low routes. The Royal Trek has the Annapurnas across the valley all day, and it's no consolation prize.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Is there an upper age limit?
No. We ask about health, recent activity and medication, not the number, and then suggest routes that fit.
Can I trek with a replaced knee or hip?
Many people do, with poles, shorter days and a porter. Plan around the descents. Ask your surgeon about long stretches of downhill walking and tell us what they say.
What if I need to stop partway?
On the low routes there's usually a road within a few hours, and your guide comes with you. On the Royal Trek and Ghandruk that safety net is close the whole way, which is part of why we recommend them.
Are the lodges comfortable?
They're simple, with twin beds, shared bathrooms, unheated rooms and a stove in the dining room. On the low routes it's warmer and better equipped than high on the trekking trails.
Should I bring my own poles?
Bring them if you have poles you like. Otherwise rent them here for a couple of dollars a day instead of flying with them.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates and how much walking you've done, and we'll tell you whether World Peace Pagoda Loop is right for you. If it isn't, we'll say so.
Nothing to pay online. We confirm your dates first.
Or call the office +977 61-457830