What is in our first-aid kit, and what should be in yours
Your guide carries a first-aid kit and an oximeter. You should still have six things in your own pocket, and one conversation to have before you leave.
By the Lakeshore team · 5 min read · Updated 5 October 2026
Every trek we run comes with a first-aid kit and daily oximeter checks from about 3,000 m. People still ask what they should bring themselves. Not much, but the little you bring matters.
The usual mistake is to duplicate the guide's kit in your own bag. The other is to assume the guide's kit holds your own medication, which it doesn't.
So the guide carries the shared kit, and you carry the personal things.
What we carry
A trek first-aid kit for wound care, blisters, bandaging and strapping, plus painkillers, antihistamine, rehydration salts and antiseptic for the common trail complaints.
A pulse oximeter, used every evening from around 3,000 m. It takes thirty seconds per person, and it turns a vague worry into a number your guide can watch from day to day.
On the higher routes, a down jacket for anyone who turns out to need one. Our guides are trained to recognise altitude illness, and in the one treatment that always works, which is going down.
The six things to carry yourself
Blister plasters, the hydrocolloid kind, in your daypack, not your duffel. Blisters start mid-morning, and by then your duffel is an hour ahead with the porter.
Your own painkiller, the one you know works on you.
Rehydration salts. They're cheap, weigh almost nothing, and help with a stomach upset and a hard day alike.
Any prescription medication, in its original packaging, with enough for the trip plus several spare days, because flights get cancelled.
Hand sanitiser and your own toilet paper. You can't count on finding either.
High-factor sun cream and SPF lip balm. Sunburn at altitude is the most common minor injury on any trek, and the easiest to avoid.
The conversation to have before you leave
Tell us about medical conditions, medication and allergies when you book, not at the trailhead. We keep it confidential. We use it to plan the trek, and it means your guide knows what to tell a doctor if it ever comes to that.
Asthma, heart conditions, diabetes, previous altitude illness and pregnancy all need a talk with a doctor who knows altitude medicine before you commit to a high route. If you carry an adrenaline pen or similar, show your guide where it is in your bag and how to use it. That takes two minutes on the first morning, and they're the best-spent two minutes of the trip.
What we wouldn't bother with
A large expedition medical kit that duplicates ours. Ask what's in ours and pack the gaps.
Antibiotics bought without advice. Bring them if a doctor at home has prescribed them for you and told you when to use them. Otherwise they're just weight and false confidence.
Water purification and a filter bottle aren't first aid, but they prevent more trek-ending illness than anything on this list. Sort those out first.
Walk it with us
Private departures on your dates, guided by the people who wrote this page.
Questions we get asked
Do I need a doctor's note?
Not usually. But if you have a pre-existing condition and you're heading for a high route, a doctor's opinion is worth having, and worth telling us about.
What happens if I get seriously ill?
You go down first, always, with your guide. If descent isn't possible and the weather allows, you're evacuated by helicopter, which is why your insurance must cover it and why we hold your policy details.
Are there clinics on the trekking routes?
There are health posts in some larger villages and seasonal aid posts on the busiest routes. Coverage is thin, so don't plan around it.
Can I buy medicine in Pokhara?
Yes. The pharmacies in Lakeside are well stocked and cheap. Bring your prescription medication from home and buy the consumables here.
Still deciding?
Tell us your dates, and we'll tell you whether Trekking Gear Rental 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