Back in the 90’s, as a single kid-less backpacker, I passed a French family trekking with kids around the Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. One child was in a porter’s basket singing a Nepali song and the other was holding her mom’s hand. It, apparently, made an impression and planted a seed. Now twenty-plus years later, we actually took our three kids ages nine, ten and twelve, trekking for more than fourteen days and up over 15,000 ft. along the SoluKhumbu, or Everest, region. Not only can it be done, but it can be fun. Nobody got sick! No headaches that a bottle of water couldn’t cure and no tummy upsets. Here are our tips for making it fun for kids, and therefore, by parents.
- Take Your Time We passed lots of people who were on tight schedules to get up to Everest Base Camp and get back to Kathmandu for their international flight back home. If they got an altitude headache, they simply took the high altitude pharmaceutical, Diamox. (Can’t imagine that’s good for little, or big, bodies.) If they were tired, they pressed on. If you’re a parent, you will know that kids simply don’t work that way. Don’t attempt to do this unless you have time or destination flexibility. Go slow. Smell the flowers. Stop often and acclimatize naturally.
Amadablam Basecamp
- Hire a Porter with a Basket Your kids will love it; they will get a break when you don’t need one; and you’re providing great employment for the locals. It also gave peace of mind on some of the more dangerous sections to know my more squirrel-y kid was attached to someone more sure-footed. Our kids always got out to walk themselves across the suspension bridges. Our nine and ten year-olds switched off in roughly 20-30 minute intervals while our twelve year-old did the whole thing with a light daypack.
Believe it or not, this load is very light for a Himalayan porter.
- Tea and Biscuit Breaks Every day on the trek, we stopped for a mid-morning pot of milk tea and a sleeve of cookies (biscuits). When you’re burning that many calories, it’s a great reward/bribe. Our kids never get to eat so many cookies at home! And it’s a great reason to stop and rest.
A daily ritual
- Be Aware of the Guest House Dining Rooms My kids probably heard the most swear words of their lives in the Guesthouse Dining Room. Most Western trekkers are in their 20’s and are a bit unaware that there are young ears listening. We went on the off-season so we were rarely with the crowds but when we were, I wanted to shuffle them away quickly. Most trekkers on the trail, gave the kids a big high five, but in the evening after a beer, it was a different story.
- Find Ways to Interact with Other Kids We found our way into classrooms and soccer (aka: football) games. Make sure your family has a song ready to share with a class if you get invited inside. Ours was “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” – always an interactive crowd-pleaser. Other favorites are: “America, The Beautiful” or “This Land is Your Land”. Most classrooms will know “Twinkle, Twinkle” so you can sing it together. Soccer and “Catch” are the international language of kids. Once you bring a ball out, the kids will come. We wished we brought a travel kite. Best ball to bring is below…
Kids naturally gravitate toward kids…
- Bring a Blow Up Globe I got this idea years ago from Catie Agras. It invites other kids to come play with you and you can show them where you’re from. These are great gifts to give away when you meet friends along the way. We had an enthusiastic dog chasing and puncturing our ball, but someone came up with electrical tape and we were all good. Click here for our favorite world beach ball.
- Bring Post-trekking Activities Our kids had about eight books downloaded on their iPads and they were happy to curl up in their sleeping bags and get some reading done as soon as we unpacked for the night. We also had card games, journals and simple handwork projects.
We all went crazy for this calf’s underbite.
- Your Kids Will Touch Animals There will be all kinds of animals along the way and your kids will want to touch them. Come up with a plan. Dogs, Cats, Cows, Calves, Dzos, Yaks, Naks, Baby Goats… you name it and kids won’t be able to resist. Our rules were: no touching a bloody animal; no touching animals while eating; and wash hands after petting. If there’s no soap around, make sure you have some strong hand sanitizer. Know when animals are getting too rough. Kai had a puppy get so excited that he clamped down on his leg. The threat of a stick was enough to get him away without any broken skin, and just some healthy fear from then on.
You can never go wrong with dal bhat: it’s the perfect, kid-friendly trekking food.
- Eat the Local Food Our kids – even our pickiest kid – ate very well and no one got a tummy bug. Stick with what the locals can do well, like dal bhat (rice and lentils), chapatis, momos, veggie chow mein, boiled potatoes or noodle soup. Stay away from menu items like “pizza”, which is usually little more than a chapati smeared with ketchup and a sprinkle of yak cheese. We are vegetarian and I heard rumors that most travelers get sick from eating the meat. So probably best to become a vegetarian for the trek, at least. The kids had a lot of “omelets” for breakfast.
- Invest in Good Equipment The last thing you want is to have cold kids at night, so a sleeping bag rated to 20 degrees Fahrenheit is a must. Also good hiking shoes, jackets, wool socks will make everyone happy campers. Gear is fun… and maybe a bit like a bribe. My twelve year-old split my set of trekking poles with me and would have happily had her own set. Spend some time at REI or wherever you like to shop. Tourist areas, like Thamel and Lukla, have everything for the adult trekker but there’s nothing in kid sizes.
