Great Himalaya Trail - Insurance, Health Considerations and First Aid Kit
Insurance:
After a long and frustrating research online about insurance, I decided to join the FFCAM (the French Federation of Alpine and Mountain Clubs) who offers all licended members a very affordable cover specific to mountain sports activities. As a FFCAM member, I get cover for Civil Liability and Legal Assistance, as well as Personal Insurance and Emergency Assistance, and with the "Worldwide" extension, I will be covered in Nepal.
If you'd like to know more about it, here's their website:
Health Considerations:
in 2007, I was diagnosed with a harmless heart murmur. I though it would be wise to have my heart checked again ten years later, before walking for five months and potentially reaching 6000m of altitude. Peace of mind is an important factor when you embark in such a journey. So a quick visit to the cardiologist, and a couple of electrocardiogram and echocardiogram later, my heart murmur is still a benign systolic ejection murmur, and I can enjoy my long-distance hike in peace with a healthy heart.
No vaccinations is compulsory for a visit to Nepal, but of course you should be up to date on routine vaccinations and Hepatitis A and Typhoid are strongly recommended.
Check over here for the full list of recommended vaccinations: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/nepal
First Aid Kit:
Here's a non-exhaustive list of what will be in our first aid kit.
plasters of all sizes and shapes (including butterfly)
sports tape
dressings
compresses
elastic bandages
SAM Splint?
Emergency blanket
Needle
tweezers
scissors
safty pins
Support bandage for hurt arm etc (triangle bandage)
Thermometer
small mirror
antisceptic cream
Voltaren
Cold cream
Vaseline
Sunscreen
aftersun/bodylotion
tiger balm
lip balm
eye drops
antibacterial hand-gel
ear plugs
Medicine:
Tinidazole 500mg (giardhia)
Diamox (Acetamolazide) (altitude sickness)
Nifedipine (HAPE)
Dexamethazone (HACE)
Fluoroquinobne antibioticum (ciprofloxacilin?) (diarrhea with and without fever)
Azithromycine + loperamide (diarrhea without fever)
Norfloxozin/Norfloxaciline (chest, skin, urinary infections)
Pain killers: paracetamol 500mg
Ibuprofen (against inflammation)
Immodium
