The best training for walking uphill for twelve days is, unsurprisingly, walking uphill. But most of us start from a desk in the city. Here is a progression that works in Nepal, using the hills that are already on your doorstep.
Stage 1 — Get moving (weeks 1–4)
Start with three sessions a week of 30–45 minutes: brisk walks or easy runs. In Kathmandu, go early — air quality and traffic are both kinder before 7 a.m. Quiet loops around Kirtipur, the lanes behind Bhaktapur, the roads inside Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park (entry fee) or the Nagarkot ridge road are all good. In Pokhara, the lakeside road toward Pame is flat, scenic and popular with local runners.
Track every session. Seeing distance and pace accumulate in your history is the most reliable motivation there is.
Stage 2 — Add hills (weeks 4–8)
Trekking is about ascent, not speed. Swap one run a week for a climb: Jamacho, Champadevi or the Sarangkot steps above Pokhara. Then start walking with a loaded pack — 5 to 8 kg is realistic for what you'll carry on a tea-house trek. Aim to comfortably gain 800–1,000 m in a day by the end of this stage; Shivapuri Peak and Phulchowki are both good tests.
Stage 3 — Back-to-back days (weeks 8–12)
A trek's real difficulty is doing it again tomorrow. Do two long hikes on consecutive days: Sundarijal to Chisapani with a night on the ridge, then on to Nagarkot the next morning, is a perfect rehearsal. You'll learn what your feet, your pack and your appetite do on day two — and you'll learn it 90 minutes from home rather than at 4,000 m.
Stage 4 — A short trek before the big one
If you can, do a four-to-five-day trek such as Ghorepani Poon Hill or Mardi Himal a few weeks before a long objective like the Annapurna Circuit or Everest Base Camp. It shakes out your gear, tests your boots, and shows you how your body reacts above 3,000 m.
A few things fitness doesn't fix
- Altitude: no amount of training makes you acclimatise faster. Build rest days into the itinerary.
- Blisters: break in your boots on the hill days, not on day one of the trek.
- Knees: descents hurt more than climbs. Practise long downhills and consider trekking poles.
Let the numbers tell the story
Every run, hill and hike you record in Trailma builds into an outdoor history: total distance, total elevation, the medals you've earned along the way. By the time you're standing at the trailhead you won't need to wonder whether you're ready — you'll be able to see it.
