Glossary
Acclimatisation
The body's adjustment to lower oxygen at altitude, and the rest days and gradual ascent an itinerary builds in to allow it.
What is Acclimatisation?
Above roughly 2,500 metres, ascending too fast risks acute mountain sickness. Trek itineraries manage this with gradual gains in sleeping altitude, rest days at key heights and the rule of climbing high and sleeping low. Acclimatisation days look like idle days on paper and are the first thing a cost-cutting itinerary removes.
Acclimatisation is also why trek itineraries carry buffer days: a trekker showing symptoms may need to descend or wait, and the plan must absorb that.
On a live trip
Mark acclimatisation days explicitly in the itinerary and the packing list notes, and make sure every trekker's medical notes reach the leader before day one.
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