Things to keep in mind if you are an asthmatic traveling to Spiti

Like any other asthamatic I was also very scared about my trip to Spiti. A roadtrip in the valley means one will be driving and living at an altitude between 3800 meters to 4800 meters above sea level. This, besides the remoteness of the area is clear from the fact that the phone network(except in Kaza) was non-existent. (Though I remember a major exercise of connectivity being undertaken by Jio back in 2019, so my guess is that now the valley must have a good network).

I also wanted to stop at Chandratal base camp which meant staying in camps at an altitude of 4300 meters above sea level, without any network , or electricity.

The villages in the Spiti valley are untouched by the modern ways of life be it for the good or bad, which means that there are no hospitals except the two, one in Kaza & other a bit outside Spiti, Pooh, a few hours after you cross Reckong peo while traveling towards Khab or Nako. This technically is still not in the Spiti valley, and the second in Kaza which is the district headquarter of Spiti valley.

So if you are an asthmatic, it is is alright to be nervous while traveling to such a high altitude and remote location.

But does that mean you do not at all try to go here? Of course not, just being asthmatic should not stop you, in fact I am hypertensive and asthmatic and I still visited and was extremely comfortable during the visit when I stayed in the valley for almost a week.

So in this blog I wish to share with you the things I did which I believe helped me have an uneventful and comfortable road trip in the valley. But first things first, let me share with you certain disclaimers.

• I am no medical expert, I am only sharing with you my own experience and even though I did not go to any doctor before planning this trip, I ensured to read a lot about Acute Mountain Sickness and how to avoid it and I also took the advice of my very experienced Himalayan trekker friend who helped me with the best practises I should follow while doing the Spiti road trip.

• Also you must keep in mind that every trip to the high altitude area should be treated as independent experiences. What I mean by this is that once you have had a comfortable journey in the high altitude without any episode of AMS, it does not guarantee that you are immune to AMS on your next trip.

• Just to give you an understanding of how severe my asthma is: In 2019, I was on inhalers (asthalin) and I needed to take them at least thrice a day. I have had episodes of wheezing where I had to nebulise myself as well. On the trip however I was extremely comfortable and had no episode of breathlessness at a stationary unless I was walking uphill.

Now let's go through the list of things I followed, intentionally and deliberately to avoid asthma and AMS during my road trip to Spiti. But before that what is AMS:

AMS: For a person living in plains effects of high altitude can be seen onwards 2500 metres above sea level. While Shimla is at 2276 metres above sea level, towns in Spiti valley are situated at an altitude of 3800 mts-4800 metres above sea level.

• Breathing exercise: Even before your trip begins, I would highly recommend you to undertake at least 10-20 minutes of breathing exercises. This could be a simple pranayam, or you can buy a spirometer and use that. The idea is to strengthen your diaphragm which is a respiratory muscle, and increase lung capacity too.

• Gain altitude gradually: It is pretty well known and widely suggested that one must do the Shimla Spiti Circuit rather than Kullu Spiti circuit. As the Shimla Spiti circuit gains altitude gradually and allows the body to get acclimatized while ascending. But if you take the other route you reach the highest point in Spiti valley (Kunzum pass-4590 metres) the very first day of your journey, and that may not be a good idea if one already has breathing issues.

• Break your journey: adding overnight stays on your way to Kaza will also help your body to adapt. We took a good three night halt, one in Kotabagh, second in Kalpa and the third in Nako before reaching Kaza. Kalpa specially is In Fact usually people take a straight drive from Shimla to Nako (last village in Kinnaur before entering Spiti) but because I was taking my younger cousins and it was just the three of us, I wanted to be even more careful and hence took two stops before reaching Nako.

• Be well covered: Yes! I may sound like your grand mom while telling you to cover up, but this part of the strategy to avoid being sick while high altitude journeys is really the most easy to overlook. I mean everyone covers up once at the top and when it is really cold. But you tend to be lax about this while in the car towards Kaza, especially in the summers when the Himalayan days are bright and sunny. So do not forget to cover your ears and chest while in the car, even when you are not feeling any cold.

• Hydration: The most logical explanation for this was given to us by the owner of Hotel Deyzor in Kaza. He said while you are here your body is working extra hard to maintain the body temperature, you also pant a lot more as there is dearth of oxygen and thereby losing body water while breathing too. Besides you do not feel the need to drink much as it is cold, which means your water input is lesser. So be intentional about the amount of water you drink.

• Rest your body: While traveling at high altitude, one must bear in mind to slow down. So, do not instantly plan for a hike, or a long walk. Let your body rest and acclimate well enough, every body adapts to high altitude differently, some take longer and some don't. Hence it is very important to be in tune with your own self and how you are feeling.

• Eat baby meals: this is true specially when you are on a long mountainous road trip, you will be driving continuously for hours at length. The lesser you eat the better it is.

• Company Matters: I went with an extremely patient and slow traveling duo. My cousins, and they had all the patience to trek at slower speed, to be empathetic towards me being asthmatic. I would highly recommend you to travel with someone you trust and know well, especially your first time.

So with that I hope you have found some help and information on how to travel on high altitude despite being an asthmatic. If you wish to see my vlogs from this trip you can click here.