Namtso Trekking Tour – High Altitude Sickness

Tourists planning a Namtso trekking tour should note that Namtso Lake has an altitude of 4718 meters, which is more than 1000 meters higher than Lhasa. The air pressure here is pretty low and the oxygen content in the air is only about 70 percent. Most of the tourists might suffer various degrees of altitude sickness symptoms during the first period of arriving at Namtso.

Namtso Trekking Tour – Common Symptoms of High Altitude Sickness

Headache, breathlessness, nausea, vomiting and insomnia are the most common symptoms of high altitude sickness. Generally, these symptoms would disappear in two or three days after you get adapted to the plateau environment. Tourists making a Namtso trekking tour should note that there is a potential possibility to be attacked by more serious clinical symptoms of altitude sickness, such as anorexia, nausea, insomnia, fatigue, abdominal distension, and choking sensation in the chest if you have a poor adaptation to the high altitude.

Tourists making a Namtso trekking tour should pay enough attention to the high altitude sickness since the slight symptoms of high altitude sickness might get worsen and cause complicated complex (such as the plateau encephaledema and plateau pulmonary edema). It should be noted that the health care condition is quite limited at Namtso Lake Scenic Spot. Tourists are highly advised to back to Lhasa for further treatment if your altitude sickness symptom is out of your control.

Namtso Trekking Tour – Prevention Measures of High Altitude Sickness

Prevention should be put on the first stage for tourists planning a Namtso trekking tour according to the professional doctors. Tourists making a Namtso trekking tour are strongly recommended to spend 2-3 days in Lhasa before heading toward Namtso Lake. Lhasa enjoys an elevation around 1000 meters lower than Namtso Lake. Tourists here could get adapted to the plateau environment gradually while visiting the famous historical and cultural scenic spots in Lahsa City.

Except for the self-adaptation, tourists making a Namtso trekking tour could also take some health care medicines (such as the Rhodiola Rosea) which could help you to adapt to the plateau environment in advance. The drugs for external use, vitamins and glucose powder should be taken into your pack in case of need during the trekking around Namtso Lake. In addition, tourists willing to get adapted to the high altitude environment soon could also take some local diets in Lhasa, such as the Tibetan butter oil tea and Tsampa. It is said that these traditional foods are quite helpful in dealing with the special natural environment on Tibet Plateau.