![]() We personally know people who have had to cut their trips short because of this attitude - and can you imagine a worse way to start your South American adventure? Yeah, you may have just flown into Cusco for a two week trip and want to get out hiking straight away, but this is absolutely the worst thing you can do and a sure fire way to increase your chances of becoming unwell. ![]() Essentially, your body needs to get used to functioning properly on less oxygen and that process simply takes time. The vast majority of us live much closer to sea level than we realise, and if that's the case then you need at least a few days to acclimatise to any significant altitude shift. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no way to predict who will suffer from altitude sickness - you could be the healthiest guy in the world or a chain-smoker with a beer gut, the sickness does not discriminate.Īdditionally, as the symptoms have a lot to do with how quickly your body goes from one altitude to another, just because you didn't suffer it on your last hike where you were properly acclimatised, doesn't mean you won't feel unwell on your arrival to La Paz on a flight from the beach. However, in severe but very small number of cases, you could also suffer from significant shortness of breath, confusion, drowsiness, coma and even death. In most instances, this is as bad as it should get. Those that have experienced it frequently compare it to a bad hangover (and we know all about those). The symptoms can range from a throbbing headache, loss of appetite and nausea (you may even vomit) to a feeling of tiredness, altered sleep patterns and dizziness. So many towns in South America (i.e. Quito, Cusco, Bogota, La Paz) are already so high, that merely arriving in them from sea level could cause you to feel unwell. What a lot of people don't realise, is that you don't have to be climbing a mountain to be affected by the altitude. This means that, as the metres increase, the less oxygen there is for your body to use altitude sickness is your body's way of letting you know that it hasn't got as much oxygen as it normally requires. The higher you go in the world, the thinner the air gets. Not felt until you pass 2,500m (8,202 ft), altitude sickness is essentially your body telling you it's not getting enough oxygen. ![]() In this guide, we’ve explained what altitude sickness is, why it’s such a big issue for travellers in South America, as well as tips on how to increase your chances of avoiding altitude sickness entirely and to prepare yourself so you know what to do should you become unwell whilst travelling. Trust us when we tell you that understanding altitude sickness in South America and planning ahead to increase your chances of avoiding it during your own adventure could be the difference-maker between making a visit to Peru or Bolivia the best or worst trip of your life. If you're planning a trip to Latin America or South America, and intend on ticking off a number of bucket list items like the Inca Trail in Peru, completing the Ecuador’s Quilotoa Loop, or taking your photo at Rainbow Mountain, then you too are going to spend more than a couple of days above 2,500m. However, having climbed and hiked a significant number of volcanoes and mountains on in Latin America, not to mention staying in cities twice as high as our beloved Ben Nevis, we've become pretty used to altitude and the unpleasant effects it can have. Coming from Britain, where our tallest mountain is only 1,344 metres (4,409 feet), altitude sickness isn't something we encounter very much in our day-to-day lives.
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