General Information
The following is some basic information about the trips we offer as well as some health and safety issues to be aware of.
Custom Trips
We design and arrange custom individual travel or group trips for many activities including trekking, vehicle cross-country tours, climbing expeditions and cultural tours. For expeditions we can make all arrangements up to Chinese Base Camp on K2 (on the China side of K2), Muztagh Ata, Kongur, Ulugh Muztagh or any peaks open for climbing in the Chinese Karakoram, Pamir, Tian Shan, Kunlun or Altun Tagh mountain ranges.
Health
Our adventure trips and services are designed for the average, healthy person in good physical condition. We define a person “in good physical condition” as one who exercises several times a week (i.e. walking, running, hiking, cycling). Due to a variety of factors, including the lack of high quality medical care in our region as well as the high elevations many of our trips go to, it is advisable for all participants to have a full physical evaluation prior to booking one of our trips or services.
Altitude
People react differently when moving to higher elevations quickly. In the case of our trips into the Pamir, because of time constraints we normally go by vehicle gaining over 2500 meters or 8,200 feet in elevation in one day. For most people the only effects are a little shortness of breath and possibly a headache for a day. Normally, the effects wear off as one acclimatizes. Being well hydrated and in good physical condition can help minimise these effects. In addition to the symptoms listed above, some people may experience more pronounced symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness including: dizziness, stomach upset, a pounding heart, and insomnia. If you suffer from respiratory or heart problems, OR if you know you have problems at higher elevations or have any health concerns that may be affected by altitude, we recommend that you make note of the altitudes reached on our trips and consult with a physician prior to making a decision about booking one of our trips. For more information and sources on the subject of altitude illnesses see Rick Curtis’s article: “Outdoor Action Guide to High Altitude: Acclimatisation and Illnesses ”.
A typical trekking day
Breakfast time is usually dictated by how much ground needs to be covered on that particular day. You only carry personal gear necessary for the day's trek. All other gear is carried by pack animals. Before lunch expect to trek 2-4 hours. After lunch expect another 2 to 4 hours trekking before making camp or arriving at your hotel. Because our trips are custom arranged, you may specify how strenuous you want it to be. For fully catered treks, support workers set up camp. You are normally only responsible for setting up your own tent. The support workers set up cooking and dining facilities and attend to preparing hot water for drinks and meals.
Meals
One of the most rewarding and memorable aspects of adventure travel can be in experiencing the distinct foods of other countries and cultures. If you have specific dietary restrictions, please let us know before you book. Certain dietary requests, such as vegetarian, can be accommodated at no extra cost. We also know that you are better able to enjoy a tour when you are healthy.
Lodging
In larger cities we use three and four star hotels or per your request. In smaller cities and villages our options are limited, but we always attempt to use those hotels and guest houses whose service is known to be good and rooms to be clean. As this is adventure travel in a developing country (or countries) you can expect conditions in larger cities to differ considerably from those in smaller cities, villages and rural areas. If you choose to come on a Crown Inn trip, please be prepared to experience the different quality levels of hotel facilities.
Not all problems or inconveniences can be foreseen. An example of a possible inconvenience on a tour might be arriving at a hotel after a long day only to find they have no electricity and/or hot water for showers (in parts of China electrical outages are common). You are told that electricity will be on shortly and that there will be hot water at 8pm that evening (in less-expensive Chinese hotels it is customary to have hot water for showers available only in the evenings). It will be helpful if you are prepared for this sort of inconvenience and can take it in stride as just one of the little things that make this sort of travel interesting. We do want you to know that we attempt to minimise "inconveniences" such as those above, but some things are beyond our control.
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