Hot shower and swimming while trekking in Nepal

If you wish, you can take a shower while trekking in Nepal at least every day. But what exactly will this shower be like? What to prepare for? Is it even worth washing in the highlands? In this article I will try to talk about the main types of Nepalese showers and share the secrets of their operation:) Why write about such nonsense, you ask? Of course, bathing is a serious matter. In the mountains, everything is serious - even the way you get up from your chair.

Three hot showers

Formally, there is a hot shower in literally every Nepalese lodge. Often this service is even mentioned in the establishment’s menu. So they write (somewhere on the last page) “hot shower - 200 rupees”. And if, when choosing a lodge, you ask the administrator “Hot shaver?” then he will of course answer “Yes!” One could calm down on this, but if you really want to wash yourself today (tomorrow you will be in a different place), then you should ask the following question - “Gas or solar?”

Solar shower

A shower in which the water is heated by the energy of the sun. This could be a simple black tank on the roof of the shower room or a modern system similar to a solar panel with an expansion tank-thermos. Solar showers are rarely found outside the “warm zone” (up to 3000m above sea level), but even there they are effective only on clear days. And the supply of warm water in the tank is not endless. Therefore, you should go to a solar shower not in the evening, but in the middle of the day. Well, save water - turn off the tap while you soap yourself. By the way, it’s better not to open the cold water tap at all. The fact is that the water flows there by gravity from mountain springs. As a result, the pressure in the “cold pipe” is much higher than the pressure in the hot one. And by opening the tap, you release the genie from the bottle - cold water easily displaces hot water back into the tank. In short, touch the taps less.

Gas shower

The most luxurious and most expensive type of Nepalese shower. The spacious shower room has a gas cylinder and a flow-through gas water heater connected to it. This system provides really hot water and you can safely swim even on cold days. Admission to a gas shower usually requires prepayment - you give money and receive the keys to the shower in return. Be sure to ask the owner to show you how their system works. Most often, a plastic hose with a shower head is connected directly to the water heater - without any faucets. It is not always possible to adjust the water temperature using the “knobs” on the heater. The system constantly goes to extremes - it produces either boiling water or lukewarm water. In this case, you can cool the water by securing the sprayer higher and sitting down yourself. During the time the water flies in the air, it will cool slightly and cease to be scalding. The room often smells strongly of gas - so you should not smoke there, light yourself with a lighter, or linger in the shower for more than 15 minutes. After all, despite all the inconveniences, hot water is such a thrill that it’s extremely difficult to tear yourself away from it:)

Hot bucket

This type of shower can be found in unassuming lodges in the highlands, where it is cold and the demand for bathing is extremely low. For 2-4 dollars you are given a bucket of hot water (about 10 liters), a ladle and shown a “shower” where you can splash around. Since you pay for water (more precisely, for the fuel needed to heat it), and not for a shower, you can save money by taking one bucket for two. With a smart soaping strategy, a bucket of hot water is more than enough for two people. A couple of times in Nepal I came across a more advanced “hot bucket” - the bucket had a tap. It was hung from the ceiling and the result was a completely traditional shower.

When can you swim in the Himalayas?

Practice shows that at altitudes of more than 3,500 meters everyone is so cold, chilly and uncomfortable that the desire to take a shower disappears by itself. Tourists with a clear conscience put off washing until they return to the “warm zone” and I recommend that you do the same. Gradually, the body becomes familiar with constantly wearing thermal underwear and stops sweating, itching and demanding water:) Well, no one has canceled wet wipes.

And only if it’s completely unbearable, if your unwashed head refuses to think and your body refuses to walk, then start preparing for a shower. When you are in the highlands, before you take a shower, you first need to listen carefully to yourself. Are you feeling normal, are there any hints of a cold, or are you overworked? The fact is that at high altitude the body’s thermoregulation mechanisms are disrupted, and if you swim in a weakened state, it will be very difficult to warm up later. Therefore, when getting ready to take a shower, you need to prepare warm clothes (thermal underwear, down jacket, hat) in advance. If you decide to swim, it is better to do it during the day, so that you have the opportunity to bask in the sun, or in the evening, when the stove in the lodge’s dining room has already been lit.

What to take for a shower while trekking?

Almost all Nepalese showers have cold concrete floors. Therefore, you can take shower slippers on a hike. In the afternoon, clouds descend on the mountains, suspended moisture swirls in the air and nothing is in a hurry to dry - not hair, not towels. To prevent your towel from rotting out of despair, it makes sense to buy yourself a quick-drying sports towel made of thin microfiber. Exactly thin, without the “terry” like on regular bath towels! And to prevent wet hair from driving you to the grave (I'm not kidding), shave your head or put on a hat immediately after a shower. And one more thing - since the volume of water allotted to you may be limited, take some easily rinsable soap with you on trekking:)

What else can be useful on trekking, read here

How to brush your teeth?

You need to brush your teeth with warm boiled water. The water from the tap will be too cold, and most importantly, it could easily become infected. Let me remind you that you cannot drink raw water in Nepal. To avoid the hassle of finding warm boiled water, I brush my teeth with tea from a thermos. I always have it with me.

Where to wash clothes in Nepal?

Firstly, washing can be postponed until you return to Kathmandu, where there are plenty of laundries. An important argument in favor of this decision may be the eternal dampness in the evenings in the mountains (due to low clouds) - washed clothes dry very poorly. But if you still need to wash, then of course it is most comfortable to do it in a hot shower. After all, only cold water flows from all the other taps in the area, which makes your hands cramp in the second minute of washing. True, you should not wash in a “solar shower”, so as not to waste an irreplaceable supply of warm water. And if you decide to do a big laundry, then it’s better to go into the shower last in the group so as not to create a queue.