trekking in SE Asia
 

How fit should one be to trek for 3 or 4 days in Thailand or N.Vietnam? I am 70 and my partner is 50. Not contemplating motor-biking. We are both fit but are not backpackers.
This would take place in mid November when the weather should be good in both places.
Thank you for your help!

It depends on the trek you want to take. Certainly, there are treks that are pretty easy, going into a village where you stay overnight, or a couple of villages. There are also treks that are more difficult because of terrain or heat. I'd suggest you contact a local agent and correspond with them about what you want.

Not very. I did a 3 day trek out of Chiang Mai and it wasnt too hard. I had food poisoning and still coped ok. Day 1 walk 1 hr and day 2 was 3 hours.

Fitness is clearly a relative term and age is but only one factor, and probably not the most important one at that!. The fitter you are the more you are likely to enjoy the trekking.

Even if you are already fit, I would be inclined to do a lot of walking etc. beforehand to further improve that fitness. A good operator or guide will grade treks according to difficulty but there is no reason why someone of average fitness. Most decent treks will involve 4-7 hours of walking per day, some less.

We have doen a fair amount of trekking in both North Vietnam and Northern Thailand. Favourites include:

- Vietnam, around the Sapa valley - lots of hills and great scenery
- Vietnam, the Mai Chau valley no hills and great scenery and some delightful home stays
- Ba Be lakes area in the far north of Vietnam was also good but very cold and hard to reach
- Thailand - around Mai Hong Sorn and Soppong for great country side and minority people villages
- Chiang Dao, a couple of hours from CM is a nice centre from which to trek on a daily basis

It is a great way to see the country. Go for it!

7 hrs a day? Most Thai treks incl elephant rides and rafting. The walking isnt that long.

Prachuap, your account of walking one hour a day doesn't sound like a trek at all, but it does illustrate that you can opt for any level of difficulty you would like. "Most Thai treks incl elephant rides and rafting" That is a good example of the "all-in-one" experience that every agency in Chiang Mai offers. if you want to trek, go to an agency that specializes in treks. These "all-in-one" day trips are not what you want.

Prachaup, clearly we have a different understanding of what constitutes a trek. There are many definitions of a trek but a short walk followed by an elephant ride is not what I would describe as a trek.

What I am talking about is actual trekking which usually, but not always, involves overnight stays in villages. Some treks may have a certain theme such as conservation, minority peoples culture, flora fauna etc. Most I have been on involved walking maybe 15-25 kms per day, sometime less and not continuously.

Each to their own, but don't knock it unless you have tried it.

Im not knocking it but you are talking about yourself which isnt what the OP wants. They r 50 and 70 and dont want hardcore treking.

5 to 8hrs a day is for serious trekkers not the casual tourist at at age 50 to 70.

There are many treks with shorter walking programs combined with other activities for the average tourist.

The treks with shorter walks also have overnight stays in villages. Staying in the villages is the best bit.

www.travelhubchiangmai.com
www.pooh-ecotrekking.com

Prachaup - please read posts before responding. I am not talking about myself but about my experiences. Also, I referred to "decent treks involving 4-7 hours of walking, some less" not 5-8 hours. At least get your facts right

I can see nothing in the original post to indicate what sort of trekking they are interested in doing, yet YOU make the assumptions that you know what they want.. It may well be the case that they are only interested in the type of tours you describe but is it not a little condescending and presumptuous of you to assume that, because of their ages, they are not interested in one particular type of activity?

They sound like novice trekkers by asking these questions and a 70yo shouldnt be doing difficult long treks if they arent up to it.

Even 40yo novices should start with a moderate trek and work up.

Long treks are for super fit people and the experienced.

The treks that include elephant riding and rafting are usually very easy. If you want a more difficult one, you should look for the treks around the Mae Taeng, Chiang Dao area with nothing else then trekking. They come in 1 day, 2 day / 1 night etc... up to 5 ro 6 days. For most of them you walk around 4 to 6 hours a day.