The information that we provide is for UK passport holders. A passport with 6 months remaining validity at the end of your stay is generally required, and you should have at least 2 blank pages for each country that you visit.

It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documents and visas for your holiday. Please ensure that you check for the latest advice before travel. For the most up to date information on entry requirements, please visit the UK Government website.

All British passport holders are required to obtain a visa for entry into Pakistan. Download our Pakistan Visa Information document for full details of how to apply.

Visa India

Most nationalities, including travellers from the UK, the USA and many European countries can apply for their Indian Visa online through the E-Visa Application process. You must make your application at least four days prior to departure. Please download the detailed information document for details of how to apply for your visa: Visa India PDF

Visa South Korea

A visa is not required by citizens of more than 100 countries including the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand for a stay of less than 90 days.

A full list of countries not requiring a visa can be found on the Korea Visa Portal https://www.visa.go.kr/

Visa China

All nationalities require a visa. The visa fee is approximately GBP £171.50 (including handling fee) and you need to apply for it prior to departure. Please download the detailed information document: Visa PDF China.

If you have a severe allergy please inform the KE office before you travel. We will do all we can to help, but we cannot guarantee an allergy free environment on KE trips. You will need to carry your own treatment for the allergy with you, as 'adrenaline auto-injectors' are not carried as standard by KE leaders and staff. You should inform your leader on arrival of your allergy, and let them know where you keep your adrenaline pen.

VACCINATIONS

You should contact your doctor or travel clinic to check whether you specific require any vaccinations or other preventive measures. You should be up to date with routine courses and boosters as recommended in the UK e.g. diphtheria-tetanus-polio and measles-mumps-rubella), along with hepatitis A and typhoid. A certificate of yellow fever vaccination is required if travelling from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission and for travellers having transitted for more than 12 hrs through an airport of a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. On holidays to more remote areas you should also have a dentist check up. A good online resource is Travel Health Pro.

Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take precautions to avoid mosquito bites.

The unit of currency in China is Yuan Renminbi.

Getting some additional exercise before coming on an active holiday makes a lot of sense. The fitter you are, after all, the more enjoyable you will find the experience. You should be aerobically fit and comfortable with walking 7-8 hours for consecutive days. Hill walking, with a good amount of ascent and descent, is the best training, and we would suggest that you try to fit in a number of long weekend walks before you depart. Running, cycling and swimming are also good for developing cardio vascular fitness and stamina. There is little you can do to prepare for the altitude but if you have an excellent level of fitness this can help.

The Konka Shan range is located at the boundary of the south west and the south east monsoonal air masses and is influenced by both of these. As in the Himalaya, the majority of precipitation occurs between June and the end of August. At other times rainfall is very low. Winters are very cold which limits the trekking season to April-May and September - October. Daytime temperatures at these times will range from 17 to 22 degrees Celsius in Chengdu to 10 to 15 degrees in the mountains. At our highest camps the nightime temperatures may drop below freezing and possibly as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius.

As a reputable tour operator, KE supports the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office's ‘Travel Aware’ campaign to enable British citizens to prepare for their journeys overseas. The 'Travel Aware' website provides a single, authoritative source of advice for all kinds of travellers and we recommend that before travel, all KE clients visit the official UK Government website at travelaware.campaign.gov.uk and read the FCDO Travel Advice for their chosen destination. North Americans can also check out the U.S. Department of State website: www.travel.state.gov for essential travel advice and tips.

KE treat the safety and security of all clients as the most important aspect of any trip we organise. We would not run any trip that we did not consider reasonably safe.  Should the FCDO advise against travel for any reason, we will contact everyone booked to travel to discuss the situation.  We receive regular updates directly from the FCDO and are in constant touch with our contacts on the ground.  If you have any questions about government travel advice, please call our office.

KE do not encourage the use of single use plastic items. We are ensuring that our agents all over the world are working together to reduce the problem and educate those around them. We are leading by example in our KE office by reducing our plastic use.

Great pre-trip reading: China Blog

Mount Gongga Glaciers

A detailed map of the environs on Minya Konka at a scale of 1:25,000 published by the Chinese Institute of Glaciology based on surveys from the early 1980s and aerial photography from December 1996. Contours are at 20m intervals, enhanced by shading, plus graphics and/or colouring for exposed rock, scree, moraine, crevasses, vegetation, etc. Place names are given in both Chinese and Latin alphabet. The map highlights expedition routes and locations of camps.

It is an essential condition of joining a holiday with KE Adventure Travel that you have a valid travel insurance policy to cover the cost of medical treatment and to protect the value of your holiday in the event of cancellation.  When taking out insurance please ensure the policy you choose covers you for the activities and altitude included in your itinerary.

For appropriate insurance cover we recommend Campbell Irvine Direct.  Please go to our Travel Insurance page for further information and to get a quote.

Please try to keep the weight of your baggage to a minimum. See the ‘baggage allowance’ section for further details.

You should bring the following items

• Warm and waterproof snow boots
• Trainers or similar (for casual wear)
• Warm/Ski socks (2 or 3 pairs)
• Underwear
• Thermal baselayers - tops and leggings
• Waterproof padded ski salopettes OR waterproof overtrousers with warm/thermal leggings
• Casual clothes for evening wear and travel
• Fleece jacket and/or jumper
• Warm ski jacket or down jacket
• Warm hat
• Scarf
• Ski goggles and good quality sunglasses
• Warm fleece gloves
• Warm and windproof overgloves or mittens
• Daypack 20 to 30 litres (depending on how much of the kids' stuff you need to carry)
• Headtorch and spare batteries
• Sun protection (including total bloc for lips, nose etc.)
• Water bottles 2x 1 Litre (quart) (we encourage re-filling water bottles rather than single use plastic)
• Selection of dry bags (to keep daypack contents dry)
• Washbag and toiletries
• Antibacterial handwash
• Basic First Aid Kit including: Antiseptic cream, throat lozenges, diarrhoea treatment (Imodium), painkillers, plasters, blister treatment, antihistamine cream and tablets, and re-hydration salts (Dioralite).

The following items are optional:

• Karrimat or similar foam mat (for lunch stops)
• 1 litre Thermos Flask
• Swimwear (for spa)
• Camera
• Reusable cloth bag for shopping (to avoid plastic bags)

Equipment provided locally:

• Additional warm clothing as required
• Snowshoes
• Ski touring equipment including boots

Notes:

Please try to keep the weight of your baggage to a minimum. See the ‘baggage allowance’ section for further details.

You SHOULD bring the following items:

• Hiking boots

• Socks

• Trekking trousers

• Waterproof overtrousers

• Underwear

• Baselayer shirts

• Casual shirt and/or T-shirts

• Fleece jacket or warm jumper

• Waterproof jacket

• Sunhat

• Warm hat

• Sunglasses

• Gloves or mittens

• Headtorch with batteries

• Sun protection (including total bloc for lips, nose etc.)

• Water bottles 1 Litre x2 (we encourage re-filling water bottles rather than single use plastic)

• Water purification tablets

• Washbag and toiletries

• Antibacterial handwash

• Small towel

• Selection of dry bags (to keep kit bag contents dry)

• Daypack (approx. 30 litres)

• Sleeping bag (comfort rating -15°C)

• Thermarest or similar sleeping mat

• Warm jacket (down)

• Basic First Aid Kit including: A broad spectrum antibiotic, antiseptic cream, throat lozenges, diarrhoea treatment (Imodium), altitude (Diamox), painkillers, plasters and blister treatment, insect repellent, and re-hydration salts (Dioralite).

The following items are optional:

• Trekking poles (recommended)

• Training shoes or similar for camp use

• Shorts

• Baselayer – thermal leggings

• Gaiters

• Sleeping bag liner

• Scarf or buff

• Travel clothes

• Camera

• Repair kit – (eg. needle, thread, duct tape)

• Reusable cloth bag for shopping (to avoid plastic bags)

Many of the equipment items listed above are available from Cotswold Outdoor - our 'Official Recommended Outdoor Retailer'. When you book a holiday with KE you will receive a 12.5% discount with Cotswold Outdoor, Snow+Rock and Runners Need. The discount code can be downloaded from your MyKE account and you can use this code at the checkout, either in store or online.