Nepal Medical Volunteers Needed…

Find out why the most common remark we get about this Medical Trek Nepal Volunteer program is “this was a life changing experience.”

Humbling, hard and well worth it. You will make memories and friendships that last a life time on this trek to some of the most remote villages in Nepal.  However, this isn’t your average tourist experience, this is a cultural immersion trek where you work side-by-side with a Nepali medical team to treat up to 300 villagers per day without technology.

Don’t Just Take A Vacation; Help us help Nepal 

Doctors, nurses and students alike – volunteer in Nepal with Medical Trek Nepal.  This trek departs for remote villages several times per year. Some students attend our 4 Week Internship/ Medical Elective program and add volunteering in a Nepal hospital after the Medical Trek.

Field medicine supplies and pharmaceuticals are provided with your trekking fee.

WHY WE NEED YOU

People in the west have access to healthcare knowledge and clinics much more readily than in Nepal. In remote areas of Nepal many rely on a local “shaman” to cure what ails them. Our presence in the villages ensures that they get a medical professional to evaluate them and recommend treatment. Our mobile pharmacy provides free medicine to the people we treat.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO VOLUNTEERS

You will learn a great deal as well. When you embark on a journey like this, you are also exposed to a world that is very unfamiliar. You will see that simply living away from the crowded cities and tourist regions has mind-expanding virtues.

There simply is no quiet like the Himalayan quiet. There are no nights where the stars are as close to you as in this region of the world. There is no food that tastes better than that cooked over an open fire after a long day’s trek. Hopefully when you return to your home you will be filled not only with stories of being some of the first Westerners into a remote region of the Himalayan foothills, but also with a sense of appreciation for the opportunities you have always had at home.

People who can do a trek like this go on to have “can do” lives. It is an experience almost guaranteed to change your perspective and expand your horizons.

SCHEDULE AND PRICING

• Trek fee is $1775. A $350 deposit is required to hold your space. Balance due 30 days prior to trek.
• 2 week fully supported trek to remote villages of Nepal in Himalayan foothills.
• Lodging, meals, transportation, and local guides are provided.
• Your fee helps provide medical supplies and a free pharmacy to the villages you visit.
• Some ask “why is there a fee if this is volunteer?” The price is based on the price of a camping trek in Nepal.  The proceeds go to the villages we serve.  If you are unsure, just check around for Nepal camping treks to compare.  The advantage here, is that you get to live and work with local villagers and be part of their community. So, the fee goes to support your meals, transportation, camp porters and cooks, and hotel.  You are volunteering your time while traveling in Nepal to help the people we serve.

The overall goal of this trek is not only to ensure that people in remote villages of Nepal are getting the medical care they need, but to schedule our treks and free medical camps in a way that fosters growth and sustainability.

HOW TO JOIN THIS TREK: 

1) Click “Book Now.”

2) Choose your date.

3) You will be asked to pay deposit at time of booking.

4) Total remaining balance for trek is due 30 days prior to departure

5) Need more info? Contact us at: [email protected] or phone (1) 407-519-8711 for N. America, or (977) 980 301 0011 for Nepal.  Our staff speaks English, and would love to answer your questions.

Medical Trek Nepal Volunteer Adventure

Medical Trek Nepal is a unique trekking experience where you volunteer in medical camps in remote regions of Nepal. Most of our volunteers for this trek are medical professionals and medical students. However, we welcome spouses and friends who are non-medical to help in our camps on this trek.

What you will do…

On this 14 day itinerary, after your orientation days in Kathmandu, you will head out to a remote region of Nepal (well off the beaten tourist paths) to villages where people are in dire need of medical care. In most of the remote villages it is a few days walk to the nearest medical outpost, and even those are seldom manned with permanent doctors and nurses. You are your fellow volunteers will spend 10 days trekking and setting up camps to serve these villagers. Your trekking fees help pay for a moving pharmacy that is free for the villagers, along with all the needs of a highly supported camping trek. You will be going with Nepali medical translators and guides, along with a cook and porters who will help you enjoy this camping trek to places in Nepal that most tourists never see. Our Nepali nurses will help you communicate with the villagers and assess their medical needs. We see many elderly and children on this trek… They love our volunteers and our grateful for your presence in their village. Medical Trek Nepal helps around 1000 people on each trek.  If you are a doctor, nurse, EMT, or student, we would love to have you help us while you enjoy trekking through Nepal’s most beautiful wild regions.

Highlights

• Trekking in remote regions of Nepal
• Full supported camping (with cook)
• Free time in Kathmandu
• Resort stay at end of trek
• Volunteering your skills to give medical care in 3-4 remote camps
• Local Nepali support team
• Cultural immersion into village life

What You Can Expect

Our team provides you support from the moment you join this trek. Before you leave for Nepal, our team in the USA office answers all of your questions and helps you prepare for this trek. If this is your first trip to Nepal, we know you will have a lot of questions. Starting at 90 days prior to trekking, we send out monthly newsletters with information about preparing for your trekking in Nepal.

Once you arrive in Nepal, you are picked up by our Kathmandu based team, and transported to the hotel we use for each trek. The Nepal team takes care of everything you need for 14 days including ground transportation, most meals, and securing permits required for medical volunteering. On trek, your porters and sidar provide for all your camping needs. You will be accompanied by an expert Nepali trekking guides, our medical coordinator, a local doctor, and a medical translator (usually a nurse).

Trekking in Nepal’s Remote Regions

This trek exists to support the people who have the least access to roads, technology, and basic services. Our camping crew makes you as comfortable as possible, but expect this to be a rugged trek with minimal facilities. Most villages have one or two squat toilets and a water tap available near the school house. We will set up tents in this area on the edge of the villages. On days we are not providing medical care, we will trek 5-6 hours to get to the next villages. You can expect one day of average to strenuous hiking, then one day of a very busy medical clinic alternating throughout the trek.

Your reward for a hard days work?

The evenings are usually filled with campfires, drumming from locals, and the occasional cultural dance show as each ethnic group is proud to show you their specific culture. Nepal has many, many ethnicities and our medical volunteers have been treated to Gurung, Magar, Tamang and other cultural dancing and music.

Evenings filled with a fun as you recount the day with your fellow medical trekkers, and a healthy meal served up by our amazing sidar (cook).

Education Experience

You will learn how to practice field medicine with only the basic necessities and no technology. You will see endemic diseases to this region, and some that have been eradicated in the west (such as polio). Occasionally our doctors come across an ailment for which they have no knowledge or familiarity. These we treat the best we can. A few docs have take photos to show to their colleagues in their home countries, but to date, we have not heard back that they have named the disease.

You will also learn about Nepal lifestyle through this cultural immersion experience.  Find out why Nepali people are some of the world’s strongest, most agile climbers and athletes.  In these life changing 14 days, you will learn a different sense of time, and how less ticking of time is healthier. You will likely have a new outlook on life, and the way you approach medicine.

How do Volunteers like Medical Trek Nepal?  Find out below!

Dr. Tam On Australian Radio

Steve Trood, EMT, on Red Bull Blog (2 time Medical Trek Nepal Volunteer)

Jacquelynne Gaspar, RN, on Travelblog.org (2 time Medical Trek Nepal Volunteer)

Abby Martin’s (medical student) Epic Medical Trek Video – June 2016

Check out our photos from past treks here.

Check out our video from March 2013. 

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM INITIATIVE

As we begin a new year, I have renewed energy in TREKT Himalaya and our volunteer and social trek. For the autumn season we will add cultural heritage treks in Tanahun and Gorkha to our roster. It inspires me to see the prosperity and growth of small businesses in these regions that come with a thriving tourism economy.

Of course sustainability and responsibility for the indigenous people of the region must be the highest priority. But through responsible tourism initiatives, and the goodness of world travellers, I believe we will make a positive impact in Nepal.

Sandra BK – Trek Director

Autumn 2019
• Sep 11 – 24
• Oct 3 – 16
• Oct 24 – Nov 6
• Nov 19 – Dec 2

Spring 2020

• Mar 10 – 23
• Apr 10 – 23
• Jun 12 – 25

Location: Nepal – Kathmandu, and various districts

Our treks support the following districts: Tanahu, Gorkha, Dolakha, Kavrepalanchok, Nawalparasi, Rasuwa, Ramechhap, Okaldhungha

All treks follow the same day to day itinerary. Day 3 is always Kathmandu departure; there are always 4 medical camps.

 Okhaldunga District

Scheduled Overview

• Day 1: Arrival Day Day
• Day 2: Free Day
• Day 3: Trek to Village 1 Day 13: Free Day
• Day 4: Medical Camp 1
• Day 5: Trek to Village 2
• Day 6: Medical Camp 2
• Day 7: Trek to Village 3
• Day 8: Medical camp 3
• Day 9: Trek to village 4
• Day 10: Medical Camp 4
• Day 11: Resort stay remote location – Celebration!
• Day 12: Drive back to Kathmandu
• Day 13: Free Day
• Day 14: Departure

Detailed Itinerary – Example of Okhaldhunga District*

• October 17 Monday – Trekkers Arrival/Pick-Up
• October 18 Tuesday –Trekkers Free Day (Explore), Welcome Meeting at Hotel for Dinner at 6:30pm
• October 19 Wednesday –Depart by Bus to Ramailo Dada (Okhaldhunga) in the morning (7 to 8 hour drive) & and trek to First Camp Chitre (1 to 2 hours)
• October 20 Thursday – Medical Camp open from 10 am to 5 pm (30 min lunch break at 12:30pm)
• October 21 Friday – Trek to Falate (5 to 6 hours)
• October 22 Saturday –Medical Camp Open from 10am to 5pm (30 min lunch breaks at 12:30pm)
• October 23 Sunday –Trek to Bakhre (4 to 5 hours)
• October 24 Monday – Medical Camp Open from 10am to 5pm (30 min lunch breaks at 12:30pm)
• October 25 Tuesday –Trek to Jantarkhani (4 to 5 hours)
• October 26 Wednesday –Medical Camp Open from 10am to 5pm (30 min lunch break at 12:30pm)
• October 27 Thursday – Trek To Thaday (2 to 3 hours) – Resort Stay
• October 28 Friday – Drive back to Kathmandu
• October 29 Saturday – Free Day
• October 30 Sunday – Trekker’s Departure/Drop-Off

Food: Meals are provided while trekking, bringing personal snacks is suggested.  In Kathmandu, be prepared to get some meals on your own.  Breakfast is provided at hotel.  There is a Welcome Dinner provided on second night.
Local water is free, bottled water is sold at local stores throughout the trek (limited in certain areas). We recommend bringing a reusable bottled for boiled water which is provided by our camp Sidhar (cook).
Weather: Morning and nights are breezy/cold, afternoons are warm/cold.
Other: Toilet paper is not always available throughout the trek, please pack some for yourself and dispose of properly (do not place in village toilets, it will clog…).

Recommended: – *headlamps*, portable charger, *face wipes*, bug spray.

Tips: Tips are never a must, but it is a kind way of saying “thank you” for extraordinary service, it is always greatly appreciated by our guides, nurses, & porters.

Packing for the Trek: Pack light and bring only necessities (needs of individuals vary, please ask for details).

Transportation: Trekkers will be taken to airport in local taxi. Please depart from hotel on day of departure, unless you have made other arrangements.  Let your guide know what time your departure flight leaves.

*Routes subject to change based on need of Nepali villages. Volunteers will be notified a minimum of 20 days  prior to trek date of confirmed route. All routes are similar to posted itinerary, unless otherwise noted.   Trekking time may vary and take 1 – 2 days longer than expected due to weather, transportation, or conditions beyond control of trek organizers.  Be prepared to be flexible.