Trip checklist

Clothing layers

• Thermal underwear, top+bottom (merino or synthetic, NOT cotton) × 2
• Fleece or a warm jumper × 2
• Down jacket with a hood
• Waterproof shell jacket
• Quick-dry trekking trousers × 2
• Warm hat
• Buff (warmth + salt-flat dust)
• Gloves
• Socks: 6–7 regular pairs + 2 warm × 4
• City clothes for 3–4 days
• Swimsuit (hot springs at Aguas Calientes, Polques, Cejar)
• Compression socks for the long flight (if your doctor approves)

Footwear

• Comfortable waterproof BROKEN-IN shoes + a spare pair (trekking boots not essential)
• Trainers for cities and transfers
• Sandals or flip-flops for hotels and hot springs

Sun

• Sunscreen SPF 50+, large tube
• SPF lip balm
• UV400 sunglasses, category 3; side shields for the salt flat optional
• Sun hat or cap with a brim

Gear & tech

• ~10,000 mAh power bank with capacity markings — check the limits of all 5 airlines
• Universal adapter: Brazil — type N (the GRU airport hotel; thick Schuko plugs don’t fit, 127 V mains), Peru and Bolivia — A/C, Chile — C/L. Power bricks must be 100–240 V
• Headlamp (3:00 departure for Vinicunca)
• Spare camera batteries — they drain twice as fast in the cold
• Chargers and cables
• Dry bag for documents and electronics — salt, moisture, dust
• eSIM/SIM (Phoenix / Trip.com)

Documents & money

• Passport: valid 6+ months after return, with at least 2 blank pages
• Passport copies: paper kept separately + photo on your phone
• Insurance: altitude to 5,500 m, evacuation, search & rescue, chronic-condition flare-ups
• USD cash, new-series notes only, in good condition — the final programme payment is made in them too
• Printed copies of bookings and tickets
• Yellow fever vaccination certificate — original + photo/scan
• A second independent bank card; split your money between places
• Insurer and consulate contact details

Miscellaneous

• 1-litre water bottle
• 10–20 L daypack with a rain cover
• Thermos
• Toilet paper for the road (there is none on the Sur Lípez route)
• Hand cream
• Earplugs and a sleep mask (night bus on 7 Nov)
• Microfibre towel for the hot springs
• Rubbish bags, wet wipes

Offline — do at home

• Install TREK as a PWA on your phone
• Open every day and pan the map on each leg — only what you open gets cached
• Download offline maps in Organic Maps or maps.me
• Offline Spanish translator

First-aid kit

Deadlines

• by 16.10 YELLOW FEVER: get the international vaccination certificate — mandatory for everyone, deadline 15 days before departure. The organizer runs a checklist check on 15–16 Oct
• by 19.09 Take out insurance: altitude to 5,500 m, medevac, search & rescue, chronic-condition cover

Medical

• by 19.09 Medical check-up for chronic, cardiovascular and pulmonary conditions; ECG if 40+ or with risk factors
• by 19.09 Blood panel: ferritin (≥50 µg/L target for altitude), haemoglobin, haematocrit, iron, vitamin D, B12, TSH, CRP
• by 3.10 Dental check-up before departure
• by 17.10 Trial dose of acetazolamide at home to check tolerance — agree the regimen with your doctor

Preparation

• by 3.10 Group training hike with ~500 m of gain — Krylatskoye or Vorobyovy Gory; time to be agreed in the chat
• by 3.10 Start aerobic training and uphill walking; break in your shoes
• by 17.10 Download offline maps, documents and an offline Spanish translator; set up an eSIM
• by 24.10 Check the situation in Bolivia: protests, road blockades, fuel shortages
• Check power-bank capacity limits with all five airlines on the route
• Prepare new-series USD cash for the final programme payment