Weeks 1–4: build the engine
Three sessions a week of Zone 2 cardio — 45–60 minutes of hiking, cycling or slow jogging where you can still hold a conversation. Add one hilly walk with the daypack you'll carry on trek (loaded to 5kg, not more: that's our porter's job, not yours). Consistency beats heroics; four ordinary weeks beat one heroic one.
Weeks 5–8: add the legs
Keep the Zone 2 base and add stairs, hill repeats or a stairmaster once a week — 30 minutes of continuous uphill. Downhill matters as much as uphill: quads that can absorb descent are what keep knees happy on the 1,700m drop from Poon Hill. If you have access to a real hill, do one 4–5 hour walk per fortnight.
Weeks 9–10: peak and taper
One big weekend — 5–6 hours on terrain, back-to-back days if possible. Then taper: reduce volume by half in the final week. You cannot cram fitness for altitude; arriving slightly under-trained but rested beats arriving shredded.
What no gym can train
Acclimatisation is genetic lottery plus itinerary design. That's why every KORA route builds in rest days, why we carry pulse oximeters, and why 'walk high, sleep low' is painted on our office wall. Trust the profile, drink the water, eat the Dal Bhat — the mountain sets the pace, not your watch.
Trek it yourself
