Digital Detox Trekking in Nepal: Recharge your body, mind, and soul
Digital Detox Trekking in Nepal: Recharge your body, mind, and soul
Modified on Aug 14, 2024
Do you often find yourself hooked to your smartphone screen or any other digital gadget and scrolling absurdly as your productive time goes away? Well, you're not the only one. In the current generation, more than 60% of people confess they're addicted to the internet and their digital screens. Though phones also have some productive uses, most of us have high screen time using just entertainment applications like Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook. That is why the topic "Digital Detox" is so vital in the present world.
The most concerning aspect is that prolonged screen time can negatively impact your life grade and crush your feelings and memory. Therefore, staying away from the internet and taking breaks from screens can be advantageous for both your mental and physical well-being.
Research indicates that spending undue time online can lead to issues such as anxiety, sleep disturbances, weight gain, poor time management, lack of exercise, depression, and low self-esteem, among others. Researchers have also discovered that extensive use of digital gadgets can alter brain patterns. Each scroll fires dopamine to the same brain areas that react to some of the most addictive drugs in the world.
Attempting a digital detox at home can be tough due to distractions. Instead, embarking on a remote trek in the hills or the Himalayas can fruitfully help you disconnect. Nepal offers the perfect location for such high-altitude treks. This type of adventure provides abundant time for self-reflection and, with no internet connectivity, permits you to fully submerge yourself in nature and achieve your digital detox goals. One of our clients, Justin De Kaizer, shared his experience after concluding the Everest Three Passes Trek. He successfully remained offline and away from his smartphone throughout the trek. He loved the mental clarity it brought and decided to continue a complete digital detox one day each week when he returned home.
While it's not compulsory to avoid using your smartphone or the internet during your trek, you should try trekking in Nepal with minimal digital device use at least one time. This practice allows you to fully appreciate nature and helps you acquire the habit of spending less time on screens, an approach you can maintain even after returning home. One of our clients, Justin De Kaizer, shared his experience after concluding the Everest Three Passes Trek. He successfully remained offline and away from his smartphone throughout the trek. He loved the mental clarity it brought and decided to continue a complete digital detox twice a week when he returned home.
Let's explore why a digital detox can be promising during your remote treks in Nepal.
Table of Content
Digital Detox Meaning
Detoxing from digital gadgets is often viewed as a technique to enhance social relations by eliminating hindrances. By temporarily giving up digital instruments, individuals can reduce the stress associated with continuous connectivity. Effectively, a digital detox involves a person avoiding using gadgets such as smartphones, televisions, computers, tablets, and social media platforms.
Justin from Netherlands enjoying during the Three Passes Trek
Why is digital detox amazing during the trek?
In today’s digital era, our lives are rapidly commanded by screens and endless connectivity. This constant inflow of data and notifications can lead to tension, distraction, and a sense of being dominated. Trekking provides an ideal opportunity to exit this digital racket, reunite with nature, and undergo the benefits of a digital detox. Here are some convincing reasons to consider a digital detox during your trek:
Improved Physical Well-being
Trekking is a physically tough activity that involves different muscle groups and the cardiovascular system. By extracting the distraction of digital devices, you can fully focus on your body’s motions, posture, and endurance. This dedicated attention provides several fitness advantages, including improved heart health, increased muscle strength, greater endurance, and enhanced flexibility. Concentrating on these physical aspects of trekking without interruptions can enormously boost your overall fitness and entertainment.
Rock Climbing
Helps connect with nature
Being unbothered from digital distractions lets you practice mindfulness, concentrating on the present moment. You can wander with intention, pay attention to your breathing, and savor the natural magnificence around you. This mindful practice helps reduce stress, calms the mind, and improves your appreciation of the trek. Without digital distractions, you become more attentive and aware of your environment. You notice the complex details of the landscape, such as the rich colors of wildflowers, the texture of tree bark, and the play of rays and shadows on the mountains. This boosted awareness helps you form a deeper connection with nature. The grandeur of towering pinnacles, the calmness of a quiet forest, or the expanse of a starlit sky can inspire feelings of amazement, thankfulness, and contentment. These emotions contribute to a more in-depth, more meaningful connection with the natural world.
Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve
Mental awareness and stress relief
Whether it’s checking work emails late into the evening or repeatedly checking your social media platforms, time away from technology can help relieve stress in our personal and professional lives. Digital devices regularly demand our attention, loading our minds with endless information and tasks. When you pause screens, you reduce this inrush of information, allowing your mind to detoxify. This decline in mental noise creates space for more meaningful thinking and reflections. Notifications and alerts keep us in a state of endless eagerness, making it hard to comfort. Disconnecting from these devices helps lower stress levels, as your brain no longer has to process the constant stream of information. This enriched focus allows you to engage more intensely with your surroundings and experiences.
Deeper personal connections
When you engage with fellow trekkers and villagers without the interference of digital devices, you cultivate more meaningful relations. By setting digital use aside, you open yourself up to building authentic relationships. You have more chances to share stories, adventures, and emotions, which deepens your relationships with others. You can listen more attentively, make eye contact, and answer thoughtfully. This presence shows others that you value their presence and are genuinely interested in what they have to say. You have more opportunities for open, real conversations, which are the foundation of strong relationships. People feel cherished and respected when you give them your undivided attention.
Mardi Himal Trek
Enhanced creativity and mindfulness
Taking a gap from screens allows your brain to think more freely. Without endless notifications and information surplus, your mind can explore new concepts and connect different thoughts. This freedom encourages creative thinking and problem-solving, allowing you to come up with ingenious ideas and solutions. Focusing on the present moment helps you practice mindfulness, where you thoroughly engage with your current activity and surroundings. Being mindful eases stress and enhances your overall well-being, as you become more aware of your thoughts, feelings, and environment. Taking a break from screens allows you to fully engage with your surroundings, leading to a richer and more fulfilling trekking experience.
Annapurna Base Camp
Indications you might need a digital detox
You're worried that you'll miss out on something if you don't continually check your device.
You become nervous or stressed when you can't find your phone.
You feel unhappy or angry after spending time on social media.
You feel forced to check your phone every minute.
You frequently stay up late or wake up early to use your gadget.
You struggle to focus on one task without checking your phone.
Preparing for your Digital Detox Trek
Set Clear Objectives
Define what a digital detox signifies for you. Will you completely avoid all digital devices, or will you limit their use to certain times or functions, like taking pictures? Setting clear goals will help you stay determined. Many individuals may find it difficult to eliminate digital communication, especially if it's necessary for work, school, or other commitments. However, when preparing for a trek, you can aim to lessen your screen time and experience positive transformations in your daily life.
Choose the Right Trek
Choose a trekking route that naturally helps a digital detox. Remote and less populated treks often have limited connectivity, making it easier to disconnect from the internet and social media. Consider treks like:
Manaslu Circuit Trek: Remote trek with sensational landscapes and minimal digital distractions.
Upper Mustang: Isolated with limited connectivity, delivering a remarkable cultural experience.
Kanchenjunga Circuit: An untouched territory offering actual solitude and disconnect.
Upper Dolpo Trek: One of Nepal’s most remote regions, excellent for a complete digital escape.
Mount Pumori
Bring along offline tools to help you navigate and stay committed.
A journal and a pen to write your thoughts
Guidebooks and physical maps
Art supplies for painting and drawing if you are interested)
Books or e-readers (download required content before your trek)
A camera to capture moments without the distractions of a smartphone
Inform your close contacts
Let your family and friends know about your digital detox goals. Provide them with your trekking itinerary and emergency communication information, such as your trekking agency’s details.
Pay attention to your emotion
Pay attention to how you use your phone to better understand your relationship with it. Question yourself why you're reaching for your phone at various times. Is it because you're bored? Does using your gadgets make you feel more reasonable or worse? Experts suggest that understanding your feelings can help you manage your phone use more effectively. If you find that it's influencing you negatively, try to reduce the amount of time you spend on it each day.
Disconnect before bedtime
Because phone use can bother your sleep habits, try to disconnect or turn off your devices before bed or set a precise time, like 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., to unplug. This approach will help you set a bedtime routine and improve your sleep quality.
Fun Fact: Research indicates that limiting your social media use to around 30 minutes per day can immensely improve well-being, decreasing signs of loneliness and demoralization.
Embracing the digital detox during your trek
Mardi Himal Rest Camp
Engage with fellow trekkers
Engage with your fellow trekkers, guides, and locals. Share stories, learn about their cultures, and create influential connections. These interactions are often more rewarding and memorable than those you have online.
Limit gadget use
If you need to bring a smartphone, restrict its use to important functions like taking photos or emergency communication. Avoid checking emails, social media, or news updates every time. Turn off notices or switch your phone to airplane mode.
Connect with the local communities
Connect with the local people you meet during your trek. Learn about their culture, practices, and lifestyle. Joining in local traditions and sharing meals with families will give you a richer, more immersive experience.
Engage with your surroundings
Take time to fully appreciate the natural splendor around you. Notice the changing terrains, listen to the sounds of nature, and breathe in the fresh mountain air. Use all your senses and stay present in the moment.
Combining the benefits after your trek
Share your journey
Share your experiences with others through stories, photos, or writing. Your travel can inspire others to think about their digital detox and the benefits of unplugging digitally.
Review your experience
After your trek, take time to contemplate your digital detox. What did you discover about yourself? How did the absence of digital distractions impact your mental and emotional well-being?
Keep a balanced approach
Incorporate some of the practices from your digital detox into your daily life. Regularly set aside time to detach from technology and reconnect with nature and yourself.
Does a detox refer to all technology?
Certainly not! The way you approach your tech detox depends on what you want to acquire from the experience. Some people eliminate all technology, including screens, televisions, tablets, radios, and any tech-based gadgets. Others take a more relaxed method, simply putting their smartphone away for the weekend. If you're new to taking breaks from technology and unsure where to begin, go slow and stable. Begin by restricting time on apps that might be problematic for you. Observe how you feel, and gradually increase the time away from your phone until you feel pleased enough to disconnect entirely.
At the end
A digital detox during your trekking journey provides various benefits, including mental clearness, lowered stress, and stronger bonds with nature and fellow trekkers. By preparing carefully, setting detailed goals, and thoroughly immersing yourself in the natural surroundings, you can effectively detach and enjoy the deep benefits of a digital detox. Use your trek as a chance to rejuvenate, reset, and acquire a more harmonious balance between the digital life and the natural world.
Abhishek Dhital
Abhishek Dhital relishes observing the customs and cultures of many regions of Nepal as a travel photographer, blogger, and certified trekking guide. He is a native of Dang, a stunning region in western Nepal. He was raised in the Inner Terai and has always loved to climb up to his hometown's highlands. He moved to Kathmandu after completing his schooling, where he received a bachelor's degree in Travel and Tourism Management from Nepal College of Travel and Tourism Management, Lazimpat. He stated, "When I began studying tourism, I became really attracted to its service approach and made the decision to become a professional tour guide and travel writer.
In 2015, he began his photographic journey. He gradually began traveling and shooting genuine grins and experiences. He is now discovering fresh and original techniques to market Nepal and give his clients first-rated service in the mountains.
He declared, "I am really happy to be a member of Footprint Adventure as I can develop my career in a booming tourism industry where I may get the chance to perform well and prove my abilities accepting challenges and pressures completing the organizational goal." He genuinely believes in the power of nature, and he thinks it can change people's outlooks and lead them to discover their life's purpose.