The enemy of tourists in the Peruvian Andes
In Peru there is a diversity of places that exceed 2,400 meters above sea level. However, these places full of wonderful landscapes and unparalleled gastronomy, can cause its visitors the acute mountain sickness, also known as altitude sickness or soroche.
A walk towards a great mountain range
This illness, which is due to the lack of adaptation of the organism to the heights, presents different symptoms. While there are people who do not suffer the effects of soroche, in others the symptoms usually appear after being a few hours or can get complicated during the night. An intense headache, fatigue or physical exhaustion, sleep disorder, nausea, vomiting, digestive disorders, agitation or lack of appetite may be the symptoms of altitude sickness, which may worsen during the night.
To avoid having this bad experience in the highlands, it is important to acclimate, not to be agitated or to carry out any physical activity during the first days. First, it is recommended to sleep well, eat something light and avoid alcoholic beverages.
Fresh fruits to combat soroche
When it’s time to eat, carbohydrates, sugar-rich foods and food easy to digest, such as fruits, should be chosen. You should also drink mate or coca tea as the first remedy for acclimatization.
Coca tea is prepared by placing the coca leaves in a cup of boiling water, it may have an unpleasant taste, but among other characteristics it also helps digestion. Other people prefer to consume coca leaves directly. For this, the leaf is left on one side of the mouth and what is swallowed is the bitter juice that it secretes. The taste of it will depend on the preferences.
Mate de Coca, the solution for soroche
On the other hand, there are pills you can find in pharmacies, these should be taken 8 hours before arriving at the destination and then every eight hours. Another option is portable oxygen, this will help the soroche disappear to enjoy the trip without any problem.
The soroche is a reality and has different ways of presenting itself in each body, but with these tips nothing will be an impediment to enjoy such a long-awaited trip.