A monsoon trekking safety checklist

Monsoon is when the Western Ghats turn green overnight and every waterfall on the map is running at full strength — it's also the season with the most weather-related cancellations, and for good reason. None of this is a reason to skip it. It's a reason to prepare for the specific ways a monsoon trek differs from a dry-season one.

Before you leave

• Check the host's cancellation and rescheduling policy before you book, not after a warning is issued — river crossings and ridge sections are the first things a host closes.
• Pack a dry bag or liner for your backpack's contents, not just a rain cover for the outside — a soaked sleeping bag ruins a trip faster than a soaked jacket.
• Carry a change of dry clothes sealed separately from everything else, kept for camp only.

On the trail

Leeches are the least of the real risks and the one people ask about most — salt or a leech-repellent spray on socks and gaiters handles them. The two that actually matter are river crossings and slippery rock, and both are why a guided trek is worth the difference from a self-planned one in this season specifically: a local guide knows which crossing is fine today and which one was fine yesterday.

If a guide or trek leader calls off a section — a crossing, a ridge, a summit push — that call is the reason you're trekking with a host instead of alone. Treat it as the plan working, not the plan failing.

What to actually carry

• A poncho over a backpack, not just a rain jacket — it covers the pack too.
• Trekking shoes with real tread, broken in before the trip, not new out of the box.
• A basic first-aid kit even on a guided trek, for blisters and small cuts between checkpoints.