Most adventure mountain hikers might have a goal to reach the base camp of the world’s tallest mountain. No doubt, Sagarmatha is the highest mountain on the globe. Are you looking forward to visiting here? The Everest base camp trek takes you to the bottom of Mt. Everest from Kathmandu.
This base camp hike is an extremely preferred Himalayan trip by mountain lovers. A large number of people from all over the earth are visiting EBC during busy trekking fall. It is a moderately levelled alpine journey in Nepal. ‘Time never waits’ so, do not think much and start packing for your next venture.
A little airline with a stunning mountain flight connects you to the EBC trail from Kathmandu. After flying for about half an hour from Kathmandu, you land at Lukla airport, then walk to Phakding fleeting Chaurikharka, Thadokoshi and Ghat villages. After that, you head on to the base camp via Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche and Gorakshep before your feet take place on the bottom of mount Sagarmatha. It is also well-known as the EBC Kalapatthar trek.
You may get into the Khumbu region using air and land transportation from Kathmandu. Driving a bus to Jiri and starting a hike was the only option to go to Chomolungma base camp when was no airport in Lukla. And still, a few people are using this route. Another land track is from Salleri to the Sagarmatha region. Jiri and Salleri to Khumbu plan is a long holiday to Nepal. A regular itinerary that most Everest trekkers follow is from Lukla.
You attain the base camp in 8 days with two spare intervals for altitude adjustments in Namche Bazaar and Dingboche on the way up. The base camp trekking is a 12-day round trip from Kathmandu to Kathmandu. After the base camp attempt, you will walk back to Lukla in three days and fly out to Kathmandu the following day in the early morning.
Staying all the time inside the Sagarmatha national park, you can explore lots of highlighted attractions on the trek. The Sagarmatha national park is a natural UNESCO world heritage site in Nepal. Wildlife from this preserve instigates you to walk further for the eye-captivating mountain views. Natural attractions like a green forest, bussy herbal flora, rivers, streams, waterfalls, valleys, and glaciers are also EBC trek’s charms. Besides these things, sensational viewpoints with unreal perspectives of the Mahalangur massif deliver further amusement to you.
Best Time to Visit Everest Base Camp
The best time to visit base camp is in autumn and spring. September to November is considered autumn and March to May is treated as spring. Although, until mid-September and the last weeks of May might not be very good to go to the Everest base camp.
Summer rains clear all the clouds and haze and bring bright days. Mostly clear visibility appears during this season. It is the busiest trekking fall in Nepal, so autumn is highly recommended if you are planning a trek to the Sagarmatha. Additionally, spring brings lots of colours to the hiking trail with charmingly blooming flowers. It is a dominant season for the Sagarmatha expedition, so you encounter hundreds of climbers during the trek and at the base camp. Lots of colourful fixed tents make the base camp like a mini mountain city and it appears like a piece of heaven with the lights at night. Winter is doable with quality warm equipment, but summer is not recommended.
Trek Equipment for Everest Base Camp
Taking well equipment with you depends on which time of the year you are going to visit. Autumn and winter seasons require warmer hiking gear compared to spring and summer falls. As we are not recommending monsoon, some of you only might have time during the rainy season and would like to reach the destination. Having rain protection accessories for you and your valuables is mandatory.
Mountain territories usually are cold and have to have lots of balmy clothes. It may make a heavy weight for the flight to Lukla. There is a weight limitation that you can take with you on the plane. The load check for the flight is 15kg including your hand carry. Then, try to pack lightweight warm trekking equipment for the trip.
Before going to any unknown place, you better study well and know some helpful instructions that make it easy to figure out the trip well. The essential equipment list has been provided below:
- Duffel bag or Ruksack
- Daypack
- Down jacket
- Long and short sleeves trekking shirts
- Long and short sleeves trekking trousers
- Thermal layers
- Nice quality trekking boots
- Few pairs of trekking socks
- Warm hat
- Sun hat
- Sunglasses
- Warm gloves
- Fleece jacket
- Win-proof jacket
- Sleeping bag
- Sports shoes and water sandals
- Head torch
- Route map
- Sun lotion
- Moisturizers cream
- Lip balm
- Wet napkins
- Lightweight quick drier towel
- Toiletries
- Rain covers
- First-Aid kit
Lukla Flight Connects to Everest Trail
A short flight operating by a small twin otter or Dornier plane takes to Lukla from Kathmandu for the base camp trekkers. It is a scenic and adventure aviation flight that lands at one of the most dangerous airports in the world.
The flight to Lukla flies by crossing several big hills and following different valleys. There is no stable weather up in the mountain territory thus, the scheduled departure can be changed or delayed due to the bad weather. Sometimes, there might be no operating flights for many days. In case of scheduled departure has been cancelled, you need to think of an alternative option, either change the itinerary or fly into Luka by helicopter. Check this, what to do if Lukla's flight is cancelled?
There is a weight limitation on the plane, that you can just 15 kg including hand carry with one ticket. Try to minimize the load to not get into trouble. You can pay an extra charge for overload, but sometimes you reach Lukla, and your equipment stays in Kathmandu.
Leave the Things that You Don't Need for EBC Trek
You might not be travelling only with trekking equipment while you come for the trek. There should be things that you do not carry with you to the mountain and think to leave in Kathmandu.
Don’t worry! You can leave them in the Kathmandu hotel where you come back after the trip and take it back. You will get a baggage tag to recognize that you need to keep safe without losing.
Per-Day Walking Hours on Everest Trail
Mostly, the trekking days are short because you will be walking in the high elevated lands. You will walk 4-5 hours each day except the second day going to Namche Bazaar. But, the last three days will be long hiking to arrive at Lukla after visiting the base camp and Kalapatthar.
The first day to Phakding is an easy descending trail. Phakding to Namche Bazaar takes around 7 hours. Here in Namche, you have an exploration day for altitude practice. It is a 5-hour walk to Tengboche from Namche on the 4th day. Another 5-hour walking day to Dingboche, a 5-hour hike to Lobuche and 3 hours to Gorakshep. 2 hours to 2 and a half brings the base camp from Gorakshep to you and the same time to come back.
The 9th,10th, and 11th days are long but descending trails. You hike 7-8 hours per day till you arrive in Lukla. Then you will fly out to Kathmandu in the morning after spending the last night in Lukla.
Religion and Thoughts in Everest Region
The Everest region is a land of Buddhist people. The Sherpas are the inhabitant of this territory. They are similar to the Tibetans, and the language also matches them. They follow Buddhism with traditional culture and customs.
While walking, you see lots of Mani walls, Mani rocks, prayer flags and other monuments. Walk through left and keep them on your right. While entering the monastery, follow some religious norms that you see on the notice board outside on the wall. And please, keep silent if the monks are in invocation. Also, it is better to ask people before taking a photograph of them.
Accommodation, Meal and Beverage in Base Camp Trek
It is a shipshape-privileged trekking route for accommodation, food and drinks. There are plenteous lodges along the trip trail for the night stay. But, places like Tengboche, Lobuche and Gorakshep have bounded guesthouses with spattering rooms.
The lodges have bathrooms sharing twin bedrooms, attached to luxurious accommodations. You will have indoor bathrooms even if you do not have them inside your room. The beds are clean and comfortable enough to spend the night with a pillow and quilt.
You have a food menu in the guesthouses with lots of choices. You can get local and western meal dishes cooked by well-trained chefs. Prepared courses are delicious and hygienic in restaurants.
You can buy bottled mineral and boiled water in the inn and along the trekking trail. You also can drink ordinary tap water using purifying methods.
Internet, Hot Shower and Battery Charging During the Trek
An internet approach is everywhere in the Everest base camp route. You can either buy a wi-fi top-up card from the Everest-Link or use MB-based data from a cell phone SIM card. We recommend you buy a data pack from Kathmandu before heading to the mountain.
Most places do not have proper hot showers. The first three and last two nights could have an exact warm shower. You might get bucket showers higher from Namche Bazaar. A heated bath is not free in the region. So, we suggest having wet tissue to clean the body and face in the higher areas.
Battery life does not stay for a long time in freezing areas, so you need to charge your camera and phone batteries. You only have regular electricity for the first four nights. Then, people after Tengboche are using solar for light and charging. You still can charge your gadgets through Solar, but it costs high. We advise you to bring a power bank for the trip.
Stay Safe in Everest Base Camp Trek
Safe travel is an arch part of the travellers. We recommend following some tips to stay secure on the trip. An accident does not apply with notice, so be careful while walking on the trail. Yak, Jokpe (hybridized from cow and Yak), mules and people supply transportation after Lukla. You will meet lots of them during the hike, so be sure that they do not push you. If you encounter them, stay on the safe side by not standing on the cliffside.
Also, some people do not check if they are in a safe spot or not before taking a photograph. Either carrying loads may push or stones fall from over the hill. If you are on a trek during winter, there can be icy stones closer to the wet surfaces, so take care before stepping on them because you can not see properly.
High Altitude Sickness in Everest
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is a harrowing topic for trekkers, so it is good to know about its effect and prevention. The AMS can kill people if they are not aware of it. You will be notified of symptoms once you get mountain sick.
Aloud headache, retch, giddiness, falling like a drunk, breathing difficulties while resting, loss of appetite, can not sleep are the major symptoms of high elevation sickness. You can avoid the problem or stay safe with this during the trek.
We suggest walking slowly, drinking plenty of fluid, sleeping well, eating well, keeping warm yourself and stopping taking serious about altitude sickness. These are early prevention, but you might get problems even if you are careful. So, what to do if you get altitude sickness?
Start having Diamox (250mg) every 12 hours. But, drink more water after Diamox because it can make you dehydrated. Do not go further to a higher elevation with the symptoms. Either stay at the same place one more day or descend as soon as possible. It is better to consult with your guide because he decides according to your condition.
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