IS EVEREST BASE CAMP TREKKING RIGHT FOR ME

Is the Everest Base Camp Trek right for you? If you are an experienced hiker with a good fitness level, have a sense of adventure, and are prepared for the physical and mental demands of the trek, then it could be a great fit for you. Upon completion, the trek offers breathtaking mountain views, cultural immersion, and a sense of accomplishment.

Everest Base Camp is considered one of the most popular trekking trails globally for trekkers, travelers, and adventure enthusiasts. Coming up close to Khumbu Glacier with enjoying the cultural side of Nepal. Ebc trek is all about adventure giving the journey of a lifetime. This is once a lifetime experience when you can see Mt Everest in front of you with your own eyes.

Weather & Climate

Is the Everest Base Camp Trek right for me? The weather and climate of Mount Everest are some of the most extreme in the world. On the summit, temperatures are never above freezing; in January, they drop as low as -60 °C (-76° F). Not only are the low temperatures a concern, but climbers also face hurricane-force winds and wind chill.

1. Winter Season at Everest: In the winter season, the day temperature will generally reach a maximum of 4°C.  But at Night, the average minimum temperature drops to around -17°C. Winter can be called an off-season trek to Base Camp.
2. Spring Season at Everest:  Spring is the best season for trekking in Nepal. At that time average temperature during the day reaches up to 10°C to  17°C at lower altitudes on sunny days where the temperature lowers from -5°C to -15°C in the morning and night from December to February.
3. Monsoon Season at Everest:  Monsoon season is off-season for trekking to Ebc. We had heavy rain then, the river’s water level rose, and the trekking trail was slippery. In this season, the average temperature is 18 °C. On sunny days, it reaches 25 °C; at night, it is -15 °C  above 4000 meters.
4. Autumn Season at Everest: Autumn season is suitable for trekking in Nepal. During this season, the average daytime temperature ranges from 15 °C to 0 °C. At night the temperature falls even more and usually freezing. The average temperature at night falls between -2 °C to -12 °C.

15 days of budget Everest base camp trekking- red carpet journey

Why Everest Base camp trek?

Observe in front of Worlds highest peak, Everest. These are following are the reasons which attract adventure lovers to the base camp of Everest :

1. To get an amazing experience take off and land at the adventurous airport Lukla airport at an altitude of 2846m from sea level on a surrounding hill.
2. Get Adventure therapy.
3. World’s highest bakery and Caffe
4. Base camp trekking trail goes through a UNESCO World Heritage site; Sagarmatha National Park is the home of several endangered mammals, including Red panda, Snow leopard, musk deer, Himalayan Thar, Himalayan mouse hare(pika), along with over 118 species of birds including the Impeyan pheasant, snow cock, blood pheasant, red billed cough, etc.
5. To be at a developed market at 3440m from sea level Namche Bazar. Which is the gateway to Everest.
6. Get close to the Himalayan people’s sherpas and their sherpa culture. Sherpa people are known as the Brave, most loyal, and strong Mountaineers people in the world. And the community people are popular with the world expedition brand.
7. Trek through the land of monasteries and gumba. Tanboche monasteries are the largest gompa situated at 3867m from sea level. These gumbas make the whole journey spiritual and blessed.
8. Be familiar with the glaciers in the Everest base camp with the astounding view of Everest.
9. To observe the best Sunrise views from the shoulder of Mount Everest from Kala Patthar, which lies at an altitude of 5644 m.

How many days does it take to reach base camp?

Normally Everest base camp trekking completes within 12 days to complete a round trip of 130 km. if you break down the two acclimatization days. But acclimatization is Necessary when you are trekking in the High altitudes of Nepal. Treks that claim( or push you to complete in a short period) accrue a risk. That is the reason for acclimatization in the journey.

There is a set route for the Everest Base camp trek, which takes you through ancient villages, Camoing grounds, and incredibly isolated spots with paranormal mountain views.

There are three different trekking trails to reach Everest

1. to base camp for 15 days
2. Via Gokyo to Everest Bse camp And another one is 15 day
3. 3 pass with Everest base camp 21 days

The direct or regular trail to EBC is Kathmandu – Lukla – Phakding – Namche Bazaar- Tengboche- Dingboche-Lobuche-Gorak Shep- EBC.

Way down: Gorek Shep – Pheriche – Tengboche – Namche – Lukla – Kathmandu

What is the best time for the Everest Base camp trek?

The best time for the Everest base camp trek is mainly two seasons. The Spring season is from April to May, and the next is the Autumn season (from October to November). In the Autumn season, the Sagarmatha region is full bloom, enjoying visitors with a palette of colors. This season is the peak season for the EBC trek, so trails are at their busiest. Likewise, spring seasons provide a chance to see plenty of indigenous species in color display and full bloom.

In monsoons and winter, trekking to EBC is difficult due to heavy rain and snowfall. Trekking in this season to base camp is the most adventurous trekking in your life. During monsoon time, there is more chance of rain which causes difficulties on the trail. The rain causes swelling rivers to break point, bringing hordes of leeches and muddy and slippery trails. Many tea houses will close during this time when extreme cold and snowfall are the problems seen in the Winter seasons. In this winter season, reaching Base camp is a real endurance test.

How difficult is Everest Base Camp Trek?

If you are a person of medium to good fitness level, the Everest Base Camp trek is very difficult. You will be trekking for 13 consecutive days. You walk 4 to 6 hours a day, where two days are for acclimatization. At the same time, no technical climbing skills are required for this. If you steadily climb up, it will cause altitude sickness.

You will walk nearly 15km per day for about two weeks. But be sure this is not walking on a flat surface; trekking to EBC has a lot of ups and downs. Distance does not make the trek difficult and requires super fitness, whereas altitude makes it quite tough for trekkers. You start treks from 2860 m Lukla and climb up to 5365 m  at base camp within 13 days. The difficulty of the EBC trek is influenced by your pack weight, whereas a porter can make it much easier here. If your body is cold and miserable, it is harder to trek.

Having said that, this trek is easily achievable for Nomads who are relatively fit and are willing to take on a good adventure in Nepal.

Food & Accommodation During the EBC Trek

Proper food and total sleep are necessary while trekking because you are tired and need proper energy for the next day’s walk. So food and accommodation play a great role during the trek. The tea houses on the trail sell hygienic meals in this region. During trekking in this region, you can get common options for breakfast, Tibetan bread, Chapatti, Toast with jam or honey, French toast, pancakes, porridge with milk, and Boiled or fried egg. Where the food available in most of the tea houses are, Thukpa, Momos, Sherpa stew, a Variety of Soups, Macaroni, Potato, pizza, Sandwiches, Yak steak, Rice with curry, etc.

But you found that Dhal Bhat is everywhere, and the guide and potter regularly eat for Lunch and Dinner. It is a popular Nepali food globally. Most international travelers and Nepal people call “ Dal Bhat power 24 hours”. It means having a Dal Bhat at one time gives you energy for 24 hours. So try this if you are interested in Nepali food.

For accommodation, you find Some standard tourist hotels in Namche Bazar which have all facilities, but on the trekking trail, you should accommodate tea houses. You can enjoy staying at double sharing on wooden teahouses. Where the tea houses rooms will be comfortable, neat and clean, and with basic amenities. They provide clean Blankets, pillows, and fresh sheets for the night with comfortable beds.

What permits are required for the Everest Base Camp Trekking?

Two types of permits are required for the Everest Base Camp Trek: local permit fees in Lukla and Sagarmatha National Park entry fees. The cost for the local area permit is NPR .2000, worth USD 20, and (NPR 3000/$25 + 13% Govt. Tax) for the National park entry fee.

Trekkers get the local area permit card at Lukla, where Sagarmatha National Park (SNP) permits are available. Both places are at the Entrance gate in Monjo and Nepal Tourism Board Bhrikuti Mandap in Kathmandu.

Guide and Potter for Everest Base Camp Trek

While trekking to Everest Base camp, there is no compulsory for Guides and porters. Solo travelers also trek this region. But if you are trekking in the highest altitude region with many ups and downs, we would like to suggest better to have a Guide or potter for you; where to hire a potter depends upon your baggage load. If you can carry your bag, you do not need a potter because it is difficult to carry a load alone when trekking.

You can hire a guide and potter in either Kathmandu or Lukla. Hiring a support member for the trek makes it easy to request local trekking agencies to arrange it. Before leaving the trek, I recommend you meet with your guide; it makes you closer and more friendly and lets you know about his knowledge and experience in guiding.  Two people can thus share a potter as long as it is difficult to carry more than 20kg for the potters also.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS)  and Preventive Measures

Acute Mountain sickness is caused when you are passing a High altitude, and there is a low amount of oxygen at a high altitude. Altitude Mountain sickness is very common on EBC treks. It can happen to anybody, irrespective of how old you are, how fit you are, or if you have previous trekking Experience.  The symptoms of AMS are Headache, Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fatigue, etc. For every trekker, there is no chance of AMS. But if you cannot follow the instruction of guides and try to ascend quickly, you may suffer from AMS. Acclimatization is necessary to avoid that.

The preventive measure for Acute Mountain Sickness is to climb slower. If AMS is caused, you must back descend more than 600m. You must need to drink more water to save on hydration. Take proper rest and sleep at Night. Another way is to use a medicine named “DIAMOX,” which prevents Ams by acting as a respiratory stimulant.

Backpack for Everest Base Camp Trek

A backpack is important means required for travel. Packing personal equities during the whole journey is a backpack. The necessary backpack items for the Everest Base Camp trek are:

1. Hiking Cloths: During the trek, Sun is strong, and you will sweat a lot while hiking, so I recommend a light and breathable weather-proof outer-shell jacket with a fleece jacket and a regular shirt inside. Teahouse Clothing: You need something to keep you warm when idle. A big down jacket is recommended for when you are in the teahouse. Most teahouse’s bedrooms are NOT equipped with a heater, so you will need a good down jacket.
2. Head Lamps: Headlamps are important in the early morning when sometimes there is no light in the villages; during this period, they play an important role. Important in the early mornings and in case you have to hike at night (I do not
3. First Aids: First aid kids are the most necessary thing to pack. While trekking through ups and downs, no one knows what happens on the way. So Bandages in case of blisters, Tylenol for headaches, Diamox for Altitude sickness, etc.
4. Sunglasses: Sunglass makes it easier to see because sunlight reflects the way.
5. Wet Wipes: Wet wipes help to keep you fresh. There is not enough water on all the trails, so you can use that.
6.  Good Sturdy Shoes:  Shoes play a vital role during the trek. While trekking through the high regions, you need to have sturdy shoes. If not, waterproof shoes must be needed.
7. Money: Money matters in the whole journey. There is no way you will be able to get money along the trail except at Namche Bazaar. If you get it, you have to pay more.
8.  Sleeping Bag: As we know that the Himilayas are cold at night, and the bedrooms in the tea houses and lodges are cold. So a sleeping bag helps keep you warm at Night and improves your sleep.
9. Toiletries: Wet wipes, tissue papers, toothbrushes, toothpaste, sunscreens, lip balms, etc., are always kept with your packing.
10. Snacks:  Bring some snacks with you which treat you best when you feel hungry on the way.
11.  Get Maps: Get maps in your hand, which is paper, or download them on your phone. This helps you when you are confused about choosing the way. You can download the app on both Android and iOS.
12.  Large Backpack (60+L):  This is the main thing because all the above things need to bring inside it. I recommend a minimum 60 L backpack during a long day’s trek.