Everest Base Camp Trek

Spring and autumn are the best seasons for trekking in the Everest region. The months of March, April and May are the pre-monsoon springtime while September, October and November are the post-monsoon autumn months. During these months, the sky remains clear and one can have splendid views of the snow-capped mountain peaks and the lush environment.

Months from June to August are monsoon months, so rainfall will make the trails slippery and less relevant for hiking. However, the trail remains less crowded and one can enjoy beautiful views of the Himalayas and a wide variety of flora and fauna. Months from December to February are the winter months. If gets colder during the nights. Trekking trails remains less crowded with plenty of snow-fall. Clear sky and beautiful panoramic views of the snowy peaks are pleasant sights to see.

Yes, you can. But it is highly advised for those trekkers with prior experience of walking in high altitudes for several days. In addition, trekkers should be ready to carry their own baggage of at least 15 kg. Trekking without a guide would be the cheapest option to reach the base camp but then, be ready to manage everything on your own including accommodation in the mountains, domestic flight tickets to and from Lukla and of course your meals. Nonetheless, if it is your first time in the Everest region, then it is best if you use a trekking guide for several reasons you wouldn’t regret later.

During the entire time of trekking, you will spend nights at local teahouses or lodges. However, if you are on a luxury trek, you will be able to relax at more comfortable luxury hotels wherever available. Accommodation is based on twin sharing unless you opt to occupy a single room paying single supplement charges which are surprisingly high. Meals during the trek include typical Nepali food as well as Tibetan, Indian, Italian or continental cuisines. Typical meals available are rice, pasta and potato dishes. You can also enjoy other food items such as bread, porridge, muesli, hot chocolates, toast with peanut butter, and other snacks. Breakfast and dinner will be served in the teahouses that you spend the night while lunch will be served on the way during the trek at a suitable place.

A majority of the teahouses on the Everest route have squat type of toilet facilities. In the recently built teahouses and lodges they have western style flush toilets due to the increasing flow of tourists in the EBC trail. However, at certain places, there may be shortage of water so it is advised to carry your own toilet paper and other toiletries.

Due to the development of infrastructure on the Everest route in the present day, it is not very difficult to do the EBC trek as in the past. No prior experience of trekking or mountaineering skill is required. People of all age groups from all walks of life have been successfully completing the trek. Talking about difficulty, the entire trip from Lukla to the base camp and back is about 130 km. Our standard EBC trek itinerary comprises of 12 days out of which, you will be trekking for 9 days with 2 days of acclimatization. One can expect to walk about 15km on an average each day spending 5 – 6 hours. The only challenging part of the trek is the high altitude which may affect a trekker in an unpredictable way. We have allowed sufficient acclimatization days on the trek that will allow your body to get adapted to the increasing altitude.

Beginning from Phakding up till Gorakshep, there are hot shower facilities provided to the trekkers. These showers are in the form of bucket showers rather than the modern head-high showers. But hot shower costs you a few dollars. Depending on the elevation, one shower may cost from US$ 4 to US$ 15. However, if you have booked for a luxury trip, then attached bathroom and toilet facilities are provided along with hot showers without any extra cost.

Altitude is the only challenging factor during the EBC trek otherwise the trip is not as difficult as one may presume. Even the healthiest person could be a victim to altitude sickness if precautions are not taken. In order to avoid altitude sickness, trekkers should not push their limits; they should walk at a slow pace. Another important aspect to avoid being hit by altitude sickness is to comply with the acclimatization days. It is very important that you use your acclimatization days to hike up to higher altitudes and come back to sleep at lower elevations. One should never hurry nor neglect the acclimatization rest days in order to reach the base camp in a short period of time.

There are hundreds of ATM booths in Kathmandu which is not a matter to worry about. However, while you begin your trek, ATM services are available only in Lukla and Namche Bazaar. But services at these places are erratic; the machines may not work or they may be running short of cash. We recommend you to withdraw cash while you are in Kathmandu and carry a meager amount of money of small denomination so that you are able to purchase snacks or drinks during the trek.

Our standard EBC trek itinerary is comprised of 12 days including 2 acclimatization days. There are some agencies which run the same trip in shorter duration of time escaping the acclimatization days or walking extra hours each day. This is very risky for your life and we don’t recommend it to our customers. If you wish to walk up to the base camp and return on a helicopter, then the walking days will be reduced. While those who do not wish to walk at all and reach the base camp, it is doable within 4 – 5 hours by flying in and flying out on a helicopter from Kathmandu. So to say, the shortest possible itinerary for EBC (without trek) is just one day.

In the past, there were no communication facilities until you returned to Kathmandu from trekking. But since the past few years, communicating with your relatives back home is not a problem at all from most of the places of the Everest regions, except from some places. While you are in Kathmandu, we suggest you to purchase a local SIM card, preferably NCell, and top up with certain amount of money. So, when you are walking in the mountains, you can talk to your friends or family, use internet facilities to upload photos of trekking and so on. Some lodges on the trek route also have Wi-Fi facilities for which you need to pay. Only some of the areas may face network problems due to which you may not be able to make phone calls or use your phone data to use the internet.

Teahouses or lodges at most of the places are equipped with electricity whereupon charging your phone or other electronic gadgets like iPod, iPad or camera batteries is possible. However, you will be charged from US$ 1 to US$ 4 per hour depending on the altitude.

EBC trek is possible either individually or in a small or large group. If you are unable to form your own group and wish to join a group, you need to contact us with your preferred travel date and required services. Accordingly, we will place you in a group that matches your requirement.

Hiring both guide and a porter will definitely increase your trip cost to some extent. Your guide will lead you in the mountains, show you the way and explain the culture and historical importance of significant landmarks. In the same way, your porter will carry all your heavy baggage. We do not recommend you to trek alone – it is best if you hire a guide-cum-porter in order to minimize your cost. He will lead you as well as carry your load.

The most common health issue that a trekker faces during EBC trek is altitude sickness and to avoid from being hit by this sickness, it is recommended to drink plenty of water or fluids. Normally, our guides are equipped with some medicines that may be required during the trek. An effective medicine Diamox is always available with them and it helps reduce altitude sickness. In case you fall sick in middle of your EBC trek, your guide will help you and take precautions and safety measures to minimize your sickness. Depending on the severity of your sickness, your guide will either take you about 300m below for recovering your health or else he will call for a rescue evacuation by a helicopter.