Are you in a dilemma about whether to hit on the trail to the Everest Base Camp Trek? Well, you have come to the right place. This guide gives you every detail you need to know about Everest Base Camp Trek.
The vistas of the Himalayas at every section of the trek are sure to bind you with their immense beauty. The rich Sherpa culture, ancient monasteries, and charming mountain villages are cherry on the top. Experiencing the adventure while walking through forests, suspension bridges, glacial moraines, and rugged mountain trails is what defines the true journey of this trek.
With that in mind, let’s get started with the complete guide to the Everest Base Camp Trek right away.
What to look forward to at Everest Base Camp Trek?
Everest Base Camp Trek is among the world’s most well-liked adventure trek destinations. The tallest peak in the world, Mount Everest, is situated in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas.
At an incredible 8848 meters, Mount Everest possesses a certain appeal that draws trekkers to admire its stunning snowy faces. Tenzing Norgay, Sir Edmund Hillary, and several other early pioneers are retraced in the iconic adventure.
You will stay in some of the world’s highest households on a teahouse travel, where you will learn about the customs and culture of the indigenous Sherpas. Kalapatthar is famed for the breathtaking panoramic vistas of the world’s tallest mountains. You have the opportunity to enjoy the 360-degree panorama views from this vantage point during the EBC trek.
Another significant aspect of the Everest base camp trip is the three big high passes of the mountain. You can enter the highest Mt. Everest base camp in the world by crossing three high passes in the Everest region: Kongma La, Cho La, and Renjo La.
Tengboche is a hamlet place for intimate views of the world’s gorgeous and tallest mountains like Mt Ama Dablam. In the Khumbu area, Tengboche is renowned for having the largest and oldest monastery.
Another important attraction of the Everest Base Camp journey is Sagarmatha National Park. Along with 118 different kinds of birds, you may also observe other uncommon animals including the Himalayan Tahr, musk deer, weasel, and pika.
You may sample regional specialities and take advantage of the hospitality of the most welcoming locals. Both resting and interacting with the community will be beneficial at these stops.
Another example of a traditional legacy in the Namche Bazar is the Sherpa Culture Museum. The names and identities of several climbers and porters who helped foreigners reach the top are displayed on the walls.
Is this Everest Base Camp Trek the right choice for you?
You should read the following if you have been considering Everest Base Camp Trek but aren’t sure if the EBC Trek is right for you. Travelling to Everest Base Camp Trek is a dream come true for trekkers everywhere.
The Everest Base Camp Trek is not an easy task! You will walk up mountains that have severe drops and inclines at high elevations. Before you set out on this journey, you have to prepare yourself physically.
The cost of a trip like this should still be taken into account before making any reservations, even when there are affordable possibilities. Make sure you are financially prepared by investigating all of the expenses related to such a vacation in order to prevent any financial shocks.
It is thought that between 28 and 30 percent of trekkers fail to reach the base camp, however, exact numbers are unavailable. About 50% of trekkers experience altitude sickness to some degree, making it the main cause of trekkers turning back.
Completion may also be hampered by obstacles relating to personal problems, weather, or fitness. The route goes across around seven contemporary suspension bridges, including two that feature mesh sides.
The Everest base camp trek requires mental endurance just as much as physical endurance. The biggest threat to your emotional well-being when trekking is altitude sickness.
Food During Everest Base Camp Trek
Due to the significant altitude increase, your body will need adequate protein and carbs. Most teahouses have a pretty similar menu. You may indulge your appetite with both local and foreign cuisine at these lovely rest areas.
Breakfast
In order to keep trekkers full until they arrive at the next tea house for lunch, the majority of the recommended foods include porridge or muesli, potatoes, toast, tea, coffee, and so on. These meals help your body retain protein and glucose while providing you with energy for longer.
Dinners
You should sample Nepali food, such as Dal Bhat Tarkari, when trekking to Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal. These include rice, potatoes, lentils, veggies, noodles, and soup. One of the best things about ordering Dal Bhat is that you can request extra.
Pasta, noodles, pancakes, pizza, burgers, and omelets are also served at the majority of teahouses along the hike to Mount Everest Base Camp. The menu features a variety of dishes, including momo (dumplings), locally farmed barley, buckwheat, millet and corn roti (bread), noodles, sandwiches, baked goods, tea, coffee and more.
You might not know what Sherpa Stew (Syakpa) is. The ingredients for this traditional Sherpa cuisine include homemade noodles, radishes, carrots, spinach, onions, yak or sheep meat, and potatoes. Keep in mind that your lunch and dinner choices are almost the same.
Ginger tea, garlic soup, green tea, lemon tea, hot lemon, and fresh vegetable products are all strongly advised at high elevations.
Accommodation During the Everest Base Camp Trek
There are lodges and tea houses located along the routes leading to Everest Base Camp Trek. You don’t have to stay overnight in tent camps because of this. When starting a trip, the most crucial factor to take into account is lodging.
Your travel may be greatly impacted by a shortage of decent lodging, particularly during the busiest trekking seasons. Along the EBC route, there are now excellent accommodations in addition to teahouses.
In addition to offering hikers a place to stay with minimal services, these teahouses give visitors an opportunity to support the local economy. The teahouse features electric blankets, hot and cold baths, cosy beds with cushions, and other conveniences. You will be able to interact with other hikers in the cosy and welcoming living environment.
Lodges along some parts of the path could provide a few extra conveniences, including private restrooms, above tea houses. Please be aware that because of the difficult terrain and transportation issues, the options for lodging become more basic and scarce at higher elevations.
Teahouses may only have squat toilets at higher elevations, and you could have to take a bath in a tin bucket filled with very cold water or beneath outside taps. For bathing, they could provide a vessel of lukewarm water that has been heated over a wood fire.
It’s important to keep in mind that rooms are usually twin-shared with communal toilets and dormitory-style accommodations.
Permits for Trekking in Everest Base Camp Trek
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Everest/Sagarmatha National Park is home to Mount Everest and is well-known for its high mountain peaks, glaciers, and Sherpa communities. Special authorization is needed to access the area and start the stunning Everest Base Camp Trek.
To visit the Khumbu Rural Municipality and Sagarmatha National Park, all trekkers must get permits, according to the Nepali government. There are now two different kinds of permits needed to trek to Everest Base Camp Trek.
You will need both a Sagarmatha National Park entry permit and a Khumbu Rural Municipality permit. Let’s examine the details of these two permits for the trek to Everest Base Camp:
Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Permit:
It is the most recent permission that has been issued in Nepal following the decentralized system. The permission is provided by the local administration and is necessary for all trekkers entering the Khumbu region, including the settlements of Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, and Dingboche.
This permission must be obtained after you arrive in Lukla if you are traveling there by air. Trekkers can get this permission in Monjo when they arrive in the Khumbu area from Jiri or Salleri. This permission is also available from the Kathmandu Tourism Board.
The Khumbu Rural Municipality Permit is available to foreign people, including SAARC citizens, for a four-week charge of NPR 2,000 per person. The permission fee increases to Rs. 2,500 per person after four weeks.
After completing a certain form that is accessible at the counter, they will take your picture and prepare your journey card in a matter of minutes.
Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit
To begin the Everest Base Camp Trek, the Sagarmatha National Park Entry permission is the first and most crucial permission needed. This is due to Sagarmatha National Park’s inclusion in the base camp of Mount Everest.
This permission is available at the Nepal Tourism Board Office in Kathmandu. This permit is also available at Monjo’s Sagarmatha National Park Entry Gate. You may now pick up the permit at the Lukla permission station or checkpoint.
Sagarmatha National Park requires foreigners to pay NPR 3,000 per person to enter. Nevertheless, the admission charge is NPR 100 for Nepali and NPR 1,500 for SAARC citizens.
Everest Base Camp Trek Difficulty
Although it sounds challenging, the Everest Base Camp Trek journey is not the hardest. The plan for Everest Base Camp Trek is a moderate journey. Anyone can complete the Everest Base Camp trip with the right planning and commitment.
But since the Everest journey involves 12–14 days of strenuous walking through deep, lush forests, steep rural roads, and difficult peaks, it won’t be like having a stroll in the park. From the imposing 130-kilometer distance to the challenging elevation of 5,555 meters at Kalapatthar, trekkers will encounter a number of difficulties.
On this adventure, you have to walk for at least five to six hours per day. With several ups and downs, the terrain is challenging and steep. Trails through dense woods of pine, bamboo, and other vegetation are traversed by trekkers; they can occasionally be slick and require extra care to navigate.
The severe altitude is undoubtedly the most difficult aspect of the Everest Base Camp hike. Every trekking journey in Nepal is seriously hampered by altitude sickness. You will be a little over 5,500 meters above sea level at Kala Pathar, the highest point.
The oxygen level significantly decreases when the height rises by 600–800 meters per day. One of the reasons to be properly informed of altitude sickness is because of this. The Everest area is a difficult place to trek, therefore preparedness is key. Therefore, it makes sense to begin training as soon as feasible before your planned walk.
Best Time for Everest Base Camp Trek
Only during specific seasons of the year is the Everest Base Camp Trek journey recommended. To make the most of your stay in the area, it is crucial to organize your walk with an understanding of the local weather patterns.
The optimum time to trek to Everest Base Camp Trek depends on a number of factors, including the availability of guided tours, the weather, and how crowded the routes are.
Spring
In the entire region, the spring season is arguably the most popular. The weather is moderate and often dry during the months of February, March, April, and May. The attractive vistas of the bright sky and vibrant rhododendrons along the route, in addition to the pleasant weather, are unquestionably advantages.
A magnificent and unobstructed panoramic view of the stunning mountains is possible in the spring. In the spring, thousands of flowers and plants blossom, adding beauty and enjoyment to the Nepalese stroll.
Monsoon
Trekking is typically difficult during the monsoon season. The trails are usually deserted, with only ardent high-altitude enthusiasts bravely enduring the weather. Since the rain causes mud, landslip hazards, hazy views, illnesses, and leeches, it is the least popular time of year for trekking.
The weather may have an impact on flights from Kathmandu to Lukla in addition to your experience in the Everest area. But keep in mind that the monsoon season is often regarded as off-season, so you may walk more quietly and with fewer interruptions.
Autumn
Another great season to trek at Everest Base Camp Trek is in the autumn, which includes the months of September, October, November, and December. During this popular trekking season, clear days are common.
The weather is not as chilly at night as it is during the winter, nor is it warmer during the day. In addition to offering breathtaking panoramic vistas with fewer clouds and heat haze, this season is popular among hikers.
Temperatures in the autumn can range from 14 to 20 degrees Celsius during the day and as low as -5 to -10 degrees Celsius at night. But given the captivating vistas of the neighboring peaks that you get to see during this season, that’s a reasonable trade-off.
Winter
The coldest time of year in Nepal is winter, which lasts from November through January. For the Everest Base Camp Trek, the winter months are regarded as an off-season. Routes that require traversing large passes, such as the Three Passes Trek, are typically closed because of the shorter days and more snowfall.
You should be ready for frigid temperatures because they might drop significantly. Because it’s less busy, hiking during this season offers genuine adventure experiences. The path has been traversed by several eager hikers even in the winter, therefore it is not completely impossible.
The weather is mostly dry, with mildly chilly days and extremely frigid nights (below -20 C). Winter hiking to the Everest Base Camp is the ideal option for those who like a secluded trekking experience and wish to escape the crowds.
Travel Insurance for Everest Base Camp Trek
Numerous emergency plans are necessary because the entire expedition is heavily reliant on erratic and uncontrolled weather conditions. Although the walk isn’t very risky, there are a number of hazards that should be taken into account. The greatest way to feel confident about your priceless possessions is to insure them.
For the Everest Base Camp Trek, travel insurance covers unforeseen circumstances or mishaps that may happen while trekking. Medical costs, emergency evacuations, and lost or stolen property are all covered by travel insurance, which offers financial security and support in the case of such occurrences.
Packing List for the Everest Base Camp Trek
Packing for the Everest Base Camp Trek is one of the most difficult things you will have to do. Most beginner trekkers are unaware of the kind of equipment they will require for their journey. Overpacking is another typical error made by most climbers and trekkers on every trip.
Clothes and footwear
- Foundational layers
- Balaclavas or neck gaiters
- Waterproof mittens or gloves
- The middle layers
- outermost layer
- Socks
- Boots for trekking
- Hat that is warm
- The gaiters
- A sports cap or a sunhat
- Inner gloves
- Clothing for the home
- Boots for hiking
Documentation for Travel
- A passport that is valid for at least six months
- Two to three copies of your passport
- Four passport-sized photos
- Visas are accessible at the airport in Kathmandu.
- Insurance, medical records, and cancellations of flights and trips
- Money
How Can You Prevent Altitude Sickness During the Everest Base Camp Trek?
It would always be difficult to get to Everest Base Camp Trek because of the great altitude, which necessitates both mental and physical preparation. It’s best to familiarize oneself with this condition well in advance.
During the trek, it is important to stay away from drugs that cause depression, alcohol, and smoke. Longer stays at higher altitudes will provide you with safer exposure to low oxygen levels.
By encouraging the production of more red blood cells, this additional time during the acclimatization phase enables you to transport more oxygen and safely reach higher heights.
Drinking three to four litters of water a day is essential while you’re in high altitude conditions. Furthermore, eating a well-balanced meal heavy in carbs will assist provide your body with the energy it needs to hike in high-altitude conditions.
It’s critical to listen to your body’s signals and act quickly if you experience any altitude sickness symptoms.
Final Say
As a whole, the trek to Everest Base Camp is an exceptional journey requiring the right preparation mentally and physically. The challenges along the trek are definitely demanding. However, the rewards you get from the astonishing views, rich culture, and adventure are truly worth trekking for.
If you are thinking of experiencing the Everest Base Camp Trek this year, BEST TREK AND ADVENTURE is, without a doubt, your perfect guide. Based in Kathmandu, our travel agency aims to introduce you to the heavenly beauty of Nepal without any hassles.