Everest Base Camp Trek – 14 days

Trip Information

Best Season

Accessible all year round, the Everest Base Camp offers the most beautiful experience in the seasons of autumn and spring. The calming temperature from -1 to 15 degrees Celsius in the months of September, October, and November (Autumn) makes your long working hours pleasurable. While the warm 16 degrees Celsius of the spring months of March, April, and May is more than comforting.

The transparently clear blue sky with the continuously transforming vegetation and landscape will make your trip worth remembering. You will meet numerous trekkers some climbing Island Peak, some with the determined will of conquering Mount Everest who will be happy to tell their stories and share their experience.

Elevation and trekking distance

Elevated at an altitude of 5316 m above sea level, the Everest Base Camp is around 200 to 300 km from Kathmandu. You need at least 14 days to cover this distance on foot.

Beginning your journey, you will take a flight to Lukla located 367 km away from the capital. As you complete your trek from Lukla to Everest Base Camp, you will cover almost 65 km by walking through the varied mountainous terrain of several villages for 12 days.

So on average, each day you will hike for 15 km which is not that difficult if you are in good health and fitness.

Maximum/Minimum walk per day

Since the beginning of our Everest Base Camp trek, you will walk for 4 to 7 hours each day with a short break for lunch and photos in between. The walking hour depends on the resting destination we have scheduled for you on the itinerary. It also depends on your pace and the terrain you will be traversing.

For example, when trekking from Lukla to Phakding, the trail is relatively short and easy which you can cover in almost 3 hours. When passing through Phakding, Namche, Tengboche, Dingboche, and Lobuche, you will walk for almost 4 to 7 hours a day.

The most walking you have to be ready for is on day 9 and day 10 of the trek. On the 9th day, you will set foot at the Everest Base Camp from where you will return to Gorakshep for which 8 to 9 hours of hike is needed.

On the 10th day, you will summit the Kala Patthar and return to Pangboche needing you to hike for 9 to 10 hours. From the 11th day, when you round up your trip, you will mostly be descending through the trail so the rest of the trek will be more comforting.

Difficulty

Despite being a long trekking journey, the Everest Base Camp trek doesn’t present major technical difficulties. The entire route to the base camp has an excellent structure in the small villages we pass through. It doesn’t mean you don’t have to face any challenges. Remember, you have to walk 5 to 7 hours a day on average. You also have to face cold temperatures that can sometimes reach -15°C and feel the effects of acclimatization to altitude.

However, anyone with basic physical fitness and a strong mindset can participate in this trek. Perfect for a short family vacation, this trek offers an opportunity to learn a lot of wisdom among the picturesque and well-preserved stone villages, and Buddhist philosophy.

Can a beginner trek to Everest Base Camp?

Yes, even if you are a novice trekker who doesn’t possess prior experience in mountain trekking, climbing, or extreme sports, you can successfully achieve your dream of seeing the mountain of mountains.

Readiness to walk for long hours along the rugged mountainous terrain and willingness to adapt to simple accommodation in mountain lodges are the only criteria for joining this trek. Above all, the physical and mental challenge of walking long distances over steep terrain and high altitudes helps develop resilience, endurance, and self-confidence.

So yes, even if you are new to high-altitude trekking, do not hesitate to contact us to join this trek. We will provide all the necessary information required to carry out this trek easily.

Your Health

As discussed above, our Everest Base Camp trek is not that challenging and demanding at all. All we ask you to be in basic physical and mental fitness. If you have any chronic condition, we suggest you seek advice from your physician.

Make sure you strengthen your leg and core muscles at least 2 months before you join this trip. So your endurance level can increase and you can easily hike for long hours without any problems.

Additionally, your mental state plays a crucial role when you embark on this trek. The lower altitude zone is well equipped with good infrastructure but at higher zones, the facilities are still basic due to their remoteness and geography. Therefore, staying away for a few days from the luxury of a hot shower, WIFI, centrally heated rooms, or attached bathrooms is required.

But remember, it is exactly in these moments of discomfort that you discover your inner strength and the ability to overcome obstacles.

Preparation and training

After deciding to join or Everest Base Camp trek, please make sure you engage in some simple sporting activities that can increase your fortitude. We recommend that you practice running, walking, swimming, climbing, and cycling for at least a month before participating in this trek.

Also, consider going on simple altitude training such as trekking nearby low-altitude mountains of your country. This practice will help you adjust to the thin atmosphere of the highly elevated region of Nepal.

And, meditation and yoga are other great practices to increase your mental strength and inner calm. In any type of discomfort or discouraging situation, you can remain undisturbed and experience inner peace.

Alternate Routes

What is so amazing about the Everest Base Camp trek is we have a number of alternate routes by which we can reach the base. Apart from the classic 14-day trek to the base camp, there are several options available to choose from. Such as the Everest Base Camp trek with three Passes trek in which you will hike through some of the remotest tracks in the world. You will cross Kongma La, Cho La, and Renjo La Passes before paying a visit to the camp.

If you think crossing three Passes is not your cup of tea, then opt for the Everest Base Camp trek via Tashi Lapcha Pass. You will drive from Kathmandu to Charikot and head towards Rolwaling Valley to cross the Pass and reach Everest Base Camp.

For nature lovers, you can trek to the Everest Base Camp along with a hike to the serene Gokyo Lake with the option of conquering the Gokyo Ri peak. Not interested? OK, we also have one more option for you.

We will drive you to Jiri from Kathmandu and take you through some magnificent villages of Sete, Junbeshi, Nunthala, Bupsa, Surke, and then to Phakding.

Please contact us for a hike to Everest Base Camp through any trail you like.

Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness may occur when hiking the high altitude trek like Everest Base Camp. You may feel the minor symptoms of this sickness even if you are an experienced trekker or even if you enjoy good health. This sickness occurs because of the thin air and low oxygen levels in the atmosphere of highly elevated regions like Everest Base Camp.

Therefore, well acclimatization of your body gradually to the high altitude is a must. We have scheduled two days of rest at Namche and Dingboche during the initial phase of the trek. We will utilize these days well by hiking for a few hours and resting plenty.

Still, you may feel nauseated, drowsiness, insomnia, loss of appetite, and headache which are the mild symptoms of this sickness. If so, taking a tablet of paracetamol, or Ibuprofen for headache and Diamox for difficulty in breathing can relieve you quickly.

If the medication doesn’t help, you can immediately descend and go up after feeling better. Drinking plenty of fluids, and water, and avoiding heavy meals, smoking, and alcohol are some preventive measures for altitude sickness.

Food and Drink

We will provide all meals (Breakfast, lunch, and dinner) along with fresh seasonal fruit during the trek. When staying in the city, there are numerous options for dining according to your choice. Therefore, we will provide only breakfast when you stay in Kathmandu.

During the trek, breakfast and dinner will be provided in the lodge where we take shelter for the night. Lunch is provided along the trail of the Everest Base Camp.

The lodges along the route are well-developed and provide diverse cuisine from Nepali, Indian, Chinese, and Tibetan dishes. You can also enjoy some freshly baked pies and cakes. For breakfast, you have the option to choose from boiled eggs, porridge, bread, toast, chapati, and so on.

For lunch and dinner, you can order chowmen, pizza, thukpa, momo, or Dal Vat Tarkari. Enjoy your meal with a hot cup of masala tea, black tea, honey lemon tea, or Tibetan buttered tea or coffee.

The fruit juices, soft and hard beverages from cola drinks to alcohol can cost you an additional charge as they are excluded from our package.

Gadgets charging and Internet

Do not worry about charging your gadgets and devices during the trek. The rooms in the lodges have electrical sockets where you can charge your mobile, camera, and laptop. Almost all the villages receive a 24-hour electricity supply now and some also have solar power. So charging devices is no problem but at higher altitudes, the lodge owners may charge some Nepali rupees for the service.

As for internet connections, the lodges also provide good WIFI services. Up to Namche, you may have free WIFI but as you gain altitude, you may have to pay an extra fee. In addition, Nepal Telecom and NCELL have now provided several data packages so you can enjoy a 24-hour internet connection all along the track.

Permits

No TIMS card is needed for the Everest Base Camp trek but you need two other permits namely: Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit and Khumbu Rural Municipality Permit.

The money collected from these permits is used to progress the villages and the livelihood of the local people. The Sagarmatha National Park permit is issued by the Nepal Tourism Board office of Kathmandu or Monjo village costing you NPR 3000 (USD 25) per person. For SAARC nationals, the cost is NPR 1500 (USD 10) per person.

The Khumbu Rural Municipality Permit is issued at Lukla or Monjo costing you NPR 2000 (USD 15) per person.

A typical day during the trek

We guarantee you will get more than you have bargained for when setting out for our Everest Base Camp trek. The date when you have joined this trek will be etched in your mind forever. From the rich cultural heritage of Kathmandu to the ancient tradition of Buddhism, from the green plains of Kathmandu to the alpine glacial terrain of Everest, you will experience everything.

Each day, after breakfast, you will march along the beautiful route meeting fellow travelers, grazing yaks, and laborious Sherpas. You will cross numerous suspension bridges and cross the roaring Dush Koshi, Bhote Koshi, and Imja Rivers.

At noon, you will rest for a while for lunch and click some pictures. The trek then continues till evening and you will lodge in one of the beautiful warm lodges of the Sherpa village enjoying a hot dinner encircling the burning stove in the dining hall.

The night sky is something you have never witnessed before. Away from the tumultuous city life and lights, the sky suddenly seems filled with zillions of stars you never knew existed.

Transportation