Everest Base Camp Trek – 14 Days

Best Time

Autumn (September to November) is the best time and the most popular season for the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal. The weather is mostly clear and sunny, and the temperatures are mild, ranging between 6 to 22°C. The temperature may drop to 2 to -5°C at night in the Khumbu region and at Everest Base Camp. The downside is that there are more hikers, and the teahouses along the popular trails are usually full of tourists.

Spring (March to May) is another popular time for Everest Base Camp trekking. During this time of year, the snow in the mountains begins to melt in the mild climate, and rhododendron bushes begin to bloom. The temperature in the Khumbu region often ranges between 14°C to -10°C during the day and below freezing point at night.

The disadvantage of traveling during this period is that the weather is not as clear as in autumn, which means that clouds can hide the views of the mountain ranges.

The low season of Summer/Monsoon (June to August) and winter (December to February) are more favorable for experienced and well-trained hikers who can overcome the challenges of bone-chilling temperatures and unexpected storms of winter and risks of landslides in summer.

Elevation and trekking distance

The iconic Everest Base Camp stands proudly in the Sagarmatha National Park at an elevation of 5364 m above sea level. This extraordinary destination, alluring daring adventurists for years, lies at a distance of 200 to 300 km away from Kathmandu.

Kala Patthar at 5548 m marks the highest elevation of our 14-day Everest Base Camp Trek, while the elevation of 5180 m of Gorakshep will be the maximum elevation of our overnight destination.

Our Everest Base Camp trek of 14 days begins from the Sherpa town of Lukla, elevated at a respectable altitude of 2800 m. The town is at an aerial distance of 135 km from Kathmandu and can be covered within half an hour’s flight. From Lukla, the impressive Everest Base Camp is just 65 km away and takes around 11 days to journey on foot, walking 10 to 15 km.

Maximum/Minimum walk per day

During our 14-day expedition to Everest Base Camp, we will hike for 11 days, walking for 5 to 6 hours on average. The walking duration of every day has been planned with deliberate attention to acclimatization. Therefore, most of our walks will be steady, slow, and gradual.

However, the easiest walk is on the second day as we hike from Lukla to Phakding along the easy yet beautiful route and reach the village within three hours.

The most challenging part of our Everest base Camp trek will be on the ninth and tenth days. On the ninth day, we ascend from Lobuche to Gorak Shep and set foot at Everest Base Camp, then return back to Gorak Shep taking us about 6 to 7 hours of journey on foot.

The next day, we climb Kala Patthar and climb down to Pheriche, which will take approximately 7 hours to complete.

Difficulty and Acclimatization

The 14-day Everest Base Camp trek is classified as a moderately challenging trek in the Khumbu region of Nepal. The 11 hiking days on this trek don’t require any technical skill, special gear, or previous experience of high altitude trekking or climbing. The trail is mostly easy along the stony paths from lush to barren landscape.

You have to tackle broad scree along the path after Namche Bazaar, while from Lobuche, you will have to overcome low-angled snow ridges at angles up to 30 degrees.

Therefore, very good fitness and hiking skills are required. We have two acclimatization days on the way with a thoughtfully designed itinerary and walking hours for gradual adaptation to the high altitude thin air.

There is also the possibility of a health check at the Himalayan Rescue Association medical station along the way.

Can a beginner trek to Everest Base Camp?

If you are a fit individual who enjoys sound physical and mental well-being, then the Everest Base Camp trek is for you regardless of your experience level. However, keep in mind that during the 14-day trek, you have to overcome steep inclines, challenging mountain terrain, lengthy suspension bridges, and dense forests. Therefore, a good level of endurance and strength is a prerequisite for the trek.

We suggest you do not hurry and distribute your energy carefully with steady walks. Adaptability, flexibility, and endurance play a crucial role in this trek than your physical strength.

We are passionate about providing you with a comfortable journey to Everest Base Camp. Therefore, our experienced and certified English-speaking guide will accompany you throughout the tour and will keep a comfortable pace that suits the whole group. We will stop at regular intervals to eat, drink, and take the opportunity to take photographs.

Preparation and training

You do not need to have previous experience of trekking to do this trek. However, it is important that you train at home in preparation for the Everest base camp trek. An excellent exercise is putting on your backpack and going outside for a nature walk. Preferably on good slopes as you train the muscles in the parts of the body required for the hike.

You should expect 4-6 hours of hiking most days, and some days it will be 6-8 hours of hiking. We recommend that you use hiking poles during the trek, so feel free to use these during training as well.

Running, walking, swimming, or cycling will also help you build strength and endurance. Please do not overexercise; keep it at a medium level, limiting it to three times a week.

Alternate Routes

Multiple routes are available to reach Everest Base Camp, each with its unique feature and difficulty level. You can follow the classic route to Everest Base Camp from Lukla to Gorakshep for a comfortable and luxurious trek. After climbing Kala Patthar, you can then ride in a helicopter to return to Lukla.

The other option is a one-day helicopter tour of Everest Base Camp with a stopover at Kala Patthar and Hotel Everest View. This program is designed for those who are short of time or have some health issues but still want to see Everest with their own eyes. This is relatively the most expensive option for seeing Mother of all Mountains.

On the other hand, if you are an adventure freak, then you can follow the footprints of Tenzing and Hilary and trek from Jiri to Phakding, adding a few more trek days through the much more remote setting of Nepal.

You can also integrate some other extraordinary Khumbu destinations with the Everest Base Camp trek. Such as the Gokyo Lake trip, the Three Passes trek, or the Tashi Lapcha Pass trek.

For experienced trekkers who wish to heighten their experience and thrill, you can climb Lobuche or Island Peak when trekking to Everest Base Camp.

Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness is the primary concern in the Everest Base Camp trek due to the differences in altitude as you transition from 1350 m of Kathmandu to 2800 m of Lukla within a day. The trek days ahead will lead you to the high-mountain villages of Tengboche, Dingboche, and Lobuche.

When you reach Everest Base Camp and climb the Kala Patthar, you will be well above 5000 m. therefore, you are likely to experience the symptoms of altitude sickness due to thin air. Hiking in these conditions is, therefore, a challenge for the body, which, in many cases, hikers see as part of the allure.

The common experiences most hikers go through are headache, dizziness, vomiting, nausea, shortness of breath, and loss of sleep and appetite. The best tips to minimize altitude sickness are to:

• Listen to your body
• Respect the acclimatization days
• Go slowly
• Drink a lot of water
• Breathe deeply and regularly
• Also, a supportive company does a lot to minimize altitude sickness

In order to reduce symptoms quickly, you can take the Diuretic drug Diamox, which can relieve your condition within a few hours.

Accommodation, Food and Drink

We are very passionate about facilitating each of our guests with outstanding hospitality and utmost care during the trip so each of them can return with an unforgettable experience and a memory bank for life. We, therefore, take care of all the logistic aspects of the trip: accommodation, food, drink, transportation, and permits. (Please refer to our included service). We want you to feel fully appreciated and noticed all the way from preparation to follow-up.

In Kathmandu, we offer three-star hotels in double rooms with private toilets. You can also upgrade your booking to a single room or deluxe hotel at an additional cost. Breakfast will be offered every morning in Kathmandu, and lunch and dinner will be on your own.

During the trek, accommodation will be on mountain lodges or tea houses in double rooms with shared toilets in the corridor. We will provide three meals a day (Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner), including a cup of tea/coffee throughout the trekking period. We also give you fresh seasonal fruits every day after dinner.

In Kathmandu, you will find all kinds of food with Western inspiration, such as pizzerias, clean steakhouses, as well as food from other parts of Asia, such as Thai food. In mountain lodges, Dal, vat, and Tarkari, rich in carbohydrates and protein, is the staple diet with options of bread, egg, noodles, dumplings, pizza, and bakeries.

Transportation

Our travel plan for the Everest Base Camp trek proposes airport pickup and drop-off services by private vehicle with a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla to Kathmandu.

In case of a Lukla flight diversion to Ramechhap, we will drive to the Ramechhap/Manthali airport by private transportation for four hours.

Communication, Gadgets charging, and Internet/WIFI

For reliable communication in Kathmandu and the Everest region, we suggest you purchase NCELL Sim, which provides good coverage in the entire Nepal. You can also buy Namaste Sim, but the connection can be sporadic at high altitudes. Both mobile networks offer 4G service throughout Nepal with good-speed mobile internet. To activate the internet service, please dial *17123# for Ncell or *1415# for NTC.

For high-speed internet service, you can also purchase the Everest Link Wifi prepaid card that comes with various options from 500 MB to 1000 MB. The Everest Link has been providing the live stream of the Everest region, including the Base Camp, on YouTube. The mountain lodges or tea houses also offer WIFI connections at an additional cost of USD 2-4/hour.

These lodges also have solar panels installed with uninterrupted electricity so you can charge your mobiles, laptop, camera batteries, and power bank at an extra fee of USD 4 to USD 10 per hour, and the charging duration is limited to 1 hour due to high demand.

Permits

A Khumbu Rural Municipality Permit and a Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit are needed for our Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal. Our guide will obtain these permits for you either in Kathmandu or Lukla.