I am thinking of doing this trek next fall with Gadventures. I did the Inca Trail with them and loved it. I am curious about others in your group. Were they mostly die hard trekkers? Any beginners? I completed the Inca Trail with no training and did quite well to my surprise.
I would train for the EBC trek but being slow and holding the group back is a concern in the back of my mind. My group was a complete mix — die hard trekkers, first timers, sporty people and two really old guys only one managed to get to Base Camp. I am also planning my EBC trip for next year.
So far I have asked some people who have already done it, and it seems hiring local porter and guide is better and less expensive. If you are going with friends then this is a good option I guess. I have always found that the thought of holding the group back stresses me more than the trek itself. Annapurna Trail is a easier trail, but as you said, your heart will be at the EBC.
Everyone is encouraged to go at their own pace. And with a guide at the back at the group who will always stay with you, you can take as long as you need. This is not a trek to be taken lightly, and rushing will only result in something more serious.
Do NOT let the thought of holding a group up stress you out. You will be surprised at the incredible support you receive from your fellow trekkers, and what you give back. Hi Becki, I arrived in Kathmandu yesterday and setting off on Monday, so can not wait to get up there. What would you advise? Thanks Mike. I got some from another trekker. Maybe take some with you as a precaution but only use them if absolutely necessary. Im going to EBC on the 8th december. Is the trek to EBC suitable for a beginner?
As i have a job i barely have any training nor i do much exercise. Also im still that Asthmatic kid. Do you walk and exercise regularly? If not, I suggest you do, in order to get your body ready for it. While you do not have to be an athlete to do EBC, a decent level of fitness is required. You will be walking long distances and hiking strenuous trekking routes for up to six hours per day, which get harder with altitude. You have well and truly put this on my bucket list.
Obviously you need to have some sort of fitness to be able to trek for hours a day but I found dealing with the altitude the harder part. Kili is on my list! Wow — now I knew you did this, but for whatever reason missed this post when it went live. You truly captured what it was like.. Hey Becki! Really nice sum up!
I was thinking of doing this trek in march, but one thing concerns me. At this moment I am not very fit. But do you recon I can get in the required shape in 3 months? I had everything from mashed potatoes, macaroni cheese and pizza to traditional Dal Bhat. Thanks for this informative and detailed account! Yours helped put my mind at ease well, maybe not at ease and made me feel like I could actually do this!
Hi Becki, This is such a great insight into the trek, so thank you for that. It scares me that i wont be able to make the climb. I have inhalers and i am active.
I have been training and trying to get fitter just to make it easier on my body and lungs. But it still concerns me as i would hate to not make it. Can you please give me some tips on how you handled the amount of exertion, exercise, altitude, dust and the cold with your asthma.
I informed my guide so that if anything happened, people were aware, and I also just took things at my own pace. This is really important — to not try and keep up with others. I stopped when I needed to, rested when I felt I had to get my breath back and sometimes needed help.
I suffered more from the dust, which resulted in a terrible cough and me losing my voice, and headaches from the altitude, more so than I suffered with my asthma. In fact, that was the least of my worries when things got tough.
Take it slow, find a pace both with your walking and your breathing, take your inhalers regularly, and ensure you have all the right clothing to keep warm. Hi Becki, Thank you so much for reply. The walking distance is short each day on the way in. The hard part is the elevation. Also we had alot of downtime and the tea houses are cold.
Even in the dining area, but we were there about 2 weeks before peak season…. Thank you! Hi Becki! I am looking at booking with gecko adventures for this nov and just had some questions about backpacks and sleeping bags. What size day pack in litres seemed suitable? And would you suggest hiring a good sleeping bag is the way to go rather than purchasing and taking over?
Thank you!! I normally carry a litre daypack. I hired a sleeping bag as its bulky and not something I wanted to carry with me before and after. Only L for the daypack? Its interesting that there are sort of the two extremes. Thanks for the info. Our sherpas carried our main bags.
The day pack was just for our trekking essentials throughout the day. I just came back from basecamp and I must say that it was surprisingly easy. I did not in any way physically prepare myself , and I can honestly say that pretty much anyone can do it.
Hi Becki I was so excited to find your fabulous information. My daughter and I will be doing EBC in 3 weeks time. You have put my mind at rest about so many things. I managed fine. But my knees really took strain on the way down. This time I have been walking with strap on weights on my ankles and 10kg in a backpack 4 x a week.
We are also fortunate that we live in Johannesburg, SouthAfrica which is m above sea level. It looks like we will survive after all. Thank you for sharing your experiences. I salute you! You will be absolutely fine and it seems like you are used to the experience. Have a fabulous time and i wish you every success. I am thinking of taking my family in two years time. I would love to hear about your experience when you return. I also stay in Johannesburg. Planning to do EBC trek in Nov , as a fund raiser for charity.
Our neighbour has done it 3 times and says Nov, is the best time. Hi Gerda I am from Cape Town. I see that you have done Kili and then EBC.
We are doing EBC in Oct. How do you compare the two in terms of effort and strain on knees etc. They are both very different, so I think it would be hard to compare. I really enjoyed reading your account of your ascent to base-camp.
Thanks for the informative and realistic account of yr trip to EBC. I am so impressed with your travels and hiking and so envious! I had 2 concerns and would be eternally grateful if you could help me on them. I am 53 years old and have been hiking for several years but of course nothing as crazy as this. I was wondering what kind of jacket you used?
I was planning on taking a fill down jacket but they seems so light! I am not sure they will keep me warm even if I layer it with fleece and thermals underneath. Shd I go for a heavy ski jacket or will it be a hindrance while climbing?
We recently climbed a fourteener in Colorado and it was really tough but we did it without diamox. I have herad that Diamox is only effective if u take it a couple of days before the hike. You have mentioned that u took diamox at the higher altitudes. Was it still as effective? I would also rather try to do it without the diamox and take it only when necessary if that is as effective.
I get really cold too. Most of us used this system, and some had thicker wind-breaker jackets than others which are kind of like ski-jackets. If you are really concerned, bring a down jacket AND a ski jacket. You can never be too sorry and on the last few days getting to EBC it is really cold!
My ski jacket packs down pretty well. I never wanted to take Diamox. I think it is dangerous to mask what your body is trying to tell you. However, around three days before heading to EBC my migraines really kicked in and my guide told me that Diamox would be the best thing for me — just for those two days leading to EBC and for a couple of days after coming down. I was absolutely fine and it helped a lot. Plus the guides are VERY well trained to look out for you.
Hi there, thanks so much for the interesting read. My hubby and I are currently considering this trek and have no previous experience. I have no doubt the feeling of accomplishment is immense and it would be breathtaking to see Everest in person. My question is about the experience in the days leading up to base camp — what is it like — is it interesting scenery, is there lots to see or do?
I know that sounds a bit daft, but my worry is that we will just be walking through bleak terraine to get to our goal and then coming back again. Did you find the whole experience to be a positive on? What a very interesting read that was. Forever young and adventurous. Have a great time! Great info! My husband and I just got back from Italy but I always need a travel adventure to look forward to!
I love nature and would love to do this within the next couple of years. This has been very informative. Its high on the list of things to do — but before I get too excited about the possibility of setting off with my trusty boots I do have a question. I have a weak knee ligament damage back in the — its never let me down yet on a hike — but will not take significant twisting.
My main concern not withstanding attitude! Any info on the terrain would be useful I am aware you have no idea how much my knee will take and so cannot judge if the terrain is going to cause a problem — I am just trying to make a more informed decision — so any general comments would be useful.
I will be ringing Gadventures for their view. All the best with all your travels…. There is some loose rubble but not all the time. Thanks for the information — will get organizing it — sorry for not saying thanks sooner….
Nice read, but I thought it was a bit over dramatic. Maybe we are from different physical backgrounds but I just did it last week. Without a porter or a guide and carrying a 18 kilo pack. Went up in nine days and came down in two. The route is so simple and getting lost on the way to base camp is impossible.
I disagree. For many people this will be their first big trek and it is a huge undertaking for avid hardcore trekkers, not as much. Plus I know many people who have fallen seriously ill with the altitude. Sakari I disagree with you as well and agree with Becki…9 days is definitely not recommended by anyone to ascend almost m in altitude. Infact, the medically safe guideline for ascending is m per day with 1 day acclimatization for every m and even the 12 day program goes a bit faster than this.
Just because this worked out well for you does not mean it will work for the majority. Some people, such as yourself, are perhaps not only in top physical conditioning but also have the genetics to acclimatize very fast. Most people do not acclimatize well and are not athletes. I personally saw a girl evacuated by helicopter at Dingboche despite taking Diamox. It was quite scary, AMS is not a joke. I am an avid hiker but was not quite sure what to expect.
Last weekend I summitted Mt. Baldy here in Los Angeles at 10,ft, 14 miles in about 7 hours or so with ft of elevation gain. I have really weak knees so at times it was brutal on my knees. Besides that I was somewhat fine but I. I do hike miles every weekend but at sea level, the biggest wildcard for me is the extreme altitude and the impact of the uphill and downhill sections on my knees.
How extreme are the inclines? I am crossing my fingers that I will make it. Thanks again for sharing. You sound like a hiking pro already and I think you will be fine! Good luck, and I look forward to hearing all about it! As I had posted earlier I am an avid hiker and consider myself fairly fit. However this trek kicked my butt!! A culmination of factors make this trek a pretty tough exercise — extreme altitude, extreme cold and chilling wind, long days, glacial uneven terrain nearing EBC, steep inclines and declines.
An early morning sunrise hike to Kala Patthar is more difficult and I have heard that the pictures with the sun in your camera is not great. Doing it mid-day resulted in some spectacular pictures from the summit as the sun was overhead. I did EBC early morning next day and did not have to start at an absurdly early hour.
Congrats Becki for completing the trek and for sharing your experience which helped me be a bit more prepared. I certainly was in no physical state to complete that. Not even the fittest guy on our trip was! Huge congratulations Kevin, and thanks for posting about your experience and that parts you found challenging.
Hi there, thanks for your summary and pictures. I am planning on doing this in May with the same outfitter gadventures. A few questions:. In what month did you go? Can sleeping bags, trekking poles, and other hiking gear, etc.
Or you get them in Kathmandu? Do they provide hot water, or do you have to buy it? I did Mt. I went in November. A lot of it is fake and not the same high quality. Hot water is not available everywhere, no. When you do come across it after a few days you will certainly have to pay for it!
Congratulations on reaching EBC! I consider myself above average athletically but nothing too special. An extra day or two could be the difference between a successful trek or an early trip back to Kathmandu. The entire trek is km 80 miles round trip. However, there are several acclimatization days added to the itinerary. On these days, you will walk roughly 3 — 8 km, depending on the schedule. The bigger story is the elevation gain. Lukla is at 2, meters 9, feet.
Everest Base Camp sits at 5, meters 17, feet. The closer you get to Everest Base Camp, the more challenging the trek becomes. Once you get up over meters 14, feet , walking on flat ground feels surprisingly difficult and small hills begin to feel more like mountains. This was our first experience trekking at high altitude and we knew to expect the shortness of breath and fatigue, but it still surprised us just how difficult it can be hiking to hike at these higher elevations.
Once in Gorak Shep, I remember that I would even feel out of breath just rolling over in my sleeping bag. Flying into and out of Lukla can be a nerve-wracking, terrifying experience for some people and a thrill ride for others.
Note: As of late , flights between Kathmandu to Lukla have been reduced, and I heard maybe even cancelled, due to congestion and runway maintenance at Tribhuvan International Airport. Rather than flying from Kathmandu, airlines are busing people to Ramechhap airport, which is a 4 hour drive from Kathmandu. From here, you fly to Lukla. Flight times are very fast lasting only 12 minutes and less likely to be cancelled or delayed due to unfavorable weather conditions.
When booking your trek with a tour company, confirm your flight details between Kathmandu and Lukla. Altitude sickness is a real possibility on this trek. Altitude sickness typically occurs at elevations over 2, meters 7, feet , although for most people, it usually takes much higher elevations to cause symptoms. The symptoms of altitude sickness are shortness of breath, headache, nausea, vomiting, and dizziness.
Altitude sickness is a life-threatening condition that can lead to cerebral edema, pulmonary edema, and death. The treatment for altitude sickness is immediate descent to a lower altitude. The biggest risk for developing altitude sickness increasing your elevation too rapidly. Ideally, you want to increase your elevation no more than meters 1, feet per day. On this trek, we did have an increase of meters in one day, when we trekked from Phakding to Namche Bazaar on day 2.
However, the following day was an acclimatization day to help us adjust to this new altitude before pushing on. The eight day trek to Everest Base Camp is designed to give you enough time to acclimate to the increasing altitude without developing altitude sickness.
Even so, there is a handful of people who will still develop altitude sickness. In order to decrease the likelihood of developing altitude sickness, you can schedule extra acclimatization days into the trek to Everest Base Camp. By the time we reached Dingboche, we were all feeling the effects of the altitude, as were many other trekkers. All four of us suffered from mild symptoms of fatigue and loss of appetite.
By the time we reached Gorak Shep, we all had a mild headache. Tyler got altitude sickness during the ascent up Kala Patthar. Our guide, Indra, immediately recognized the symptoms, put Tyler on his back, and within minutes, ran back to Gorak Shep with Tim clearing the trail of other hikers along the way.
There are two main seasons to trek to Everest Base Camp, in the fall between October and November and again in the spring between April and May. The true climbing season to summit Everest takes place in April and May, but the more favorable trekking season is during the fall months. This is when the skies are clear and the scenery magnificent. We scheduled our trek to start at the end of September, right at the end of the monsoon season.
Late season rains delayed our flight to Lukla by one day. However, by starting just before peak season, we were able to hike on uncrowded trails for most of the trek. By the time we made it back to Lukla, in early October, the crowds on the trails were more than double. You can focus on strength exercise, you can simulate altitude with altitude masks. There's a lot you can do. Check this blog post if you want to read more about getting fit for your Everest Base Camp Trek.
Symptoms of AMS start to show within a few hours after arrival at high altitude and include nausea, shortness of breath, headache and inability to exercise.
An overall feeling of fatigue will take all the joy away that you were experiencing until things got bad. You may struggle to fall asleep, experience dizziness and you could be suffering from a severe headache. You may also lose your sense of coordination, have trouble walking and have a tight chest. The higher the altitude, the more severe your symptoms can be.
If you have watched Everest the movie, you know what we are talking about. But those guys were climbing and you are, fortunately, only trekking. There is a number of scoring systems for determining altitude sickness. Guides are trained in these systems and are experienced in immediate treatment. When aware of the symptoms, you can do a lot to make sure you stay healthy at high altitude.
The following rules of thumbs can help you to prevent altitude sickness happening to you. They can also help to get the symptoms under control. Careful Preparation Have a full medical checkup and tell your practitioner what you are up to. Purchase medication recommended by your doctor. If you plan to be trekking with children, make sure you take their preparation just as carefully. Become the Fittest Version of Yourself Exercise about 3 to 6 hours a week with a backpack of 10kg to simulate an average day out in the Himalayas.
Check out this blog post and find out how you can train for trekking in Nepal. Listen to Your Body Your body tells you when it needs rest. Listen to it carefully. Be aware of the symptoms of Altitude Sickness and talk about it. Let your friends, your guide, your porters know how you feel and press pause when your body wants you to. Climb High, Sleep Low An unwritten law for trekkers and climbers alike is to climb high but to sleep low. They climb high, but they sleep low. This is being done to ensure you that you acclimatize carefully after having tackled elevation.
Eat Plenty and Hydrate More Do you like food? Eat as much as you can and eat even more. The same goes for drinking. No, you silly, not for alcohol.
Eat and drink as much as you can. Check What Comes Out One way to gauge your fluid intake is to check your urine. Do you have to take a wee break more often than usual? Keep up the hydration game. Then drink more. The airport is known to be one of the most dangerous airports in the world. That fact makes the flight particularly interesting. In the past flights were irregular and flight schedules were when the weather was rough, hard to count on.
However, as more airlines are no offering flights on this exciting route, things have improved a lot compared to the days in the 90s and 00s. Check the below video to get an impression of your upcoming flight to Lukla. These treks you might like.
Mount Everest. What Are The Teahouses on the Mt. Everest Base Camp Trek Like? Tea houses are small hotels known as Bhatti. The altitude gain is nearly 3, meters though. Hi, I would like to do EBC on my own since having a porter or a guide with me all the time does not work for me.
I am wondering how safe it is to hike alone for a female. I am also wondering if getting accommodation can be a problem if you dont book in advance. Finally, is the path well marked. Many thanks! Hi, it is possible to trek solo and if you go during the high seasons March-May or September-November then there will be quite a few people on the trail.
Getting accommodation each day should not be a problem but you might not get your pick of teahouses. Generally porters run ahead of trekkers to secure the best teahouses.
The standard EBC path is not well marked but maps of the region are very detailed and easy to follow. All the best! I am Ram and 40 year old i would like to know more about Everest trekking , i would like to do and what is the process. Hi Ram, I recommend browsing our site — it provides all the information you need. Firstly, trekkers cannot actually get all the way into the camp. So to hike there and back means hanging around EBC is not recommended.
Hope this helps! I read is the low season, with probably a lot of snow. You consider this dangerous? Which equipment would you consider? Hi Mariano, yes, there is more snow in December. As long as you are trekking the standard route to EBC there is no additional danger.
If you plan to cross some big passes, like those on the Gokyo route or Three Passes Trek, I would caution against that.
Most passes will be closed in December anyway. Thank you for sharing all this information in your blog. Great way to start preparing for next years climb. Thanks for the info Mark, helps a lot. Planning to do the trek in December.
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