Everest Base Camp & Kalapathar Trek – 16 Days

Best Time

Although the Everest Base Camp trek is accessible throughout any time of the year, spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit.

In spring, (from late March to May), the day temperature remains at 25 degrees Celsius, and the night temperature drops to -15 degrees Celsius. Which is neither too hot, nor too cold. And you can enjoy the beautiful blooming flowers along your hike.

And in the autumn, (from late September to November), the daytime temperature in the season will remain between 12 and 20 degrees Celsius, whereas the nighttime temperature goes below 3 degrees Celsius to -7 degrees Celsius.

Spring and Autumn have the perfect weather for the trek, with clearer skies and dryness. So you can enjoy the warm sun and stunning views throughout the trek.

The winters, December to February, are the least popular season for trek because of the cold and slippery snow which can be hazardous. The temperature drops up to -4 degrees Celsius on average in Namche Bazar (which is the lowest point of the trek).

And it will be tougher at higher elevations. Although it’s not impossible, it will certainly be more challenging.

If you want to do the Everest Base Camp trek during the winter season, you’ll have to bring more thermal layering, special trekking equipment to handle the snowdrifts, and probably a couple more days to complete it.

The good things about trekking in the winter are that the skies are clearer, there won’t be a lot of crowds, and the expenses may be a little less due to it being an “off-season”. So if you’re on a budget and love a good challenge, you might pick the winter season for the Everest Base Camp Trek.

Elevation and Distance

From the starting point of the trek, Lukla, the elevation is over 2,600 m. The general elevation gain during the trek will be an average of 400–800 m per day. And the maximum elevation will be 5,545m.

And the starting point of the trek is at an elevation of 2,860 m (9,383 ft), whereas the base of Mount Everest is at an elevation of 5,364 m (17,598 ft.). This makes the elevation gain for trekkers 2,504 m (8,125 ft.).

The classic Everest Base Camp Trek from Lukla to the Base Camp is 130 km, climbing up and trekking down back. 65 km of trekking to see the base camp may seem like a lot of trekking, but it is done in 14 days to make it easier for the trekkers.

At an average pace of walking for about 6-7 hours a day, you can easily cover 15 km each day. The distance of the Everest Base Camp trek can be easily attainable with the proper physical fitness and courage.

Difficulty and Altitude Sickness

The 16-day Everest Base Camp Trek is a moderate level of trekking that doesn’t require more than 8 hours of walking a day with ample time to rest and enjoy the scenery. The Everest Base Camp trek is just 16 days long and quite beginner friendly and requires no prior trekking expertise in technical or mountaineering skills, but the trekkers should be physically and mentally fit for the trek.

Though not very difficult, if not done with proper supervision and care, the Everest Base Camp Trek is not to be taken too lightly. And like any trek, it can also pose life-taking risks due to various elements like altitude sickness, accidents and mishaps, unpredictable weather conditions, rugged terrain, etc.

When you are at high altitude, there is always a chance that you will get altitude sickness. So when trekking, you must understand and be prepared for the side effects of altitude sickness and what symptoms your body might show.

If your body is not used to high altitudes, you should take the trek slowly and steadily, acclimatizing yourself to the elevation.

You may get the usual AMS (acute mountain sickness) due to the altitude when trekking. And it comes with mild symptoms like headaches, fatigue, dizziness, shortness of breath, nausea, insomnia, and a lack of appetite.

Therefore, if you feel even a slight of these symptoms, it’s best to rest a while as you get used to the altitude you are in.

Drink enough water and keep yourself cozy. If it doesn’t lessen the symptoms even after a few days of resting and acclimatizing, then you should get down to the lower elevation and get proper medications.

In case of an emergency, you should even opt for a helicopter and get back to Kathmandu for further medical care.

You can take Diamox or similar medication besides acclimatization to prevent altitude sickness. Although it doesn’t cure the sickness, it reduces and prevents it to some degree.

Maximumand Minimum Walk Per Day

We will be walking an average of5-7 hours per day during the 16-day Everest Base Camp Trek. Throughout the journey, we will have ample time to rest and enjoy the scenery as we make our way to the destination. The longest trek is estimated to be on day 9 as we trek from Lobuche to Gorak Shep which is a distance of around 2.8 miles or 4.5 kilometres.

In general, the trekking starts at 8 a.m. and reaches the overnight stay destination by late 4 p.m., including 1 hour for a lunch break. You have to be prepared to walk for 6-8 hours a day with a daypack to trek to the Everest Base Camp for 16 days.

Accommodation, Food and Drinks

The accommodations in the mountains are mostly going to be tea houses and mountain lodge or guest houses, which are run by local sherpas. Don’t get fooled by the name ‘Tea House’; there are going to be full-fledged bed and breakfast lodges, cafes, restaurants, and bakeries, specially designed to host travelers.

The accommodations are going to be cozy and warm, on both a sharing basis and with single-stay options, according to your budget and preferences.

The bathrooms up In the mountains are mostly European standard, with commodes, squat toilets, or a mixture of both.

There are a few hotels that have attached bathrooms, like Mountain Lodges of Nepal (Yeti Mountain Home), Hotel Everest View, and Sherpa Shangri-la Hotel, which will cost you between USD 30 and USD 250 per night.

And, you can pay an additional USD 10 to upgrade from a shared room to a single room or a room with an attached bathroom if the tea house where you are staying has a room available.

The one accommodation rule that you need to follow when on the Everest Base Camp Trek is that you’ll have to eat your meals (breakfast and dinner) in the same hotel or tea house you stay in. It is not appreciated if you stay at one place but eat your meals somewhere else.

The food options during the Everest Base Camp Trek will be diverse and have many options and varieties in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options for all three meals. You can have eggs, toast, mountain bread, potatoes, pancakes, and porridge for breakfast which will give you enough energy for your journey.

There will be a lot of options for lunch and dinner. You can eat soups, noodles, potatoes, spring rolls, momo, burgers, pizza, and Dal Bhat (a Nepali dish that has rice as the main dish, comes with curry, lentils, and pickles on the side, and has free refill) for lunch and dinner.

For drinks, you’ll have plenty of varieties to choose from and find hot water, tea/coffee, soft drinks, and hard drinks.

Foods and drinks are quite expensive on the Everest Base Camp trail in comparison to prices in the cities due to the cost of transport and stock facilities and demands. The general cost for one meal starts from NPR 600 to NPR 1200 (depending on what you eat), and drinks (tea, coffee, boiled water or hard drinks) are going to cost you from NPR 250 to NPR 400 per cup. To save some bucks, you can always pack some dry snacks and energy bars to fuel your treks and water purifier tablets to purify the free water you find along the trail and keep yourself hydrated throughout the Everest Base Camp Trek.

Alternative Routes

There are alternative routes to the Everest Base Camp such as the Gokyo Lake Trek estimated to be 14-20 days, the Rolwaling Valley Trek which is considered quite a lonely and difficult trail estimated to be and the Three Passes Trek which is considered to be the hardest trail and takes an estimated 20 days to complete.

Everest Base Camp Trek through Gokyo Lakes

The Everest Base Camp Trek with Gokyo Lakes is a popular alternative to the classic Everest Base Camp Trek route. It is the regular trail to the Everest Base Camp, but taking an extra tour to Gokyo Lakes on the return journey and destination.

Everest Base Camp Trek through Three Passes

It is a difficult trek in the Everest region. This trek is a combination of crossing three high passes: Kongma La Pass, Cho La Pass, and Renjo La Pass. It takes the same classic trail at first, then turns to Chukhung village from Dingboche and joins the classic trail after crossing the passes.

Everest Base Camp via Jiri

Before the Kathmandu-Lukla flights, trekkers used to drive to Jiri and then start their trek from there. It is also an alternative route but will take a longer period, but the journey from Jiri will be even more beautiful.

Rolwaling to Everest Base Camp via Tashi Lapcha

It is also another alternative to the classic Everest Base Camp trekking trail. Here, trekkers will take a bus from Kathmandu to Charikot and start their trekking. They reach the Everest Base Camp by passing the Tashi Lapcha Pass. This also takes a longer time than the classic trail.

Can Beginners Join this trip?

The Everest Base Camp Trek is known to be pretty beginner friendly. However, it is not to be taken lightly. The average trek will be around 5-7 hours long sohigh stamina and physical as well as mental preparation is strongly recommended for the thrilling trek. The Everest Base Camp Trek will be much more gentle and enjoyable than climbing Everest as it is a trek and not mountain climbing. Beginners can enjoy the trek with the aid of trekking equipment. The trail will have some steep up-hills and down-hills but is generally safe and adventurous for the trekking enthusiasts.

Preparation and Fitness

We recommended building stamina and having good fitness before embarking on the Everest Base Camp Trek journey. Cardio, Elevation Training, Aerobics and Strength Training are the best exercises in preparation for the trek as you would need to hike and carry your bag and equipment too on the trip.

We recommend getting plenty of rest, hydration and electrolytes before embarking on the journey. It’s best to stick to light exercise a day or two before the trek so you can save energy while still being physically fit and ready for the trip.

We also recommend carrying water purifying tablets, electrolyte sachets, and some medications for altitude sickness.

Lastly, get your gear in good quality. It will mitigate many risks during the trek. If you train your body well and start the trek with good gear, you can complete the Everest Base Camp Trek.

Gadget Charging and Internet

Charging of electronic devices is available at all places throughout the trail, though that could come at an extra cost. You can charge your electronics for free until Namche Bazar.

After you ascend to the mountains, you’ll have to give your devices to the tea houses’ owners for charging because the personal rooms won’t have any charging ports.

They’ll charge you NPR 250 to NPR 400 for full charging of phones and cameras, and NPR 500 to NPR 600 for power banks.

The wifi system in the Everest Base Camp Trek is called the Everestlink. You can buy wifi cards at Everest Link Sales Stations in Kathmandu, Lukla, Namche Bazar, Dingboche, and Gokyo. You can also get the package cards at any tea house on the trail or through your trekking agents.

You’ll have to pay for the wifi, which will cost you NPR 1,999 for 10 GB of data that is valid for 30 days and NPR 2,999 for 20 GB of data with a validity of 30 days. It allows connectivity throughout the EBC region.

You can also get yourself Nepali SIM cards (NCELL) for around USD 1, but you’ll have to buy them before the trek in Kathmandu. You can also find these SIMs at Namche and Lukla, but it’ll cost you more there. The sim cards will give you good service up until Tengboche, but will not work after you cross Tengboche.

Permits

The Sagarmatha National Park covers the area of Mount Everest and the base camp. It is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This region is home to deep valleys and high mountains, glaciers, and the indigenous Sherpa community. Along with the cost of maintenance, waste management and upkeep.

Since these are the treasures of Nepal that need to be preserved and protected. Which is why every trekker is required to have two permits to trek to Everest Base Camp.

The first one is the Khumbu Rural Municipality Permit. This pass provides access to the entire Khumbu region. It costs NPR 2000 per person for four weeks for foreign nationals, including SAARC nations. After four weeks, the permit cost goes up to NPR 2500 per person. A valid passport is required to obtain this permit. You can get this permit at Lukla.

The other Is the Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit. International tourists must pay NPR 3000 per person to enter and trek in the Sagarmatha National Park.

The fee for SAARC nationals is NPR 1500, and for Nepalese, the entry fee is NPR 100. You will need your passport to obtain this permit (Indian citizens can get this permit with their voter card as well).

You can get this permit from the Nepal Tourism Board Office in Kathmandu or at the Sagarmatha National Park entry gate at Monjo.

The easiest way to acquire any of these permits is to contact travel agencies. Give them the required documents, and they will do it for you, so you don’t have to worry about anything!

Transportation

The distance from Kathmandu to Lukla is around 138kilometres and can be reached by private vehicle, bus or plane. The motorable way is up to Thamdada after which you’ll be starting your trek.

Private Vehicle

Hiring a private vehicle might take from $150USD to $200USD+depending on the size of your group and the type of vehicle. A jeep can accommodate 4-5 people and can cost around $150 while larger groups and vehicles will cost more.

By Bus

You can also reach Lukla from Kathmandu by road, but its worth noting that there are no direct buses to Lukla. So you can take buses up to Thamdada and then embark on a trek. Also, going to and from EBC by road would add a couple more days to the itinerary.

A brief itinerary for the road from Kathmandu to Lukla:

Day 1: Drive from Kathmandu to Phaplu (2,485 m) (8-9 hrs.)

Day 2: Drive from Phaplu to Tham Dada (3 hours) and trek (5–6 hours) to Paiya (3,140 m).

Day 3: Trek from Paiya to Phakding (5–6 hours) (2,680 m)

The bus tickets can cost you$10-$30USD per person depending on the type of bus you take.

By Plane

There are regular flights from Kathmandu to Lukla, but during the peak seasons (March, April, May, October, and November), the flights will be operated from Ramechhap due to air traffic expansion. To reach Ramechhap, you’ll have to drive for 5 to 6 hours from Kathmandu. From there, you’ll board a 20-minute flight to Lukla, which will cost you around $176USD per person.

The direct flight to Lukla from Kathmandu will be operated in January, February, June, July, August, September, and December.

The duration of the flight to Lukla from Kathmandu is 35 minutes and it will cost around  $217USD per person. The rates of the flights differ according to the nationality of the traveler.

Another way to fly to Lukla is by helicopter. It will cost you between  $350USD and $450USD, depending on the availability of the helicopter, and it takes 45 minutes to reach Lukla from Kathmandu. The price of the helicopter ride is the same for all nationals.

By Foot

If by plane, after you land in Lukla, the walk to Phakding is around 4 hours, which is 9kms. And if you chose the road route, the trek from Thamdada will be around 8 hours.

Insurance

You should not forget to acquire travel and trekking insurance. It will come in handy in case of an emergency medical evacuation in the mountains. The cost of the insurance for the Everest Base Camp trek for 15 days will be around USD 250 per person.

Make sure your insurance will cover you for trekking from 3,000 meters up to 6,000 meters in altitude and include coverage for helicopter evacuation so that if you experience severe altitude sickness, you can be evacuated in the fastest way possible by helicopter.

What to Expect from the Trek?

When trekking in the high Himalayas, nothing is certain. Things can take a turn at any time, and expectations may just remain expectations. It is always better to expect some ups and downs during the trek.

Do not expect flights from and to Lukla to be smooth and easy. The weather can change at any time, resulting in delays and cancellations of flights.

The terrain is relatively flat with few steep ascents and descents, but there are some percentages of people who cannot reach the base camp. The trail gradually becomes tricky and challenging as it ascends.

The Sherpa people are very welcoming and hospitable but please remember to be respectful so the trip is pleasant for both you and the locals.

There is a wide range of foods and accommodations on the trails of the Everest Base Camp trek. You should not be worried about a place to stay or food to eat.

Some people face mild symptoms of altitude sickness due to low oxygen and air pressure. Do not force yourself, and take a step back if needed.

The prices of goods and services go up as you gain altitude. Expect to pay more as you go higher.