No doubt, the Everest base camp trek is one of the most popular trekking trails in Nepal. There are thousands of adventure trekkers on this route every high trekking season in Nepal. Visiting the base camp is not only a holiday activity but is also an adventure in the Himalayas.
A journey to Everest begins from Kathmandu, flying on a small aircraft to Lukla. It is a half an hour scenic flight, which joins the base camp trail. Right after landing at Tenzin-Hilary airport, you start walking towards Phakding on the same day. You spend a night in Phakding, then trek to Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche, and Gorakshep before encountering the EBC.
There are two spare days in Namche and Dingboche for acclimatization, which prevents altitude sickness in the higher region for the trekkers. After reaching the main destination, you will walk back to Lukla with 3 long days of treks, and fly out to Kathmandu.
This Everest trip is 12 days journey from Kathmandu to Kathmandu and goes to the altitude of 5,364m (Base camp) and 5,545m (Kalapatthar). Doing some short treks anywhere like the Ghorepani Poon hill trek and others may help to stay safe from altitude problems.
Trek Difficulties
The base camp trek is not as difficult as you might be thinking. It is a moderate level hiking trip in the Nepalese Himalayas. Off course, trekking in high mountain land is not an easy hike and it will make more difficult by elevation gain. If you are a normal hiker, it will be fine to trek to the Everest base camp but if you are the first time trekker, you need to have some training before deciding to do the base camp hike.
Trekking trail doesn't make you hard during the trip. You only walk 5-6 hours per day which is a normal trekking distance. As you walk on high elevated land, you may suffer a little bit with altitude caused by high atmospheric pressure and low-level oxygen in the air. Having enough rest days for altitude practice on the way up is recommended.
Altitude Sickness in Everest
Perhaps, there will not be trekking allowed before settling out of the coronavirus epidemic. So, trekking organizers are waiting for an effective vaccine and other curable medications. If travel allows before finding a permanent solution to this situation with some travel terms and conditions, still could be a risk. And when the Everest base camp reopens with a medical solution, there should be the usual challenge of suffering from altitude sickness. Though, this will not be a problem for all trekkers. As ascending altitude, trekkers might have acute mountain sickness caused by low oxygen in the air with high atmospheric pressure.
There will be some earlier symptoms of the problem so you don't need to worry much. If you have the symptoms like headache, vomiting, fatigue while resting, loss of appetite, feeling like a drunk, shortness of breath and some other problems facing, you should be careful and talk with the leader. You better stay with the group and stay keep in touch with friends most of the time when you will be above 3000 meters of elevation. If you have earlier signs, you better have one extra rest day at the same place or descend as soon as possible according to the condition. If you get sick up in the mountain, there are cell phone signals in each place and internet service to contact your travel insurance company. For the normal case, you can use a horse (pony) riding to get lower elevation or a helicopter to evacuate if the condition gets worst. So, dying of altitude sickness is a very less chance if you don't hide problems and altitude effects from others.
Lodge, Food and Drinks in the Trek
Yes, the lodges are clean enough and they serve hygienic food in guesthouses along the Everest base camp trekking trail. The owner and their staff clean beads and surround the lodge regularly. They keep shop to clean your hands. You can take hand sanitiser with you which you can buy in the shops and pharmacy in some places during the trek.
Being vegetarian during the trek is suggested because meat could not be fresh all the time in the mountain. You will have a food menu in the lodge so you can order your food from the food menu and also can have some local items if you would like to try.
Trekking Safety
Walking on the mountain trails is not safe all the time, so you need to be careful. There are certain things that you need to follow during the base camp journey. There are Yak, mules and porters caring big loads for the food and materials supply. If you meet them in a narrow space, stay on the safe side. The load might push due to not enough space.
Likewise, wild animals and yaks will be moving around above the walking path. The stones might fall from them, so watch properly while you walk below them. Altitude sickness is another big matter, that you need to be careful in the mountain region. If you have some symptoms, do not hide from the guide and take the suggestion.
Quickest Way to Visit Everest Base Camp
If you do not have enough time for a regular trek, you have a luxury option to visit the base camp and explore the region well. A couple of hours of helicopter fight tour takes you there from Kathmandu. It is a landing tour, so the chopper lands at several viewpoints. You can enjoy the trip well from this scenic flight tour from Kathmandu.
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