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Everest Base Camp TreksSome basics...as I did the trek twice via different routes
- Monestry at 4000m
Time of the walks: April 2010 & March 2011
Route and time:Walk in April 2010: 16 days . Lucla to Gokia, via Chola Pass and up to Everest Base Camp, teturn via the normal EBC route (12 days walking to EBC, 3 days to walk back to Lucla)
Walk March 2011: 11 days Lucla to EBC and return (7 days walking to EBC, 3 days to return to Lucla)
Cost for the trek:April 2010: 600 Pounds for 16 days
March 450 Pounds for 11 days
Whats included in the cost? 3 meals, Teahouse accommodation, return flights, porter guide and all his expenses. A porter will carry your backpack (15 kilos are allowed)
Whats not included: Hot bucket showers, drinks, anything else you might want to buy, tips.
How did I booked: On arrival in Kathmandu. There are over 300 travel agencies to choose from and I started the trek 2 days after I arrived. Shop around to get a good deal.
My preferred trip: Lucla via Gokio....if you have the time do it via Gokio as it is stunning and I loved the glacier crossing!
Worst experience: Altitude sickness...everyone gets headaches and you will feel exhausted the whole time...its normal. Worst experience was to see one of my friends who got severe altitude sickness and
had to go back...never seen someone looking so bad in my life! Also saw a porter being transported down in a basket, barely alive and being told another women died.
One thing I wished I would have known before: Walk slowly and drink at least 6l of water a day (its the only way to combat altitude sickness)
Clothes: The stuff I would wear in Autumn or Spring in Scotland (Trousers, Gaiters, T-shirt, Fleece, Waterproof jacket, hat, Gloves, Scarf) Apart from that a serious warm jacket for the evening....it is freezing!
The thing I could not live without:Nose spray! You will get the worst stuffed nose you ever had in your life!
Slideshow with the music typical for Nepal and lots of pictures from the 2 treks:[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og-pAqG0okI[/youtube]
Report: Doing the Everest Base Camp trek was something I always wanted do do. The first question was if I should do the trek in a group or just hire a guide-porter. I finally decided to hire a porter -guide and do the trek by myself as this gave me the freedom to walk as fast/slow as I wanted to do. A porter guide is a local Nepali who will carry your backpack and show you the way, arrange hotels and do everything so that one has to worry about nothing.
At first I was a bit nervous about the fact that I would be alone with a local,but I really did not had to worry as for the 16 days he was very professional.
After I got picked up at the hotel at 5:30 we left for the airport in Kathmandu to fly to Lukla, a journey which takes only 30 min and will give you a white knuckle landing in Lucla (one of the worst airports in the world) Arriving in Lukla which is nearly 3000m high was incredible. I was surrounded by hills (ok I better start calling them mountains) but they looked so small in comparison with the mountains I spotted in the distance . It was a jaw dropping experience and my guide literally had to drag me off the airfield.
- The airport and airfield at Lucla
The first dayof hiking was easy and we spend the first night in one of the many tea-houses. Tea houses are very basic accommodations. All you get is a bed (usually very small and hard) in a room which is usually just above 0C. I must say I have never been so cold in my entire life!!! The bathroom facilities are usually just a hole in the ground…if you are unlucky outside! Sometimes there was a sink inside but usually the only way to wash yourself was outside close to a stream (no fun when it is freezing cold) Showers were something of a luxury. It cost about 3-4 Pounds to get a bucket of hot water. With this you could wash yourself in a shed outside…trust me after 4 days of not having any kind of wash this was the best feeling in the world!!!!
- Namche Basar
After day one we walked up to Namche Basar. Namche is the place where you can stay in the highest hotel on earth (at around 3800m) or in a collection guest houses. Going up to Namche was really hard because this is when the altitude is really getting to you. Altitude sickness is something which has to be taken very serious and it usually starts with headaches, feeling dizzy and feeling totally exhausted which every step you take (due to the lack of oxygen in the air) At 5000m they oxygen is reduced by 50%.
When I arrived in Namche I had a killer headache and was totally exhausted! We only walked for about 5h, but I felt as if I had run a marathon. So I went to bed to have a nap and to sleep off my headaches, which luckily worked.
The next day we took the recommended rest day ( in order to give your body the chance to get used to the altitude) During that day it will give you time to walk around and explore the area a bit, which is still hard going!
The next day we continued our way up and above 4000m the scenery really started changing from forests and grass to rocks and snow. As I have planned to walk up to Gokio, climb Gokio Ri (5400m) and then take the walk over the ChoLa pass (5450m) I really started getting into the mountains. One of my favorite part was climbing up Gokio Ri and to see all the mountains around me…simple magnificent!!!!
- Everest in the distance
But the thing which made everything so much better were the friends I made on the way. During the day we either hiked together or alone, but at night we somehow always managed to stay in the same tea houses and had a great laugh together. To sit together in a room heated with Yak **** (yes that is what they use for heating) and drinking water or lemon tea (at altitude alcohol is the last thing you want) is somehow really bonding and everyone had different stories to tell and it was always a great laugh.
- To my left you can see Chola Pass...thats the way you would cross coming from Gokio
Arriving at Everest Base Camp must have been one of my favorite moments. Walking to Base Camp from the last settlement of Gorak Shep took about 2h and seeing the expedition tents in the distance was so cool!!! We walked along Khumbu glacier and it was the first time a glacier looked like a Glacier…with ice and snow (usually it looks like a gravel field) Arriving at the highest point and sitting in front of the the point which told you, that you made it was great, but I could not wait to see the tents and the people who were going to climb Everest.
- Yaks carrying their loads to EBC
Walking through the tents was amazing, you could see the names of the different expeditions and to see someone in proper expedition gear walking past was just great. I walked right towards the end of EBC and sat down to watch some guys practicing at an ice wall. Later on I was told that they are testing their equipment before heading up (mmm a bit late maybe). After watching the guys for about half an hour, I walked back and ended up talking to Gerry from Canada. He told me that he is part of a film crew, who are filming the assent to Everest, for a school in Canada and that they will collect the money for an orphanage in India. After chatting for about an hour I was actually getting really cold and I thought after deserting my guide, that I better head back to Gorak Shep.
- Khumbu glacier and base camp in the distance-the final stretch
The next morning we had to get up at 4:30 to climb Kalar Pattar which is 5550m high and one of the other highlights of the trip. From up there you can see Everest, Nupse and all the other mountains, but I must say that I preferred the view from Gorak Ri a bit better. But any view up there is just simply incredible!!! After reaching Kala Pattar it was time to head back and even though I loved it up there, I could not wait to get back. I was so tired (due to the altitude I was not able to sleep very well) ,felt exhausted and wanted to be warm again and have a proper shower. Because of all of that the walk back to Lukla was really quick. It took me 3 days and I guess if you are pushing yourself it could be done in 2 very long days.
Would I do it again...oh yes!!!
- Porter...these guys are the most incredible people I have seen in the world. They will carry anything up to 150kilos!!!all the way to Basecamp!