Why EBC? Not sure really. I had been researching treks in Spiti (Himachal Pradesh), but came across the EBC and Kala Pathar trek, and on a whim, chose it. Sounded off potential trekking partners, a few seemed keen, but eventually dropped out! My leave had been approved, so I decided to go ahead with the trek anyway. Famous for its spectacular mountain peaks and the loyalty and friendliness of the Sherpas, the Everest region (Khumbu) is one of the most popular destinations for tourists in Nepal.
There are in fact two Everest Base Camps that Everest expeditions can set off from: the South camp in Nepal (5,360 metres) and the North camp in Tibet (5,208 metres). At both of them, mountaineers preparing to attempt the summit stay to acclimatise to the altitude and wait for favourable weather conditions before leaving to make an attempt on the summit. The South camp tends to be the more commonly used by Everest expeditions for practical reasons – the southern ridge is the easier and safer route to the summit, and climbing from the Tibetan side requires a special visa from China.
Below are my thoughts on how you could go about preparing for the trek and my day to day log from the trek. If you do not wish to go into it, you can get a flavour of the trek by looking at my photographs from the trek!
A few things to keep in mind while planning your EBC trek:
1) Best time for EBC trek?
It is said that it can be done all year round (though December - March can get rough), but May - June and October - November are the best times. September is iffy, because of the late monsoon showers, but the 2nd half can be alright, as I found out.
2) The Schedule:
There are 2 trails you can take to EBC. The "Classic" Everest trek, the way Tenzing and Hillary went about in 1953, from Jiri (A 7 hour bus ride from Kathmandu to the trailhead in Jiri) - takes about 14 days just to get to EBC. Or you could fly to Lukla from Kathmandu, like most of us lazy hikers do (A 25 minute flight) and start the trek from there. Schedule about 8 days to EBC from here, including 2 acclimatization days and about 3 days to get back to Lukla from EBC. So 12 days including a buffer day, if there are health issues.
So, here was my schedule -
Day 1 (Sept 14th) - Fly KTM to Lukla, trek Lukla to Monjo/Jorsale
Day 2 - Monjo/Jorsale to Namche Bazar
Day 3 - Acclimatization in Namche Bazar (3,440 mts)
Day 4 - Namche to Tengboche (It's better if you went up to Deboche, really)
Day 5 - Tengboche to Dingboche
Day 6 - Acclamatization in Dingboche (4,350 mts)
Day 7 - Dingboche to Lobuche
Day 8 - Lobuche to Gorakshep and EBC (5,400 mts)
Day 9 - Gorakshep to Kala Pathar (5,545 mts) and Periche
Day 10 - Periche to Namche Bazar
Day 11 - Explored Namche (Shyangboche, Khumjung and Kunde)
Day 12 - Namche to Lukla
Day 13 - Fly Lukla to KTM
3) Air tickets within Nepal:
4 or 5 local airlines fly the KTM - LUA route. They offer online booking, but you need to fax them a scanned copy of your credit card, which seemed a little dodgy. I enquired if the Hotel I had booked (Hotel Garuda, Thamel) could help me with this. They could. There is a travel agency (Hillary tours) attached to the hotel, who booked the KTM - LUA - KTM tickets on my behalf. I paid them the ticket fee in cash when I got to KTM. You also need to budget for "Airport tax" - Domestic, 170 NPR and International, 1650 NPR - when in Nepal.
4) Currency and ATMs:
Indian Rupees (except the 500 and 1000 denominations) work in Kathmandu (100 INR = 160 NPR), but not in the Everest region. So you had better exchange your INRs or US$$ into NPRs by the time you get to Namche. There are ATMs in KTM, but those advertised in Namche, were not working (off season, perhaps). You can however, go to currency trading shops in Namche, swipe your credit card and get cash. The shops charge a commission of 10%.
5) Porter - Guide:
I don't think you really need a guide for this trek. A good guide book is good enough and the trails are usually busy and the directions well marked. so there is little fear of getting lost on the trail. A porter, however, is not a bad option. That way, you can enjoy your trek with only your camera bag and water bottle in hand. But if you really want to rough it out and carry your own gear, you can. The standard guide fee is about 1200 NPR per day and 800 NPR for a porter. You will have to come through a trekking agency if you need a guide, but you can hire a porter from Lukla itself. There are hordes of them waiting outside the airport, waiting to be hired, but it's better to get a tea shop owner recommend a porter for you. Most places on the trail have cheap and clean lodges specially for porters.
6) Fitness levels:
You don't need to be from Krypton to do this trek, but a reasonable amount of fitness will help you enjoy the trek more. Walk/Run about 25 kms per week, for a month before you start the trek, and you should do alright. Make sure you schedule those acclimatization days. Carrying Diamox is not bad idea too. I took one every day going up and I think it helped.
7) Expenses:
Expenses in the Everest region are a little more than in the Annapurna region, where I have trekked in 2006. Tea houses charge between 200 - 300 NPR per night on this trail. A meal per person can work out to about 250 NPR, and a hot shower, about 300 NPR. Tea and chocolates are other expenses you may incur.Including the porter fee (800 NPR per day), the trek cost me about 15,000 INR (not including the air fare). Mail me if you need more information on this.
8) Food and Drink:
Most lodges have the same standard menus. The price goes up as we head higher, though. For breakfast you can choose from toast, eggs and porridge. Fried rice, noodles, "Dhal Bhaat" are preferred for lunch and dinner. There are also several bakeries scattered throughout the Everest region, which offer similar fare and a range of cakes (often delicious) and other sweets. A wide range of beverages is also available - milk tea, lemon tea, coffee and hot chocolate are all very common. Bottled water is available enroute, costs 100 NPR per bottle.
9) TIMS (Trekkers Information Management System)
A TIMS card is mandatory for trekkers in Nepal, 2008 onwards. The new system allows the Tourism Board to better serve to trekkers in case of emergency and also better maintain records of trekkers in the country. You can either get it from the TAAN (Trekking Agents Association of Nepal) office in Kathmandu or have your tour operatorget one for you for a commission. TIMS though is separate from the "Permit" you need to get, near Jorsale (100 NPR for Indians and other SAARC citizens, 1000 NPR for the rest). Though no one asked me to show the TIMS certificate on the trail, a record system will help monitor the safety and security of trekkers. Click here for more information.
Daily Log:
Day1 - KTM to Lukla to Jorsale
The KTM domestic airport is a little chaotic. There are 4 or 5 domestic airlines flying to Lukla and each of them, on a good day, do more than 10 trips to Lukla. So, paying your Airport tax , checking in and security can be hectic. I flew on Agni Air, in a Dornier Do 228. The landing on Lukla airportis not for the faint hearted. The airport, named Tenzing-Hillary Airport, is categorized as STOL (Short take off and landing). The Runway is only about 520 mts long and inclined. Click here to watch a video of a landing and a take-off.
I landed around 8:15 AM and made my way to a cafe for breakfast. The cafe owner introduced me to Kabiras Rai, who would be my porter and companion for the next 12 days. We set off from Lukla by 9:30 AM. The trek to EBC starts with a steep climb down from Lukla. Guide books recommend you spend the first night in Phakding, but we had lunch at Phakding and pushed on, towards Jorsale, beyond Monjo. Jorsale is where you enter the Sagarmatha Sanctuary. The entrance fee is 100 NPR for folks from India and other SAARC countries, and 1000 for the rest. I settled down in a lodge in Jorsale (the shower was broken though) for the night.
Day 2 - Jorsale to Namche Bazar.
The first half and hour out of Jorsale is an even, pleasant walk, across two suspension bridges. Once you pass the 2nd bridge, the steep climb upto Namche begins. Be aware that there are no tea houses or lodges on this path. We got to Namche in about 3 hours, with a break to munch down a Mars bar in between.
We reached Namche around 11 AM, walked past the main market street in this town, and settled into "Lhasa Guest House". Ramesh Lama, who runs this place, claims this to the smallest of all lodges in Namche (about 6 rooms). The shower and the hot meal were most welcome.
Namche Bazar, a small horseshoe-shaped town at 3,400 metres, is the capital of the Khumbu Himal. Namche has three bars, four bakeries, several Internet Cafes, a bank and many shops selling most things you could ever need in this part of the world. The main street stretches from the market area on the outskirts of town and curves left slightly, then right leading up to a crossroads on which more shops and lodges are located. This J-shaped street is the centre of the town and contains most of it’s services.
Day 3 - Acclimatization in Namche.
Do not confuse an acclimatization day with a rest day. It is better if you spent the day walking around and exploring the village, at the height you are getting "acclimatized in". I first went up to the Namche Monastery (under reconstruction) and then walked further towards the villages of Phorte, Tesho and Thame. The water that runs through Tesho comes directly from 'Mount Khumbuila' - the most sacred mountain to the Sherpas.
The walk is even and, like the rest of the region, scenic. It took me about 5 hours to get there and back to Namche for lunch. I later went to the Banijya Bank to exchange my INRs for NPRs.
Day 4 - Namche to Tengboche.
I set off from Namche around 7:30 AM. The first couple of hours of the trail now is fairly even and not taxing at all. I passed the Tenzing Gompa and the "Road construction Donation Box" before I got the first glimpse of Everest and Ama Dablam. The trail between Kyangjuma and Sanasa is delightful. The trail then starts going downhill, all the way till Phungi Tanga (where the water in the streams drives the prayer wheel). From Phungi Tanga, its a 2 hour steep climb all the way upto Tengboche.
Tengboche is the largest Sherpa monastery in the Khumbu area and exerts the greatest influence. It was burnt down in an accidental fire in 1989, but has since been reconstructed. The lodge I settled in was soon invaded by an Italian medical/moutaineering expedition group, who soon made the dining room their base! Ordering my meals proved difficult above all the Italian that was flying around. We even spotted a couple of these Italian women applying makeup around 8 PM, when the temperature was below zero. Strange, you'd think, but it might have been some sort of experiment. It was also a medical expedition, remember :)
Day 5 - Tengboche to Dingboche.
Day 5 - Tengboche to Dingboche.
I set off from Tengboche without waiting for breakfast. 30 minutes on, I came to Deboche, another small hamlet, with a tea house or two. We set off towards Dingboche after breakfast at Paradise lodge in Deboche. We passed through Pangboche and Somare before reaching Dingboche. By the time we hit Dingboche, we are over the tree line , and so lacks the greenery of the villages below. Dingboche is actually slightly off the main EBC trail, on the Island peak trail. Periche ( I called it Dingboche's twin village) is bang on the EBC path, and hence a little more crowded. I knew the Italian team was headed to Periche, so it was an easy decision to head for Dingboche instead.
The Snow Lion lodge in Dingboche (the first lodge on your left as you enter the village) was my favourite tea house during the whole trek. The views of Ama Dablam, Tebuche, Pokalde, Kangtega and Thamserku are just awesome. Make sure you're carrying your wind-cheater as the winds can get very fierce around here.
Day 6 - Acclimatization in Dingboche.
I spent this day loafing around Dingboche, and walking up the path towards Bibre and Chukkung, for about 2 hours. The gompa over Dingboche is also worth a visit.
Day 7 - Dingboche to Lobuche.
We started off walking uphill straight away from Dingboche to reach a small plateau. On the other side of this ridge is Periche. The Periche - Lobuche trail meet the Dingboche - Lobuche trail after an hour, near Thukla (aka Dhugla). After "black chia" in Thukla, its another steep uphill climb for a about an hour. No proper trail here, you just make your way up by jumping from boulder to boulder. Once on top, you will find memorials built for dead members of past Everest missions. Another hour ahead is Lobuche.
Lobuche is where I felt a little nauseous. I took a paracetamol and tried to lie down (around 3 PM), but this did not help. I went upto the dining room, ordered garlic soup and started talking to my friends Mark and Anne (from London). It was 8 PM by the time we had covered topics from holidaying in Kerala to cricket pitches in the sub continent to what Borat did (or did not) to help tourism in Kazakhsthan! By then, I felt a lot better. One regret though, is that I did not get Mark and Anne's contact info even though we trekked and dined together. Mark is a Geologist based in London and Anne works in Dubai. If you chance upon this blog, Mark and Anne, please do get in touch with me! It was great meeting the two of you on the trail.
Day 8 - Lobuche to Gorak Shep to EBC to Gorak Shep.
Gorak Shep or "dead crow" is just an assortment of 4-5 lodges and not any sort of settlement, per se. It is about 2.5 hrs from Lobuche. I got an early start from Lobuche, reached Gorak around 10 AM, rented a room at one of the lodges and set off towards EBC. The trek to EBC is about 2-2.5 hrs and is not the easiest. The last 45 minutes or so is a lot of scree on ice and tough to negotiate and chances of you slipping and hurting yourself are high. The base camp itself is an assortment of tents, pitched by folks who were waiting to make an assault on Everest in a few days. There was the Italian team and the Korean team when I was at EBC. It was about 1 PM now, and the weather turned bad. it started snowing as I made my way back to Gorak Shep. The weather never really improved that day, so I had my fingers crossed about making it to Kala Pathar the next morning!
Day 9 - Kala Pathar and Gorak Shep to Periche.
Kala Pathar is the highest point you can get to on this trail (5,545 mts) and offers awesome views of the Everest range. It had snowed in Gorak the previous night and when I woke up by 5 AM, visibility was less than 10 mts and the chances of getting any sort of views from Kala pathar seemed impossible. But Kabiras and myself set off to Kala pathar anyway. The weather Gods' mood seemed to have lifted, because there was a dramatic shift in the skies as we were trekking up Kala Pathar. By the time we reached the top, the only cloud in the sky was a UFO like formation over Everest. By 7:30 AM, the only blues that Monday morning were the skies!! The entire Everest range was visible and it was as if the whole scene was stage mananged just for us. I was later told this was the best morning the region had had in the previous week and that it went back to being bleak the next day onwards. I could not have got any luckier.
Came back to Gorak shep for breakfast, and began the journey back. Made it to Thukla for lunch and then headed all the way to Periche to call it a day. If you wish, you can even go beyond Periche, to Orsho, and stay in the only lodge there, in the middle of nowhere. Absolutlely beautiful setting!
Day 10 - Periche to Namche Bazar.
This hike from Periche, downhill, most of it, was my best trekking day, which is saying something. The trail was easy, weather was fantastic and views, brilliant. I passed Orsho in an hour , then Pangboche and Somare. I had lunch at Sanasa and reached Namche by 3 PM, a trek of about 7 hours.
Day 11 - Loafing around Namche Bazar.
As I had a buffer day in my schedule, I used it to see the villages around Namche. Shyangboche has the worlds highest 4 star (?) hotel - Hotel Everest and an abandoned airstrip, now used as a soccer pitch by the locals. Kunde has a hospital and Khumjung, a high school and a bakery or two. There are also many Mani stone walls and a few chortens in both villages. Got back to Namche around 2 PM for lunch.
Day 12 - Namche to Lukla
There was a steady drizzle on this day, all the way upto Lukla. The trail had become muddy, making it a not-so-comfortable last day. But this was a small price to pay for the incredible trek that is the EBC. Once you reach Lukla, you need to inform the airline office and confirm your return ticket for the next day. If you have reached Lukla earlier than scheduled, they will usually oblige you by putting you in an earlier flight, subject to availability, of course. Just a few days after I flew out of Lukla, the Yeti airline plane from KTM crashed in the LUA airport, killing 18 people on board. Only the co-pilot survived. Close call, huh?
I survided the "low altitude sickness" in KTM for a couple of days, before heading back to New Delhi. I then went of the second leg of my vacation to Ladakh and Kargill. More on that in another blog post.
