Everest Base Camp Trek – Part 1

If you haven’t already, make sure you read my post on planning and preparation for Everest Base Camp. With that covered, lets get to the trek itself!

There are 8 trekking days in total with 1 travel day either side. Here’s the first half of the journey. For more photos, make sure you follow me on Instagram.

Day 1

Our day started off early for what we thought was going to be a 7:45am helicopter ride from Kathmandu to Lukla.  This was where we learned that times given by the Nepalese are more of a suggestion than fact.  Upon arriving and getting through security at the airport, our guide had to leave us to take a separate Heli ride, as the tour company could not get him on the same flight. After an hour and a half wait at Kathmandu airport, we were finally escorted to a bus that took us to the helicopter section. I won’t bore you with all our getting there frustrations but I’ll advise that you must be patient. 

This was my first time in a helicopter and I was totally blown away and honestly quite nervous.  Seeing the views of the Himalayas was completely surreal.  It was our first sighting of Everest and the surrounding peaks.   

Arriving in the small village of Lukla where the trek begins, we had to wait and try and keep ourselves occupied for about 3 hours until we could finally set off. Now once past the trek check in (there are many check in points along the way, where you must present passports and trekking passes) we had about a 3.5 hour walk along a well-defined rocky path. This was my first time seeing the Sherpas, carrying what looked like 3x their own body weight and it was just mind blowing.  Huge loads on their back roped together, affixed with a potato bag makeshift strap that they put around their forehead.

The first day trek takes you across three suspension bridges and through some smaller villages before arriving at your first day stop, which is Phakding village.  Now from the outside this tea house or lodge looked pretty nice and well built. The rooms are very basic though. Our room was supposed to be a step up as it included a shower and toilet in the room. However the “shower” was essentially a tap in the middle of a wall next to the toilet. So you had to crouch down and try and manoeuvre about in a squatted position. You can only imagine how we looked using it!

Dinner is served in a large room filled with long shared wooden tables. Now this was our first stop, and we were fairly impressed with the variation of menu choices. We decided to stay with local Nepalese food and ordered Dal Bhat, which was pretty good and some welcome warmth as the temperatures had started to drop significantly. Post dinner the options for things to do are fairly minimal, however, you will likely find yourself exhausted and choosing to head to bed at a ridiculously early time. To note there is no heating in these lodges, so sleeping in full clothing is a must, and then burying yourself deep under heavy duvets and praying you do not have to get up much during the night to go to the bathroom.

Day 1 take-aways

• Plenty of places to stop along the way for tea, snickers, cookies, Coca Cola or even beer.
• Several toilets along the way, but these are all Eastern toilets, which means you need to be prepared to squat. BRING TOILET PAPER as none of these will have any. And there is no soap either so hand sanitizer is a must.
• The initial hike was quite rocky which meant you really need to be mindful to watch where you walk. Bring some good trekking boots!

Day 2

It’s an early morning rise with breakfast at 6:45am to be ready for a 7:45am start. The walk goes along the Dudu Khosi River and the views are just stunning. I really couldn’t stop taking photos! The first snow covered peak that came into view was Thomserku – amazing photo opportunities to be had here with the river, the trek path and this peak in the background. About an hour or so into the trek our guide stopped us for a tea break. The trek package states that energy bars will be provided throughout – FYI energy bars are Snickers or a Bounty bar. I never thought hot tea would be so enjoyable, but the honey, lemon, ginger tea became an instant favorite. Post tea, the hike resumes for another 1.5 hours before stopping in a small village for lunch.

After lunch it’s on to Sagarmatha National Park checkpoint, before hiking on to the Tenzing Hillary Bridge. The height of this bridge is not for the faint of heart as it’s at an altitude of 2,955m and is 410 ft above the river below. The bridge crosses over the Dudh Khosi River with the flowing rapids below. Again, breathtaking views, but just don’t look down! Past this bridge starts the “fun” – it is literally a 2-hour non-stop ascent up some fairly steep rocky steps. It was here that we finally had to break out the walking poles. These became necessary to assist with getting up these steep steps and keep ourselves steady as we ascended. Taking short stops to catch your breath is required, because as the altitude increases, the ability to breathe easily decreases. We finally arrived in Namche Bazaar around 2:30pm, which is the largest village on the trek, and has shops, restaurants and even a few bars.

We checked into our accommodation, which was by far the best on the entire trip, including a normal shower and a toilet in the room. We took a much-awaited HOT shower before heading out to take a small walk through the village. We acquired a few essentials (toilet paper, writing pen, and some new sweatpants for me to sleep in). This will not be the last stop where you can buy things, but as you get higher up the trek, the prices also become more expensive. So, I would recommend getting anything you think you might need here.

Given this was the last proper village on the trek and the fact that the world’s highest Irish Pub is located here, we had to give it a visit. You can’t miss it – it’s called The Irish Pub, creative naming I know! It’s a nice place with some music and large TV screens showing sports. We enjoyed an Irish coffee followed by a half pint, and headed back to the lodge for dinner, followed by another attempted early night. While this accommodation was nice the walls were paper thin. Sadly we had neighbors who coughed and hacked all night long – and I’m not joking literally all night long. Bring ear plugs!!!!

Day 2 take-aways

• Pack warm sleepwear – thermals, fleece lined sweatpants, whatever keeps you warm
• Bring ear plugs – Accommodation walls are paper thin and if you are a light sleeper this is a must

Day 3

This day is called the acclimatization day. Now you might think that means a day to rest and relax – but no it’s another hiking day. This day starts with a hike up to the Sagarmatha National Visitors Centre. Unfortunately for us it was under renovation, however we managed to take a few pics of the Tenzing Norgay Monument and off we went for a further steep ascent up to Everest View Hotel.

This is a solid 1 1/2 hours up rocky steps, followed by what looked like a cool stairway to heaven that takes you around the side of the mountain and gives you the feeling you are walking up into the clouds. Everest View Hotel is a luxury hotel at 3,880 m (12,730ft) and set in front of this incredible backdrop of the Himalayan peaks of Ama Dadblam, Thomserku, Nuptse and Everest. The trek stops here for another tea and “energy bar” break. Believe me after that hike up, the Bounty bar is very much needed. The trek then continues down to the Sherpa village of Khumjung where you visit a monastery and check out the Yeti skull of Khumjung Gomba. Now whether you believe this is real or not, it’s an interesting artifact. However, I think what is more impressive is the monastery itself with all its colorful walls, prayer wheels and Hindu sculptures.

We had lunch further down the village at a small cafe. Hope you like eggs because they literally serve eggs with everything or on everything, and being vegetarian, this was our only source of protein. After lunch, it’s a hike back to Namche which is a very steep hike down and was much scarier than actually hiking up! The trek ended around 2:30pm and we obviously had a lot of time to kill, so we visited one of the bakeries in town and indulged in some hot chocolate and cookies. You will have the majority of the late afternoon/evening on your own and options of what to do will be limited, so it is a good idea to bring a book, download shows to watch or bring some cards to play.

Day 3 take-aways

• It starts getting tougher to breathe with the higher elevation – you will need to drink loads of water and take your time.
• Be prepared for a steep descent on a dusty rock path. Using poles really helps!
• WiFi is actually pretty good!