Everest Base Camp: what the trek actually asks of you
Planning · · 2 min read
Everest Base Camp is a walk, not a climb. That does not make it easy: the difficulty is altitude and duration rather than technical skill.
The shape of it
Twelve to fourteen days from Lukla and back, walking five to seven hours most days, sleeping in teahouses. The standard route goes Lukla - Namche - Tengboche - Dingboche - Lobuche - Gorak Shep, with acclimatisation days at Namche and Dingboche. Base camp sits at about 5,364 metres; most people also climb Kala Patthar for the view of the mountain itself.
Altitude is the whole game
Ascend slowly, take the rest days even when you feel fine, drink far more than feels necessary, and know the symptoms of altitude sickness. Fitness helps with enjoyment; it does not protect you from altitude. Plenty of very fit people turn back.
Getting to the start
Flights to Lukla are short, spectacular and weather-dependent; delays of a day or more are normal. In peak season some flights leave from Ramechhap rather than Kathmandu, which means a pre-dawn drive. Build two spare days into the end of your trip.
Cost
Permits, teahouses, food and a guide add up to a moderate amount by trekking standards, and most of it is spent locally. Guides are now required on many routes - check the current rule. Porters are optional; hiring one is both a kindness to your knees and a local job.
Season
October and November: clear, cold, busy. March to May: warmer, hazier, also busy. Winter is quiet and severe. The monsoon is wet with cloud where the mountain should be.
If two weeks is too much, the Poon Hill trek in Annapurna gives you Himalayan mornings in four or five days.