Before trekking to Everest Base Camp, I (uncharacteristically) left the planning to my companions. I therefore had very little idea of what to expect . . . I think my reasoning was if something went wrong I’d be less likely to panic because I had no preconceptions! It turns out the route is pretty standard, and it took us just under two weeks to complete. Epitomised in one photo per day, here is our 13-day itinerary for completing the EBC trek.
Day 1: Kathmandu to Lukla then Phakding (9km)
After surviving the sketchy flight from Kathmandu into Lukla, we had a fairly simple day ahead of us. The hike from Lukla to Phakding is mainly downhill, so we had time to acclimatise and admire the amazing scenery. These suspension bridges are a common sight in the lower sections of the trek, enabling both locals and hikers to cross the Dhudh Kosi River.
Day 2: Phakding to Namche (10km)
Today was the only day I felt real symptoms of altitude sickness. It’s the first real day of ascending and there were a few moments where I had to stop to catch my breath. It feels like you’ve been running non-stop even though you’re actually walking incredibly slowly. Very bizarre and infuriating! However, it was all worth it when we got our first glimpse of Mount Everest. She was so far away and slightly obscured by clouds, but no less amazing.
Day 3: Namche (rest day)
Though affectionately known as a “rest day”, this day did not involve resting. Instead we hiked without packs up the steeps hills surrounding Namche Bazaar. From this angle we could appreciate the town cut into the side of the mountain, and the frozen waterfalls on the rocky walls behind it. We returned to Namche to sleep, for acclimatisation purposes.
Day 4: Namche to Tengboche (9km)
The increase in altitude and decrease in temperature really became noticeable to me on this part of our trek. Despite this, we raced upwards (I’m talking at least 2km / hour!) to reach Tengboche’s monastery and panoramic views. The paths to EBC are spotted with mani stones, blocks of stone or rock inscribed with a Tibetan mantra. Pictured are my friends, unknowingly trudging past this ginormous mani stone in the wrong direction.
Day 5: Tengboche to Dingboche (11km)
This section of the trek was the first that I really became aware of the foliage decreasing. As altitude increases, plants are less able to grow, contributing to the lack of oxygen. The higher we hiked, the more the terrain began to resemble Mount Doom. Pictured is Ama Dablam, a mountain that dominates the skyline around Tengboche.
Day 6: Dingboche (rest day)
Our second rest day resembled the first, with us hiking without packs and returning to Dingboche in the afternoon. The only difference was, this time, snow began to fall—the perks of doing the EBC trek in February. Also, see what I mean about Mount Doom?!
Day 7: Dingboche (rest day)
Despite getting up early for another day of trekking, we woke surrounded by a small blizzard. This, combined with some altitude issues within our group, prompted us to take another rest day in Dingboche. We weren’t the only ones; the dining room was full of restless hikers forced to remain stationary. I took the above photo from my bedroom window because it was too snowy for me to contemplate leaving the (relative!) warmth of the teahouse.
Day 8: Dingboche to Lobuche (10km)
My spirits were high as we set off for Lobuche—the end was within sight (not literally). There was thick snow on the ground but the sun was shining so it was quite a warm day. After being cooped up for a couple of days the blue sky was so refreshing. The memorial stupa to Scott Fischer looked spectacular under a layer of snow. As we stopped to admire it we were passed by batches of hikers descending, all of whom told us we didn’t have far to go.
Day 9: Lobuche to Gorak Shep then Everest Base Camp (11km)
Thanks to our unplanned extra rest day in Dingboche, we reached Everest Base Camp on an amazingly crisp and clear day. Luckily we were forewarned that EBC itself is fairly underwhelming, so we appreciated it from afar surrounded by mountains and glaciers as we approached. The path from Gorak Shep to EBC was precarious, as it changes regularly due to rock falls and landslides. There were a lot of paths that led off the edge of the mountain, so I was glad we were doing the hike on a clear day and had a guide with us. Our porter told us that when he’d made the same trek a few weeks earlier he’d taken a different path, one that had since crumbled away. We even witnessed a couple of nearby landslides as we approached the camp.
Day 10: Gorak Shep to Kala Patthar then Pangboche (22km)
As Mount Everest is barely visible from EBC itself, most people climb the extra couple of hundred metres to the summit of Kala Patthar to see her in all her glory. We rose bright and early to catch the sunrise. This hike is infamous for being the most brutal section of the EBC trek—the summit sits at 5545m. Luckily I didn’t find it any worse than the rest of the trek. I attribute this mainly to the knowledge that once we’d summited all we had to do was descend to Lukla!
Day 11: Pangboche to Namche (13km)
Day 11 required much less trekking (entirely my own fault for staying in bed for too long). As we walked, we could see the path ahead of us winding below. The clouds were descending into the mountains faster than we were. By lunchtime, we were walking through a cloud. Fortunately my fear of being lost in the mist was conquered by my joy at the sight of real vegetation. Plants = oxygen!
Day 12: Namche to Lukla (18km)
For days we’d been following the river’s frozen course but finally it was flowing again, signalling the end of our trek. And look how green it is! The paths became more and more busy as we neared Lukla. We passed many people heading upwards, exchanging “good luck!”s with “well done!”s. As we crossed the threshold into the village of Lukla, it was strange to compare the anticipation I’d felt before the trek with the fulfilment I felt having completed it.
Day 13: Lukla to Kathmandu
If I thought the flight into Lukla was sketchy, it was nothing compared to the flight out again. Read more about my experience on the most dangerous flight in the world. As we arrived back in Kathmandu, there was a heat and noise emanating from the many competing vehicles and citizens that was not present in the Himalayas. The locals went about their day, unable to see our exhaustion and relief mingled with achievement and pride.
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