Everest base camp trek is that kind of trek where you will never get bored. There are lots of natural beauty which inspire you every day. You will see different things and explore with different sceneries each day along the way.
Everest base camp trek is located in the Sagarmatha national park so the natural beauty of the national park, wild animals, landscapes and much more things make your journey meaningful. Stunning viewpoints from where you can see eye captivating panoramic views, Buddhist monuments and local traditional villages are outstanding along the way of Everest.
The Everest base camp trekking tour begins with a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. This is an amazing scenic mountain flight. Right after landing at the Lukla airport, the trek leads towards Phakding. You will pass several Sherpa towns and beautiful landscape.
Going towards Namche Bazaar on the next day from Phakding, you will cross 5 different suspension bridges over Dudhkoshi River and the national park starts from today after leaving Monjo behind. There is one highest suspension bridge before climbing a big hill before reaching Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar is the most attractive town located on the lap of a hill. There are numerous coffee shops with nice bakeries, bars, lodges and different type of shops. You will have the first acclimatization rest day here and visit the Everest view hotel while you have a day hike. The Everest view hotel offers a long-ranged panoramic view of the Everest Himalaya including Everest, Lhotse, Thamserku, Nuptse, the most beautiful mountain of the Everest region (Amadablam) and more snow-capped high mountains.
After the first acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar, you will trek ahead to Tengboche following a nice, clear and wide trail and amazing view. There will be some groups of Himalayan Thar hanging around closer to the walking trail. Tengboche is situated on a hill station from where you can see an open view of the Everest massif. There is an ancient historical Buddhist monastery. Here, you can see offered by the monks after 3 pm in the afternoon and 5 am in the morning.
The next destination from here is Dingboche. It is a proper highest Sherpa village in the Everest region. According to the cultural aspects, this village will fully close during July and August. You will have the second altitude practice rest day in this place. While you have a rest day, you will climb Nangkar-Tsang hill or hike to Chhukung town following the trail to Island peak.
You will one more night behind before reaching the Everest base camp from this place so you will spend that night in Lobuche and trek to the base camp the next day via Gorakshep. After visiting the base camp, you will spend your night in Gorakshep and climb Kala Patthar the next morning. Kala Patthar is a famous hill station from where you can enjoy 360 degrees view of the Everest Himalaya from a close distance. After finishing this Kala Patthar adventure, you will start descending to Pheriche, Namche and Lukla then fly out to Kathmandu.
Everest Base Camp Trek Itinerary
There are several entries to reach the base camp. If you have a long holiday for Everest, you can start your trek from Jiri driving in a bus. It is a classic Everest base camp trekking route when there was no airport at Lukla. Next, you can drive to Salleri in a jeep and trek all the way to the base camp and fly out from Lukla at the end.
Trekking from these two places will have a lot fewer chances of getting altitude sickness because you start your trek from lower elevation and trek to higher altitude gradually. The most popular route of the Everest base camp trek is taking a short flight to Lukla and fly out from the same airport after your successful visit to the base camp.
This route from Lukla is a popular route which is following by most of the trekkers. It takes 12 days from Kathmandu to Kathmandu including two rest days for altitude practice on the way up. You will reach the base camp with 8 days trek and 3 days to return Lukla and fly out the next morning after spending the last night of mountain stay at Lukla. Here is a regular outline itinerary of the Everest base camp trek:
Day 01: Fly from Kathmandu to Lukla (2840m) 30-35 minutes and trek to Phakding (2610m) 3 hrs.
Day 02: Trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3440m) 7 hrs.
Day 03: Acclimatization rest day and hike up to the Everest view hotel.
Day 04: Trek from Namche to Tengboche hill (3860m) 5-6 hrs.
Day 05: Trek from Tengboche to Dingboche village (4410m) 5 hrs.
Day 06: Second rest day for altitude practice and climb to Nangkar-Tsang hill.
Day 07: Trek from Dingboche to Lobuche (4910m) 5-6 hrs.
Day 08: Trek from Lobuche to Everest base camp (5364m) via Gorakshep (5180m) 7-8 hrs.
Day 09: Hike up to Kala Patthar (5550m) 2 hrs. And trek to Pheriche (4210m) 5 hrs.
Day 10: Trek from Pheriche to Namche Bazaar (3440m) 7 hrs.
Day 11: Trek from Namche Bazaar to Lukla (2840m) 7 hrs.
Day 12: Fly out to Kathmandu in the early morning flight.
Best Time To Trek To Everest Base Camp
You should have a desire to see the superb view with clear weather and favourable temperatures on the Everest base camp trek. So, you need to choose the right season for this. The months of autumn and spring usually offer an amazing view. There will be clear visibility during the months of autumn and spring.
September to November in autumn and March to May in spring are good months for a trek to the Everest base camp. Though, the beginning of September and the end of May might not be good weather every time. Beginning of September still may have some rainy days and the end of May starts monsoon. Autumn has better visibility so you can see mountains from longer distance and sunlight will be brighter compared to the months from other seasons. But, temperatures will be colder than the months of spring. Spring is the main season for the Everest expedition so you have the chances of encountering with lots of Everest climbers and there will be colourful tents fixed at the base camp for the climbers.
Winter starts from December and stays until February. You can trek during winter to the Everest base camp but you need to have nice and warm equipment. There are fewer trekkers during winter so if you would like to trek with fewer crowed, you can trek during the winter. In fact, December offers one of the best views of the mountains. But summer is not a good time for the Everest base camp trek. There will be lots of rainy days so the weather will be very cloudy and the trails will be slippery because of wet surfaces.
Finally
The Everest base camp trek is an adventure mountain trip so you need to have some hiking practice before going here. Trekking through the high elevated area might be affected with altitude sickness so you need to have some general knowledge of altitude sickness and preventing the problem. You always need to trek with a good travel insurance policy which covers any emergency evacuation up to 6000m of elevation above sea level.