Birat Anupam

Mt. Everest (8848m) is the highest peak of the planet. Reaching the base of this mountain is commonly known as Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek.
Before I embarked my first EBC trek from October 13- 27 of 2019, I was confused on many fronts. After concluding my trip to EBC, I would like to answer some of the important questions by would-be EBC trekkers to go to EBC in the upcoming season.

Why EBC
As Mt. Everest is famed for being the tallest peak of the world, its base camp (5364 m) is naturally a global attraction. The crowded trekking trail proves the same. Various global tourism publications have praised this trek. Lonely Planet says, 'The trek has a number of stunning attractions, not least of these is being able to say you've visited the highest mountain in the world.'
Because of such a global recommendation, this route is loved by many global travellers. According to Sagarmatha National Park's statistics, a total of 58,030 tourists visited the region in the last fiscal year. Established in 1976 and listed as World Heritage Site in 1979, the park is a must-visit destination.

Ways to EBC
There are mainly thee ways to reach EBC. The first one is via commercial flight from Manthali, the district headquarters of Ramechhap, to Lukla.
The second way to reach EBC is to charter helicopter. And, the third way is to start trekking from Salleri, the district headquarters of Solukhumbu. It takes almost 2 days to reach Lukla from Salleri. From Lukla, horses are found to ride on up to EBC and around.

The best season
There are mainly two seasons of EBC trek. The first one is spring season (March-June). And, second one is autumn season (September-December). There is growing tendency to trek even in off seasons. However, from safety point of view, it is not recommended to do so for commoners.

Duration of trek
It depends on your time, interest and capacity. For example, some visitors can finish their EBC trek within 10 days of trek from Lukla. For some, it may take 14 days. Making upward trek to EBC is longer than descending from EBC.
Major stations
There are seven places to stay overnight during EBC trek. The first station is Lukla (2850m). The second one is Phakding (2610 m). The third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seven are Namche Bazaar (3440 m), Tangboche (3860 m), Dingboche (4410m), Lobuche (4910m) and Gorakshep (5190m), respectively. Gorakshep is the last bazaar to go to EBC. It takes around 3-hour to reach EBC from Gorakshep.

Solo trek
Definitely you can. However, in order to have necessary care and guidance during potential high altitude sickness, it is better to have informed friends or an experienced guide.

Tents and sleeping bags
If you want to stay outside bazaar area or camp out in EBC itself, you can carry these stuffs. However, for accommodation and food, you can stay at warm hotel or teahouses. Good hotels and teahouses are available to serve you along the major stations of the trek.

Other attractions
There are plenty of attractive destinations in EBC circuit. Three Himalayan passes namely Chola La (5420 m), Renjo La (5370 m) and Kongma La (5545 m) are beautiful to trek to.
Likewise, there are beautiful lakes like Gokyo Lake (4790m), Kongde Lake (4950m), Ngozumba Tso (4990 m), Cholo Tso (4590m), Donag Tso (4879m), Imja Tso (4772m), Duwo Tso (4750 m), Ngokyo Tso (4950m).
There are beautiful Himalayan settlements in the region like Pangbuche Telim and Welim (3930m), Phortse (3810m), Khunde (3840m), Khumjung (3780m). Similarly, other beautiful settlements in the region include Thameteng (3927m), Thame (3820m), Monjo and Chumoa (2835 m), Dungde, Nangbug (2650m), among others.
The Lukla airport itself is an attraction. The 523/30-metre airport is taken as one of the most dangerous airports in the world.
The Kalapaththar (5545m), the natural view tower to look Mt. Everest, is another attraction. A cabinet meeting was held in this area on December 4, 2009 to get global attention about climate change.
The beautiful Himalayan floral and faunal species of SNP are added attractions of this trail. Beautiful Sherpa community and their great culture, traditions and lifestyles are also other attractions.
The Khumbu Region is home to some of the most beautiful trekking peaks. Island Peak (6180m), Lobuche East (6119m), Pharchamo (6273m), Pokalde (5806m), among others, are gorgeous peaks to make ascents during trekking seasons.

Cost
For commercial flight from Manthali to Lukla, it costs about Rs. 4,500 for Nepalis. For foreigners, it costs US$ 140-180. You can charter a helicopter for about US$ 3,000. Likewise, horses are available for US$100 per camp trek.
Each of third-country tourists, SAARC nationals and Nepalis is required to pay Rs. 3,000, Rs. 1,500 and Rs. 100, respectively, as SNP entrance fee at Monjo. Besides, local government charges Rs. 2000 from each of foreigners.
Costs of food and accommodation depend on your choice. For example, the Hotel Everest View charges $140-190 for a room. A general teahouse and hotel charge from Rs. 500 to Rs. 5,000 for a room.
A Nepali traveller can easily survive a day with Rs. 4,000 at all places of the Everest region.

Altitude-related sicknesses
EBC trekking is an alpine journey above the tree line. For this, you must take at least 4 litres of waters a day. You must not walk more than 6 hours.
To tackle high altitude sickness, you must not walk from dawn to dusk. Sipping ginger tea and garlic soup at least four times a day helps you to ward off potential high altitude sickness.
Travel insurance along with the provision of helicopter rescue is a must as you are more likely to suffer from acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high altitude cerebral edema (HACE).
Along with required warm trekking clothes, carry important accessories like sunglass and sun protection creams. In order to protect your faces from ultraviolet rays, use sun protection cream.

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