The trek to Everest Base Camp is one of the most gripping adventures a person can have. This tour to Everest Base Camp in Nepal draws travellers from all over the world who want to test themselves and enjoy the untouched beauty of the Himalaya. The walk up to Everest Base Camp runs through beautiful valleys, small villages, glaciers and fast rivers, and every moment of it is filled with the spirit of adventure and with the thrill of meeting the highest mountain on earth.
For most travellers the tour to Everest Base Camp begins in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, where the group registers, sorts out the paperwork it needs and receives its briefing. Then comes the flight to Lukla, the small town where the walking route starts. That flight over the Himalaya is an adventure in itself, since the airport at Lukla is known as one of the highest and most demanding in the world. The weather here changes quickly, and the landing is always a thrilling start to the trek.
The first day of the Everest Base Camp tour takes you from Lukla to Phakding, a small village where travellers can adjust to the altitude and begin getting used to local conditions. Along the way there are teahouses serving traditional Nepali tea and snacks. The trek goes on, and the next key point on the route is the village of Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar is something of a Sherpa capital and a popular place to acclimatise. It has shops, cafes, guesthouses and even internet cafes, which makes it an important stop on the way to Everest Base Camp.
Acclimatisation is one of the most important parts of the trek to Everest Base Camp. The tour to Everest Base Camp in Nepal builds in several stops to let you adjust to the altitude. At Namche Bazaar travellers spend an extra day, walking up high and coming back down to sleep so that the body gets used to the falling amount of oxygen. The view of Everest from the acclimatisation point nearby is simply breathtaking, and many travellers say it is their first real sense of the scale of «the highest summit in the world».
After Namche Bazaar the trek continues, and for the next few days you walk through rhododendron forest and modest little villages with superb scenery all around. At every stage of the route the tour to Everest Base Camp in Nepal offers views of the great Himalayan peaks, of snow summits, glaciers and rushing rivers that cross the path. Another important stop is the village of Tengboche, with its well-known Buddhist monastery. Here, at over 3867 metres, you can stop and enjoy the calm of the monastery, and take in striking views of Everest and the mountains around it.
Every day the altitude rises and the walking grows harder. Travellers have to keep a close watch on their own health, because altitude sickness is common on this route. The tour to Everest Base Camp is built so that trekkers acclimatise gradually, but it is still important to watch for the symptoms: headache, nausea and dizziness.
The trek carries on through the villages of Dingboche and Lobuche, where night temperatures drop noticeably and the air grows thin. These are the last large stops before the final stage of the route to Everest Base Camp. As they draw closer to base camp, trekkers begin to feel the full force and power of the Himalaya. The cold air, the snow summits, the absence of vegetation all show how near the goal now is.
Finally, at 5364 metres, travellers arrive at Everest Base Camp. This moment is the high point of the whole journey. All around is the camp of the climbers preparing for their ascent of Everest. The tour to Everest Base Camp in Nepal is not only a chance to enjoy the beauty of the country around you but a chance to feel part of history. Here, at the foot of the highest mountain on earth, everyone feels small and at the same time feels themselves an important link in the wider world of mountaineering and travel.
One particular quality of the trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal is the chance to immerse yourself in another culture. Nepal is famous for its hospitality, and on the way to Everest Base Camp trekkers meet the culture and traditions of the Sherpas, the people native to these mountains. Sherpas are not only guides and helpers on mountain expeditions but people with deep knowledge of local conditions. The tour to Everest Base Camp in Nepal is a rare chance to learn about Sherpa life, their households, their traditions and their religion.
Reaching Everest Base Camp does not bring the tour to an end. The group spends several hours there taking photographs, watching the climbers and simply enjoying the grandeur of the place. The way back usually feels a little easier, since dropping to a lower altitude makes breathing easier. The journey back to Lukla passes through familiar places, and trekkers enjoy remembering every stage of the walk up to Everest Base Camp.
Taken as a whole, the tour to Everest Base Camp is a test of emotional as much as physical strength. This trek is a journey that makes you reconsider how you look at life, find out what you are capable of and feel in harmony with the natural world. Nepal and its Everest Base Camp stay in the memory as one of the most remarkable places on the planet.
The practical side of a journey like this, the route options, acclimatisation, accommodation and choosing a programme, is covered by the guide to trekking to Everest. The main article on this subject.