How much does it cost to do the EBC Trek?

You can expect to pay up to $1000, for a self-guided trek, and between $1800 and $4500 for a guided trek.

Like most things in life the cost will vary depending on the level of support and comfort you desire. However, on average you can expect to pay approximately $2500 per person for a decent guided trek. This should include hotel accommodation in Kathmandu on the day of arrival and the day before departure, return flights from Kathmandu to Lukla, a guide (or guides), tea house accommodation, and food. This wouldn’t include return flights from your home country to Kathmandu.

The variance in cost is directly related to the standard of tea houses that you stay and eat in during your trek. Obviously, the better the tea houses the more they will cost. And of course, the quality of the guide/s that you employ the services of! Western, English speaking, mountain leader type guides are going to cost more than local Nepalese guides who may not display the same attention to detail and whose English might be difficult to understand. I’m not suggesting for one moment that you shouldn’t consider Nepalese guides, just that you should be aware of the pitfalls. The choice of guide can simply make or break your experience. The single most important factor in completing the Everest Base Camp trek successfully is acclimatisation which requires slow and steady pacing and rest days at certain stages. Your guide needs to fully understand these factors and take in to account any personal requirements.

Of course, you can do a self-guided EBC trek comfortably for $1000 or less per person based on a 13-day trek, not including flights to and from Kathmandu.

• $25 Accomodation Kathmandu per night, per person
• $300 Return flight to Lukla
• $40 Permit for Sagarmatha National Park
• $5 - $150 Tea houses per night per person
• $10 - $20 food per person

How fit do I need to be to do the EBC Trek?

To fully enjoy and appreciate the EBC trek you need to be physically prepared, but you don’t need to be a highly tuned athlete by any means. If you are a mostly inactive person then you will almost certainly struggle to make it to base camp. The trek shouldn’t be underestimated, and my philosophy was that it is going to be an experience of a lifetime, it is going to cost a considerable amount of money, and my fitness is one element of successfully completing the trek that I could control. See how to train for the Everest Base Camp trek.

What training do I need to do to prepare for the EBC Trek?

So, as I’ve already stated above you don’t need to be a highly tuned athlete, but in order to gain the most enjoyment out of the trek you do need to prepare physically. Based on the experienced gained whilst training for trek I believe the following simple training plan is more than adequate to ensure that you are physically prepared:

What mental preparation is required for the EBC Trek?

At times the trek can get very uncomfortable and depending on your affinity for the great outdoors you may need to prepare mentally for the trek. You will need to be prepared for life in the mountains, including camping, bugs, dirt, baby wipe showers, and going to the toilet outdoors! All accommodation on the trek to Everest Base Camp is in small tea houses, run by the local Sherpa people. You will have a bed to sleep in, albeit not very comfortable. Many people keep clean by using baby wipes and a bowl of warm water each day. The toilet situations can be difficult at times, as in the tea houses they are generally not Western-style toilets, rather just a hole in the ground instead of a toilet bowl. You will also need to be prepared to use the great outdoors at times when you are on the trail with no tea house nearby. You do need to prepare yourself for these things, as you do not want to arrive on the mountain and have higher expectations and be disappointed.

What altitude is EBC?

Everest Base Camp is 5,380 m (17,600 ft). Other notable stages are:

• Lukla – 2,860m (9,383 ft)
• Namche Bazaar – 3,440m (11,286 ft)
• Tengboche – 3,860m (12,664 ft)
• Dingboche – 4,410m (14,468 ft)
• Lobuche – 4,940 (16,207 ft)
• Gorak Shep – 5,164 (16,942 ft)
• Everest Base Camp – 5,380

What is the weather like on the EBC Trek & when is it best to go?

There are 4 distinct seasons in the Everest region:

• Spring, usually between March and mid Jun is one of the best times to do the Everest Base Camp trek. We did ours at the end of April going in to May and the weather was absolutely stunning except for the day we trekked in to base camp! Most of us were in t-shirts and shorts up to Namche Bazaar, whist others were in short all the way up to Tengboche! However, as we experienced on base camp day the weather can change in a matter of minutes so you must be prepared. The down side to great trekking conditions is that the route up and down is very busy. Spring is also the time when mountaineers are looking to summit Everest, usually towards the end of May.
• Summer (Monsoon), usually from mid June through to September. The only positive about trekking in the monsoon season is that the trails are almost empty! With frequent rain and cloud this is certainly the worse time of year to do the Everest Base Camp trek.
• Autumn, usually October through to December. This along with the Spring is another good season to trek in. As the weather starts to get colder (albeit comfortable) the days will generally get clearer, but one again the trail will become busy and crowded.
• Winter, usually December through to February. Winter can be a great time to trek as the trails are much less crowded. Winter though is dominated by the colder northern hemisphere jet stream which means high winds and cold temperatures. The skies will be clear, day temperatures will be comfortable, but night time temperatures will be below freezing.

Will I suffer from altitude sickness?

Ones susceptibility to altitude sickness cannot be predicted. It is indiscriminate; factors such as age, fitness, or condition bear no relation in who might be affected. Altitude sickness can start to present itself at around 2,500m (8,000 ft) and symptoms can start to become more severe at altitudes over 3,500m (12,000 ft). With a large section of the Everest Base Camp trek being over 3,500m (12,000 ft) and up to 5,380m (17,650 ft) means that altitude sickness is a real risk. This is where the quality of the company and guides that you use might play a part. The key to avoiding severe altitude sickness is to go very slowly, drink plenty of water (4 – 5 litres per day) and spend time at certain altitudes acclimatising. The company we went with schedule 3 days at Namche Bazaar, where most only schedule 2. We also had 2 days at Dingboche which appears to be standard. As it turned out we had problems getting in to Lukla on the first day and so only had 2 days at Namche Bazaar. If we only had 2 days scheduled at Namche Bazaar we would have ended up only having 1 day acclimatisation.

Well trained guides will also be aware of the tell tale signs of altitude sickness and should be on the look out for the symptoms developing with those in their charge. With all that said everyone in our group, and others we talked to, suffered the effects of altitude to some degree. I personally suffered from bad headaches, whilst others suffered from diarrhea, nausea, and fatigue. One member of our group had to be air lifted from Lobuche, and were one to the fittest most prepared members in our group.

The key is to be aware and listen to your body. High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE), or high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) are real risks and you should know what symptoms to look out for. If you feel that you might be suffering from either of these then it is time to remove yourself from the trek. Reaching Everest Base Camp isn’t worth risking your life.

Is the EBC Trek dangerous?

From my research, whilst the Everest base camp trek poses certain risks from physical injury to altitude sickness, the probability of a serious, life threatening incident happening is extremely low. You should therefore be aware of the risks but you should most certainly NOT let them put you off. The reward of trekking through the Himalayas out ways the risks many times over!

How do I acclimatise on the EBC Trek?

Acclimatisation is the key to successfully completing the Everest Base Camp trek. If the same trek was at sea level over the same amount of days I would considered it to be a moderate trek. However, altitude, and sometimes extreme weather conditions, make it the tough challenge that it is. There are 3 key factors to successful acclimatisation:

1. Walk at a steady to slow pace.
2. Stay hydrated always by drinking at least 4 – 5 liters of water per day
3. Have rest days scheduled in, which include climbing high, and sleeping low. This means at certain stages of the trek you climb to an altitude that is higher than where you will sleep that evening. In our case we had two acclimatisation stages; one a 3,500m (11,286 ft) and the other at 4,410m (14,468 ft).

Do I require any special travel insurance?

Most travel insurance only covers you up to a certain altitude (normally up to 4,000m, 13,100 ft) and doesn’t cover medical evacuation by helicopter. For that reason, you must ensure that your policy covers you up to 6,000 meters, and includes helicopter evacuation. Otherwise helicopter evacuation to Kathmandu would cost you approximately $2,500, plus any medical expenses that you will require. In the UK we used Big Cat travel insurance who provided everything we required.

What gear do I need for the EBC Trek?

Coming soon ...

What is the best company to book through?

Coming soon ...

What is the accommodation/tea houses like on the EBC Trek?

Tea houses, where you will eat breakfast, lunch, and evening meals, and sleep each evening range in price and quality. Obviously, you get what you pay for; we used Ian Taylor Trekking and the overall standard of accommodation was, in my opinion, very good and probably better than I was expecting. Tea houses in the lower regions are more comfortable than in the higher regions. The reason for this is that all provisions must be carried by Sherpa’s, Yaks, or donkeys, and therefore replenishing food bedding or anything else that might be necessary is much easier, and cheaper, at the lower levels than it is higher up.

As part of our package we slept in twin rooms. Dorms are available if you are looking to keep the costs down. Rooms varied in size and comfort. Some, particularly lower down, were spacious, had ensuite toilet and shower, and a comfortable(ish) bed. As we progressed past Namche Bazaar they got more basic, beds became more uncomfortable, and there might be just a couple of toilets serving up to 100 trekkers.

Most toilets were western style, however many used a manual flushing system i.e. a jug of water was used to fill the system before you could flush. Don’t forget your head torch during the night when staying in the higher regions as electricity is only on during daylight hours. We used water wipes for personal hygiene which I highly recommend.

Dining was communal and very comfortable in the lower regions, however as there are less tea houses at higher altitude they do become busy at meal times. One benefit of booking through an organised company is they ensure, by booking ahead, that you will have a seat to eat your meal.

What is the food like on the EBC Trek?

Coming soon ...

Can you charge electronic devices on the EBC Trek?

Coming soon ...

Can you get wifi on the EBC Trek?

Coming soon ...

Can you get a phone signal on the EBC Trek?

Coming soon ...