Everest Basecamp

We are leaving Oslo today, flying together to Nepal.

After a long flight, we arrive in the capital, Kathmandu. Here, our local friends will meet us at the airport and take us to our centrally located hotel in Kathmandu. We check in and take a short rest at the hotel or go for a stroll in the neighborhood before exploring Kathmandu further with our tour guide. Kathmandu is an explosion of colors, sounds, people, animals, temptations, culture, and experiences. For shopaholics, Kathmandu is also a shopping mecca. Everything you need, didn’t know you needed, or don’t need at all can be bought within walking distance of the hotel. Few places offer better value for money, few places have a more varied selection, and few places make haggling more fun! After we’ve gotten lost in the many back alleys and found our way back again, we can meet for dinner at a local restaurant.

We leave Kathmandu early in the morning, with a simple packed lunch from the hotel, to drive to Ramechap, where a spectacular flight to Lukla (2,800 m) awaits us. The drive takes about 5 hours on somewhat bumpy roads, so it’s a good idea to be prepared for that. The flight takes just over half an hour but transports us to a completely different world. After a bit of organizing our gear and luggage, we’re ready to set off. The first stage is an easy walk into Phakding. The terrain is lush with a mix of conifers and, in the spring, vibrant flowers. We’ll cross suspension bridges back and forth and navigate the terrain as it rises and falls. Today’s destination, the village of Phakding, is actually 200 meters lower than Lukla. We are still at a relatively high altitude, so we take it easy and spend the day relaxing. Along the way, we are served lunch, and we arrive at the lodge in the afternoon. This gives us about 5–6 hours of hiking. If we have time, we’ll visit the old monastery in Phakding before spending our first night of the trip in a sleeping bag.

After a leisurely start and breakfast, we begin our hike. Along the way, we pass through small villages and cross the Dudhi Kosi River via even more spectacular suspension bridges, before arriving at the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park (Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for Mt. Everest) after a couple of hours. Here we must check in at the national park before heading down to the river again and crossing more suspension bridges. Then the actual ascent toward Namche Bazaar begins. We’ll take it slow as we climb 700 meters in elevation. We walk at a leisurely pace, stopping countless times to take photos, have a drink, or simply enjoy the surroundings. Along the way on today’s stage, we catch our first glimpse of Mt. Everest through the treetops. Today’s destination, Namche Bazaar, is the capital of the Sherpas and the hub of the Khumbu Valley. This small town of 400 inhabitants clings to the mountainside with its colorful houses. Merchants from Tibet arrive here with their goods after a 9-day trek with their yaks. We spend the evening exploring Namche Bazaar, and many of us find our way to the bakery for freshly baked apple pie.

Today is an acclimatization day. But we won’t be lying still in our sleeping bags all day. To get the most out of the acclimatization, we’ll head higher up and then return to Namche Bazaar in the morning. After a hearty breakfast, we’ll set out on today’s hike. Our destination is the Everest View Hotel (3,880 m), a hike of about an hour and a half. From the hotel, you have a fantastic view of the Himalayas and get to see Ama Dablam for the first time—the mountain said to be the most beautiful in the world. If the weather is nice, we’ll take time for a cup of tea on the terrace before continuing back to Namche. If we have time, we’ll also stop by the Sherpa Museum. It is interesting and educational, and gives us a good insight into Sherpa culture and daily life. Back in Namche Bazaar, we have time to relax a bit before the evening. The town has many shops, internet cafes, and bakeries. For dinner, we gather for a review of today’s events and to prepare for tomorrow’s stage.

Now we’re really on our way, and we can feel the mountains calling us. After breakfast, we’re ready for today’s stage. We’re heading on to Tengboche. That means we’ll be descending 350 meters and ascending 750 meters over the course of the day. But first, we’re heading uphill. Further into the Khumbu Valley, and here, just around a bend, we “meet” the mountains for the first time. The majestic peaks we’ve been dreaming of for years. The view is overwhelming, and the camera is working overtime. Now, finally. We’re in the Himalayas!! We pass small villages along the way, before catching a glimpse of the monastery in Tengboche early in the afternoon. The monastery is known as the most beautiful in the entire Khumbu Valley. Can any other monastery in the world boast a better view? We’re served lunch along the way, and after a short rest, the tough climb up to Tengboche awaits.

This will be a leisurely day with a short hike further up the Khumbu Valley. We start by walking through the rhododendron forest to Devuche. The hike takes about 2 hours. From Pangboche, where we will spend the night, we have a panoramic view of Ama Dablam, also known as the world’s most beautiful mountain! Lunch and dinner are served in Pangboche, and there may be an opportunity for a short detour up to Upper Pangboche between meals.

Today we’re going to visit Ama Dablam Base Camp. This is a long and tough day, as we’ll be hiking for nearly 10 hours, but the experience at base camp is well worth the effort! After breakfast, we’ll start by heading slightly uphill from Pangboche before continuing down into the valley. It’s a beautiful stretch, and we’ll finish with a steep climb of about 700 meters before reaching Ama Dablam Base Camp. In addition to this base camp having a reputation for being the most beautiful in the entire Himalayas, we’ll also get the chance to experience expedition life up close. Ama Dablam is a mountain that’s climbed frequently, especially during the fall season, which means there’s a bustling atmosphere at the base camp and on the mountain. Dinner will be served once we’re back down in Pangboche. The hike up takes about 4–5 hours; we’ll spend about 2 hours at Ama BC and about 3 hours on the descent, so we’ll be hiking for a total of 9–10 hours today.

We’ll be continuing up into the Khumbu Valley, so we’ll set out early on today’s stage. Our destination for the day is Dingboche, the highest year-round settlement in Khumbu. Along the way, we’ll enjoy stunning views of Ama Dablam. We’ll also get great views of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, and Island Peak, which stand there beautiful and snow-capped. Dingboche is high up (4,410 m), and the vegetation here is sparse, to say the least. Here, people traditionally live on, with, and from potatoes of various varieties. Dingboche is a village located at the foot of the valley that leads up to Island Peak.

Today we’ll have an active acclimatization day. You can use this day to do laundry, read a good book, relax, or simply explore the surrounding area, which offers views of Cho Oyu in Tibet, among other sights. To acclimatize properly, we’ll take a short hike up to around 4,800 meters above sea level and get a taste of the thin air. We’ll enjoy the evening at the lodge, and thanks to today’s relaxed pace, we’ll have enough energy for both Yahtzee and card games around the table in the evening.

This stage promises another fantastic day with beautiful views and good company. We’ll walk through the village of Doughla, and from there we’ll pass Chukpilhara, where we’ll find memorials to all the Sherpas who have lost their lives in the Everest region. There we also encounter the Khumbu Glacier (the glacier from Mt. Everest) and essentially follow its moraine all the way to Gorak Shep. We won’t go all the way to Gorak Shep today, and eventually arrive at Lobuche (4,930 m), where we’ll spend the night. Here we’ll check into our rooms at the lodge and relax before dinner.

We set out early in the morning from Lobuche and head first to Gorak Shep for a meal and a short rest. From there, we can walk to the Everest Viewpoint, where we’ll enjoy a magnificent view of Everest Base Camp and the surrounding mountains. If you have the energy, you can continue all the way to the base camp itself. The icefall is just as impressive as we imagined, and we’ll take a walk up onto the moraine/glacier edge for a better view of the massive Khumbu Glacier in all its glory. Expeditions climbing Mt. Everest use Everest Base Camp on the Nepal side for spring expeditions, and a visit here is a highlight for mountain enthusiasts. Back in Grak Shep, we’ll be served dinner before, filled with impressions, we settle into our sleeping bags.

Gorak Shep is the starting point for two major highlights. Yesterday we visited “Everest View Point”/Everest Base Camp. Today, our destination is Kala Pattar. The summit itself is a pile of gravel that takes 3 hours to climb, so we start early in the morning. Often, that means we start in the dark with a headlamp as our light source and a down jacket to keep warm. The elevation gain from Gorak Shep is 380 meters, so you might have to dig deep to find the strength. But the view that greets you when you stand at the summit is breathtaking. The mundane pile of gravel has suddenly transformed into a fantastic vantage point. Now we have a panoramic view of the entire Himalayas, and towering around us are the 8,000-meter peaks of Lhotse, Nuptse, and Mt. Everest. Ama Dablam is also beautifully situated down in the valley. After a short while, we turn around and head back to Gorak Shep. Here we have breakfast before lacing up our boots again and hiking all the way back to Pangboche. Tonight, it’s another tired but enthusiastic group gathering around the dinner table to share their experiences.

The lower we get, the easier it feels to walk. The air feels thick as butter, and we keep turning around to soak in the last impressions of this incredible mountain world. How many photos can you really take of Ama Dablam? The answer is unknown, but most people would probably say a lot! This hike does something to you. And even though we’re looking forward to pizza and fresh baked goods in Namche Bazaar, it’s also a little bittersweet that the trek is coming to an end. We’ll have lunch along the way and return to the Sherpa capital in the afternoon. Here we’ll have time to wander through shops, markets, and the bakery before gathering for dinner.

We say goodbye to Namche Bazaar and set off on the final scenic leg of our trek. We catch one last glimpse of the majestic mountains through the treetops and continue back along the same route we took on the way here - across suspension bridges and through small villages. This will be our last night at the lodge, sleeping in sleeping bags. Tomorrow, Kathmandu awaits.

We’re up before the rooster crows. For flights to and from Lukla, the early morning hours offer the best flying conditions. Our luggage is packed, we’ve said goodbye to our local friends, and we’re on our way back to Kathmandu. From the quiet, peaceful mountain world to chaotic, mysterious Kathmandu. We fly back to Ramechap and drive the 5 hours back to Kathmandu. The rest of the day is yours to explore this exciting city on your own. It’s easy to be captivated by Kathmandu, and you should take the time to wander through the back alleys and follow the flow of people. Perhaps a foot or aromatherapy massage sounds tempting? If you enjoy shopping for affordable and fun items, Kathmandu is a paradise! Hotel life slowly but surely brings us back to our usual routines. A shower, a comfortable bed, TV, shops, and other everyday comforts initially feel like a luxury. (If we were to be delayed from Lukla, this is a buffer day).

A lazy day, some serious shopping, or sightseeing? It’s up to you. Our flight home leaves in the afternoon, and we’ll be driven to the airport in the morning.