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The trek to Everest Base Camp is the ultimate bucket-list experience for any outdoor person. Check out one of Dhaval Choksi's Everest base camp experience here. Must Read!
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Dhaval is a 31-year-old resident of Navsari, a place near dang-mahal and various campsites in Gujarat and Maharashtra border. He's been associated with his family business of Jewellery.
"I've been inclined toward sports from a very young age, since my school days and was always up for any kind of adventure sports and physical activities!"
Then for a couple of years, I had a fantastic chance to explore the trekking culture with the Youth Hostel program in the Northern part of India and even in Dang. Certain Treks have been on my list since forever.
For example; Zanskar River Trek (Chadar Trek), Annapurna Base Camp, Everest Base Camp, various trails in Iceland such as Vatnajokull, Landmannalauger etc. I decided on the Everest Base Camp for 1st Jan 2018 considering I achieve my endurance level, Optimum for Everest region by the stipulated time.
I ended up opting for EBC With GOKYO RI and Chola Pass which consist of 16 days of trekking and 5 days buffer.
I generally love the mountains and I've been madly in love with the Himalayas since my first trip to Manali at the age of 14. I was able to finally take the decision on EBC mainly for 2 personal reasons.
We reach Katmandu Airport early at 6:30 am and was there till noon, waiting for our flight to take off but due to cloud conditions at Lukla Airport, only the first flight of the day took off and the rest all got cancelled. Note: Once flights get canceled, the price of a Helicopter ride to Lukla starts reaching the sky (quite literally). The locals take this opportunity and charge as high as 600 USD for a one-way helicopter. The worst part is that once your flight gets canceled, you get tickets for2nd phase on the next day.
After waiting for 7 hours and negotiating with the crew, our flight timing was 9:30am and took off at 1:15 pm. I finally made it to Lukhla (2840 meters in height) in just 25 minutes. The landing took our breath away - #Whatabeauty! We had a quick lunch and left for Phakding (2610m). It took us around 3 hours 30 mins to reach with a decent trail. Here the sherpas calculate distance in hours and not kms.
Note: Always try and book the first flight since it has the highest probability of taking off.
This was an important day for 2 reasons.
There are two waterfalls in September and a direct view of Mt. Thamserku (6608m) between Tok-Tok and Bengar Village. There is also a suspension bridge over Dudh Koshi to go Munju (2840m) where the Sagarmatha National Park hiking passes check post is. Namchee is base for all the trekkers and climbers.
This was our rest day for acclimatization so what we basically do is climb high but stay low. We spent the day with a day trip to the Everest View Hotel (3880m) established by the Japanese. It's an idle place for a tea break with a direct view of Everest, Lhotse, Peak 38, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Tabuche, Tengboche in the Kumbu valley etc. We also took a trip to Kunde Village and Hillary School and long mane wall and Khumjung monetary for yeti tales.
The whole expeditions were 7-8 hours of day trek.
We trekked to Tengboche(3973 M). Once you're above 3500m, you start feeling the difference in breathing and you tend to take a few more breaks than usual. Almost 6-7 hours we took to reach Tengboche and we went straight to attend prayers at the monastery. We stayed at the only cafe in the village. It had the best chocolate cake ever.
Acclimatisation day again. We did a day hike to 5000 m Nangkar Tsang. If you feel okay, you can do a 200-300 m hike also to do the needful to your body. I personally couldn’t be there till 5000 m and I definitely regret missing the 6 mountain peak view from Nangkar Tsang, i.e Mt. Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Island Peak, Tabuche Peak, Cholatse Peak and Mt. Makalu (8463m) etc.
Tengboche to Diboche (4410m) took nearly 6 hours. The terrain was a Nepali flat trail which is essentially a slightly steep trail. It passed through the most beautiful mountain view of Ama Dablam but we also faced difficulty due to the rain but it was worth it.
Dingboche 4410m to Thukla 4620m was 3hrs. A short steep climb up to Chorten (view of Mt. Makalu). Then, Nepali flat walk to Thukla about 2-3 hrs along Khumbu valley. We went high and sleep low for acclimatization training in the afternoon. You shouldn't skip this else next couple of days will be harder.
Thukla to Labuche 4910m took us 2hrs. You come across a memorial for famous mountaineers who died on these peaks.
We had lunch at the tea house and proceeded to reach Everest Base Camp. The experience was #Outoftheworld. Make sure you're one of the earlier ones since there are only 4 tea houses in Gorakshep with the capacity of merely 120 people at a time.
By the way, you cannot see the Everest peak from here but you can see the trail to climb it and if you're lucky then get a chance to speak to the climbers of Mt. Everest. We were though.
From here onwards, we had to start our day at 5 am with almost 10 hours of Trek daily till we reach Namche. We completed Kalapatthar (5545m) in 6 hours and then headed back to Labuche and then to Dzongla. Kalapathhar is more difficult to climb than EBC. But when you reach the peak, you'll feel like you're in the lap of Mt. Pumari. You cannot take your eyes off the unnamed turquoise lake which walk parallel with you. This was one of the few days in our trek where we felt that we were walking above the clouds. We were nearer to Everest and because we started early before sunrise, we could see the sun coming out from Everest. #Insanelybeautiful. On reaching Dzongla, we were completely exhausted and late so we decided to take a day off the next day and cover that later on the 2nd day.
This was a leisure day and we spent it interacting with a German Scientist who happened to be questioning YETI existence. I do believe in their existence though.
It was time to hit our next milestone. Dzongla to Chola Pass (5420 m) to Gokiyo lake in one day. 12 hours of ascending and slippery trail. We were literally crawling and walking on glaciers just before Chola Pass. This was the best day of our Trek in terms of the variety of trails we covered in a day. It's important to cross Chola Pass before 9:30 or else the clouds or the melting of glaciers would be a major hindrance. Since we had taken a leisure day earlier, we had to make up for it by skipping our stay at Thanka and directly reached Gokyo Lake side. I would call it an Interstellar Trail. We were on a different planet walking through the Ngozumpa Glacier towards the Gokyo Lake.
Started early at 7 am and covered Gokyo Lakes 3, 4 and 5. We couldn't do till the 6th because it was 8 hours one way and we had to stay there overnight. The terrain was that of the Nepali Flat Trail again and it took us 7 hours to cover all 3 lakes. If you make it till the 5th, be sure to be treated with a dramatic view of Mt Cho Yu and Everest.
We started really early at 4 am for Gokyo Ri (5357) to see the sunrise from the peak. This is a must for any trekker. It's really worth all the climb and effort. We had a clear view of Everest, Ngozumpa Glacier, Mt Cho Yu and the 3 leakes from the peak. We all didn't really want to go down just yet but we Dole in our agenda which was 5 hours from Gokyo lakeside. It was going to be another day of 11 hours of Trekking. Since we had started descending, we were all quite comfortable with breathing and getting our pace like as if we belonged to the region. We again covered lake no 1, 2, and 3 on our way to Dole (4100M).
Dole to Namchee is another 6-7 hours of descending through the big boulders. You're at peace for sure and even though it might sound counterintuitive but descending drains you more than ascending. Coming out of that region would definitely leave some impact on you. I can say that I truly belong to Sagarmatha. We reached Namchee and stayed at the same hotel while flaunting our achievements of covering all the peaks without any hiccups . #trulyblessed.
We started really early at 4 am for Gokyo Ri (5357) to see the sunrise from the peak. This is a must for any trekker. It's really worth all the climb and effort. We had a clear view of Everest, Ngozumpa Glacier, Mt Cho Yu and the 3 leakes from the peak. We all didn't really want to go down just yet but we Dole in our agenda which was 5 hours from Gokyo lakeside. It was going to be another day of 11 hours of Trekking. Since we had started descending, we were all quite comfortable with breathing and getting our pace like as if we belonged to the region. We again covered lake no 1, 2, and 3 on our way to Dole (4100M).
We waited the entire day for our flight and after our boarding was done, the flight got canceled. So we had to stay over.
We were pretty much stuck in our hotel room with a view waiting for our turn to go to the airport. The weather was kind and we were able to board our flight at 9 am which was earlier scheduled at 6:30 am. With the help of our resort owner, we were able to manage to get the first phase flight because I had a flight to India on the same day. We were truly blessed to not have any disruption throughout the trek. We met quite a few people who were stuck with flight delays for almost 4 days and they opted for the road route which took about 3 days of extra trekking.
The total cost for the trip was around 1.35 lakhs which includes breakfast and 2 meals in a day for all 20 days + accommodation in Katmandu, flight tickets from India to KTM (economy) and equipment (Jackets, poles, shoes, bags etc) Most of my gear, I ordered on decathlon.in except the sleeping bag and the winter jacket which I rented in Katmandu.
Mid-September is a good time for Gokyo Lake via EBC trip. You can walk around with a long t-shirt when it's sunny under ofcourse 3500m. When the sun is down, it gets cold and the temperatures get colder as you go higher in the high altitude. It can go down to -5-degree Celsius at midnight above 4500m. I suggest you pack the following trekking equipment;
Note - If you have a new trekking boot, please use it before you come to Nepal. Microspikes and snow gaiters could be really helpful.
Note: - If you manage to carry equipment as much as the above list then for per person it is 10 to 12kgs of weight to carry. Standard trekking equipment can be purchased in Kathmandu. Down sleeping bag and jacket can be rented in Kathmandu. It will be better if you're able to keep your baggage under 15kg each person. The Airlines allow maximum 15kg baggage (including handbag 5kg) each person.
If you've done a lot of training, walking, running or climbing or you're used to high altitude climates, it will be a big advantage for you. However, you will be doing acclimatization training with your guide before you head to Gokyo Lake via EBC trip. Nepal Himalayas are famously talked about for its beauty but no one really talks about the high altitude headaches and sicknesses. There are different types of sicknesses and should know about them and their symptoms before heading to the mountains.
There are 3 types of Altitude Sickness;
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) can develop at any altitude over 3000 meters in the Nepal Himalaya.
HAPE: High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (Lung problem associated with water in the lung)
HACE: High Altitude Cerebral Edema (Mental or psychological problems associated with the presence of water/fluid in the head)
The trekking trails in Nepal are quite varied. It ranges between wide, road-like avenues to narrow slippery paths. In many places the trail edges are severe, a fall from there can be fatal. One must pay attention to their steps at all times. Be especially careful not to move around while looking through the viewfinder of your camera or are distracted in some other manner.
Sometimes your routes will become confusing and you may take a wrong path. If you are tried as one often is at an altitude or after a long day, there is a great temptation to try to climb up or down a steep hillside to regain the correct trail. Several people have died from a long fall while trying to do this and others have been seriously and painfully injured. Retrace your steps to find the correct path rather than moving cross-country.
It's necessary to have good footwork, especially over the rocks.
In case of bad weather strikes, never stay in the open because you might risk hypothermia. The guide will lead you with careful precautions of avalanche risks after snow blizzards etc. Safety is your first priority.
This was the best trek I could have ever done. It was completely beyond my imagination. After 4, once we reached the tea houses, we had time to interact with the different trekkers and travelers who were all from different cultures. I met people from around the globe, a trader from Hong Kong to army personnel from Israel and scientists from Germany and of course the localities, the Nepalese. They were so warm and hardworking. Their nature is naturally peaceful and kind. They really take care of you as you're on your own there. Given a chance, I would definitely explore higher peaks, the ones with crevasses and ice climbing, basically with a higher difficulty level. I am still considering the Audens Cole or Chadar Trek or maybe the Sagarmatha Regions again. #loveformountains
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