Is Everest Base Camp Worth It?

Thinking of trekking to Everest Base Camp?

Check out our 3 opinions and a few other helpful tidbits below.

Mine

I’m indifferent of the experience. There were definitely ups and downs to the trek. Since I planned the vacation, if you would call it that, I was constantly stressed to make sure everyone was enjoying their time and healthy enough to continue the next day. Another big downer for me was the amount of people on the trail. I was expecting to see a lot of other people because I knew it is a popular trek; however, I was not expecting to be waiting in queues one after another. We eventually convinced our guide to start 1/2 hour earlier than most of the other groups and this helped significantly.

I was also a little let down by the views of Everest herself. Being in the Himalayas surrounded by monstrous peaks everywhere you look is breathtaking. So, by the time you get to base camp you expect to see (or at least I did) more than just the peak of Everest hovering in the background.

Our weather was fantastic and we always made it to the end-of-the-day teahouse prior to the afternoon rain shower. A huge plus because we never had to carry wet clothes around. Our guide was very knowledgeable of the region and friendly. We had a little problem with communication at the beginning due to the accent but that eventually worked itself out.

All in all, if this is a lifelong dream then I say go for it. If it’s just something you could go either way with, I would suggest a different trail, wait until the hype of Everest dies down a bit, or until they regulate how many people can trek it.

Terry’s

Prior to going to Nepal, we had done some research so we had some expectations of what the experience would be like. Our adventure took a sideways turn. We always prep our tour group about our needs for gluten free meals. Our guide seemed perplexed by the conversation about gluten free dining but we seemed to reach an understanding. We had a little hiccup with our flight being delayed by a day but it was not unexpected. It did cause us to lose an acclimatization day. On the second day, we ate at a local restaurant for lunch and I had a reaction to the food. It wasn’t clear what caused it or if it was cross contamination. After that, we were much more careful with our food choices which limited the options to eat.

Nights are spent at a “tea house” which are thin-walled rooms without heat and a thin mattress on a board. If you are a sensitive sleeper, the lack of sound insulation can be challenging. The lack of sleep over several days has consequence. The combination of sleep deficit and decreased calories made each day more difficult.

One of the unexpected challenges were the lines of people on the trail. We spent a good deal of our trek shuffling behind lines of hikers uphill and down. There were teams of yaks and horses going both ways along with hikers in a hurry to pass everyone. It felt like Disney World.

We were able to make it Everest Base Camp which had 6 tents and a rock with spray paint that said Everest Base Camp. It was a little disappointing after the struggle to get there. The trek down the next day was probably the easiest day that we had. The hope was that the reduction in elevation would alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness. After waking up the next morning, I became concerned about the last 2 days which were mostly downhill on steep steps. I was afraid of potential for falling so we made the decision to take a helicopter down to Lukla.

Dad’s

Saving the best for last. My Dad’s write-up encompasses our whole Nepal Trip:

When you get asked if you’re interested in going on a trek in the Himalayas to Everest Base Camp by your daughter and son-in-law you are happy that you were asked and then you realize that this is a chance of a lifetime to get to see Mount Everest up close and personal. After accepting the invitation, you also soon realize that this isn’t going to be an easy hike and that you better get into pretty good physical condition. Because I’m 68 it gets a little harder each time you try to make that happen. Although I was in decent shape, albeit for a 68 year-old guy, I definitely didn’t want to be the one to ruin this adventure. Regular trips to the YMCA to use the stair climber seemed to help once the trek began.

Because Kara and Terry go on these sorts of travels regularly I didn’t need worry about making any of the usual arrangements. We flew into Kathmandu and that itself was an adventure for a guy from a town of less than 4,000 people. I found the local folks interesting and quite friendly.

The next day it was time to meet with the company that was providing the guide for our trek. Even though the three of us were going to have a separate guide we met with another group of trekkers and their guide. During the meeting it was asked if anyone had done any other climbing/trekking at higher altitudes. Everyone, including Kara and Terry, stated they had recently hiked up Kilimanjaro, which is over 19,000 feet above sea level. I was the only one that hadn’t, and it didn’t seem to make sense to mention that I had climbed Mt. Rainier (about 14,400 feet above sea level) about 45 years ago so I stayed quiet. I did have a prescription of altitude sickness medication so life should be good, I hoped.

The trip to the airport to fly over to the start of the trek was a 4-1/2 hour ride in a crowded van on winding roads. We stopped to stretch a couple of times and during one of the stops we saw a goat riding on top of an old SUV (aka Michael Fox in Teenwolf). That was pretty cool. Once we arrived at the airport we quickly realized that things were a little backed up, due to the unpredictable weather. We made it out the next day and into Lukla, and the trek began even though we had one less day to acclimate to the altitude.

Day 1 was pretty easy and we actually went down a little in elevation. Day 2 was a definite workout and possibly the toughest single day, in my opinion. Every time we went around a curve it seemed like there was more mountain to ascend and this went on for hours. We did get to rest a little when we got to the suspension bridges and had to wait for the yaks to get across. The first 3-4 days were quite warm and we spent most of the time in shorts and short sleeves. That changed the next couple days and we were soon wearing numerous layers for warmth. The night before we began the final jaunt to Everest Base Camp, the water in my carry along bottle froze while I was sleeping in my teahouse room and it was a challenge getting out of the somewhat warm sleeping bag.

There was just amazing scenery along the way and I was extremely fortunate that I did not succumb to any issues related to the higher altitudes. A couple of days after reaching EBC we were back in Kathmandu. We did a little shopping and spent some time relaxing until Kara decided we were going to go hike in a nearby National Park. She forgot to mention to Terry and me that it included a 7,000+ foot climb. We may have complained a little along the way, until we were passed by a local mother carrying her child up to the top. Oh yeah, and she was wearing flip flops. We also made it to the top and took some neat photos before heading back down.

Overall I felt the trip was great and the entire experience was outstanding. That being said, it was unfortunate that Terry had to battle illness for most of the time in the mountains and his view of the adventure may be a little different than mine. Kara had no mercy on either of us and beat us repeatedly in cribbage and gin rummy.

Both a Physical and Mental Challenge

While you do not have to be in as good of shape as you do to get to the peak of Everest, we do recommend having a good baseline for cardio. All three of us were probably under prepared and there were days that posed more challenging terrain than others. It’s all about how bad you want it and whether or not altitude sickness is affecting you. Listen to your body and take as many breaks as you need.

We were surprised at how slow we were walking and that that pace felt comfortable. Some places we quite literally were just shuffling our feet to make progress.

Because you may feel exhausted and sore for the entire trip it is important to continue to think positive. Take in the scenery and a few deep breaths to reset yourself. You can do it!

Teahouses

Teahouses are very basic. They offer you a mattress with a pillow and comforter or blanket. Some offer an en-suite, some have a bathroom at the end of a hallway, and some the toilets are outside. Depending on how crowded the teahouses are or what you elect, but if you are a solo traveler you may be sharing a room with a fellow hiker.

Since we added my dad on later, I was worried that he was going to have a roommate the whole time but the only time it was an issue was in Gorak Shep. He thought it was great because he could use both sets of blankets and he didn’t have to pull his sleeping bag out. It makes all the difference when trying to get your sleeping bag back into its pack with cold fingers or using extra energy. I eventually stopped putting it back in the pack as we progressed to save time.

Anything Else?

Layers of clothing are crucial as you go up in elevation.
Hiking boots with good ankle support are highly recommended.
Hiking poles really helped us when we started getting tired or to help stabilize us in some of the rockier areas.
Water is readily available.
- You still may want to bring a SteriPEN or water tablets in case you run out of water or the water is frozen at higher levels of elevation.
You are required to hire a guide to complete the trek to EBC.
- Hiring porters are still optional.
- We went with the tour company Ace the Himalaya and they supplied the guide and two porters for us.
Other random things to take:
- Toilet paper
- A balaclava, mask or scarf to help protect your airways from the dust and wind.
  - We didn’t take these and suffered from a cold coming down and a couple days after we got home.
- SMALL bills of cash to pay for things on the mountain. The internet may not be reliable for them to accept credit cards. They don’t keep lots of cash to change a large bill.

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Asia, Nepal