Everest Base Camp Trek in May

Marking the summer in the calendar, May is one of the most popular times for trekking in Nepal.

You can expect warm sunny days while trekking in May. Just before the monsoon starts in mid-June, the days get longer and warmer.

You can expect some showers for a couple of hours in a few days, but that would be it.

There will be many travelers from all around the world for the journey.

Why do you think so?

Because May has favorable Everest Base Camp conditions. The skies are mostly clear and sunny. There might be a couple of clouds at the evening, but it will not obstruct the view.

Rhododendron fields, gorges, different kinds of wildlife to glaciers, lakes, and mountains. May is amazing for the Everest Base Camp Trek.

Even though there will be many people for the expedition, May is not overcrowded like that in the Autumn. You can still make many friends along the way.

Why trek Everest Base Camp in May?

Here is the list to convince you why you should trek to Everest Base Camp in May.

Long daylight hours

In May, you can get 8 to 9 hours of daylight. It means you can enjoy the scenery for a longer period of time.

You can take your time to reach the lodge for the night. You will be in no rush to reach the lodge of the fear that it would get dark and cold soon.

You can take it slow. The sunlight is there for enough hours.

Rhododendron

This could be the last month when the rhododendron fills the trail to the base camp.

Many species of rhododendrons in Nepal bloom in the spring season and are short-lived. This might be your last chance to see the red flower-filled hills and trails.

This national flower of Nepal is edible and tastes sweet and sour. It also has medicinal properties like curing dysentery.

It is also believed to dissolve bones, so people eat it or make a drink of it when fish bones stuck in their throat.

Don’t you wanna watch and try rhododendrons?

Popular season

May is a popular season for trekking in Nepal. Various trekkers from all over the world come to join the expedition.

You will not need many trekking gears like in the winter. You need not carry many articles of clothing. During the day, shorts and light t-shirts would be enough.

May will not be very crowded as in the Autumn season.

Buddha Jayanti

Buddha Jayanti falls on the full moon day of either April or May. It is the celebration of the day Buddha was born.

Buddha was born in Lumbini, which is also a UNESCO world heritage site in Nepal. On this day, there will be many devotees visiting the site.

If you don’t want to go to Lumbini on this day, you can visit the Swayambhunath and Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu.

Everest Base Camp Weather in May

The first half of the may is Basanta ritu, i.e. spring season. At the mid of the month may, Grishma ritu starts, i.e. summer season.

The temperature becomes hot during the day and chilly at night. At higher altitude, the temperature might fall to 0℃ at night.

A zero degree sleeping bag would do the work for May nights.

The highest temperature at base camp reaches to 15℃ (59℉) and the lowest falls to 0℃ (32℉). So, you can even camp out in the tents without fear of the cold.

The mornings are clear and it might be a bit cloudy in the evening. However, the clouds wouldn’t cover the whole sky. It will add more dramatic effect to the scenery.

Around the mid to late May, you might experience sudden showers. So pack a raincoat, rain cover for the backpack, and waterproof shoes.

Read more at Everest Base Camp Weather

Packing List

• Waterproof Sunscreen
• Rain jacket
• Rain trousers
• Rain backpack cover
• Waterproof Shoes
• Down and Fleece Jackets
• Trekking Tops
• Shorts
• Trekking Poles
• Thin Insulating Gloves
• Sunglasses
• Warm Socks
• Sun Hat
• Warm Cap
• Moisturiser
• Lip Balm
• Bug spray
• Water Bottle
• Water Purifying Tablets
• Sleeping Bag
• Medical Kit
• Head Torch
• Whistle
• Mobile phone
• Portable charger
• Snacks
• Trash Bag
• Personal Hygiene Kits: Shampoo, Sponge, Towels, Toothpaste, Toothbrush, Toilet paper.
• Washing Powder
• Camera
• Notebook and Pen

See detail information at: EBC packing list

Tips for Trekking in May

Advance booking

Even though May is not as busy as in autumn, you still should be safe by booking everything in advance.

If you don’t book, all the things would be done on first come first serve basis. So, you might have to spend hours finding a lodge that has rooms for you.

Do all the bookings ahead of time for ease of mind and body.

Hydrate

It is summer, you will mostly be walking in the sunlight. Keep on hydrating yourself. Drink plenty of water along the way.

Water is also important to combat the altitude sickness.

Everything up in altitude is expensive because of the transportation cost. You can get water bottles at a high price up there but it adds to the pollution.

So, get your own water bottle and take water purifying tablets with you.

Bug spray

As the summer starts, there would be different kinds of bugs along the way. Especially the forest trail could have mosquitoes and other insects.

Keep a travel-sized bug spray or an ointment with you.

Rainproof clothes

You can expect rain at times in May, so better be prepared. You will not get heavy days of rainfall, or rain for a whole day. It might rain only a couple hours max.

Be sure to take a rain jacket, rain trousers, waterproof shoes, and waterproof backpack covers.

Alternatives to Everest Base Camp Trek

Everest View Trek

Do you have only a week to spare to hike to watch Mt. Everest?

Then you can opt for Everest View Trek.

You will not go above the altitude of 3956 meters. So, this trek is perfect for people who do not want to deal with altitude problems.

You pass through a different trail to watch mountain vistas of Mt. Everest, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Thamserku

Jiri to Everest Base Camp

Unlike the other Everest Base camp trek, this “Classic Everest Trek” starts from Kathmandu to Jiri.

This 18-days trek is for people who have enough of time to spare and want to try a different trail.

If you want to ditch the crowd then this could be it as many people would use the flight to Lukla.

You will go through alpine forests, glaciers, Sherpa villages, and suspension bridges to reach the Everest Base Camp.