9 Days Everest Base Camp Trek

If you have one whole week to enjoy in the mountains, we can recommend our 9-day trek to Everest Base Camp with a helicopter tour.  You have never had a week’s holiday quite like this.  It is something you will treasure and look back on in the future. 

Our seven-day trek to Everest Base Camp, including a helicopter tour and helicopter ride back to Kathmandu, is not dissimilar to our 6-day trek except there is more time in the mountains and the opportunity to visit Nangkar Tshang Peak with its sacred sites and views of Mt Makalu.

Like any trek in the Khumbu (which is Sherpa speak for the Everest Region), we suggest a good level of general fitness is required. Nowhere in this region is an ‘easy’ trek, only some areas are less strenuous than others.

We provide you with a comfortable three-star hotel the night before your trip and the night you return to Kathmandu.  In this way, you can be sure of a high level of comfort when you return to Kathmandu.

Highlights of the 6-Day Everest Base Camp Trek

• The mountains are definitely the highlight of any trek around Everest!  What more can we say?  Well, there is more of course…
• Flying into the Hillary Tenzing Airport at Lukla has to be a thrill in itself.  That airport is high and challenging even for the well-experienced flight crew.  You may get the opportunity to watch other planes land and take off as you wait for your luggage to be processed by your porters.  
• The Sherpa people are another huge highlight.  While many are engaged in the trekking and mountaineering business, others are still carrying out their daily lives as their ancestors, working their small farms or herding yaks.
• If you have an interest in Buddhism then Tengboche Monastery will be a highlight for you. If you have less interest in the spiritual side, the fabulous panorama from its courtyard will definitely add a renewed spirit to your journey.
• The Khumbu Ice Falls, glaciers, and glacier lakes and rivers will leave you spellbound. 
• Also leaving you spellbound is standing on top of a black rock aptly named Kalapattar (ask your guide to explain) which is THE viewpoint for Mt Everest.
• Sleeping in the mountains themselves has to be a thrill of a lifetime for most people. What a vista to wake up to!

A Typical Day on the Base Camp Trek

Waking up in the mountains always happens very early.  But waking up to the majestic mountain views puts a spring in your step in the way waking up for your work routine does not!  Breakfast is taken in the teahouse you have just woken up in.  Hot tea or coffee, porridge, eggs, bread – these are the normal fare for the morning.  

Then its time to head out.  That first gasp of air will be cold!  But you will warm up as you walk, and the weak sun will also bring some warmth.  Following the path set by your guide, feel free to ask him questions about the location and the route ahead.  

Lunch is taken on the trail, and it may consist of a cold drink, hot tea, curry, and rice or noodles. It is simple and filling fare.  Bringing some snacks such as a muesli bar may be a comfort on a long hike. 

Gazing at the mountains is compulsory!  As is watching where you put your feet!  Finally, you reach the teahouse you will stay overnight in.  Enjoy the conversation around the dinner table before falling into bed early.  

Now wake up and do it all over again! 

Important Notes for the 9-Day EBC Trek

Before embarking on the trek, please consider the following notes.

• Flights to the Everest Region now depart from Ramchhap airport due to congestion at the Kathmandu airport.  Ramchhap is several hours’ drive from Kathmandu, so we are obliged to leave at 1 am. Please note there are no day or evening flights due to the high winds in the mountains in the afternoons.   
• Whereas fixed-wing plane flights can be delayed or canceled due to bad weather, it is highly unlikely that the weather has an adverse effect on helicopter flights.  But in case of delays, going either way, please ensure there are one or two days between landing back in Kathmandu and your international flight out.   
• Please provide us with a copy of your passport when you book so we can arrange the domestic flight ticket where they will request a copy of each passenger’s passport. 
• Porters are included in this package.  Usually, one porter carries the luggage of two clients.  Please remember that one porter can only carry up to 20kg so pack accordingly – that is, around 10kg for the porter and whatever you are carrying in your day bag.  We will provide you with a bag/duffle bag that is easy for porters to carry.
• In your day pack you should carry whatever medications you may need during the day, water, snacks, camera, and/or phone.  And don’t forget sunscreen, regardless of the season. 
• Airlines have a weight limit of 15kg per person. Please stick to that limit. 
• Meals on the trek are included in the price.  This does not include hot or cold drinks, alcohol, or extra snacks, so bring Nepali rupees with you.   
• The lodges charge extra for hot showers ($3 to $5) and charging your battery ($1 to $3) as it costs them to provide this service.  Again, please bring rupees with you to pay for this. We don’t think you will shower often – thus, limit the amount of shower gel you bring We can pretty much guarantee between Namche Bazaar and returning to Kathmandu you will not be so keen to shower due to the cold. 
• Please exchange your foreign currency in Kathmandu before leaving for Everest.  You can budget around $20 to $30 worth of rupees per day, depending on how much you drink/ charge/ shower! Beer runs from around Nrs700 to Nrs 1,000 per can, cold drinks around Nrs 400 per bottle, and cappuccino, americano, and cafe latte will set you back around Nrs 400 (only available in the lower parts of the route).  So, calculate your anticipated spending. You can always use excess rupees back in Kathmandu..  Importantly, keep up your water intake. 
• On the subject of alcohol, we do not recommend you drink when trekking.  It badly affects your hydration level which can heighten the risk of altitude sickness.  However, one cold beer on occasion may be too much of a temptation to resist.  And although you may not usually drink coke and the likes, somehow trekking makes us crave that sugary taste! 
• It is handy to bring water-purifying tablets or similar on a trek.  Boiled water is available in the lodges, but again there is a charge for this.  Do not be tempted to drink from any spring or river – you never know what is happening upstream!  The same goes for snow unless you can guarantee it is newly fallen. 
• If you need more sugar, aside from shops and bakeries in Namche, there is a bakery in Dingboche.
• You can buy a Wi-Fi card in Lukla or Namche Bazaar http://everestlink.com.np/  for $25.  10 or 20 GB of data are provided for use over 30 days in the Everest Region.  Wi-Fi quality is not guaranteed.  This depends on the weather and location you are in. 
• Weather can change dramatically and quickly in the mountains, so please bear with us if there are delays.  Please follow the advice of your guide if he needs to change the itinerary in any way due to the weather. 
• Drones are not permitted unless you have a special permit to fly them in the Everest Region because of the number of helicopters, often unscheduled, in the sky. It is tricky to obtain permission, so leave it at home unless you really need a drone and can deal with the bureaucracy yourself before the trip. 
• Remember your insurance – you will not be able to buy insurance for yourself in Nepal.