Everest Base Camp Trek shortly known as EBC Trek is a popular journey to explore pure nature and the unspoiled land of mountain terrains. It lies in the diverse land of the Everest Region holding a wide range of natural and adventure features. It is popular as the home to the highest mountain peaks in the world such as Mt. Everest which is the highest in the world and the following peaks like Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Makalu, and the subsequent range making it the land for the highest peaks in the world. But the natural diversity and the unspoiled nature added more flavor to gain its popularity.
The natural environment there holds a huge collection of natural characteristics like animals, plants, and the ecosystem of flora and fauna. With such features, the region opens the offers for various trekking journeys such as Everest Base Camp, Everest View Trek, Everest Gokyo Lake Trek, Everest Short Trek, etc providing the opportunity to explore nature for travel enthusiasts and adventure seekers from all around the worlds.
Among them, Everest Base Camp Trek is a very flexible trekking journey that covers almost all the features and characteristics of the mountain region and the unspoiled nature in its natural form. With the journey, a huge number of visitors every year arrive at the Everest Region to trek over the trail of Everest in their footsteps. It makes the region and the trekking activities one of the most chosen adventure activities in Nepal itself following the Annapurna Region, Manaslu Region, and many more with a wide range of choices.
So, with the journey, it is obvious to get into question the planning and the management of a proper journey. The journey in such diverse land and nature needs proper planning and scheduled activities to enjoy the potential features and harness the advantages that can be included in your journey.
Here, we are for the question to answer for you to plan and for the activities that you can pre-schedule to make and build the perfect plan for Everest Base Camp Trek. We will provide you with some of the planning tips and steps to follow which can add more flavors to your journey. Stick here to dive into the insight of planning for your trip.
Some Planning Steps For Everest Base Camp Trek
Choosing the Best Time For EBC
The actual planning starts with the best time to roam in the Everest Region as different seasons bring various features that can be interesting and can be boring depending upon personal interest. Although the Everest Region remains equally beautiful all around the years and in all different seasons, it’s about the features and the advantages that can be harnessed and included in your journey. So, considering the best choices among the trekkers and travelers as well as picking the specific features which should be in the trekking journey in the Himalayas, spring and Autumn can be chosen as the best time to Trek over the Trail of Everest Base Camp Trek. It is applicable to every trekking trail even the Everest base camp short Trek which is shorter in duration and distance.
Spring
As you know spring is the time of blossoming flowers. The Everest Region follows the same. You will get the trails and routes of the Everest Region filled with different flowering plants. The weather also gets into its stable stage. The visibility will be welcoming with the clear scenic views. It is due to the pre-monsoon rain which also makes the region more refreshing. You will also get a scenic walk through the lush greenery and the blooming landscapes. Overall, you will be enjoying the refreshing and scenic journey if you pick spring as the time for your journey.
Autumn
During Autumn, the colorful trails will be there due to the falling season of dry leaves which adds flavor to the journey including a warm hue making your trek more picturesque. The weather will be at its finest than any other season of the year. You will also get the clearest visibility which offers you full exposure to scenic peaks and landscapes. Such features as colorful trails, warm hue, and the clearest visibility are enough to make your journey mesmerizing. Overall, you will get a picturesque as well as mesmerizing journey during Autumn, if you pick it as your time to trek over the Everest Trail.
Itinerary Plan
Itinerary plan means the scheduled journey which is planned per day in separation. You need to plan a proper itinerary filled with the proper starting point and the ending point for the journey of the day. It also should be filled with the accommodation, break, and trails that you will walk through or want to pass through. The itinerary is the most building block of your plan which will decide what your journey is going to be in Everest Base Camp Trek. It can make your experience better and also can ruin your whole experience if not properly built or planned.
Accommodation
As mentioned above it also falls under the Itinerary but it should be more properly seen as an important point for your planning. The accommodation facilities on the trail of Everest Base Camp Trek are widely available with different teahouses, guesthouses, lodges, and even luxury resorts to stay for the day. You should plan it as the range of your budget and then have it within your choice as you may find it difficult to manage accommodations during or between your journeys if you are unable to manage the stays as of your budget. If you can afford luxury stays then you can include them in your journey and if the budget is minimal then you should definitely choose affordable stay options such as teahouses or lodges. But we recommend the teahouse for your stay if you want to experience the aesthetic side of the trekking journey in the tranquility of the Everest Region, besides your budget.
Budget
It is a very essential factor that needs to be considered and planned properly as it decides the overall plan of your itinerary. You should plan according to your budget and what is in your range as it can bring you unwanted problems during your journey. Include the services and the expenses that are only in your need or which should be necessary for your journey. Do not include the activities that can bring you problems in budgeting as it is very uncertain for you to decide anything during your journey if you fall for any financial issues in the middle of the Himalayas. And if you hold enough budget for the trip then you are open to your decision and choices.
Equipment
You are going to need equipment if you want to complete your trekking journey comfortably. So, you can plan for the equipment and the gear that you want to use and take during your Everest Base Camp Trek. The trekking trails in the Everest Region are drawn over the proper mountain terrains and the high-altitude geography. It makes the gears and the equipment a very necessary planning for your trek. You can include the geart5s and equipment as the checklist given below,
- Backpack
- Clothing
- First Aid
- Trekking Pole
- Water Bottle
- Cap
- Eyeglasses
- Gloves
- Personal Accessories
- Offline paper map
- Torchlight
- Emergency Contacts
Above is the checklist which is necessary but you can also minimize and customize it within your ability and as to your need. But you need to carry the most essentials like a Backpack, water bottle, first Aid, clothing, etc which are the daily needs for the journey. Also, do not carry unusual or unnecessary stuff that you will not use often during your journey as it just increases the weight of your essentials which can eventually ruin your whole experience.
Permits
Another plan for the Everest Base Camp is the Permits which you will need to get inside the Everest Region as it comes under the conservation area. It is to protect the ecosystem and its cultural features. Trekkers should need specific permit works from the official boards. Here are some of the permits which you need to do while you are on your journey,
- TIMS (Trekking Information Management System)
- SNPEP(Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permits)
- GCAP(Gaurisankar Conservation Area Permits)
- PLRMP(PasangLhamu Rural Municipality Permits)
All the above permits should be filled with the trekker’s or visitors’ legal personal information and also with the proper legal procedures. Entering or accessing the Everest Regio0n without the proper permits is considered or known as an illegal act and according to the circumstances, one can take specific legal actions if found doing so.
Some Additional Tips For you
- Always follow the instructions which are related to safety concerns and are provided to you. Be aware of the warning signs and be cautious about the written banners with specific instructions. Always be more careful and cautious while passing through the cliffs and above difficult terrains.
- Do be aware of altitude sickness as it can happen to you anytime if not follow proper precautions. It can be more vital if not cared for properly or not considered in an earlier stage. So, we recommend you to avoid any physical activities which need frequent body movements and well as more breathing. It includes running, jumping, or athletic performances. In case of altitude sickness, stay calm, do not react with another body movement, and inform fellow trekkers or any person available.
- Do not tend any teasing activities while you are at the terrains with your fellow trekkers or with any animals. It can lead to serious injuries and can lead to fatal unfortunate accidents which can even take lives.
- Always carry a First Aid Kit. As the region is diversified with the proper terrains and with the difficult paths in remote areas anytime unfortunate incidents are a risk there. In such cases, it can be very helpful as the arrival of the helpline takes time due to the geography. Also, getting small wounds is very often in such a diverse journey into nature and can lead to a bigger infection if not cured with proper medication. It also makes it an important essential point to consider.
- As we already mentioned above. Avoid such kinds of equipment as well as gears which are not that necessary and you can complete your journey without it. The Everest Base Camp Trek is filled with ascending band descending paths through the various terrains and it is difficult to go through even without the weights on your back. So, avoiding the unusual stuff can be helpful for you.
FAQs
- What is the difficulty of completing the Everest Base Camp Trek?
It is considered to be moderately difficult to complete. But it can vary from personal ability depending upon person to person. If you are a beginner in trekking then you may find this trek more difficult than expected and if you are an experienced trekker then it can be easier for you.
- What Duration does it take to complete EBC Trek?
It takes from the range of 8 days to 20 days of itinerary depending upon your planned days and the number of stays and acclimatization. Most of the trekkers cover it in 14 days with proper experience and enjoying the features. If you choose to stay for more days in specific places then it could depend upon you and your plane to complete the EBC Trek.
- What currencies can I use during this Trek?
You can only use Nepalese currency on the trail of Everest Base Camp Trek. Only a few of the luxury accommodation providers accept payments in foreign currencies such as US dollars, Euros, and pounds. But still, it is very uncertain as of circumstances, the condition of accepting the transaction can vary. So, we recommend you carry the Nepalese currency during your trekking journey in the Everest Region. You can exchange them with your currency in exchange shops in Kathmandu with International Exchange Rate.
- What are the required minimum and the maximum walk per day on the trail of EBC?
The minimum required walking per day is 5 hours and the maximum goes up to 8 hours on the day of the summit up to Base Camp. But again, it depends on your ability to walk and the speed at which you can walk over the terrains in ascending and descending paths. If you can walk faster then it may take a shorter time and if you can’t then it may consume more time than expected.
- Is there any shorter trekking journey than EBC?
Yes, there are other options too for the Everest short Trek, depending upon your range of vacation. The best choices can be picked from Everest View Trek. It covers the most of the scenic features which you can get inside the Everest Region in Shorter duration.
Conclusion
Up to here, you get some of the tips and the planning steps of the perfect plan for Everest Base Camp Trek. We provided you with some of the factors and features that are essential to include in the properly managed journey for EBC. From here you can plan for your trip with your essential steps and necessary tips to go with. All of these are provided with the experience of different trekkers and travelers. It means it is all applicable and relatable to conditions.
But it is only to take idea as you will never know until you’ve done by yourself. You need to try to get your own insight about nature and the trekking journey inside the diverse nature like in the Everest Region. So, plan your schedule, get ready, and get yourself out to give it a try on your own to create your own experience.