Short Everest Base Camp Trek

How does our trip start?

The Short Everest Base Camp Trek starts with a flight to the town of Lukla; it is the starting point of our trek. This flight lasts for 40 minutes and is a scenic trip as you get to enjoy an overhead view of the mountains in the Sagarmatha region. You will see peaks like Everest, Cho Oyu, Makalu, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, and more from your window. We will land at the Tenzing Hillary Airport shortly, where our EBC short trek guide will hand you your permits for the trek.

Difficulty

This Short Everest Base Camp Trek is a difficult trek, as we have significantly cut down the standard itinerary to offer trekkers with fewer days to spend in Nepal a chance to experience the Everest region. A shortened itinerary means we will have to cover longer distances per day, in comparison to the standard itinerary, to reach our destination on time.

Other factors that make it a difficult trek are the decreased oxygen amount in the air, no acclimatization days, and harsh cold weather. As we go higher in the Himalayan region, the amount of oxygen decreases which causing shortness of breath. In addition to that, we will not be spending an acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar, which rids us of a rest day. Lastly, the Himalayan weather is not something that can be predicted; it is always cold there, and snowfall or rainfall are unpredictable.

Best seasons

The Short Everest Base Camp Trek is best experienced in the season of autumn. During the autumn months, the trails are generally dry, the weather stays clear, and the visibility is at its peak. Autumn is also the season for festivals in the Himalayan region, which is a great way to witness the cultural practices of the Sherpa people. Many trekkers prefer autumn for trekking the EBC short trek, and they are completely right to do so,

Another great season for a Short Everest Base Camp Trek is the season of spring. This season is particularly preferred for its vibrant flowers and lush green nature. Specifically, the national flower of Nepal, rhododendron, blooms during the early spring season and adds a popping red color to the scenes. In addition to that, the weather is usually clear and the skies are bright and blue.

Can a beginner join this trip?

No, a beginner can not join this Everest Base Camp short trekking trip. This itinerary is not made for everyone, but for those with experience and not enough time to go on a 15 to 20-day-long trek to the Everest region. You must have prior trekking experience; if not, you might fall prey to altitude sickness easily. There are preventive measures (for beginners) of altitude sickness, but having the experience to prevent it and deal with it is much needed.

In addition to that, the trails are much faster-paced, requiring trekkers to walk at a certain pace to cover the long distances set by our EBC short trek itinerary. The ascents are difficult, tiring, and challenging to most trekkers with less experience. We recommend beginners to stay away from this trek and only experienced ones to book it with us.

Altitude Sickness

A Short Everest Base Camp Trek is a risky journey when it comes to altitude sickness, we will be gaining more than 500 meters of altitude during some ascending days, which is not an ideal setting. In addition to that, there is no acclimatization or rest day in our Everest Base Camp short trekking itinerary, which is yet another aspect that is not ideal. However, with proper preventive measures such a hydration, climbing high and sleeping low, and setting a safe climbing pace, we can avoid the issue of altitude sickness.

Our guide is also going to check your oxygen levels every morning and every night to make sure that you do not going to fall victim to altitude sickness. If he sees any kind of early signs, he will guide you on how to prevent it from happening.

Accommodation, Food and Drink

As mentioned earlier, the standard accommodation during your Short Everest Base Camp Trek is standard tea houses and lodges, but it can be upgraded at some villages that offer more luxurious stays. The local tea houses provide the basic facilities and nothing more; getting even your basic needs fulfilled in the inaccessible highland villages is a challenge on its own.

Every goods and services that you find in the region are brought on the backs of porters, crossing streams, and swaying suspension bridges. There is no direct road connection that leads to most of the villages we will be visiting throughout our journey.

Local dishes like Rildok, Tsampa, Sherpa, Thukpa, Riki Kur, and more are found throughout theShort Everest Base Camp Trek . In addition to that, the locals have also been offering food like pancakes, pasta, pizza, sandwiches, noodles, macaroni, spaghetti, and more to accommodate those who are not into Nepalese cuisine.

Transportation

Our Short Everest Base Camp Trek package covers your flight to and from Lukla, and all the other transportation needs as per the itinerary we have suggested above. You will not be charged a penny extra for these services, your trek package will cover all the costs.

Permit

The Sagarmatha National Park entry permit fee and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fees are the only two permits you will need for thisShort Everest Base Camp trekking experience. We can get both of these permits in Kathmandu, our trek guide will help you get these before the start of the trek. The trek package will cover the expenses related to the permits and also the local taxes of the Everest region.

For instance, the higher we go, the more we have to pay for food, accommodation, and everything else. This is because goods have to be carried on the backs of porters, and the higher we go, the difficult it gets to transport products. The local government has set a fixed price increase as per the altitude, which is the local taxes of the Himalayas.

Trip preparation and fitness

As we stated earlier, this Short Everest Base Camp Trek is not meant for beginners and those who tend to under-prepare for trekking adventures. You need to be fully dedicated while preparing for this trek since it will decide the ultimate quality of your experience. On a daily basis, we need to trek for at least 5 hours to reach our destination, which calls for stamina and endurance. We recommend at least 12 weeks of training before starting the EBC short trek.

Cost & Budget

The cost of this short everest base camp trek experience is USD 1300$ per person. This package covers most of your trekking expenses, such as flight to and from Lukla, accommodations, 3 meals per day, wages for porters and guides, their insurance, permit fees, local taxes, medical assistance in case of an emergency, farewell dinner, and more.

Gadgets charging & Internet

Charging your gadgets should not be an issue throughout the short everest base Camp trek . The Everest region is the most visited Himalayan trekking destination of Nepa,l which has resulted in better infrastructure than the rest of the destinations within the country. However, internet connection remains an issue since the reception is not that good when you are surrounded by hills and mountains. Nevertheless, you can get usable internet conenction at the base camp and most of the major villages in the region.

Your Extra expenses

Expenses such as international flights, additional accommodations, additional meals, tips for guide and porters, visa fees, excess luggage weight to be carried by our porters (9 kg per person), etc., are your extra expenses that are not a part of the Short Trek to Everest Base Camp package.

Things to Remember Before Trekking Short Everest Base Camp Trek

• Respect the locals and their culture; always pass by chortens from the left, clockwise direction.
• Dress modestly, revealing clothes will be frowned upon.
• Practice sustainable trekking measures to ensure that the destination stands beautifully proud for generations.
• Pack a layer of clothes to combat the sub-zero temp of the Himalayas.
• Make sure that you are properly geared up for the trek; you can buy gear on the way, but it will cost you double or triple the standard price in Kathmandu.

Add-Ons

Upgrade Your Accommodation

Not every village in the Everest region provides luxury stay, but there are some establishments that offer a more refined stay in comparison to the traditional tea houses and lodges. Those “refined” establishments are not 3-star hotels, but rather an upgraded version of basic inns. You should not expect outstanding modern services from them since getting modern infrastructure in such inaccessible regions is almost impossible.

This upgrade can be arranged for if you are someone who prefers a little bit of luxury. Since this is an add-on, you will be charged extra for it.

Private Helicopter flight to and from Lukla

As previously stated, airports can get crowded in the peak travel season, which calls for delayed flights and delayed boarding, but you can simply avoid this hassle by going on a private helicopter ride to and from Lukla. This upgrade also offers you the flexibility of timing as well. Typically, the flight to Lukla leaves early in the morning since afternoon hilly winds are not suitable for take-off and landing.

But with a private helicopter ride, you are not restricted to such limits. However, you do have to take the flight before 1 PM as we have to trek from Lukla to Phadking and we do not want you to trek after the sun sets.