I couldn’t get Nepal out of my head when I went and walked in the Annapurna Base Camp in 2013. I knew I would be going back some time and I finally returned for a trek in Nepal after five years.
This time, I walked the 15 days of Everest Base Camp trek and the trail of Gokyo Lake, covering approx. 120 km. This is the longest and highest trek I have ever done and the one I have ever experienced in my 6 years on the road. Don’t deceive the Himalayas!
Seeing Mount Everest with your own eyes is certainly an experience once in a lifetime and I’m here for you today. This is the final guide to walking independently to the Everest Base Camp.
Here are everything you need to know to have the best trekking experience in your life – a whole route, things to prepare, where to stay, a day-by-day breakdown of my budget, and lots of wonderful photos.
In April-May (Spring) as well as October (Autumn) which are considered to be both pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season, is the best time to walk the trail of the Everest Base Camp or wherever else in the Nepalese Himalayas. There is fewer chances of rain and during those periods the colors of the season are swinging.
In April – May (Spring) or October – November (Autumn), either before or after the Monsoon seasons are the best time for hiking the Everest Base Camp or anywhere else in the Nepalese Himalayas in this respect. Rain is less likely and in these times the season’s colors are in full swing.
The Everest Base Camp trail is unfortunately very popular to the point that crowds cannot almost be avoided unless you walk or go along a side trail so that you can prepare to see tour groups in the winter when you are on this hiking trail.
I went on the trek from late October to November of 2018 and I was only struck once over my entire 15-day period. The daily temperature is warm when the sun is out but quickly descends when the sun disappears at nearly –12°C during the night.
The 2019 Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Trek prices are updated, breached on a daily basis for the whole 15 days, the estimated total amount at the end of which is:
Given the overall budget breakdown, there are some ways to optimize your budget to save your Everest Base Camp even more on your hikes. Here are some tips that I wish I would like to know before I did the hike:
Water Purification Tablets: There can be a bottle of water very expensive and there is no better way to economize than to fill and purify your bottle with tap water. I drank from the tap just as local people did without purifying it and I was all well, but I was born again in Bangkok.
- Bring Your own treats: I understand the feeling of wanting to “treat yourself” after such a long trek, but a bar from a snick can cost you the leg and the arm.
- Taking a power bank of 20,000 mahs: Charging your devices will cost money so that your own power bank can bring large volumes and charge only when you need it a few times.
- Share rooms with someone: If you travel alone, finding someone to share rooms that should reduce the cost of accommodation by half is the best way to save your lodging.
- Stick to vegetarian food, as it is one of the cheapest food in a teahouse. Stick to vegetarian food.
Everest Base Camp Trek Difficulty
The whole trail takes 14 days to walk 123 km from Lukla to the base camp of Everest, to Gokyo and back. The average walking time is about four to eight hours per day with shorter days if you are over four thousand meters.
The track is easy to navigate, well-traveled, and requires no technical skills for mountaineers, except for a part of the Chola Pass that leads you to a glacier that melts.
I consider the difficulty to moderate in this particular route because you will carry about 10-15 kilograms of backpack each day and walk around 4-8 hours.
The altitude is another factor to take into consideration since this route probably leads you higher than you were (the highest point is 5,643 m) and the reaction to your body is difficult to predict until you really are here.
