Trekking to the Everest: Everything you need to know

  March 18th, 2020

Trekking in the Everest region has a separate fandom as you would be trekking to the lap of the highest mountain on earth. For this, you need to prepare yourself fully regarding what you should be taking along with you. Get detailed information about the region and carry your clothes accordingly no matter whether you are just trekking in some places of the Everest region or going forth towards Everest Base Camp or climbing the summit of Mt. Everest.

 
Besides clothing and backpack, it is better if you take snacks and a water bottle along with you. Apart from these things, the rest of the facilities like accommodation, meals, transportation, and necessary permits are provided. Besides that, it is very important that you prepare yourself physically as well as mentally to go for the trek as trekking to Mt. Everest isn’t a joke. As a result, you shouldn’t go just because someone else is going, even if your health doesn’t permit you or you are not that interested at the moment.

On the way to the Everest and reaching there

Trekking is all about walking and having to reach a certain destination. Noting this, our main purpose here will be to view the landscapes, mountains and the scenery. Therefore, we have highlighted a few points which you can see while trekking in this region-
 
1.    Get to see Nepal’s longest and biggest glaciers- Ngozumpa and Khumbu glaciers.
2.    Visit Hillary Museum
3.    Get to know about the customs and traditions of the Local Sherpa people
4.    Have an amazing view of the mighty Everest from Kala Patthar even more clearly.
5.    Explore the highest located National Park of Nepal- Sagarmatha National Park.
 

Things you need to know before Trekking in Everest region

 As you decide to go to the Everest region for your next trek, you should have detailed knowledge of the place. And yet, you might not get all the answers that you really would like to know in the paragraphs which mention about trekking in this region. So, for your convenience, we have sorted out a few frequently asked questions by interested tourists/trekkers which might help you in getting your answers easily.
 

How is the network connection upon Everest?

The network in Mt. Everest is fine and the trekkers can use even 3G networks. Besides that, they can also use the internet via Wi-Fi where Ncell-one of the leading Nepali telecom firm owned by the Swedish company known as TeliaSonera has installed eight 3G base stations along the way to Everest Base Camp (EBC).
 
Furthermore, trekkers can also use the internet facility through a data pack if the Wi-Fi seems to be slow. For this, they will require an NTC or a Ncell SIM Card on their phone. The trekkers who trek in this region often opt for satellite phones so that they can communicate with their agency or someone that they would like to talk to easily without much disturbances or network errors, unlike the normal mobile phones that we use nowadays.

Using cellular data in the Everest region 

If you want to use a satellite phone, we recommend you to get it from your own country as it will save your time searching for this kind of phone here in Nepal. You might be quite pleased to hear that communicating through the use of satellite phones will cost you comparatively lower than that of a normal mobile phone that we use. And now, if you are wondering if there is a 3G base station around the Base Camp then there is one at an altitude of 5,200 m (17,000 ft.) which will allow you to have access to the internet and you can use it till the connection is available.

WI-FI in Everest trekking

Beyond this connection point, there is no Wi-Fi and you may not be able to use the internet nicely if you are going up to the peak itself i.e. to the summit of Mt. Everest. However, due to good network facilities around the area, you will be able to contact your trekking agency or someone who is in Nepal without much of a problem. communicating with your family and friends who live abroad could have some difficulties but you can contact them as soon as you get a strong network.
 
Besides this, you will also be able to have a glance at the temperature of that day plus the other days where you will be trekking or descending down and plan your trek accordingly. For instance, if you have to take a day off due to weather or not and if so then where will you stay that day; as in which place and where the lodge or teahouse is available. Besides that, it will also help you to dress accordingly.
With the expansion of Wi-Fi communication, since 2017, you can enjoy internet facilities. The communication and network facilities in the Everest region and Mt. Everest grew after 2000 along with the telephone communication thanks to the CEO of Everest Link Mr. Tsering G. Sherpa who took the initiative of providing Wi-Fi at major places of the Everest region. Everest Link is one of the Internet Service Providers of Nepal which provides extreme wireless internet especially targeting the Everest region.
 
Otherwise, before 2000 A.D., there was no form of telecommunication in Mt. Everest as well as the higher altitude in the Everest region and so people had to send letters via helicopters. Though the work had already started, it could not continue smoothly due to political reasons like the peoples’ movement of that time. So, the project was halted but continued the process of broadening telecommunication from 2014. Though the Wi-Fi is not available to the peak of Mt. Everest, the team aims to make the project possible someday.
 

Is training ourselves compulsory before going to the Everest?

 
The answer is yes, you need to train yourself and the government of Nepal has made it a compulsion for anyone who would like to climb Mt. Everest since August 2019.  If you are not going to reach the peak itself but are just going till the Everest Base Camp or the Everest region then you may not need to train if you think you can go for it. However, it is recommended to get some training if you are going up to the Base Camp as well.
 
The reason that the government made this issue a compulsion is because of the fact that the way to Everest in May 2019, the area was crowded by the mountaineers. As to this note, the government, as well as the concerned authorities, felt that had a high chance of having more casualties. So, in order to avoid any or preferably fewer casualties, the Government of Nepal has set certain rules before you climb the Everest.

These rules include-
  • The mountaineer should have experience of climbing other mountains/mountains before they can submit to Everest.
  • They should have climbed at least one peak in Nepal which is over 6,500 m (21,000 ft.)
  • The climbers have to take basic and high-altitude climbing training.
  • The mountaineers also should submit a certificate that explains them having sound health and are physically fit.
  • Taking a trained Nepali guide while trekking to the Everest is a compulsion.

Government view of Everest trekking

 As to this note, a member of the Tourism sector- Mira Aryal had mentioned that the climbers did not die due to the traffic jams on the way but due to altitude sickness, heart attack and exhaustion or weakness. Furthermore, she opines that the compulsory provision of guides would discourage the mountaineers who like to travel solo to the Everest. She also emphasized on having a reliable weather forecasting system and the climbers should climb only in good weather. However, a senior official of the Tourism Ministry- Ghanshyam Upadhyaya said that all the rules would be implemented.

Besides this, the Chinese Mountaineering Association has also made certain provinces into which the climbers have to follow certain rules if they would like to go towards the Chinese side of Everest as Mt. Everest borders between Nepal and China.

These rules include-
Now, regarding the Base Camp, you cannot go to the Chinese side of Everest without proper climbing permits which is only 300 mountaineers per year.
The climbers have to carry all their wastes including their feces.
Now, regarding the other places in the Everest region, like the Everest Base camp, though the training is not compulsory, we recommend you to go for it especially if you have not gone to any other Base Camp or mountaineering before. Since the places in the Everest region up to the Base Camp are not that strenuous, we won’t tell you to actually go for a vigorous training session by a certified institution.

Our advice

But we do recommend you to at least go for short hikes nearby your area where you live or even in some hiking places in Nepal. We suggest you to practice Cardio, running, cycling or swimming as it will help you while trekking. Moving on, strength training like squatting, aerobic, push-ups which helps in strengthening your arms and legs are also effective while trekking. But make sure that you walk slow enough while trekking in the region or till the Base Camp as you might get exhausted and may not be able to go further the next day if you walk fast.

Besides this, we recommend you to have good food right when you are training so that it will be easier for you to go along with the same or more or less similar amount and kind of food while trekking as well. The other thing we recommend is to have an elevation mask as even if you are going up to the Base Camp or simply in the Everest region, the oxygen level is minimal due to higher altitude and these masks can help you.
The other thing besides physical training that you have to focus on is the Mental training when you are going for the Everest region, Base Camp or the summit i.e. Mt. Everest itself. Having sound mental health and capability to endure pressure, handle frustrations, have enough determination and courage is a must. If you don’t think you can conquer your fear and have doubt whether or not you will be able to make it or not then we don’t recommend you to go especially for reaching the summit as you need to have patience and tolerance as well.
 
What is the total distance that we have to complete on our trek and what is the highest point that we can reach if we choose to go till Everest Base Camp?

Everest trekking total kilometers

For Everest Base Camp trek, you will trek roughly around 130 kilometers or 80 miles as a whole in the whole trek. This trekking distance is calculated from Lukla as the initial point of the trek and  Everest Base Camp as the final point/destination. If you decide to go for trekking via Jiri then it will take more time and distance. From Jiri, it will take you further some 3-4 days more which means roughly around 6-8 hours’ walk making it a total distance of around 185 kilometers or 115 miles.
 
The time and distance also increase if you opt to go to Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Lake. When we talk about covering how much distance per day, you will trek for around 15 kilometers every day until and unless there is/are acclimatization day. According to the standard 14 days trek to Everest Base Camp, you will be trekking for 15 km per day for 9 days whereas the remaining 5 days are for traveling and acclimatization day.This, however, depends upon the trekking agencies’ itinerary and which way they think is appropriate for you to travel and how much days they have listed for acclimatization day.
 

Average walking distance per day

 
So, the kilometer that you will have to trek here can be for 9 kilometers someday, someday 10, 12, 13 or 14 as well and is not fixed to be 15 hours every single day. By saying 15 kilometers per day, we are trying to make you feel that you should be able to say that you can trek for that much time. On average,  covering 15 kilometers at a good pace in the mountains will take you roughly  8 hours which means you should be able to walk for 8 hours. Here, while you ascend to the mountainous range, you will get to a higher altitude ranging between 400-800 meters per day.
 

Highest point in this trekking

 
Now, regarding the highest point, if you are going for Everest Base Camp Trek then that will be at Kala Patthar. This is the best point from where you can glance over the mighty Everest as well as the majestic views of the surrounding mountain peaks nearby. With that note, Kala Patthar is located at an altitude of 5,500-5,550 meters. So, this means that your highest level of elevation on this trek will be 5,550 meters. Now, if we talk about the total distance to reach Kala Patthar then it will take you around 4 kilometers to reach there from Everest Base Camp.

What is the way of booking a hotel in the Everest region while trekking?

Hotel booking in Everest region

The way of booking a hotel in the Everest region while you are trekking is by going to a particular hotel and then simply checking in thereafter confirming the hotel has enough room for you or your team. But if you think you should book a hotel beforehand then you can do so by searching it on the internet and then booking your hotel beforehand. One of the websites that lets you book the hotel as per your choice is Booking.com.
Here, you can book any Hotel that you like among the 37 enlisted hotels that they have. These Hotels are also further categorized into if they are suitable for family, couple, and hotels from where you can have good views of the mountains and which one is considered to be the best-rated hotel there. Besides Booking.com, there are some other websites such as Tripadvisor.com, Viator.com or even just type Hotels in the Everest region in search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo etcetera for information. You can also tell your trekking agency to book a hotel or get a room for you beforehand or help you in the process.
 

Can we charge electronic devices like mobile and camera in the Everest region? If we can then, do we have to pay or not and is the charging port available in the hotels/ lodges/ teahouses?

 Yes, we can charge electronic devices like mobile phones and cameras in the Everest region while you are staying at a hotel/ lodge or a teahouse. Besides that, you can also charge your electronic devices when you take breaks like lunch break if you are going to any lodge for your meal. However, this does not mean you can have proper electricity everywhere while trekking, this just means that almost everywhere.  If you could not charge your electronic devices due to some reasons like power cut off all of a sudden or other unseen reasons, then you need not panic as you will get it after some time.

Payment for charging

 You will have electricity but you have to pay some extra amount if you need to charge your electronics. You can also take iPod, iPad, laptop or anything else if you require or would like to take along with you. We, however, suggest you to go trekking without many electronic devices especially if they are not necessary as they will just be a load for you. The electronic device like a laptop, as per our thought is not necessary plus it will add more amount to your backpack making your backpack heavier. 

Place you may get the chance to charge

 Now, the other thing is there might not be proper electricity at certain places like Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche and Gorekshep.So, for that we suggest you to charge your electronics beforehand while you are in lower altitude itself or where the power supply is available. We also suggest you to carry a power bank; the solar power bank will be more efficient and effective for you to charge anytime and anywhere where there is sunlight; which perhaps you will get it while trekking until and unless the day is really windy, rainy or stormy.

Besides the above-mentioned places, you probably won’t have any problem of having electricity or charging your electronic devices except for a little extra cost of course. But if you choose to go on a luxurious trip to Everest Base Camp or a luxurious Everest view trek, then you won’t have to pay for charging your electronic devices also. For your clear information, the electricity, however, is free of cost wherever you decide to stay even if it is a teahouse and not a luxurious hotel, the only thing that you probably have to pay is for charging only, this too depends upon the policy of the lodge or teahouse that you stay at whether they will charge or not.

Solar power supply 

Besides that, solar power is mostly used in rural areas and higher altitudes in the lodges of the Everest region as you can get direct sunlight. From solar power, you not only can have electricity but also charge your electronic devices. And since electronic devices have taken its importance everywhere, nowadays you can find good services for charging your electronics in maximum hotels/ lodges/ teahouses in the Everest region as well. However, you might run out of battery while trekking, this is where you will need a power bank for charging your mobile phones. And for cameras, we recommend you to carry spare batteries along with you as it is really helpful and these small things are extremely handy and you need not worry about the heavyweight as well.
 
As regards to the cost of charging your electronic devices while you are in lodge or teahouse, on average, it will cost you around US $3-7 which again depends upon the altitude that you reach and the lodge or teahouse. 
 
Is it possible to have facilities like hot showers and the attached bathroom while we trek in the Everest region?
The answer to this question is that it depends upon where you will be staying. If you are staying at a luxurious hotel and have already booked your room for a luxurious lodge-like Everest Luxury Lodge or Annapurna Luxury Lodge then you can have a hot shower along with the attached bathroom in your room itself. And above that, the price for all these facilities including hot shower and attached bathroom will be included in the cost of the package itself.

Guesthouse / Tea house

Whereas if you decide to stay in a normal lodge or a teahouse in the region then you will get the facility of hot shower but you won’t be able to get an attached bathroom. Instead of that, they will have a separate place as shower room where you will get a bucket full of hot water. If you are trekking in winter season especially from November to January then even if you have hot water, the water gets cold immediately so we suggest you to take shower only once in a while and not every now and then as taking shower often in this high altitude may increase the chances of you getting prone to sickness like pneumonia or cold.

Shower facility

If you are taking shower and you have decided to stay at a normal lodge or teahouse and not a luxurious one then you have to pay a certain amount for a hot shower. The cost as per some 3 years back was around US $2-5 per bucket depending upon the lodge and the altitude whereas now the price has gone up slightly which now costs the US $4-15 per bucket. For taking shower also, we recommend you to have a quick wash as the temperature here gets cold quickly even in summer, further preventing you from getting sick or ill.
 
Besides that, make sure that you carry a quick-drying towel although the lodge might provide you with one. You can take shower until Gorakshep, a village in the Everest region. The lodge or teahouses here only provide you with a hot shower. And for toiletries, make sure you get all the things that you require like soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, toilet paper, sanitizers, body wipes, and hygiene products. Besides that, most of the teahouses and some lodges here have squat toilets.
 
In some places, you can also get gas geysers through which you can take hot showers and solar power is quite less. For taking a hot shower while camping in Everest Base Camp or anywhere else in the region, you can separate a place for a shower and take a bucket of hot water and take a shower that way as well.

How is the food in the Everest region?

Regarding the food, if you are staying in a teahouse or a lodge and not in a luxurious hotel like the Everest Luxury Lodge or Annapurna Luxury Lodge, then you will get decent food which gives you energy to trek further as the local people here consume those foods. The food that the people eat here is typical Nepali food which is Dal-Bhat (rice and pulses) along with vegetables. Besides that, for lunch or even for breakfast or dinner if you ask and if they are ready to prepare then you can get homemade foods made out of wheat, maize or some other grains found in the region. Besides that, you can also enjoy packet noodles.

Western test

Now, if you decide to stay in a luxurious hotel and not in a teahouse then you can have various kinds of food items which ranges from MO: Mo, pizza, pancakes, porridge to egg, toast and simple rice and pulses with curry. Besides that, you can also have hot drinks if you would like to. Regarding soft drinks, we don’t recommend you to have it as the temperature in this region is really very cold and drinking cold drinks might add up the chances of you falling sick. For hard drinks, we do not recommend you to have it as you may be affected by it while you trek. But if you think you will be fine the next day and would like to drink, then it completely depends upon you. The same goes to soft drinks as well. However, it is our duty to inform you that you may not be well while trekking.

The other thing is that we also do not recommend you to have meat while you are trekking in the Himalayas of Nepal as they might not be fresh and healthy even if it is in a good hotel. So, we suggest you to have a vegetarian diet so that it will help you while trekking without having to think you might get sick most of the time. Whereas talking about having meat in the teahouse or lodge, we definitely discourage you to do so as the meat products there will be stale as it is forbidden to kill any animal in the region and due to this the locals have to carry all by themselves from a lower altitude.

Now, talking about the fruits, this too is not available in the Everest region as the production of fruit won’t be there in the higher altitude. This is why the locals have to carry it from the lower altitude even if they would like to consume it. And since there is no good transportation in the region, the locals have to carry up to the very region, so in the process the fruits will already get rotten and even if some don’t then also it’s better if you don’t have them.

 Drink

Regarding what is common and mostly eaten and drunk in this region are bread, eggs, and potatoes or simply plain rice with pulses and curry. Whereas for the drinks, various kinds of fruit-flavored powders are mixed with hot water and drunk among which hot lemon and hot orange are commonly found. Besides that, hot mango is also found sometimes. The other kinds of drinks include hot water with ginger, flavored tea or simply tea and coffee. And if you are staying at a teahouse you can get chapati/ roti instead of bread toast which you can eat by spreading jam or honey which is available here. Besides that, Sherpa stew is available in almost all tea houses/ lodges/ hotels but the taste differs from one place to another. Nowadays, in teahouses, they also have a special item which is known as Mars roll which is wrapped in a chapati kind of dough which is fried and inside it you can find a chocolate taste.

Available food

Now, if you are staying at a luxurious hotel while you trek here, you can enjoy more food items than you would enjoy if you stay at a teahouse. These food items include a variety of toast like plain toast, French toast, honey toast, jam toast, cheese toast, jam, and honey toast and egg and cheese toast. You can also enjoy wide varieties of bread items and pancakes which include Tibetan Bread, Pancake with jam or honey (depending upon your choice), and other varieties of pancakes like Cinnamon pancake, Chocolate pancake, Lemon pancake, and Egg pancake.

Then there are chapati options as well which are- Plain chapati, Chapatti with honey, Chapati with peanut butter, Chapati with baked beans and Chapati with egg. Besides that, you can have simply egg/eggs as per your choice of how you want to eat them, muesli which is served with hot milk, noodles, thukpa, mo:mo (dumplings)pasta, macaroni, pizza, sandwich, spaghetti and rice options like rice with curry or fried rice. The porridge options here are also of unique type some ranging from Tsampa porridge to chocolate pudding. Besides that, you should drink plenty of water while trekking or before and after the trek as well especially after trekking. Besides meat products and alcoholic drinks, we also discourage you from having any kind of junk food like chips as these foods may alter in your digestive process and may lead to stomach problems. Now, if you are a smoker, we also suggest you to control your smoking and even if you have to smoke then not to smoke much as it might affect you even more while you are trekking than it will when you are normally going in your day to day lives. 

The things that we suggest to have along with you are some snacks while climbing up. So, for this we recommend you to take chocolates, energy bars, dry fruits like cashew nuts, almonds, walnuts, raisins and apricots. We suggest you to take these as they are easy to carry and you can benefit from them as well whether it be for providing enough energy or for help in increasing the nutrition like proteins, vitamins and minerals.
 
How many Buddhist monasteries are there in the Everest region and which all can we go to visit while trekking in this region?
 

Buddhist monastery

 
 The Everest region falls under the Khumbu region and there are 12-15 major Buddhist monasteries, among which Tengboche Monastery is one of the most popular monasteries here. Besides that, the region also consists of some monasteries which are really old; an estimated of more than 250 years old. For instance, Vajrayana and Mahayana monasteries. In these monasteries, many tourists visit in order to meditate as the place is peaceful, quiet and calm. However, for this purpose, mostly the tourists get a separate trek especially for meditational purposes which will normally last for 16 days trek.

 If you would like to know just about the monasteries that you can visit while you are trekking then that would be in Namche, Thame, Khumjung, Tengboche, Pangboche and Lukla. However, if you have some more time and if you would like to visit some other monasteries which are nearby whether it is after you reach your final destination a little too early or perhaps would like to explore more monasteries nearby while on your acclimatization day, then you can go visit them as they surely will have one or the other significance and importance to the people in the very region.

We have decided to give a brief summary of the popular monasteries in this region. Topping with the Tengboche monastery, this monastery is considered to be a famous monastery not just in the Everest region but in entire Nepal, as you can see the spectacular views of the backdrop of Mt. Ama Dablam and is also the largest monastery in Khumbu region. The monastery is known as DawaCholing Gompa, where there are 35 monks and nuns altogether where the young ones get good education inside the monastery itself. Established in the year 1919 after 3 years of construction, a fire had destroyed the building of this monastery in 1989. However, the paintings, books, and relics were not damaged and the monastery was reconstructed in 1993. Since then, the monastery is one of the popular places in the Everest region and especially because it is also located towards the northern side near the Everest Base Camp. 

Meditation

The other monasteries include the Lukla monastery where around 15-35 monks and students reside here. Thangka painting school is next to the monastery where they paint and also sell some of them. Located near the Himalaya Resort, it is a small monastery namely Nyingma-pa gompa. Then, moving on to the other monastery there is another monastery named SangaThechok Dechenling monastery at Namche. Established some 300 years ago, there is only one monk who lives here as the monastery is being restored now. Then, the other monastery is KhariDhogan Ganden Tenpheling monastery located at Thamo. This monastery was established in 1962 and has altogether 35 nuns and 3 monks living here now. Then, moving on to a monastery in Thame, there is a monastery named DechenChoekhoring which is said to be established some 350 years back and has 35 monks living here where Mani Rimdu festival is one of the well-known festivals which is celebrated every year in this monastery.

The other monastery is Sangacholing Gompa Thechok Dechenling located at Kerok which too was said to be established some 350 years back. However, this monastery has only 10 monks and is considered to be the sister monastery of Pangboche and Rimijung. Similarly, Decheling Gompa in Khumjung is said to be established about 340 years ago where the skull of Yeti is preserved and displayed till date. With only one monk-like in Khumjung, in Phortse a monastery named TakriCholing Gompa was established in 1997 which is considered to be blessed by the Dalai Lama. Similar to these, in Pangboche as well Pal RilbuGompa is said to be established some 350 years back where only one monk stays here. This monastery is said to have lost its major source of income after the Yeti skull which was here had been stolen.

Peace

Then, there is another monastery in a place named Khundetsamkang known as Mtsam Kham Monastery which has 18 monks and nuns as of now which was established in 1972. Similarly, Pangboche monastery and Nakarjung Hermitage have one monk and Debuche Nunnery has 15 nuns.  Where Nakarjung Hermitage is said to be established some 450 years back, Pangboche some 350 years back and Debuche just 80 years back. As to the names, the monastery in Pangboche is known as Pal RilbuGompa, in Debuche it is the SherapCholing Gompa and in Nakarjung Hermitage is the same name as Nakarjung Hermitage monastery. These monasteries are the popular monasteries that you can visit during your trek if you have time. Besides these also there are some other monasteries as well.
 
Is a guide compulsory if we are trekking to Everest Base Camp or can we go without one as well?
 

Guide

If you are going up to Everest Base Camp and not to the summit of Mt. Everest then you may or may not take a guide or a porter or both if you think you will be able to go on your own. Especially if you have visited the Base Camp previously as well. So, the answer to your question is No, having a guide is not compulsory if you are planning to go to the Everest Base Camp and yes, you can go without one.

However, if you ask us whether or not to have a guide or not then we definitely recommend you to take one as even if you have gone to the Base Camp previously as well, the routes might have been altered or the settlements might have been added or is no longer there, and for that reason, you may get lost or confused. And in order to get to your desired destination on time without any further delay or having to spend further some time re-locating the exact places, we definitely recommend you to have a guide.

Besides this, you will be able to know about the recent events and incidents about the place; you will be able to see some festivals if you haven’t gone at the particular season and you can also have someone to accompany you on the way. And the other most important thing is that you will be able to help the guides (who are mostly the Sherpas) living in this region in terms of financial aid as they will get a means of earning plus the unemployment rate will also decrease.

Porter

Now, if you think you will just take a porter instead as you need not know more about the Himalayas of Nepal or especially about the Everest Base Camp then it is also completely up to you. You can let the porter carry your backpack and they too will help you with the journey if you know how to speak in Nepali or their ethnic language as porters don’t know many languages and are not that good at English as well unlike the trekking guides. Now, if you think you don’t want to take a porter also then also it is completely up to you. But if you think of going on your own then you have to think clearly whether or not you will be able to climb the hills, plains, valleys, the rocky topography carrying a heavy load. If you think you can then it is again completely your choice. And beside that, we also suggest taking a porter along with you not just because you may not be able to go on but because they will also be able to sustain their livelihood by earning at least a certain amount and will be able to have a work.

Our advice

If you are trekking to the Everest Base Camp for the first time, then we definitely suggest you to take a guide and a porter along with you. Even if you think you are an athlete and would not like to take a porter then we suggest you to take a guide at least. But before you don’t take a porter, we would like to inform you that even Everest Base Camp is quite strenuous trek and if you have not gone to any other Base Camp or climbed any other mountain then it’s probably the best that you take a porter as well, at least for the first time. Guides and porters will not just tell you about the way to reach the destination or carry your load but also help you throughout the journey by giving extra knowledge and insights regarding the mountains, the topography, culture, customs and festivals of the locals in the region and also help you if you get sick or ill all of a sudden whether it is altitude sickness, cold or any other sickness.
So, for these reasons, we recommend you to go along with a guide or a porter or both even though there is no rule and regulation or law to have a guide and/or porter compulsory up to Everest Base Camp so far unlike the summit of Mt. Everest. 
 
What should we do in case of any emergency situation while we are in or while trekking to the Everest Base Camp?

Safety first

In case of any emergency situation when you are in Everest Base Camp or on your way to the Base Camp the first thing you can do is to rest for a while or take an acclimatization day off if the sickness is not very serious as it could be due to altitude sickness. For this, we recommend you to descend down to the place from where you started the trek and stay there itself for another day and then only continue your journey further. Now, if you are sick or ill and it is not due to altitude sickness and the sickness or illness is not that serious then you can just stay in the hotel/ lodge or teahouse for further a day or a couple of days and then continue your journey.

Helicopter service

But in case if you have a really bad emergency situation which is quite serious then you can tell the guides and the local people there who will help you descend down and call the helicopter for evacuation. But for the evacuation by helicopter, most of the time, they will require insurance where you have to make sure that you have covered up to that height as the air companies expect you to pay beforehand. But if you don’t have your insurance and are really in a bad condition then your guide can also call the helicopter and they can bring you down to Kathmandu but this is rare. So, for this reason, we also recommend you to get travel/ trekking insurance in order to be on the safe side.

Besides that, it is always good to know about the weather, climate and what all you should prepare if it is due to your carelessness and not having enough knowledge about the Everest region or any other region that you will be trekking further. As prevention is always better, as far as you can we suggest you take preventive measures beforehand and not take things like clothing, meals and gears and equipment lightly.
 

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