Outdoors4Life

Best time to go

The mountains make their own weather.

Weather is the most important factor to consider when deciding when to do Everest Base Camp. Monsoon season brings torrential rain and land slides. One of the seasons to go is Sep-Nov after the brunt of monsoon has passed and winter weather has not set in yet. The other season to go is Mar-May when the ground has thawed after winter.

Another thing to think about is how crowded you want the trails to be – April is the busiest month on the mountain with summiteers (groups attempting to summit the peak and their supporting crew) are also on the trail. Shoulder months of March, mid/late Oct and Nov are better from this perspective.

While the trail is open throughout the year, most tea houses are only open during the season and it might be harder to find amenities and tea houses to sleep in on the off season months.

I personally chose to go mid Oct which turned out to be the best decision for me. The mountains had been battered by monsoon flooding and landslides until the week before I went. I kept hearing stories of trekkers stuck on the trail as they could not advance any further (or go back) due to landslides. The group that returned the day we left had to endure all day rain for most of the days that they hiked. They had also been stuck in Lukla as no flights were operating for 5 days between Lukla and Kathmandu and the roads were too treacherous to navigate by car. We were unbelievably lucky to be blessed by the weather gods to have bright sunny weather with blue skies and gorgeous views of the peaks all through out.

Which tour company should I use?

As with most hikes of this intensity, the right tour company is one of the key decisions for a great hike. At a high level, one can either hike with local operators (who tend to be cheaper) or finding operators closer to you (ex: US/UK based who tend to be costlier). The international operators tend to be costlier but offer end to end planning including airline reservations and related logistics.

Some key drivers of picking a good tour company are: price, safety/trust, success rates (though not as publicly shared), other activities being offered, convenience of picking any dates you want, cancellation policy, what routes they offer etc. Trip Advisor is always good to look up reviews for safety/trust while other information can be obtained by discussing with the companies. For Safety related questions: You also want to enquire how frequently they check your health stats (ex: Oxygen levels in blood using Oximeter), their evacuation policies, ratio of porters etc. Also you may be interested in knowing whether

I researched a few different tour companies – Intrepidtravel and Ian Taylor Trekking are names that came up often. A few friends recommended Indian trekking companies that I felt more comfortable with and ended up going with Trek The Himalayas . The group was very friendly and the guide was very knowledgeable about the trek and the region overall.

What route do you recommend?

There are two base camps for Mount Everest – North EBC in Tibet and the trail goes through China and South EBC in Nepal. The South base camp is the more commonly used one.

How do I get there?

People from all over the globe fly in to Kathmandu and then take a local flight from Kathmandu or Ramechap to Lukla which is one of the world’s most dangerous airports.

What are visa requirements?

Most foreign visitors are required to obtain a visa for entry into Nepal. The visa doesn’t always need to be obtained prior to arrival as they can be issued at the port of entry. I went for visa before arrival – it was a painless online process that gave me peace of mind and I didn’t have to stand in line at the airport at 2am after having travelled for 25 hours.

What is the ballpark expense for the trip?

The classic reply – would be – It depends. It depends on what kind of tour company one picks, where is one flying from, what options does one pick with the tour company etc.

However, to provide a general idea: for someone flying from eastern US, flight tickets would be around $1500-$2000, tour company expense for trekking can be $4000-$7000 while tips & other expenses can be ~$500. The local company I went with charged me $1500 for the trek (including accommodation from the day I landed to the day I left, 3 meals a day and flight from Kathmandu to Lukla). Taking a helicopter on the way back can cost anywhere from $500 to $2500 USD depending on how many seats fill up in the helicopter as well as whether you want to go from Gorakshep to Lukla or to Kathmandu.