Trek to Everest Basecamp

Mrs Druidh has been looking to do this for some time. She is aware of the fact that it is no longer a complete “wilderness experience” but still feels drawn to it.

Has anyone on here done this and could recommend a group to go with (there are so many)? Ideally, it would be a company which organises “singles” trips so she isn’t a odd-one-out. Looking to go later this year – late September/October – and doing it in 18/20 days.

My GF did it a couple of years ago as a single. Can’t remember who she said she went with but she enjoyed it.

I’ll try and remember/ask who she went with and post back later.

A couple of people have told me that the actual base camp site is a tip, and unpleasant enough to spoil the trip for most people. Exodus probably do single’s trips.

Colin, my BIL is a mountain guide who works in the alps and himalaya. He has done quite a lot of work for Adventure Peaks, who have an office in Ambleside. He recommends them from an organasational perspective – he says he gets the least grief from the clients on those trips because everything is as it is described to them.

Anyway, their website is here – http://www.adventurepeaks.com/treks/everest_base_camp.htm

Are you not going?

I will find out who my folks went with They didn’t go to the base camp but they did have a bespoke itinerary that lasted around 3 weeks. Is she ded set on going to the base camp – I know my folks wer4e advised trhat other routes such as the one they took were a better experience and I also know folk who have done the annapurna circuit. They just went out there and organised guides themselves as did some friends who did go to the base camp

Community Action Treks organise a fair few trips to the Himalaya. Not sure on the ‘singleness’ of their trips, but they do a hell of a lot of good work in the area – supporting and setting up projects which help the local Nepali population. i think they are a not-for-profit.

Do a high pass trek instead,base camp is a dump and you can’t actually see Everest from it.A couple of guys from my climbing club went last year and did a trek that gave them amazing views of Everest,but kept them off the highway.One other thing…hope she likes daal.

British Heart Foundation do it as a Charidee event, although the ‘minimum sponsorship’ is quite high. Not sure how the dates match up either.

I think a lot of the comments about Base Camp are from people who have gone there in Autumn, the majority of summit groups go in spring, when the place is a mass of tents and colour. They have taken steps to tidy it up over the last few years with bucket toilets etc as well. you can’t see Everest from the camp, only the Iceflow and surrounding peaks, but its an incredible setting, and you will see Everest on the walk up and from the ‘hill’ behind Gorak Shep, the place you stay to walk out to base camp from (few trekkers stay at Base camp overnight)

I went on the EBC trek in spring 2009 and it was ace, combined it with a climb of Island Peak to make it a bit of a challenge. I’d say try to get a trek which goes up a quieter valley and takes a pass to get back to the Khumbu ideally (Goyko Lakes area) as you do get better views, plus the Khumbu is busier.

Probably important to work out if you want to camp or use tea houses. I stayed in teahouses which were not much more than basic bedrooms and central cooking areas, whilst a lot of the camping groups I saw camped outside the teahouses and used their facilities, so not much in it.

I travelled as a single with Adventure Peaks, most of the group were single travellers, but KE Adventure and Exodus also run lots of trips to the area, and can give lots of advice over the phone.

It’s a trip well worth doing, however be prepared for a constant stream of people from Lukla all the way to Namche. Crowds thin out a bit past Namche.

GAp Adventures do a trip I believe. Not experienced them myselves but friends said they were a good company.

Thanks for all the input folks, especially Geoffj. That one looks spot-on and there are so many that any sort or recommendation is handy. I’ll try Exodus as well.

I, unfortunately, can’t consider such a trip on account of having foot pain issues which prevent me from doing multi-day walks. Never fear – I have something else in mind……

Not been to base camp but went to Gokyo a few years back, which is a small village and lake in the next valley. Great views of Everest and less people. Do a search to see some pictures. I went with Exodus who were pretty good, but it was a few years ago. From what we were told, base camp is a bit of a dump, better views from further back.

This is the trek and looks like they go to base camp as well.

Don’t be put off by the ‘base camp is a dump’ stuff…very few people actually go walk around the climbers tents (where I guess there might be rubbish). The whole trek can be (was for me) an amazing experience. I also walked in some other places mentioned here – Gokyo valley (just ‘around the corner’ from Everest Base anyhow) and Annapurna but Everest was my best experience. Instead of actually going into Base Camp (where the real climbers are unlikely to have any interest in you) I ‘climbed’ Kala Patar which sits above base camps and gives some great views. Tea houses for me…I went very early in the season and the luxury camping crew were waking to frozen condensation on their sleeping bags each morning and having to defrost their bags !

I went independently* many years ago (’94 I think) so things will have changed since then but I’m not really sure whether a supported trip is NEEDED as it’s not a “remote” area. You are only traveling a couple of kms between small villages were you can sleep in tea houses and get food.
(Granted, you may be more comfortable with ‘properly’ prepared food that an organized/supported trip should provide!)

You can always hire a sherpa en-route to carry any excess baggage and there will be plenty of opportunities to meet other hikers/locals on the trails

*Organized a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, then hiked to Gorak Shop via Namche Bazaar. It is (was?) a very easy trail to follow!

I did the walking/camping thing from Lukla up the Khumbu about 10 years ago, with Exodus, and really enjoyed it. Don’t think for a minute that it’s a wilderness experience – quite the opposite – the Khumbu is a pedestrian highway. I personally would not bother walking to base camp itself, instead walk up to the nearby viewpoint above Gorak Shep called KalaPattar. Cracking view of Chomolumgma and Nupste.

I suppose I went for the scenery, but actually I was most impressed by the culture and the people I met. In general the other foreign visitors were also nice, but there were the usual proportion of eejits.

Companies like Exodus make it simple, providing leadership, tentage, porters, cooking etc. It really is a decent holiday not some endurance trial! Mind you, you have to quickly lower you expectations about toilets, food, smells etc. And pay special attention to the effects of high altitude on us low altitude dwellers; I had a couple of difficult moments myself. As long as you are sensible about daily altitude gain and listen to your body, it’s fine.

Do it.

I would advise you save some dollar and just fly to lukla and follow the signposts straight out of the airport (and i use the term airport loosely)..
i did it a few years ago after walking to ama-dablam where a friend was climbing and you cant really go wrong, when you are tired there are tons of tea houses to stop in on the cheap, its also very good to ascend in your own time and not to a schedule.
annapurna circuit is more breathtaking/beautiful ime.

I’d seriously consider it as a independent trekker staying in tea houses – there are so many people trekking the trail that you’re never alone and, this is the good bit, you choose who you spend time with rather than being trapped with a random group of felow clients. Tea houses – basic trekking lodges – are cheap and pleasant and nicer than camping, which is what a lot of groups do. Plus you put income directly into the local enconomy. The Trailblazer trekking guide books are excellent if you/she wants more info on the trek / good acclimatisation schedules etc.

If she has time, say three weeks, trekking in from Jiri makes it a different experience. You walk for a week on relatively quiet trails, before reaching Lukla and the crowds, you acclimatise more slowly, which is safer and get a generally more mellow experience all round.

Base camp, when there’s no-one around, is just a pile of morraine, certainly not a dump. Tbh, while the view of Everest from Kalar Patar above Gorak Shep can be stunning, for me the real star of the trek is Ama Dablam, which is a really beautiful mountain and dominates the latter part of the walk-in to base camp.

Really astonishing country and walk, not ‘wilderness’, but quite amazing just the same.