The Route to Everest Base Camp
They call it ‘the gateway to the roof of the world’. And any trekker to have reached Everest Base Camp will testify that staring up at the peak of Everest, lording herself over the land below, is as exhilarating as the climb itself.
The classic ascent, to 5,545 metres, is one of the world’s ultimate trekking trails – if not the number one. And while it’s not for the faint-hearted or the foolhardy, the trek shouldn’t be beyond most competent walkers with an eye for adventure and a head for heights. But it’s going to be cold. Seriously cold!!! Still, to reach the base of Sagamartha, as Everest is traditionally known, is worth every biting windblast and frost-bound step.
Where to begin
Begin your expedition to Everest with a journey into Kathmandu. It’s a city of sensory overload, from speeding rickshaws and incense-burning temples to higgledy-piggledy workshops. Far from the calm and spirituality of the Himalayas whose mighty mountains claw the sky like jagged teeth, the capital remains something of a backpacker’s hub, where hippy types and twenty-something consult monks for spiritual enlightenment before guzzling beers in the city’s backstreet bars. Steer clear of its hedonistic underbelly though if you’re planning to scale the paths to Everest Base Camp.
The route
A world away from this Himalayan hub lays Lukla airport, just a 25-minute flight from the capital. You’ll arrive in mountain territory, where crowning peaks disappear into bunches of low cloud and endless clusters of rhododendrons burst into bloom in April and May.
This is where the altitude will truly start to hit you. You’ll certainly begin to feel the effects at around 3,790 metres, as you pass through the traditional villages of Khumjung and via the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar. But with epic valleys laced with vegetation, dense forests and sojourns across glacial rivers, every breathless step will be worth the effort. Scaling Kala Pattar to reach a fantastic view of the mountain, you’ll also be taken by other wonders.
Here crevices and canyons, like hidden doorways, lead to secret worlds. Breathtaking! And with it being the 60th anniversary of Sir Edmund Hilary’s pioneering ascent next year, what better time to plan your Everest pilgrimage than today?
How to do it
Explore offer a 17-day trip to Everest Base Camp, trekking to the 5,545 metre summit of Kala Pattar, from £1,776 per person, including flights, meals, accommodation, Sherpa and guides. www.explore.co.uk
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