Some itinerary includes the drop-off and drops in at International Airport and some do not. If your itinerary includes the drop-off and drop-in then our representative will definitely be there to greet you after getting the info about your flight at the international airport and will drop you at your hotel. They will be displaying Himalayan Scenery Treks Signboard outside the airport terminal waiting for you.
Yes, if you are arriving in Nepal by the international flight, then you can easily obtain your visa at Tribhuvan International Airport. Tourist Visa with Multiple Entry for 30 days can be obtained by paying US $ 40 or equivalent foreign currency. Similarly, Tourist Visa with Multiple Entry for 90 days can be obtained by paying US $ 100.
To obtain your visa after arriving at Nepal. You require these following documents:
Yes, you would want a visa for visiting in Nepal you do not want any risk arising while traveling in Nepal. You will require a visa for entering and visiting Nepal. You can get Nepalese Visa from the Nepalese Embassy or consulate in your home country. Indian passport holders do not need a visa to enter Nepal.
Yes, you can get your visa once you land at Tribhuvan International Airport. At Kathmandu's Tribhuvan Airport the fee is payable in any major currency, but at land borders, officials require payment in cash US dollars; bring small bills. SAARC countries can get a 30-day visa for free on arrival.
You will need the following documents for getting the visa. Requirements may be slightly different depending on the embassy of your country. You can visit the embassy site for more info.
A single-entry visa valid for 15/30/90 days costs US$25/40/100. At Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan Airport the fee is payable in any major currency, but at land borders, officials require payment in cash US dollars; bring small bills.
Multiple-entry visas are useful if you are planning a side trip to Tibet, Bhutan or India and cost US$20 extra. You can change your single-entry visa to a multiple-entry visa at Kathmandu’s Central Immigration Office for the same US$20 fee.
Don’t overstay your visa. You can pay a fine of US$3 per day at the airport if you have overstayed less than 30 days (plus a US$2 per day visa extension fee), but it’s far better to get it all sorted out in advance at Kathmandu’s Central Immigration Office, as a delay could cause you to miss your flight.
This trek is suitable for average people who are moderately fit, thus no previous experience is required. Some physical fitness programs such as running, swimming, hiking is recommended before you embark on your journey. Whilst on the trek, it is common to experience some discomfort before being fully acclimatized.
To prepare for a strenuous trek like this you should begin training at least two to three months before your departure. As a guideline, an hour of aerobic exercise three to four times per week would be considered a minimum requirement. The best preparation is bushwalking involving relatively steep ascents and descents. If you can manage a couple of valley floor to ridgeline ascents per comfortable and able to enjoy the trek to the fullest. They are physically strong, sharp-witted and have an incredibly positive attitude towards a life that we would consider extremely tough. There is something about a trek in the Himalaya that draws you back time and time again. For keen walkers, it is a paradise and even avowed non-walkers find that one foot just seems to follow the other, drawn by the appeal of what lies beyond.
Depending on the destination you choose, determines how to fit you should be for the trip. Every package on our website provides info about the difficulty grade. If the package has been rated easy then, whatever your condition you can do the trek and more about it is explained on the detailed itinerary. The easy rated package basically includes of short hiking and low elevation trekking. And if the package is rated medium then you should be at proper health and should at least be able to hike for about 5 - 6 hours a day. These packages do not involve trekking at very high altitude but still, you need to gain some altitude while trekking.
In fact, you don’t need to be a mountaineer with rippling muscles to enjoy trekking. If you are reasonably fit, have a spirit of mountain journey and like walking, you are always qualified for any trekking in Nepal. You do not need any previous experience. However, we suggest you some physical fitness programs such as running, swimming, hiking before you embark on the journey.
Most of the toilets are hygienic. But you will not be able to use waters at a higher altitude as the water is frozen and you need to carry your own toilet paper. But the toilets are clean and hygienic.
In most of the cases, you must share your room with your partner or the fellow people you are traveling with. But you can get a single room if you pay extra but during trekking season you will not be able to get a single room even if you are to pay extra.
Most of the trekking gears and equipment’s are provided by the company. But you need to buy yourself some jackets as the Himalayas are extremely cold. You can get more info about the equipment’s on the Equipment’s list.
You will be served freshly cooked food during trekking. In all tea houses/ lodges along trekking trail Western, Continental and Nepali dishes are available. Three meals a day will be provided you in full board (Gold) package.
Normally, trek time is determined by what type of trekking and where you are trekking. But in most of the trek, you will be hiking for 5-6 hours normally and the time may be little less for high altitude. And you will normally climb about 500m to 1000m of altitude per day.
You must disclose at the time of booking any medical condition that could affect your ability to do the Himalaya trekking. The Himalayan Scenery Treks advise not to do trek who has bad heart conditions, knee problems, severe asthma or pregnant. The Himalayan Scenery Treks will not be responsible for in Himalaya trekking due to the lack of medical facilities any problems due to your special dietary requirements or medical condition.
You should get your luggage outside to arrival lounge using trolleys through the custom lobby as the airport does not allow any outsider to enter the airport. But once you are at the exit point representative will help you handle your luggage.
The trek is not as hard as it is considered to be. It is rated as a moderate trek and can be attempted by anyone disregard of experience or age as long as they are physically healthy. Precisely, difficulty is a subjective term and may vary from person to person depending upon their physical fitness.
The itinerary designed by most companies have spare days for acclimatization and rest because of which the journey should be quite convenient. You can even spend extra days resting if required.
Risk in involved in achieving high altitude that can lead to altitude sickness. You need to acclimatize properly throughout the trek. Pay keen attention to your body. Do not push it beyond what it can take, at least not in areas of high altitudes that might cost you your life.
Otherwise, the route is pretty much safe as it is devoid of crevasses. You could fall a victim of Yak injury. When you see one, do not panic and allow it to pass.
You do not need to have past trekking experiences or mountaineering skills for this trek. But before you commit to the trek, ask yourself if you are the kind of person who can adapt to the unfavorable condition that are an inevitable factors of trekking. Go for short and easy hikes of a day or two and see if you enjoy them.
An averagely fit person should be able to complete this trek with ease. The trek is less demanding than you think. With enough acclimatization, you should be god to go.
However, train your body before you trek. The more fit you are, the more pleasant the journey will be. Go on short hikes, or long weekend walks around your area. You can even exercise daily. But do not overdo it.
If you are a heart or lungs patient, consult with a doctor beforehand. The trek is unsuitable for those with knee and ankle problems.
The number of days to reach the EBC depends upon the route you take and the number of days you spend in acclimatization.
The shortest way would be to take a 30 min flight to Lukla. The entire journey, to and fro, should take you about 11 days. The longer route is by walking through Jiri. This route will take you about 10 days to reach Namche Bazaar and additional number of days to reach the Base Camp. There are many other trekking routes in the Everest region ranging from 8dayss to 22 days.
The best time to trek is the autumn season extending from September to November. The skies are clear and the weather, pleasant. The forests will be washed with the recent rains of monsoon and the spring season starts cold and gets warmer whereas fall is the opposite. Both can see significant snow at any time but more so in the fall. In general the skies are more clear into the early fall thus providing better views of Everest and other mountains. It is common to experience rain, sometimes very heavy, lower down valley between Lukla and Namche in both seasons.
There are a pool of shops in Kathmandu and Pokhara that sell trekking gears. You will find a few other shops in some places along the trek too. Apart from high quality and popular branded stores of trekking gears, you will also find many other shops selling high quality copy of these brands but at a relatively cheaper price. However, the quality of these gears may not be as promising.
Some recommended shops to buy trekking equipment’s in Nepal are:
You can even rent most of the equipment from Kathmandu and Pokhara. The rental cost is cheap at should not exceed more than 3-4$ a day.
When it comes to jackets, sleeping bags and boots, it is advisable not compromise on the quality. Recklessness with caring the right kind of equipment can ruin the experience of the entire trek for you. Also, it is recommendable to buy a pair of high quality trekking glares from your hometown.
One of the deadliest medical situation you may encounter is altitude sickness. There is absolutely no way of training your body for the altitude. The only way is by acclimatizing to allow the body to adapt itself to the changing altitude. There are several symptoms of altitude sickness.
Do not take it for granted when you begin to notice any of the symptoms. Arrangements for immediate deportation will be made for you. You could find about treatment of AMS in this article.
Otherwise, if you walk carefully, have the right gears with you, and are not confronted by an avalanche, your journey should be a pleasant one.
Yes, you can trek to Everest base camp with children but only those above 10. Young children before this age will not be able to adapt to the altitude level of Everest base camp. Young children will not be able to recognize the early sign of acute mountain sickness.
Children who are fussy about food, do not like walking, and prefer luxurious lifestyle are unlikely to enjoy Everest Base Camp. One way of making your children enjoy the trek is by taking enough rest for acclimatization. The route is filled with wild inhabitants, waterfalls, glacier lakes and other such things that fascinates a kid.
These days the tourists are supposed to travel with a guide. A guide will not help you with navigation but also with negotiation of prices of hotel rooms. They obviously know the place better and hence can suggest you the best places to eat and spend the night in. They will also brief you with the history associated with the monuments and monasteries you will encounter. They will help you with gears, medical emergencies and travelling arrangements.
A porter is someone who will carry your baggage for you. Hiring a porter will help you enjoy long walks accompanied by beautiful scenic views.
You will be spending your nights in teahouses and tented camps. Teahouse is a synonym of guest houses that have plywood cells with two beds, a table and few pegs. You might have to share the toilet that have squatting pans and a shower area with a bucket. Hot water is available but at a certain cost.
The rooms are available at a low cost of 4-5$ per night. You will have to pay extra for drinking water, hot water for showers, and toilet paper.
Everest Base Camp is a popular trek. Thousands of trekkers do this trek every year. So to provide them accommodation, there are several tea-houses. Unless you are camping, you don’t need to bring backpacking tents. In case you are camping and want to bring backpacking tents, check out these best backpacking sleeping tents under 200 USD.
There are many tea houses that serve good food and refreshments. As you go up higher the prices of the food are more likely to increase. Almost all the tea houses have similar menus. You will get momos, noodles, sizzlers, pizzas and other such edibles.
The most commonly preferred meal is Dal-Bhaat which is a generous serving of rice with lentils, vegetable curry, tomato chutney, salad, and meat cooked in typically Nepali style. Dal-Bhaat is healthy, filling, nutritious and delicious.
Yes you can bring along your electronic devices with you. However, not all devices can survive the extreme change in temperature and pressure. Digital Cameras are free of danger. If you have a laptop, make sure it is well packed and shielded.
Teahouses have charging plug points. Most of these plugs are powered by solar and are pretty useless during cloudy days. Charging you electronic devices will cost you some money especially at higher elevations. Carry along spare batteries for your camera. There is a lack of constant electrical supply in Nepal. You may not always get to charge your devices during load shedding time.
The major health issue that can occur is altitude sickness. To avoid this problem, you have to drink lots of water. You should carry an effective medicine called Diamox and have it immediately after the attack. We will provide the guides and helpers who are experienced and trained to take different kinds of precautions and safety measures in this kind of situation. If your condition becomes severe, you will be taken 300m downward from your current position. From there, you can trek again in substitute time according to the rate of your body recovery.
There are a few internet cafes in Lukla, Namache and a few villages up to Gorak Shep. They are affordable but not completely reliable. You can connect with yours relatives through satellite phones. Some tea house offer satellite or wired phone service. Just point the device mostly east. It is an easy and inexpensive way to letting those back home know where you are and you are ok.
Mobile phone service is available with a Nepal Cell phone company SIM card. They work perfectly well even outside the cities. However, as you go higher, you will lose the strength of the network or have no network at all.
You do not need any permits to trek in this area until and unless you are not climbing a mountain. You will need a permit if you are visiting the National parks in this region. The permits are to be bought from the National park office at Thamel.
If you are not willingly to take the trouble of walking to the Base Camp although it is completely worth it, you can take a mountain flight around the region to get a close up view of the Himalayan Ranges. Contact us for more information.
Performing Everest base camp trek is quite expensive. You will need approximately 25$ to 30$ per day or lodging, food and other accommodation/facilities. If you have interest in other beverages like alcohol and other drinks, then you can keep your average cash to 50$ per day.
The Everest Base Camp Trek can be done from a minimum 1 person to maximum whichever number of people. The maximum number of people is estimated to be 20 people. But it is recommended to keep the group as small as you can. It is because with the small group, you can enjoy the trek more and there will not be hustle and bustle. There is a lesser chance of trek being boring and misunderstanding arising between team members.
When mountaineers climb Everest they set up their base camp on the moraine below the Khumbu Icefall, and proceed up the mountain in a series of different camps. Advanced Base Camp, also known as Camp 1, is on the other side of the Khumbu Ice Fall, the lethally dangerous series of ice slabs where sixteen climbers were killed fixing ropes in 2014 as they already got their requires mountaineering skills, mountaineering equipment and expedition-level support. The route across the ice fall is set by professional teams of Sherpas during the March-May climbing season each year: to use it, you’ll need to be a mountaineer, or pay top dollar to tag along with a mountaineering expedition.
Before committing to at least eleven days hiking in (generally) basic conditions, it’s a good idea to establish that you like hiking and don’t mind basic conditions, so that you can actually enjoy the experience when you do it. Bank a two- or, optimally, three-day hike to see how you feel about walking each day and being away from home comforts before you commit.
Both Lukla and Namche are full of trekking stores selling things like hiking poles, gloves, windproof jackets, cold-weather sleeping bags, head torches and day packs, as well as books, energy bars, snacks and the usual tourist tat. You are much better off buying everything you need in Kathmandu, where prices are lower, or before you go.
Outside Lukla and Namche, options are much more limited: don’t plan on finding anything more than loo roll, snacks, drinks, batteries and possibly the odd pair of woolen gloves in many villages.
Snacks are expensive on the trail, so they are definitely worth bringing. Lodges charge extra if you bring your own food in, not to mention for hot water, so shoe stringers hoping to make a bag of rice last a twelve-day trek will find this a false economy. Fuel is really at a premium in the mountains. Dal bhat, the Nepali lentil stew, is the most economical way to eat: above Namche, the EBC trek is not a gourmet experience.