Mt Everest and Ama Dablam Base Camp Trek: An Amazing Journey

We completed the Everest (Sagarmatha*) and Ama Dablam Base Camp trek! We had fantastic weather and the scenery was incredible over the 14 days. It was a tough journey on several fronts, but made easier by Kersing (our guide), Durga (our porter), and our trekking company Discovery World Trekking. We were not sure if our bodies would acclimate to high altitude, but we managed to sleep above 17,000 feet and hike to 17,600 feet without any symptoms of altitude sickness. We also hiked approximately 120 miles over 14 days without any major aches, pains, or blisters. The most difficult part of the hike was the steep and rugged sections that we took very slowly (in Nepali: bistārai). It was an incredible experience, and we are really proud that we completed the trek!!

* Nepalese name for Everest.

The Goals

When we set this trek up we decided we had three main goals:

Ama Dablam Base Camp – Mt Ama Dablam (elevation 22,350 feet) can be climbed in the fall so it has an active base camp this time of year. We thought it would be interesting to see expeditions in action.

Everest (Sagarmatha) Base Camp – Take the journey that so many mountaineers have taken to begin the climb to the highest peak in the world.

Have fun and stay married!

The Journey

The EBC trek is probably the most popular hike among the many incredible treks in Nepal. There are also many variations (3 passes, Gokyo Lakes, Island Peak) that can be added to the trek, and we met many people heading all different directions.

Our trek followed an acclimatization plan to avoid the risks of altitude sickness. In the graph below you can see how we gradually worked our way to Everest Base Camp (EBC), taking day hikes along the way to help our body adjust to the higher altitudes. Once we reached EBC you can see how quickly we descended back to Lukla.

We also enjoyed exploring the culture and sights along the way. The activity along the trail is very interesting. There are no roads to supply all the needs of the villages along the way, so people and animals pack all the supplies in and out.

The Trailhead

The trailhead begins in Lukla, and getting there was a journey unto itself. The Nepalese government is working on repairs to the Kathmandu Airport, so to reduce congestion they have rerouted Lukla flights to originate at a rural airport in Ramechhap, 75 miles away from Kathmandu. The bad roads combined with the need to take these flights in the early morning (before mountain clouds descend) meant we had to meet our guide at 12:30AM, take a 4-5 hour van journey to travel the 75 miles, then wait for our flight.

The 20 minute flight itself was spectacular and we were happy to finally get to the trailhead. Luckily the first day’s hike was short and we had time to relax.

Our Equipment

Our gear fit into two day packs and a duffle. You can look back at the Annapurna trek blog to see a picture of our gear spread out. We took essentially the same gear to EBC.

Our little team made sure we were successful. Left to right below: Durga (our porter), Diane, Kersing (our guide), and Dave. Picture on right of Durga and Kersing hiking in front of us with our duffel and their gear. Our guide company, Discovery World Trekking, takes good care of their employees and they restricted the weight of our duffel. We packed as minimally as we could (2 tee shirts, 2 pants, 4 socks, sleeping bag, puffer jacket…). We saw other porters with very heavy duffel loads.

The Hike from Lukla to Pangboche (via Namche Bazaar)

It took us 5 days to hike to Pangboche from Lukla with a stop in Namche Bazaar to acclimatize (more details below). The trail follows the Dhudh Kosi River over swing bridges, ridges, and through many small villages.

Everest View Acclimatization Hike Above Namche Bazaar

We stayed 2 nights in Namche Bazaar, a large village in the middle of nowhere, complete with a legit North Face clothing store and an Irish Pub. We took a very steep acclimatization hike to get our first views of Mt Everest. We also saw our first yaks in a village nearby! Yaks can only live above 10,000 feet because of their thick coat and risk of disease below frost level.

In the picture below: Everest (29,035 feet) is on the left, with a cloud blowing off the summit, and Lhotse (27,940 feet, 4th tallest mountain) is on the right. Everest is behind a ridge that is part of Lhotse, so this picture is just of the summit of Everest.

Ama Dablam

The trailhead to Ama Dablam Base Camp starts in Pangboche. The hike goes straight up the side of a rocky slope. We joked that there are no switch backs in Nepal! The altitude made it extra challenging as breathing was hard, but we took it slowly and persevered. Pictures below: The climbing path up from the river, Diane and Dave “high five” at Ama Dablam Base Camp, Jumping for joy with our guide, Kersing.

The base camp has a fantastic view of the mountain. We could see climbers summiting while we were there. There also were guides preparing people for the ascent. There were a dozen expeditions with tents and infrastructure that were well organized. It was hard to believe that such an extensive camp was setup for just a couple months of the climbing season. This hike was one of the highlights of our trek.

Journey to Everest Base Camp (EBC)

As we hiked from Pangboche to Gorek Shep over the next 4 days we moved above tree line and the scenery became more stark and rugged.

There are small villages with teahouses for dining and sleeping, but they also became more basic.

There is a sheltered, plateau on the trail (right after a hard ascent) where they honor deceased mountaineers and locals. Sadly there are hundreds of markers of all types. It was sobering and inspiring. Such a beautiful place for a remarkable tribute. Diane here: It will forever be a moment of reflection in my memory.

Acclimatization Hike Above Dingboche

We spent 2 nights in Dingboche to acclimatize. We did a steep day hike up Nangkartshang Peak, (a “hill” directly above Dingboche) gaining 2300 feet, to get us ready to go to Everest Base Camp. Flags were placed at intervals and we were determined to climb to the last one! The thin air at 16,700′ made breathing so hard that we focused only on placing one foot in front of another to reach the top. The views were stunning. We were exhausted after this hike. But our guide still had plenty of energy for a crazy picture…

Everest Base Camp

The hike to EBC is over a rugged, jumble of rocks gouged out by the Khumbu Glacier. In recent years the large number of summit attempts in May from EBC has grown base camp to ~1500 people, including the support crew for climbers (sherpas, porters, medics, cooks, organizers, trainers, etc). We could not fathom how crowded this difficult trail would be during that time, and all of the supporting supplies that would need to be hauled in while people are traversing to and from base camp. It was not obvious where all the tents would go.

In the fall/winter off season there isn’t anyone staying at base camp and the area seems very desolate and isolated, the scenery was like a different world. The approximate location of base camp is marked by a random boulder. Each year the “boulder” is chosen and people celebrate reaching Everest Base Camp by taking pictures with the boulder!

We were really excited when we reached EBC!!! This had been the driving force of our trip and it took a lot of planning and effort to get here.

Kala Patther

We stayed in Gorek Shep overnight, the nearest village to EBC, at 17,010 feet. We woke up before sunrise, in the bitter cold, to hike up Kala Patther to watch the sun rise on Mt Everest, the top of the world. It was yet another incredibly steep trail up. We decided to only go part way up after we met many people that said the top is so cold that you don’t want to spend any time there. We really should have gone the day before and watched the sun set on Everest when the temperatures were a bit better. In the upper right picture below you can see a dark peak, Mt Everest, directly above the two of us with the sun coming up behind it.

Activity Along the Trail

We were amazed by how many goods are transported on the trail to support the trekking tourists, porters, guides, and people who live there. Porters carry up to 175 lbs and we saw everything including food, booze, propane, plastic chairs, and construction material.

Yaks, oxen, and horses are also used extensively, including ponies to haul kegs of beer. Pack animals have the right away and you need to stay on the uphill side from them. People have died from being accidentally pushed off the trail and down a cliff by a pack animal. They use the same suspension bridges as trekkers, and always have the right away.

Tea House Challenges

Staying in teahouses presented some challenges. The only room that is heated is the common dining room in the evening for dinner. Where there isn’t any firewood they use yak dung patties to fuel the stoves for warmth. The bedrooms and bathrooms are unheated and are very cold at the highest elevations at night. The bathrooms would freeze overnight. They don’t have tanks on the toilets, instead they are flushed with a pitcher of water scooped from a barrel (often by breaking through a layer of ice). There are no sinks or showers. In general the tea houses got more basic and smaller at higher altitudes. The food was okay, but repetitive. After all the tea houses we really appreciated getting back to more comfortable accommodations and a wider variety of dining options after the trek was done!

Tihar Festival

We were wrapping up our hike as Tihar Festival was getting underway. These decorations, many with marigolds, were at the entrances of buildings, and bring good luck to the people living there. Even the animals are part of the festivities.

Children sang for us on the trail and handed us marigolds.

Finishing the Hike

It took us 9 days to hike up to EBC. The tenth day we stayed in Gorek Shep, above 17,000 feet, and then we descended quickly. We got back to Lukla in just 3 days. It was great to be down at warmer elevations.

We had an incredible hike and the return to Kathmandu was much more relaxed. Our guiding company managed to get us on one of the only direct flights from Lukla back to Kathmandu, saving us 4-5 hours of travel on a rough road. Taking off from Lukla with its short, sloped, off a cliff runway was exhilarating.

Amazing, Challenging and Fun!

The hike was amazing, challenging, and fun. We enjoyed the journey and the destination. We learned we are capable of high altitude trekking. Overall we had a fantastic experience and are wondering when we will get back to Nepal for our next trek.