The Everest Base Camp (EBC) Trek is one of the most preferred Himalayan trekking destinations among adventure trekkers. In addition to just a trekking activity to the base of the world's highest mountain, It is a journey of exploring the nature and culture of the region.
The Base Camp Trek in Nepal is located in the Everest Himalayas, which reveal shipshape bonny landscapes, green nature, wild animals, magic mountains, and more. Some skyscraper hill stations offer spectacular mountain views of the high Himalayas. Kalapatthar, Syangboche Hill, Tengboche, and Nangkar-Tshang are the vantage points for the lovely backdrops of the Khumbu region.
Trekking to Everest Base Camp is a treasured destination for most adventure seekers. It is a journey of prospects for the Khumbu region, with its charm. Alluring white mountains, tidy landscapes, massive glaciers, flora and fauna, glacial rivers, traditional villages, and more electrification await visitors during the EBC Trek. Once you reach the base camp and Kalapatthar, you will be overcast by the bonny, snow-capped Himalayas. Then you feel like you are in existential heaven.
A journey to the bottom of the world's tallest peak is not that challenging and may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you. Although a lack of oxygen in the highlands, such as Kalapatthar (5,545m) and the Base Camp (5,364m), makes visitors slightly uneasy, After a scenic flight to Tenzing-Hilary airport at Lukla, the trail to the EBC leads through traditional Sherpa villages and the remarkable topography of the Himalayas. Some glorious high mounts like Amadablam, Thamserku, Lhotse, Nuptse, Everest, and many others deceive you along the way to Everest.
It is a Buddhist region, so ancient historic monasteries and religious monuments inspire you for a safe and successful journey to the basement of Mt. Everest. Likewise, some rare and regular wild animals incite you to walk further to witness more beauties of the Khumbu territory. Unforgettable warm hospitality from the locals can be a sweet memory for you after the trip.
Major Attractions While Trekking to Everest Base Camp
The mighty Himalayas draw attention to visiting Base Camp, but there is much to explore during the trip to Everest. The locals' culture, religion, festivals, and lifestyle draw travelers. Traditional Sherpa settlements, unreal views from stunning viewpoints, and Religious monuments and shrines are the significant attractions while Trekking to Everest Base Camp.
An Adventurous Scenic Flight to Lukla Links the Trekking to Everest Base Camp
An adventurous and dramatic flight to Lukla from Kathmandu links the trek to Everest Base Camp on Mt.Everest. It is a half-hour air journey to Lukla, presenting an unreal view of Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Gaurishankar, Mahalangur, Makalu Barun, and the Tibetan massif. If the Kathmandu airport gets busy, the flights operate from Manthali (Ramechhap). You need to drive around 5 hours to reach Ramechhap from Kathmandu.
Tenzing-Hilary airport in Lukla exists on the lap of a big hill, and it has a short runway. At the bottom of this airfield is a big cliff, which looks scary. So, the landing experience at this airport is an adventure for Everest trekkers and climbers.
Walking Through the Sagarmatha National Park for Everest Base Camp
The Sagarmatha National Park is a natural UNESCO world heritage site in Nepal. Except for the first day and a few hours on the last day of the trip, most Everest Base Camp trekking trails remain inside this national park.
Green forest, colorful flowers, Bushy juniper, and many other herbs and shrubs deliver freshness from the Sagarmatha National Park to the Everest trekkers. Rare Animals (musk deer) and other mammals like Himalayan Thar (wild mountain goat), Pika, and others make their way to the trail. Himalayan Monal, Tibetan snowcock, mountain hawk, and lots more birds move close to the walking area and make tuneful sounds. Natural resources like rivers, valleys, waterfalls, glacial lakes, and more ornate the hiking route to Everest.
Namche Bazaar: The Most Beautiful Sherpa Town on Everest Base Camp Route
Namche Bazaar is one of the most beautiful and well-managed Sherpa towns during a trek to Everest Base Camp. It is located on the lap of a hill that carries to Syangboche and Khumjung villages. Being at an elevation of 3,440m above sea level, the Base Camp trekkers take their first acclimatization break here.
Alluring Thamserku and Kongde Peak look stunning from Namche Bazaar. At the top right, there is the army base, which is the national park headquarters. It is around a 15-minute walk from the guesthouse where you stay. You can see the unreal view of Mt.Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Amadablam, Thamserku, and many other big mountains. Some trekking and climbing gear is available in Namche Bazaar that you cannot even get in Kathmandu. You can visit bakery shops and bars to spend your time during your Namche stay.
Namche Bazaar is the sopping junction for people from the Everest region. All essential goods are brought into this place and sold. Friday to Saturday noon held a weekly market, and the locals came to buy daily-use things.
Everest View Hotel: The Highest Altitude Hotel on the Everest Base Camp Route
Everest View Hotel (3,880m) at Syangboche Hill offers an eye-captivating Himalayan vista, including Amadablam, Thamserku, Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and more. It is the highest-altitude hotel on the Everest Base Camp Route. This luxury lodge was established by a Japanese man, Takasi Miyahara. Phorche village is on the right, and Tengboche looks attractive from this hill. Khumbu's holy mountain, Khumbila, stands on the left of the lodge.
The Base Camp trekkers visit this place on the acclimatization rest day from Namche Bazaar and travelers during the Everest Base Camp Helicopter tour and here for breakfast and witness the panoramic mountain views. It is around a 3-hour hike to the hotel Everest View from Namche. You will pass the highest airport (Syangboche) in Nepal during an altitude practice hike to the lodge. You can have hot drinks with a fabulous view from this place. Then, you can either walk back to Namche bazaar directly or go through Khumjung village. Khumjung village is the biggest Sherpa town in the Everest region. You can visit a monastery here, where you can see the skull of the Yeti.
Tengboche Hill: A Sacred and Vantage Hill Station on the Everest Base Camp Route
Existing at 3,860m above sea level, Tengboche is the best spot to see Mt. Amadablam. Mount Ama Dablam is the most beautiful mountain in the Himalayas. You will reach this hill on the 4th day of the trek to Everest Base Camp.
Tengboche Hill has an open space surrounded by pine, rhododendron, and juniper trees. There is an ancient Buddhist monastery that is more than a hundred years old. The Monks have the daily invocation in the morning and evening inside this monastery. You can visit here and join their prayers in Tengboche. It is a sacred place for the Buddhist people of the Everest Region and celebrates the Mani Rimdu Festival. This festival is scheduled according to the Tibetan Lunar Calendar. The festival continues in October and November.
Nangkar-Tshang Hill: Second altitude practice hike during the Everest Base Camp Tour
5,083-meter-high Nangkartshang Hill is left of Dingboche village in the Khumbu Himalayas. You will visit this during the second acclimatization practice day of the Base Camp Trek in the Everest Region from Dingboche. The locals and most trekking guides call this peak Nagarjun, making it easier to pronounce.
Whatever you call the name of the peak, it is worth climbing. It is a great hill station to observe the brilliant view of the Everest Himalayas. It is only a viewpoint from which you can see Mt. Makalu during the Everest Trek. The Makalu is the 4th highest mountain in Nepal and the 5th highest mountain out of the world's 14 tallest peaks above 8,000m. You see a completely different shape of Amadablam from this hill. You can see fantastic views of Thamserku, Taboche, Khangteka, Cholatse, Island Peak, and more from the Summit of Nangkartshang Viewpoint.
Not only for the stunning views, hiking this hill prevents altitude sickness before attempting higher elevations such as Kalapatthar and Everest Base Camp. It takes around 3 hours to reach the top of this hill from Dingboche and an hour and a half to return. The top of Nangkartshang has lots of rocks and will be windy.
The nearest glimpse of Everest from Kalapatthar
One of the best viewpoints for the closest view of Everest is the Kalapatthar hill station (5,545m) on the trek. Some trekkers think to skip Kala Patthar after a tiring hike to the base camp, but you must climb this if you don't want to miss the prettiness of the Everest Himalayas.
This famous hill station offers a brilliant 360° Panoramic view of the Everest Massif. You start climbing in the early morning from Gorakshep and reach the top in a 2-hour walk. Many black rocks cover the summit, so it is named Kala Patthar.
Mt. Pumori stands very close to the top, which is a good-looking pyramid. Spending a long time on Kalapatthar is not good because of the altitude effect. Also, there will be a big wind with a freezing temperature. For genuine information, the view looks better at sunset than sunrise from Kala Patthar.
Everest Base Camp
Everest Base Camp is 5,364m above sea level and the hub of the Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse expedition teams. You will be dreaming about reaching here most of the time after starting the trip from Lukla. This place looks like a mini-mountain city in the spring, with many colorful tents. The lights make it prettier in the evening.
About two to two and a half hours of hiking will take you to the Base Camp from Gorakshep, and a similar time to return. No lodge is at the EBC, so you must hike back to Gorakshep after visiting there. You will not see the best view of the world's highest mountain from here, but you will feel proud to be at the bottom of the most famous mountain in your lifetime.
Khumbu Glacier
About 12 km long, Khumbu Glacier is dimensionally lower from 4,900m to the higher 7,600m to the Khumbu icefall. It is the highest glacier in the world between Pumori and Everest, in the Nuptse mountain range. The top part of this glacier has a massive icefall that Everest climbers must cross before going to Camp I during the expedition.
The Everest High Pass trekkers go over Kongma La from Chhukung to Lobuche. They cross this glacier before reaching Lobuche for the camp. It remains on the left of the EBC trekkers while walking from Lobuche to Gorakshep.