Alternative routes to Everest Base Camp - Nepal
Alternative routes to Everest Base Camp - Nepal
EBC tour 2019
When it comes to Everest trails, the Everest base camp route is the one with the most adventurers from around the globe. In 2018 the region welcomed 57,000 travelers, which is only set to grow more and more in coming years. This is my third time visiting Everest base camp with my group and I can clearly see the trails getting busier every year. I get it, it is a bucket list for a lot of us, that is why we want to go there. Which I clearly admire and just seeing the mountains and taking up the challenge can be an inspiring adventure. But when it comes to the trails the busyness and the crowd is something you won’t be expecting, believe me especially if it is your first time. The great news is that there are alternative routes to go to Everest base camp apart from just the normal trekking route. The only trade-off is 4-6 additional trekking days in your itinerary but it will be totally worth it. You can avoid 70% of the crowd, will be more challenging than just Everest Base camp but more adventure for yourself.
(Click on image for more tour infos)
Gokyo with Everest Base Camp - 20 days
My first recommendation is the Gokyo trail with Everest base camp. Once we visit Everest base camp we break away from the rest of the group trails from Lobuche (Day 12). Taking you through Cho-la pass and then on to Gokyo valley. This trip sums up all the mesmerizing beauty of the Everest region. The Gokyo Lakes region at the head of the Dudh Koshi Valley provides a great alternative to the popular Everest Base Camp trek. It is a more tranquil trek through the Sherpa heartland that affords ample time for acclimatization with opportunities to savor mountain panoramas from our private permanent campsites. The highlight of the trek is our ascent of Gokyo Ri. From the summit, at over 5000m we gain superb views of Everest as well as the 8000m peaks of Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu in Tibet. Many trekkers will argue that this is one of the finest views in the Himalaya, with the awesome bulk of Everest dominating the skyline.
Three Passes Trek - 22 Days
Renjo la pass ( 5345M), Photo by- Tomislav Gracan
If you are up for a bit of a challenge crossing 3 passes in the Everest region, visiting the emerald Gokyo lake, and then finally arriving in Everest base camp then three passes are the right option for you.
The Three Passes Trek to Everest Base Camp is arguably one of the most challenging treks in the Everest region. The trek covers a lot of variation making a traverse between the three high passes, that is how it’s named – Renjo La, Cho La, and Kongma La – each over 5,000m. The trek begins at the famous Lukla and then heading towards the famous Namche Bazaar. Here, the route splits from the main trek and heads up the Dudh Koshi valley, where you will encounter the first of the Three Passes – Renjo La (5,370m). After reaching the high point, the trail descends to the turquoise Gokyo Lakes and further on to the village of Gokyo.
I hope this article helps you in making an informed choice about visiting the Everest region and you can make alternate plans when visiting the Everest base camp. There is no way to escape the crowd during the trekking season but the alternatives routes take you on a different trail that exposes you to other gems of Everest trekking tails, which 80% of the crowd visiting won’t be attempting.
If you do have any more questions, please ask us below in the comment section or you can email us at bookings@namasadventure.com and our team will get back to you as soon as they can.
Stay well. Challenge yourself. Dare great things and live your story.
Mera Peak a treat of panoramic Himalayan vista - Namas Adventure
MERA PEAK A TREAT OF PANORAMIC HIMALAYAN VISTA
Now, I am not exaggerating by that headline for Mera Peak. In this blog post, I am trying to share the visual journey of the Mera Peak trek/climb. First let me admit, although Mera Peak is classed as a beginners peak, I was dead tired (exhausted) by the time I got back from Summit to high camp. To me, that climb did not feel like a beginner’s climb or maybe I just was not fit enough (gotta train harder). Every Sherpa leader that I met there was like yes, this is the easiest one and the only peak with a very wide 360 views of all the Himalayas. I could feel my whole body burning with tiredness and at the same time, I was ecstatic as well because I was back safely from the summit. It was not that I had doubts about making it to the summit but I wasn’t expecting the degree of fitness I needed to have to make that climb. I have so much respect for all the Sherpa leaders that can just march up these peaks like it’s a walk in the park and I could only imagine the level of fitness everyone has when they guide the guest to 7000 - 8000 M peaks. I have realized that I need to upgrade my level of fitness by some fold and have more experiences under my belt to climb higher mountains. Next stop Baruntse Peak 7129, Tilicho peak 7134, Amadablam (climbers consider this tougher than Everest) the tough one 6810 technically challenging, Manaslu 8156 in the next 2 years.
So first all the technical details about Mera peak. The peak stands tall at 6476 M tall in Makalu valley. The mountaineering association in Nepal considers Mera as a trekking peak rather than an expedition peak which is just about right.
Beginners/ Intermediate trekking peak. No mountain climbing experience is required for this trip. Although previous trekking experiences do help.
18 Days total climb. But can be shortened 12/13 days, Mera Peak express ( Taking helicopter from Lukla to Kothe or Khare to Lukla. Additional charges apply)
Fitness level required. Endurance and strength training suggested.
Pro tip: To better your chance of making it to the Summit, make sure your itinerary has Base camp 5200M and high camp day 5800M. Both are tented camping.
Gears rentals can be done in Khare but I would highly recommend getting your own gears. I rented their equipment ( sleeping bag ) for the sake of trying and I would not recommend it at all. You will need all the mountain climbing gear for this trek. Even the boots are made of plastic ones which do not provide enough protection from the cold.
Best time to visit. March-May ( less traffic ) September - November ( high traffic )
Next goal Baruntse or Tilicho Peak ( 7000+M) mountain.
360-degree views of the Himalayas from high camp all the way to the Summit. Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Nuptse, Makalu, Kanchenjunga, and hundreds of small peaks are visible. On a clear day expect yourself to be completely blown away by the never-ending view of Himalayan vistas.
Mera peak trip was a job as well as an adventure. So the trekking trail separates from Lukla going south in the other direction than the Everest trail. That helps us avoid all the huge traffic that goes to the iconic base camp trail. The trek up to Nimgsa is pretty much walking one hilly trail, passing through small villages. But after that, the trail gets tougher and the snow made the trails even harder at some point. Mera isn’t a popular choice as Everest trails so the trails are not as well taken care of or are built like most on Everest base camp trails. On some part, we literally had to use our hands and feet to just climb the steep stairs and the trail wasn’t a gradual one. One minute it goes straight up and the other minute it’s a steep downhill but after Kothe camp, it was gradual uphill which was good.
The Himalayas are only fully visible after we left the Kothe camp. As we were gradually going higher the mountain tops with different shapes slowly appear and the next thing you know it’s on your right/left and slowly the Mera range appears right above on the right corner. We made a pit stop at a nearby glacier lake, which was 90% frozen. Kothe was our final tea house camp place. By the time we get to Kothe, we are now pretty much walking by the mountains. I could see this frozen sharp ice on the cliffs of the mountains. Finally, upon arrival in Kothe, we could see Mera peak and the other range just above. Our guide (Lopsang Sherpa) pointed to us the glacier we were to walk on before reaching high camp. To my surprise, the tea house in Kothe was the best one out of all during the entire trek.
So we acclimatized and rested in Kothe for a day then we set about for Mera Peak base camp. Now, this is the most tricky bit in Mera. Mera base camp is only built upon request and many will say oh! why did you have to have Mera base camp or it is not necessary or you can make your way to high camp directly. A lot of the operators choose not to do this because it adds an extra day to the itinerary or is only 3 hours walk from Khare camp. But when it comes to mountain and you want to better your odds of making it to the summit and completing your trek/ expedition rather than rushing and not acclimatizing properly. So, as a company, we choose to have Mera la Base camp in our Itinerary so that our clients and group has a better chance of successfully completing the journey. Then once we rested at base camp and moved on to High camp that’s when the real test began. From this day onwards we are on our harness, ropes, crampons, and mountain climbing shoes. Perfect practice for the next day’s summit climb. From the base camp, the terrains is completely different. We started off with a steep 80 degree walk up the snowy hill and then to the blue ice glacier climbing 4 - 5 hills to Mera high camp. You are walking slowly on those ice paths all the way to the Summit. Still, a tiring walk but the place they chose for a high camp has such a great view. It looks crazily dangerous as the campsite is just on the flat base side of the cliff and a 500-600 m drop after that, somehow it’s safe to station the camp there. So, the group arrived there and we rested in our camp waiting for the big day tomorrow. We briefed our team the next day as we had to start our climb to the summit at 4 am in morning.
The next day we were all set and ready to go at 4 am. We started in the dark and sunshine was scheduled around 4:30 am-ish, so as we were making our climb on the snowy slopes we could slowly see the sun rising just behind the Himalayan ranges. What a sight, to see the colors change and the white snow slowly light up making the whole climb shinier and brighter. Shades on and we started to move up to the summit. The walk to the top was a killer one. So on the high altitudes, anyone climbing is not supposed to stay out exposed out in the cold/ wind for long. Every break we took was a quick 30s to 1 min and then off we go again. I can’t remember the number of breaks we took but I am pretty sure we take a handful of one. It took us around 4 hours to get to the summit. Just when we were to reach the summit the final climb was a 90-degree vertical ice block and at that moment in my head, I was like how am I to climb this and then our climbing leader just took us a sideways walk from and slowly side-stepping we climbed the to the summit. I was exhausted, tired but joy overfilled me with what we had achieved. The whole group was at the summit and we spoke on the radio with our team at Kothe camp. There were congratulation, hugs, laughter, and tears. This was one of the hardest things that I had done but definitely worth it. This was it all the month’s worth of planning and preparation was for this climb. All the clients were at the top which was another achievement for all the Namas adventure team.
This was definitely a great experience for me because as a founder of Namas Adventure I want to understand as much as I can of work that goes during our tour operations which gives me the perspective of how our staff is doing while on tours and expeditions, as well as understanding in what ways we can improve in our services, having a great time with people with the same interest and enjoying my passion of climbing mountains, inspiring through our work and seeking for greater adventures.
This is the story I chose and it has been an amazing learning and developing so far. The story continues ahead and our message as a company leads with inspiring human individuals to choose to live their story.
Live Your Story.
See you in future adventures and good luck with many adventures ahead. The upcoming expedition that I will be joining Baruntse Expedition, Manaslu Expedition, and Amadablam Expedition.
If you do have any more questions, please ask us below in the comment section or you can email us at bookings@namasadventure.com and our team will get back to you as soon as they can.
Stay well. Challenge yourself. Dare great things and live your story.
World's Most adventurous airport. LUKLA
Ever since I have voiced my want to trek Everest, everyone has been asking me one question. Is the airport and plane ride safe? I think the tag “World's most extreme and dangerous airport” (The History Channel, 2010), has given Lukla Airport a negative connotation that there are accidents every day or every month. This is not the case at all, but one can see why the calamitous perception.
On paper, Lukla airport is the perfect recipe for what could be a knuckle-biting near disaster. Only certified carriers (STOL) and pilots can take this 40-minute long flight, during which you will find yourself dodging mountains and flying through thick, white smothering of the surrounding clouds. With the unpredictable weather and no navigation aids, pilots must use their visual flying skills, which as I mentioned are at times blurred, and their empirical knowledge of the area’s terrain.
Reaching the end, you are faced with a beautiful view of the small, colourful town of Lukla at an altitude of 9,500ft, perfectly ready to have your trekking boots on the ground. But here what you see may not be the best for your blood pressure. Here, it’s time to find another reasoning behind the infamous name, that is, the relatively tiny runway. Sitting at only 1,729-foot long, a very tiny strip in comparison to Heathrow’s 12,802-ft, this timorously tiny runway is coupled with the fact at one end of the runway is a steep cliff with a 2,000-foot drop and at the other is a solid, stone wall. The plane either lands, or falls off the cliff or hits the wall.
However, as apprehensive as what I have described above may make one feel, the reality is quite anticlimactic. Given good weather, most flight activity happens between six and nine a.m., and during peak season there can be up-to 30-50 flights a day. While the airport only handles 4 planes at a time, it’s a quick switch over to take the waiting trekkers back to Kathmandu and before you know it the planes are flying back already in the next 10-15 min. Furthermore, given Nepal depends heavily on tourism, especially in the Everest and Annapurna region, and flight safety is given the utmost importance. It is carefully followed at both regional and governmental levels and I can say by experience that they don't take the flights lightly for Lukla flights. The bummer tends to come in the only one other form, an externality which I advise all travellers to be aware of. The biggest problem is often the temperamental weather.
Sitting at such high an altitude and in such vigorous terrain, the sky which looked clear a few minutes ago, can suddenly change with winds blowing swathes of fog and clouds obscuring visibility. At such moments, for safety all flights will be stopped, and should the weather persist, ending in cancellations. This is why, although flights are scheduled to run from 6am to 5pm, I say most flight activity takes place between 6-9am. I encourage all Everest trekkers to have a contingency plan in case weather turns bad and there is cancellation of flights. We recommend an extra 2-4 days to allow for flight cancellations and re-bookings or extending your budget to include helicopter expenses.
Downhill runway
If you decide to charter a private helicopter, then it will be $1500-2500 for 5 - 6 people (the higher margin to get from Kathmandu to Lukla). When flights are cancelled, as is so often the case with later flights, there is also a good chance of unused seats in the helicopter flights and you can ask your tour company or helicopter companies to query whether there would be space for a smaller party (1-3 seats) to join ad hoc. It saves costs, lessens wasteful use of time and resources for all parties involved and we recommend speaking with your tour provider to see if and how they can help you in such a situation. In the case of cancelled airplane flights, you are entitled to the refund so be sure to query this with your tour company, or the airlines if you didn’t use one.
Third-party tour operators are imperatively valuable in such situations as their network allows them to get up-to-date information from both airports involved and search for the contingency flights. A recent case caused much confusion when, although the weather be sunny and clear in Lukla, the airport closed. It turned out the route from Kathmandu to Lukla was turbulent and unsafe to fly, but at Lukla one couldn’t see that far into the distance. A wide lens is needed when dealing with this route.
While one can after gaining experience trek the Everest route by themselves, the stress involved in getting to the starting and ending point of Lukla, arranging back-up flights, especially if you don’t speak the language, is exponential. Along with the aforementioned, perhaps “World’s most stressful…” is also a fair description. Tour operators and their teams are highly experienced to deal with unexpected situations, and the reason why it is still rare for people to make this trek on their own. At Namas, we have staff members who watch the route on both ends as well as partnerships with airlines and helicopter providers to ensure hassle-free flights. If you are planning to go to Everest base camp (click here), we have several dates announced for 2018. We take care of all your accommodations, flights, flight transfers, local Sherpa guide and porter service and meals during all trekking days.
Nevertheless, for those wilder ones, if you are planning a solo trip, here are some pro tips
Price one way: $160 - $175(one way) Kathmandu – Lukla and it is best to choose an early flight.
Speak to helicopter providers working in this area.
Return flights to Kathmandu - Confirm your ticket with your airlines a day before in Lukla. This is very important or else the operators assume that you won’t be taking that flight and will add other passengers to your seat. Speak to your hotels or tea houses staff in Lukla, most of them knows the airlines staff and will help you confirm your return tickets.
Peak season: April/May (Spring) is very busy with mountaineers and most of the tickets are booked for mountain climbers and big groups and October(Autumn) is another busy month. It can get very hard booking flights during these months, so plan early and reserve early (or you will have to count on your luck :D).
TIMS and Everest region permit is a must. (link)
If you hire a porter at the Lukla airport, please pay them $18-$20 a day. The real wage is much less as they will be using this daily rate to pay for housing and food along the route. (Be a responsible traveller)
Alternative routes to Everest region, 14 - 16 hours vehicle ride to Jiri from Kathmandu which adds extra 2 days to your Everest itinerary.
If you have any more questions regarding your trekking plans for Everest, please do let us know below in the comment box or in our email namas@namasadventure.com.
Happy Adventure.
Written by - Bisesh ( Founder / Namas Adventure )
Edited by : Shanti Rai ( Namas team member )
