Can a beginner climb Everest Base Camp?
While reaching the summit of Mount Everest is a serious feat of physical accomplishment, beginners can trek to Everest Base Camp with (relative) ease. Of course, that doesn't mean it's an easy trek!
So, is the Everest Base Camp trek worth it? Given the length of this trek (around 13 days), it's more akin to a journey and one you can get your teeth into. Take the altitude seriously, be well equipped, be as fit as you can when you start, and importantly, be well organised. You will then enjoy this trek so much more.
While summiting Mount Everest itself obviously requires years of mountaineering experience and technique, trekking to Everest Base Camp (EBC) requires no mountaineering experience or technique. A fact that makes it wonderfully open to many, including, most probably, you .
How Long Is The Everest Base Camp Trek? The standard Everest Base Camp Trek is 130KM round trip which is divided into 12 days. Of those 12 days, it takes 8 days to get to Everest Base Camp and 4 days to get back. 12 Days always includes time and space for acclimatization.
Altitude Sickness on Everest Base Camp Trek
At Gorakshep, most clients showed symptoms of mild AMS- headache, difficulty breathing, and some mild nausea. This is normal enough at this altitude.
Everest Base Camp Difficulty
The difficulty level of the Everest Base Camp is moderate. The trekking time often requires two weeks. Even though the EBC Trek requires no prior trekking expertise, it is suggested that the trekker should be determined and be physically fit.
Everest Base Camp has a success rate of around 90%. Kilimanjaro's average is only around 45%!
Uhuru Peak is 5,895 m (19,341 ft) above sea level and Everest Base Camp is 5,364 m (17,598 ft). So you climb half a vertical Km higher on Kilimanjaro to reach to the Summit making it harder than Everest base camp.
As for the cost of Everest Base Camp Trek, there is no fixed price. The journey would cost anywhere between $2099 to $4500 depending on the route, the outfitter and their services. The luxurious trekking packaging and return by helicopter will cost a bit higher than the standard packages.
About 65% of people make it to Everest base camp 5,364m/ 17,598 feet and back to Lukla. The number of people helicoptering out of Gorak Shep shows the challenge of trekking to Everest. Even less people make the hike up Kala Patthar 5,645m/ 18,520 feet.
How many people go to Everest Base Camp every year?
As many as 30,000 to 40,000 people trek to Everest Base Camp each year! During peak seasons, as many as 500 individuals can set out on the trek route each day.
Do I get to stay overnight at Everest Base Camp? Our Everest Base Camp trek does not stay overnight at base camp. Instead, you stay at Gorak Shep, where you walk into base camp for a day trip. To sleep at base camp requires special permits, which are very expensive.
Before attempting to reach the summit, climbers typically spend one to two months at Everest Base Camp, which is higher than nearly every mountain in Europe at 17,600 feet. They make multiple trips up and down the mountain to acclimatize.
The best time to visit Everest Base Camp is either side of the late-May to mid-Sep monsoon season. Late Sep-Nov and Feb-May are the main trekking months with fairly stable conditions, good visibility and temps at Base Camp getting up to about -6°C.
You should build up to being able to walk or hike for 5-6 hours with minimal breaks. If you don't have significant hills or mountain terrain in your area walk hill intervals on a treadmill and stair stepper 2x per week. Most people will also benefit from completing full-body strength workouts twice per week.
Can ordinary tourists visit Mount Everest without climbing? The answer is YES. Instead of climbing the highest mountain in the world, you can get close to the world's top by trekking on both sides of Mount Everest in Tibet and Nepal.
You need experience, experience, experience: having attempted the Seven Summits isn't sufficient training for this kind of mountaineering. But beyond high-altitude climbing experience, you also need good footwork, good self-management and understanding of when you might need to turn back.
On average, it takes around 10–14 days to complete an Everest Base Camp trek. If you're short on time, there are Everest Base Camp trek itineraries as short as 8 days. If you're looking for a detailed itinerary, you can spend as long as 30 days combining Everest Base Camp with the Annapurna Circuit.