PHAKDING TO NAMCHE BAZAAR KEY STATS
- Starting Point: Phakding (2,800m/9,200ft)
- Finishing Point: Namche Bazaar (3,440m/11,300ft)
- Distance: 10.5km/7mi
- Trekking Time: 6 Hours
- Accommodation: Yeti Mountain Home Namche Bazaar
PHAKDING TO NAMCHE EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK DIARY
As we passed back over the Dudh Kosi towards little village of Chomoa our guide introduced us to a celebrity – Sano Babu Sunuwar. In 2012 he and his climbing partner Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa of Ultimate Descent were awarded with the National Geographic Adventurer Of The Year Award. What did they do to deserve this honor? They were the crazy ones who summited Everest, paraglided from the summit, kayaked to where the Dudh Kosi river meets the Ganges river and made their out to the Indian Ocean via the Bay of Bengal This feat along with all that happened to them along the way is insane. It was cool sharing the trail with him as he too was making his way to Base Camp. Makes you think about all the other people you pass throughout the day – and how each have their own story (regardless of whether or not they are famous on the mountaineering scene). Here’s a video by National Geographic highlighting thier adventure.
After we passed through the village of Monjo we made our way to the entry point of Sagarmatha National Park. It’s here where all your climbing passes are checked and verified. One of the perks of having a guide on the trail is that they help sort all of this out before you even arrive. No waiting around for us – we just picked up our passes and made our way through the entry gates of the national park. Crossing through the little hut we gave the prayer wheels a spin and away went into the Khumbu Valley. It was here that we began to get more glimpses of the snow-capped mountains we were heading towards.
One of the highlights of the trek to Namche was the numerous suspension bridges you get to cross adorned with tattered prayer flags hammered by the wind. The bridges themselves are various lengths and heights. May favorite was the very last one crossed on our ascent. It was impressive. This bad boy was not only the longest, but also the highest. Getting to it required you to huff and puff your way up quite a steep incline and voila – there it is. The only way across this massive ravine is the suspension bridge in front of you.
Crossing it there’s a strange calm in the air that is juxtaposed with the sounds of the rushing glacial river below. You around you but you are in the middle of nowhere.
If you are lucky you may even be crossing with a herd of Yaks along the way. That, of course, depends on how you define lucky. The more people on the bridge as you cross the more it moves and sways with each step.
After the obligatory selfie we continue onward through to the next village of Jorsale. It’s worth noting that once you make your way across the last suspension bridge, the trek gets a bit tougher. From there the path is sometimes very steep and zig zags its way up. You must get those elevation gains at some point, right? We often stopped every fifty footsteps as Rob’s sickness was reaching its worse. Stomach problems on a challenging stretch of trek sprinkled with first real gains in altitude aren’t really the best combination. I’d say even if you aren’t sick, take the time to pace yourself. Trekkers who go too fast through this segment are often the ones that start to develop effects of altitude sickness.
Don’t forget to stop and enjoy the view as you make your way further into the valley. If you are lucky and have clear weather, it will be a sight to behold. Along the route, we got our first view of Taboche (6,542m). Massive. Dramatic. Snowcapped. It’s along this stretch of trail that you are offered your first couple glimpses of Everest as well. While we had fantastic weather, the rolling clouds in the distance blocked our views. Such is life. I knew that as we continued along the trail we would only be blessed with more of these and even better, more spectacular views.
It’s along this stretch of trail that you are offered your first glimpses of Everest as well. While we had fantastic weather, the rolling clouds in the distance blocked our views. Oh well. I knew that as we continued along the trail we would only be blessed with more of these and even better, more spectacular views.
You are close to the end of day 2 when you get to the Namche Bazaar Check Point.
Namche Bazaar (3440m) is a proper town in the middle of the mountains. I’ve always seen it in photos and wondered how there could be so much development in such a remote place. As we entered town a little kid asked me to take his picture. I didn’t but after a smile and a high five I was on my way. It was that little push I needed to continue the last 20 minutes through town to get to Yeti Mountain Home – Namche.
Passing through town you can’t help notice how bustling it is. Laundry was being down in the streams, yaks crossing the small alley ways lined with outdoor gear shops and pharmacies, fellow trekkers sitting in the cafes resting their feet.
Namche Bazaar tends to be the first acclimatization stop on most people’s route to Base Camp. Ensuring your body has time to naturally adjust to the lower oxygen levels as you make your way along the path is key to success. Push yourself too hard and the results can be fatal. As we experienced weather delays on day one, we made a choice to only stay here one night so the rest of our itinerary would get back in track. We are not new to high altitude trekking so felt confident that we could take an acclimatisation day further along the path without risk.
Knowing that we were going to deviate from the standard EBC route the following day, we made arrangements for a doctor to come visit the tea house. Considering Rob’s stomach issues were only getting worse (and the trek was only going to get more difficult), it was important that we were doing whatever we could to ensure we made it to Base Camp. Meds in hand and exhausted from the more challenging than expected day, it was time for snoozeville (with electric blankets of course).
WATCH THE ADVENTURE UNFOLD
LOOKING FOR NITTY GRITTY DETAILS?
Check out the day as recorded by Stava. See the trails taken, overall elevation gains, trekking times and how fast (or slow) we made it from Point A to Point B.
TRAVEL PLANNING ESSENTIALS: NEPAL
Flights
Nepal is accessible via Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Check out Kayak to find the best deals on flights to Nepal.
Accommodation
As a long-time rewards member, Hotels.com is my first stop when exploring accommodation options. Not only do they have great inventory, but you get a free nights stay after every 10th booking.
Travel Insurance
Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. (As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.)
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I like to trek to explore the beautiful nature. But never get chance to trek Everest. Your pictures and experience showcasing each and every moment how lovely the trek was.
Thanks for checking out DOTG Rahat. Glad you liked the post and hope you get to check out Everest in-person some day.
I could never see myself hiking anywhere near Everest so this was nice. The most I’ve done was Machu Picchu. The photos are stunning and the video is helpful.
Machu Picchu is super fun! It was the first “trek” that I have done and really opened me up to a different type of travel. Thanks for checking out DOTG and the kind words Brittany.
Oh my God I did the Annapurna Basecamp trek this year (winter) and I am really jealous that you had electric blankets! Did you carry them yourself or were they available in the tea houses?
I like your blog post a lot, I am curious how your trek went on an will read further! Thanks for sharing!
Annapurna is on my list as well. Can’t wait to get back to Nepal. The blankets were actually in some of the luxe tea houses that we stayed in. Check out the Yeti Mountain Homes. Didn’t have them every stop along the way, but man – they sure as heck made a difference during our 15 day trek.
Absolutely superb Dom…. Hiking to the Everest base camp is on my To Do list ever since we hiked Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. based on your hiking experience how difficult would u rate this hike on a scale of 1-10..
Thanks for the kind words. I did the Machame Route on Kili and found it physically tougher than the standard EBC route. We opted to take on the 3 High Pass route to get to EBC – which was physically tougher than Kili. If you summited Kili and didn’t have any issues with the altitude, then you will be just fine on the standard EBC trek route. If you want a tougher trek – take the 3 Pass route. 🙂
Great post! It must be an amazing adventure to climb Everest and it is certainly on my bucket list, thanks for sharing!
Awesome! Looking forward to hearing you share your story. 🙂
Wow what an amazing adventure you got, The view of Mount Everest is just stunning. One of my impossible place to visit bucketlist. But I still remain optimist perhaps one day I could go here and trek like you did.
It’s for sure something that you should be checking out. It’s a lot easier than you think and an experience you will never forget. If you don’t want one of the tougher trails, take the Everest Panorama Trek. This gets you the views without having to get all the way to Base Camp.
It’s not as hardcore as you think it is. 🙂 The altitude introduces a complexity to the activity that you don’t get in some treks, but as long as you allow yourself to acclimatise on the route, you will be ok. Thanks for following!
Wow those are some amazing views! While I enjoy hiking I don’t think I could ever do these hardcore treks and I love that I can be “there” just by reading your posts. Thank you for sharing!
I have to say this post is such an inspiration, your pictures are amazing and also having lived in countries like New Zealand through the winter, I know just how amazing it feels haha. Base camp is something I hope I get around to doing one day, and when I do this post will come in very handy.
Lived in New Zealand? How awesome – you were deffo spoiled when it came to the great outdoors. When planning your EBC trek let me know, have plenty of posts to peruse through to make sure you choose the right trail for you. Enjoy!
Stunning photos as always. You really put the reader on the mountain with you!
Thanks Chad – much appreciated. I suppose it’s the next best thing to being there in person. 🙂
Your post on Everest Base Camp trek brought my memories alive of my trek to EBC. Swinging bridges, liveliness of Namche Bazaar. All thrill.
Glad you are continuing to enjoy it. Did you take the standard EBC trail when you did yours?
I’m not really much of a hiker, but I can’t deny that seeing majestic beauty like Everest makes me want to do it just for the amazing experience and the views. I really liked the watching the video. It felt like I was there on the trip with you! The views in the picture on the mountain are stunning and beautiful. Thanks for sharing!
There are a few easier treks in the Everest Region that allow you some of the same views without having to hit tough trails. You could also take a chopper over the area as well and avoid the trek altogether. We ended up taking a chopper to revisit our trail at the end of our trek and it was like seeing it from a completely different POV. Thanks for following along.
What an amazing experience! I don’t really do things like hiking, but Everest, Mount Kilimanjaro and others really make me want to do those hikes for the experience. It’s breathtaking. Really enjoyed the video. It was like taking the trek with you. The views on Everest are fantastic.
Glad you enjoyed the video and came along for the ride. Maybe one day you’ll get the adventure travel and start taking hiking trips. 🙂 Appreciate the kind words.
Electric blanket, now that’s a good start to the day:) I love seeing towns in the mountains and thay suspension bridge is so very long! Great read- i will have to read day 1
The electric blanket was a real treat – we missed it midway through the trek when these luxuries no longer existed. 🙂 Thanks for checking out the post.
This looks like a paradise! I am always astounded by the beautiful photos taken at Everest. It sounds like you had a blast! I hope your friend enjoyed himself, too. It’s unfortunate that he fell ill. I also love the “key stats” at the top of the page, by the way! Super useful!
My friend was fine in the end. Took the meds and then had no problems the rest of the trip. Just important to make sure you are prepared as had it happened the following day, there wouldn’t have been a doctor around. Thanks for the kind words.
Wow, this looks amazing, hope to do this one day. I’ve got Kilimanjaro in December, can’t wait! 🙂
Kilimanjaro will be great practice for Base Camp. The key to both is to allow yourself to acclimatise. If you do that you will be fine. Enjoy!