My partner and I successfully hiked to Everest Base Camp in October this year! This is a trip we were very excited about and the process of deciding to go was spontaneous but we were committed to making our way to Everest Base Camp at 17,600 ft ( 5380 meters) and then onwards to Kala Patthar at 18,192 ft (5545 meters). We both love hiking so this seemed like the perfect first overseas trip for us as a couple!
Overall the trek to Everest Base Camp took us about 11 days nonstop since it takes just over a week to reach Base Camp and several days to get back down.
Although the trek was challenging, particularly with the risk of altitude sickness, we were able to make it to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar.
I’m writing this article because my partner and I had some worries when preparing for the trek. We weren’t sure what to pack, how much to train for the trek and were paranoid about the risk of altitude sickness. If you are planning to do the Everest Base Camp trek, then feel free to follow the below guidelines to assist with your preparation.
Please note that we went during the Fall, so the weather wasn’t that cold and we went slightly before peak season started so our hike wasn’t crowded. I also strive for minimalism and avoid spending too much money on clothing. Therefore our packing list was minimal and included what we genuinely felt was needed for the trek. I’m also currently living in Sydney, Australia, so high altitude climbs as practice was not possible for me.
Training Plan
Unfortunately, there are not any mountains at high altitudes in the Sydney area that we can train on. The highest mountain in Australia, Mount Kosciuszko, only reaches a height of 7310 ft (2228 meters) which has made us find alternate ways to get fit for our Everest Base Camp trek.
This is probably a good time to invest in good quality hiking boots, if you do not own any already. My partner and I didn’t have hiking boots. We ended up purchasing Scarpa boots which should last us years and should be perfect for long hiking treks. Hiking boots can get quite expensive so definitely take your time finding the right boots that are a good fit for you.
Also, hiking boots can take a couple of months to break into so definitely give yourself enough time to get comfortable in your boots.
We purchased our hiking boots several months before the trek started. This gave us enough time to break into our boots.
Now that you are equipped with the right boots, below are some tips to hopefully help you get in shape for Everest Base Camp or similar treks.
1. Go on long hikes and wear a heavy backpack. Try to start with lower weights in your backpack first so that you don’t get injured or take on too much weight too soon. We had set aside time on the weekends to do a challenging hike in the area while wearing a backpack. My partner typically has a heavier backpack than myself, but I still tried to wear a backpack with some weight in it. You can add weight on future hikes once you become stronger. We aimed to do a hike that is at least 12km and takes about 4-8 hours to complete. Even though the national parks in the Sydney area do not reach high altitudes, we still can find our share of tough hikes that leave our legs feeling like jelly afterwards. We knew that the trek will involve rocky and unstable terrain so we made sure that we found hikes that aren’t well paved and involve some unstable terrain.
Start your journey by doing long hikes or walk in your area. Make it tough for you! If you are new to hiking, you may want to start with a shorter distance or duration first and then work your way up to a challenging hike. Also make sure to wear the hiking boots you intend to use for the trek so that you can break them in and get used to the feeling of hiking in those boots.
Remember to carry a backpack with you. To be honest, I ended up not wearing a backpack while hiking while preparing for the trek. I already have a good fitness level so I ended up carrying a backpack with about 5-8kg of weight in it for Everest Base Camp. Even without the preparation I was fine and eventually got used to wearing a heavy backpack.
However, if you have little hiking experience or want to have a stronger fitness base, then definitely wear heavy backpacks while hiking.
2. Running. I was already running races before we signed up for the Everest Base Camp trek but my partner recently got into running. Although I didn’t plan to be running on the trek, high intense cardio definitely helped me keep fit for the trek.
3. Stair Training. One of my favorite exercises is to climb long flights of stairs. Fortunately, I have access to a staircase that consists of about 110 stairs.
Try to train on stairs as much as possible. Make sure to wear a backpack too. I felt the stair training was extremely beneficial on the days that involved steep climbs.
4. Walk uphill with a backpack. You don’t need a staircase or mountain to practice either. Find a steep hill and practice walking uphill with a backpack.
Anyone can do a trek to Everest Base Camp. I met many people of various ages, fitness levels and hiking experience. You do need to be moderately fit to do the trek but the challenge of the trek is the altitude sickness and the mental attitude towards hiking days in a row.
My partner and I had pretty much no experience hiking days in a row before doing Everest Base Camp. Fortunately, we were fine and able to do this without a problem.
What To Pack
Hiking Boots – If you want to travel light and save money, only purchase your hiking boots in your local country. You must break into your hiking boots before the trek and you risk getting blisters or a foot injury if you trek in boots that are not broken into.
Everything else can be purchased in Kathmandu at a cheaper price, but below is a list of what we brought mainly from Sydney with some purchases in Kathmandu.
Long-sleeved shirts – You don’t sweat much when doing the trek due to the cold temperatures so I mainly ended up wearing the same few shirts I brought. I’d recommend bringing a few and you can always do laundry in Namche Bazaar for about 100 Nepalese rupees per shirt. You can also hand wash your shirts if you need to. We were perfectly fine doing this trek without doing laundry at all.
Fleece jacket – We didn’t wear our fleece jackets until day 3 of the trek when the temperatures got colder but the jacket is also useful for sleeping.
Waterproof jacket – This is useful as temperatures become much colder around day 5 of the trek.
Down jacket – This is very useful once you reach Gorakshep, which is day 8 of the trek.
Winter Trekking Socks – These socks were wonderful and kept our feet warm and comfortable during the trek and when resting at the tea houses. We over packed with the socks and brought about 12 pairs. I’d recommend you bring only 4-5 pairs per person. The socks are quite heavy so the extra weight does make a difference.
Gloves – We brought lightweight gloves to wear when the temperatures got quite cold. These were useful around day 5.
Long-sleeved pants – I brought my lightweight exercise pants from home which are used for yoga or running. I brought 3 pants but ended up wearing only 2 during the trek. My legs generally don’t get cold so these pants worked great until day 6 of the trek.
Warm cotton pants – We brought one cotton pants to wear at night that was comfortable. I also used these pants as a second layer during day 7 of the trek.
Trekking pants – These pants were mainly useful on day 8-9 as the temperatures were quite cold.
Beanie – A beanie is a must, but you can pick this up anywhere in Nepal.
A balaclava, scarf or other nose warmer – Day 7-8 can be quite cold and the trek can become windy randomly. We found this pretty necessary during the last several days of the trek as the trek became quite windy and cold.
Trekking poles – My partner found these helpful. This isn’t necessary but can be useful.
Thermal or Insulated water bottles – Plastic water bottles are expensive and terrible for the environment. Take a thermal water bottle or two and that should be plenty for the trek.
Aquatabs – We had no issues at all with food poisoning or any other stomach bug. The aquatabs worked perfectly for the trek. Please note the water is not that great in Gorakshep so you may need to use boiled water or plastic water bottles for that portion. We did take about 4 plastic water bottles for emergency and used these during our time in Gorakshep.
Sleeping Bag
Sunglasses
Sunscreen
Headlights – You may be trekking at night depending on your itinerary. Make sure to bring headlights if you think you will be doing any trekking in the evening.
Diamox – See your doctor and see if you are eligible to get a prescription for Diamox which helps assist with altitude sickness symptoms.
Ibuprofen – You will most likely get a headache during the trek or other aches and pains. We took some ibuprofen with us to assist with these pains along the way.
Toilet Paper – We got these from Kathmandu for a cheap price but make sure to bring quite a bit. Toilet paper is expensive on the trek and you are sharing toilets with many people.
Baby Wipes
Hand Sanitizer
After the hike, we donated some our clothes to the porter and our sherpa. We felt they needed our clothes far more than us so certainly consider donating some of your clothes at the end if you are able to.
Altitude Sickness
My partner and I were pretty worried about altitude sickness. Fortunately, our oxygen levels were very high throughout the trip. The lowest our oxygen levels got were around 75-80% during day 8-9. Before that, our oxygen levels were around 90-93%.
You won’t be able to know how well you can tolerate high altitudes until you are on the trek.
The best advice I can give is to hike slowly and take deep breaths. You have all day to complete the hike so there is no rush. Take your time and remember that it’s completely normal and recommended to hike at a slower pace.
Take diamox if you are able to as that helps with altitude sickness symptoms.
Drink plenty of liquids. Stay hydrated. I tend to not drink much water in general but forced myself to drink a few liters everyday.
Listen to your body and be willing to go back down if you are feeling very unwell. Please don’t push yourself if your symptoms are severe, since altitude sickness can be fatal.
Hopefully these tips are able to help you prepare for the trek. The Everest Base Camp Trek is incredible and tough, but anybody can do it regardless of your age or current fitness levels.