Everest Base Camp Hike

WHAT TO EXPECT

19 Days

Imagine a trek that embodies the very essence of adventure. A trek that takes you on a journey through the most breathtaking landscapes and pushes you to your ultimate challenge. With 81 miles or 130 km to cover, at an altitude of 17,585-ft/5,360-m, this trek is not for the faint-hearted. You’ll be hiking up and down steep hills and valleys, navigating twisting trails and footpaths, and crossing thrilling suspension bridges hanging over raging rivers and deep gorges. The rewards that await you are priceless.

“Tusker guides Mingma, Kombe and Shabane where all great. I had climbed Kilimanjaro with them and was very happy to be on this trip with them. All were professional and fun, making the trip very enjoyable. The entire team of Sherpas, cooks, porters and guides were all professional, helpful and a pleasure to be with.” 5-Star Review by “Mark R.”

YOUR GUIDES

You are led by our expert Sherpa guide MINGMA, who provides a unique insight into Nepal and the Himalayan mountains, while being supported by our professional Sherpa support team every step of the way.

Tusker Trail flies in a team of two of our high altitude medically trained guides from Kilimanjaro, led by KOMBE, with decades of high altitude guiding. The safety team monitors your health and safety during your trek. No other company offers this safety net. Our of Nepali chefs provide you with delicious meals that combine western and Nepali styles prepared in our traveling Adventure Kitchen. Besides enabling you to enjoy finely tuned meals, our pro cooking team allows you to savor food prepared under sanitary conditions, a common problem in Nepal.

Kombe

Mingma

YOU MUST BE IN TOP PHYSICAL CONDITION

This is a tough and very challenging trek. While participants of all ages have joined Tusker’s trek to Everest Base Camp, but it demands that you are in top physical form. The terrain is rugged and steep requiring a total ascent from 9,300 to 18,519 feet where you will traverse exposed areas. Hiking up to 8 hours daily includes substantial daily altitude gains and losses, with extreme weather adding to the challenge. Optimal physical condition and past comparable hiking experience are critical.

TUSKER’S ADVENTURE KITCHEN

Get ready for some delicious meals prepared by our very own cooking team during your trek! Our Nepali chefs prepare all our meals to make sure you get the right nutrition. This way we’re also able to maintain a highly sanitary kitchen, to avoid the virulent stomach bugs which are prevalent in Nepal. A happy belly makes for a happy trek! And don’t worry about staying hydrated; we’ve got you covered with purified drinking water. We’re here to make sure you stay healthy and well-hydrated throughout your entire journey. Your taste buds and well-being are in good hands!

EDDIE TALKS…

“Nothing tastes better than a delicious hot meal prepared on the spot, after a tough day on the trail. Shiri and his crew do just that. And he makes Sushi! It’s like eating at a mobile Nepali restaurant.”

Question?

LODGING IN KATHMANDU

Before and after your trek you stay at our getaway, the 5-star Marriott Hotel in the heart of Kathmandu. It has a modern atmosphere in the ancient bustling city, and is a great place to relax before and after your trek to Everest Base Camp.

LODGING AT LOWER ELEVATIONS

Phakding – Namche – Tengboche – Dingboche – Monjo

Every night along the trail in the Khumbu Valley you stay in comfortable family-run lodges that we have been staying at for many years. While the lodges are unpretentious, they provide you with all you need – a bed, a cozy place to rest after a hard day on the trail, and the occasional shower.

Namche is generally considered the gateway to Everest. You and the team spend two nights here and at Dingboche, a valuable strategy to help you acclimatize to the higher altitude, which is vital to achieving your goal of reaching Base Camp. The bustling Namche streets are also a great place to shop for local Sherpa handicrafts.

LODGING AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS

Lobuche – Gorak Shep – Pheriche

Once you pass Dingboche and start climbing to higher altitudes, the lodges are more remote and much simpler in design. As you will have acclimatized during the previous days, these are one-nighters before your approach to Base camp. Tusker’s cooking staff follows us all the way, preparing delicious hygienic meals and serving them up in warm cozy dining rooms. These are just some the locations you’ll stay and visit during your 18-day trek. Your guides will reveal the wonders of Nepal in a way you cannot imagine.

Mingma our Nepali guide was excellent. It was fun to see him revered by his peers. I feel like he gave us extra opportunities, such as meeting Peter Hillary, because he is known and respected. I believe we were so successful in getting nearly everyone to the end because of our guides. We all went to them with any issues immediately and they were able to take care of things” 5-Star Review by “Nancy S.”

TREK SUPPORT

Your trekking group is supported by a team with long trekking experience in the Khumbu. At the helm is our Sherpa guide, MINGMA, who has a profound knowledge of the Himalayas, and shares with you an intimate understanding of Nepali and Sherpa culture. We fly in our top duo of Kilimanjaro guides – KOMBE and SHABANE – who, with their long experience guiding at high altitude, ensure that you and the group stay well acclimatized and healthy all the way to Base Camp and back. The backbone of your trek is made up of our team of chefs, porters, and yaks, all of whom work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure your trek is enjoyable, hassle free and truly rewarding.

TREKKING GEAR

Getting to EBC is pretty straight forward – your own two feet. So your boots will be your best friend. We’ve got decades of experience putting one foot in front of the other, and we’ll share some great boot advice with you before your trek. Then come your layers. Layering is the best way of dressing for the trail. This method uses a variety of clothes, each serving a distinct purpose; warmth, cooling, drying, and waterproofing. If you don’t have any experience layering, we’re here to guide you.

Question?

“Guides Mingma, Kombe, and Shabane were excellent. Mingma was incredibly knowledgeable about the trek, the people, the culture, and knew how to be a strong leader with such a large group. He had amazing attention to detail. They all were dedicated and always available for any small problems. So grateful to everyone for all their hard work. ” – 5-Star Review by “Teresa”

HEALTH & SAFETY
at ALTITUDE

We all know that trekking in the wilderness to altitude has inherent risk, and to mitigate the risk you need to be knowledgeable, experienced, and prepared. That’s why we fly our safety guiding team from Kilimanjaro to Nepal, and they ensure that you and your fellow trekkers get properly acclimatized and stay healthy during your trek.

We developed our safety protocols and guide training by leading 49 years of high altitude climbs on Mount Kilimanjaro. Thousands of our climbers have reached high altitudes on our treks and climbs. Knowing that your guides have your back is the key to the enjoyment and success of your challenge.

EMERGENCY BACKUP

Up in the mountains, even when everything looks smooth, nature can throw us a curve-ball. Over the years we’ve learned that it’s smart to have backup plans for backup plans, just in case. If you require an emergency evacuation you are covered by Ripcord. These folks have been our go-to for years, and they’ve got a solid track record. Plus, their founders are former US Special Forces, so they know a thing or two about being prepared. You are automatically enrolled in membership with Ripcord. Read below and learn how they aced the 2015 Nepal earthquake evacuation for our entire team. We’ve got your back.

TUSKER’S EARTHQUAKE RESPONSE – 2015

At 11 am on April 25, 2015, 16 Tusker trekkers, 12 porters and 3 guides were enjoying lunch at Gorak Shep at 16,942-ft/4,915-m before heading out for a 2-hour hike to Base Camp. At 11:56, as they were finishing up, they were rocked by a deafening boom and jarred by the force of a huge avalanche just a few miles away. Nepal had just been rocked by a massive 7.8 earthquake – the most powerful and deadly in living memory. Tusker’s seasoned guide, Mel Kaida took charge. She checked the group, and no one was injured, but all local communication and transport networks had been crippled.

We contacted the family of each trekker in the group, keeping them up to date about the safety of the group. Meanwhile, Amy contacted Ripcord, our evacuation company, and coordinated a perfectly executed evacuation for the group, involving a Nepalese military helicopter, specially dispatched Ripcord facilitators, and privately organized international flights.

They were the first group out of Nepal and in the air back home, everyone arrived home safely.

“Everest Base Camp with Tusker Trail 2015 Earthquake” – “I recently returned from a trek to Everest Base Camp with Tusker Trail. We were getting ready for our final push up to Base Camp from Gorak Shep when the 7.8 earthquake hit Nepal, followed up with a snow blast from the avalanche that killed several climbers at base camp. I cannot say enough good things about Tusker Trail guides Mel Kaida, Migma Sherpa and the crew in Tahoe. Mel was on the satellite phone with Tusker immediately and the motions were in action to get our group out and contact our families at home. Tusker has a contract with Ripcord Rescue and within 4 days we were in a Russian helicopter on our way back to Kathmandu. Mel ‘s professionalism and calm demeaner helped keep everyone focused on getting out safely. Mingma Sherpa was amazing, he found us lodging when our planned lodging had been destroyed. I had summited Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2012 with Tusker and would highly recommend them for any adventure travel. THANK YOU, TUSKER TRAIL, for keeping us safe!!” – Reviewer – “25tac1958”

Professional Alliances

All our guides are trained High Altitude Emergency First Responders with decades of high-altitude guiding experience. They are backed up by Ripcord. In addition to providing emergency air evacuation, Ripcord has a team of emergency doctors with whom we consult from the field by satellite phone during emergencies. Also, during our 49 years in adventure travel we have established enduring global alliances with the following professional organizations: