Everest Base Camp Trek- Independent Vs Guided Trek

Everest Base Camp

The very first major decision you require to make is whether you will go on the Everest Base Camp trek by yourself or as part of a guided group trek. An independent Everest Base Camp trip will be less costly, no doubt, but you’ll also be left to manage your accommodations, domestic flights, trekking permit as well as logistics on your own. If you are a backpacker on a budget wanting to save money, a very knowledgeable traveler, or somebody with a great deal of getaway time, an independent Everest Base Camp trek may be a good option, with some limitation which I’ll address throughout the article. If you are travelling independently, I would build a few additional days into your travel plan at the start of your journey in Kathmandu so you obtain all of your gear, flight tickets, and other logistics dialed. I would also suggest having a little cushion with your schedule on the trip itself in instance you encounter any problems (stomach problems, altitude sickness, transportation hold-ups, etc.).

On the other side of the spectrum, a guided trek to Everest Base Camp can charge you 3 times more …but is it worth it? There are a number of things you need to ask. How much decision-making do you want to do? How much time do you have in Nepal? Are you solo? Do you know exactly how to handle acute mountain sickness? Do you wish to take a return hike or helicopter out? What amount of cultural interactions do you want to have? Put simply, having the RIGHT guide places the tension of preparation on somebody else who knows what they are doing so you can concentrate on enjoying the expedition and staying healthy.

Up there did you notice that little word? The RIGHT guide? The quality of guides taking you on the Everest Base Camp Trek differs from potters who will lug your bags to full-on guiding services. As even the services the services offered between professional trekking companies in Nepal are different. When booking a guided trip for your Everest Base Camp trek, be sure to pay attention to the fine print about what’s included and what’s excluded.

Our trip with Nepal Trekking Routes was 100% all-inclusive, which means everything. All food and drinks in Kathmandu and on the trek accommodations, water, assistant guides, potters, cultural experiences, domestic flights, as well as helicopter return from Everest Base Camp Trek-this were all included. Every person on the journey was additionally hooked up with an Anywhere Plus duffel bag which was used for carrying our stuff, a warm down jacket and fleece, hand sanitizer, baby wipes, prayer flags, and a few other fundamentals for the trek. I confess it was pretty glamorous as far as an Everest Base Camp trek goes, and the best part was the sense of security that we were in great hands and we needn’t fret about a thing. A final perk I’ll mention. Our guide Shailesh was an expert photographer and was nice enough to take our photos all throughout the journey. That meant we could lose our self in the moment and less focused on our cameras. At the end of the journey, everyone got a USB drive with all photos from the trip, as well as an amazing photo book featuring the best shots from our journey. For the amazing service, they provided us it was worth every penny and I am looking forward to doing another trip with Nepal Trekking Routes preferably during Visit Nepal 2020.