Overviews of Everest Base Camp Trek during COVID-19 Pandemic

Everest Base Camp Trek is listed in the top three best trekking routes in Nepal and is also a popular trekking destination among visitors. This popular trek starts from the capital city-Kathmandu with a short flight to Lukla which is around 35 minutes flight but provides you with an amazing nature view. Then you will trek to Phakding on the same day and rest overnight there. The next day after having breakfast, you make your way to Namche Bazar walking through the Dudh Koshi river valley and dense forest covered with colorful rhododendron blooms. Namche Bazar- the famous Sherpa town of the Khumbu region also famous for its handicraft is known as the gateway of the Everest Region Trekking. It is also a popular trade zone of the place. Just 2-3 hours is not enough to explore this place so you will have the rest and acclimatization day. On this day you will hike to the Everest View hotel, to enjoy the back-dropping views of the world's iconic mountain with the best sunshine view, in the clear weather you can see the views of Mt Everest from here. Exploring the monasteries, getting familiar with the Sherpa people, their culture, tradition, and hospitality is the highlight of the day.

Next following day you will hike to Tengboche -(exploring the ancient and older monasteries of the Khumbu region-Tengboche monasteries is the highlight of this day), Dingboche, Lhotse to reach the Gorakshep. It takes around 1 hour to reach the Everest base camp from Gorakshep. Today you will reach the final destination of your trek. You may not see the clear summit views of Mt Everest because Mt Nuptse blocks these views. You will see a glimpse of Mt Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, and few other peaks from base camp enjoying the views of the mountains, enjoying the peaceful beauty, making your mind peace and calm, clicking many photos for memory. After spending your time here, you will return to Gorakshep for an overnight stay.

The next morning, you will hike to Kalapathhar-the attractive and vantage point to the trek to enjoy the clear and summit views of the surrounding snow-capped mountains. Here you can see the clear summit views of Mt-Everest which is blocked by Mt-Nuptse from the base camp. So Kalapatthar is a really attractive point of the trek.

From here you will descend back to your initial point.

Everest Base Camp Trek Itinerary

• Day 01: Kathmandu arrival
• Day 02: City sightseeing tour or free day shop and explore around
• Day 03: Kathmandu to Lukla fly and trek to Phakding
• Day 04: Trek to Namche Bazaar
• Day 05: Rest and acclimatization
• Day 06: Namche Bazaar to Tengboche
• Day 07: Tengboche to Dingboche
• Day 08: Rest day
• Day 09: Dingboche to Lobuche
• Day 10: Lobuche to Gorakshep
• Day 11: To Kalapatthar (5545 meters) descend to Gorakshep- Pheriche
• Day 12: Pheriche to Namche Bazaar
• Day 13: Namche Bazaar to Lukla
• Day 14: Fly back to Kathmandu
• Day 15: Rest Day/ Shopping (Farewell dinner)
• Day 16: Departure day.

Everest Base Camp trek during COVID-19 Pandemic

If you are planning to trek Everest Base Camp during the Pandemic then Read this article. Learn more about the Coronavirus! And find out if you can do adventure trekking during this pandemic. In this article, we have listed all the things you should know before planning the trip.
It's not a big deal to trek the Everest Base Camp following the safety rules and protocols listed by your trekking agency. Before booking for the trek you should know about the present condition of Nepal due to this pandemic, notice given by the government for resuming the international flight, notice published by the Ministry of tourism for trekking during the pandemic, and so on.
It's always better to avoid the crowded route to enjoy the peaceful trek journey to be safe from the coronavirus. As we know Everest Base Camp trekking route is one of the most crowded trekking routes in Nepal, many people visit Nepal to trek the Everest region.

But following the below safety rules you can enjoy this trek anytime:

• Maintain a social distance of 1 meter with every people while trekking.
• Avoid sharing your common goods like towels, toiletries, and clothes with your friends.
• Carry masks, gloves, and sanitizer with your own, and remember to dispose of them properly.
• Avoid sharing your meals, spoon, and utensils with your dear ones.
• Avoid shaking and hugging as greeting better to adopt saying Namaste to all while trekking at this time.

As spring and autumn season is the picking season to trek the Everest Base Camp trek due to its pleasant and warm weather. Many people make their trips in these periods and have the crowded trekking route. So to avoid crowded routes you can book your trip in early spring and autumn or also you can trek in the monsoon and winter season considering some up and down at this time.

Trekking in Spring and Autumn season

Pros:

• Have pleasant and warm weather.
• Clear views of nature
• Less chance of nature disturbance
• Lack of expected acclimatization facilities.

Cons:

• Crowded route
• Difficult to maintain social distancing so high chances of having risks.

Trekking in Spring and Winter season

Pros:

• Peaceful and less crowded route- less chance of infecting.
• Clear views of nature after the heavy rainfall.
• Pleasant and thrilling adventure weather.
• Good acclimatization facilities.

Cons:

• Chances of having some nature disturbance.
• Acclimatization and food during the Everest Base Camp Trek.

Accommodation and Food during the Everest Base Camp in COVID-19 Pandemic

Expected food and Comfortable sleep always make you happy throughout the day so it also plays a vital role to make your trip more beautiful and enjoyable. On the way to Everest Base Camp, you will stay overnight in the teahouse, here you will be provided many options. If you are ready to pay a little high then you will get high-quality accommodation facilities here.
Always carry good sleeping bags because a blanket is not always warm enough. As the high you hike, the temperature starts dropping. Mainly at the night, the temperature is very thrilling and cooling, even your water bottle of your room will freeze staying overnight. So keep yourself warm and safe while trekking here.

You will get the three-time meals including breakfast, lunch, and dinner provided by your agencies. The food provided during the Everest Base Camp trek is excellent which contains all the nutrients with lots of proteins and vitamins. Being in the high altitude, it is difficult to transport meats and fish and are usually not fresh so avoid consuming meat during the trek. Avoid oily and more fat-containing food, it's better to eat local foods of the very healthy region. You can also get to see the option of having chowmein, potatoes, sandwiches, momo on the menu in some of the places.

Health

Besides this, good health always makes your mind positive and day beautiful so it is not a very important aspect while trekking in Nepal. Trekking to the Everest Base Camp means you are trekking to the highest point of the world. so here you will have a high chance of facing some health problems so you should always be optimistic and walk accordingly.

Be prepared to face some of the problems that we have listed below while trekking Everest Base Camp during this pandemic:

Altitude sickness

Altitude sickness refers to the acute mountain sickness that sticks when you are walk or climbing to a high altitude too quickly. During the Everest Base Camp Trek, there are high chances of altitude sickness sticking. So it's better not to skip the acclimatization day during the hiking. These days are not only for resting but also to adopt the low-pressure atmosphere and altitude to stay safe and healthy so utilize these days properly.

Major symptoms are:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Difficult in breathing
• Loss of apatite
• Difficult in sleeping

Prevention regarding altitude sickness:

• Stay calm and properly utilize the acclimatization and rest day do not rush to reach the final destination.
• Drink at least 4-5 liters of water to stay hydrated.
• If you feel uneasy or discover any above-given symptoms then do not hesitate to share with your guide, it is better to get immediate treatment.
• Walk high but back down to sleep to adapt to the pressure of the atmosphere.
• Avoid consuming alcohol, smoking, and eating meats during the walk.
• Always carry some chocolate bar to give you extra energy while hiking in the altitude.
• Consume more nutrients containing foods like Local dishes including Dal Bhat that give you long-lasting energy.

Stomach Bugs

Stomach bugs are also known as Stomach Flu which is caused by ingesting contaminated water and foods. Trekking in the Everest Region- a remote area, you will have to use tap water that is not filtered so it is likely to cause stomach flu while trekking.

Symptoms of stomach flu:

• Low-grade fever
• Diahhria
• Vomiting

Preventive measure is:

• Have your bottle and Carry water filtering tablets with you.
• Ask for boiled water while you are in the teahouse.
• Serious stomach flu can lead you to danger so it's better to share your problems with a guide.

Cold

Trekking to the Everest Base Camp means you are trekking in an extremely cold climate where the temperature drops below freezing during the night. It’s a thrilling experience you will have during the walk. So carrying the right gears and sleeping bags can help your trekking. Consume hot water, hot ginger, and hot meals to stay safe in this region.

Besides these, you cannot ignore that you are trekking the Everest Base Camp trek after this pandemic (Coronavirus). So know some symptoms and preventive measures of this virus.

Symptoms:

• High fever
• Headache
• Sore Throat
• Vomiting
• Dry Cough

Preventive measure:

• maintain social distancing while walking.
• Use a mask, gloves, and face shield while walking.
• Carry your sanitizer that should contain more than 60% of alcohol.
• Take a rest if you start discovering some light symptoms than rushing to trek.
• Share all the problems you face with your guide.

So be prepared to face every problem during the walk. Stay positive and Optimistic.

Things to pack during the Everest Base Camp Trek during COVID-19 Pandemic

Carrying the right amount of gears also helps to make your trip more beautiful and very amazing. Sometimes carrying too many or too few can put you in difficulty while trekking. Always remember that the short trek requires less but the right gear like Ghorepani Poon Hill Trek but trekking the quite long trekking route like Everest Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Base Camp Trek, Annapurna Circuit Trek, and Everest Gokyo lake trek require a large amount of gear so you should balance this for the beautiful trek.

Here we have listed some important things you should not miss during Everest Base Camp Trek:

Head:

• Scarf
• Sunhats/Caps
• Sunglasses

Upper Body

• T-shirt
• Lightweight thermal tops
• Flees jackets
• Down Vest/ jackets
• Water and windproof jackets

Hand

• Lightweight warm gloves
• Heavyweight warm gloves

Lower body

• Light cotton pants
• Light warm thermal bottoms
• Warm pants
• Wind and water prods pants
• Hiking sorts
• Undergarments

Feet

• Thin inner socks
• Thick hiking socks
• Hiking boots
• Camp shoes and sandals

Other Accessories

• Duffle bags
• Warm sleeping bags
• First Aid Kit
• Day pack
• Water bottle or camel bags
• Trekking maps
• Headlight
• Solar torch
• Power banks
• Batteries
• Water purifying tablets/iodine
• Multipurpose soap
• Sanitizer
• Masks
• Gloves
• Portable altitude chamber and oxygen.

Toiletries

• Medium size towel
• Toothbrush and toothpaste
• Nail cutter
• Face and body moisture
• Hygiene product

Other personal hygiene accessories

• Wet wipes
• Tissue roll/toilet paper
• Anti-bacteria hand wash

Final saying:

Following the safety rules during the walk, it's no big deal to trek Everest Base Camp Trek during this pandemic, just you should have the optimistic thought and walk with a positive vibe. Nepal Hiking Trek will help you to prepare all the documents for the trek.

So Stay Healthy, Stay Safe