How difficult is Everest Base Camp Trek for beginners?

As a beginner, the idea of hiking up to the mighty heights of Everest Base Camp may seem a bit daunting to you. But if you are determined to hike up to the base of the highest peak in the world and get a clear sight of the majestic Mount Everest, then you surely can fulfill this dream.

The difficulty level of this trek ranges from moderate to challenging. It depends on a lot of factors. The obvious ones are the temperature and altitude. You have to be aware of the fact that the acclimatization process before starting the trek as well as getting used to new altitudes during the trek is a must. Generally, there are a few days in between, set specially for acclimatization and are equally important for walking upwards. 

Altitude sickness can affect even the fittest amongst the lot. So keep a lookout for symptoms like dizziness, lack of appetite, headache and breathlessness. As the trek starts, you will be walking through rocky terrains and ice packed trails with a lot of uphills and downhills. You will also encounter unpredictable weather conditions like heavy rains, hail, snowfall and even snowstorm, so plan and pack waterproof items of clothing which get dried up easily. 

Although you don’t have to be a skilled hiker or mountaineer, you need to have a good amount of endurance as well as vigour to successfully complete this trek because you will be covering 15 Km per day, that is six to eight hours of trekking on average.

So we firmly recommend starting to build up your stamina by doing regular physical exercises like cycling, jogging, hiking and a lot of walking. Start a few weeks before you travel to Nepal so that during the trek you have enough tolerance level and don’t have much fatigue. 

What difficulties one can face during the trek?

The difficulties along the breathtaking Everest Base Camp trek can be varied for every trekker. They depend on a lot of factors as well. These include firstly your preparation for it, the weather conditions, how well do you adjust to the altitude, how long you take to cover a particular distance, how steep are the trails, so on and so forth. The first thing to remember is that because of limited tourist infrastructure, there will be little or no phone signal, no WiFi and even zero power supply along your trek. 

Every trek usually starts from Lukla which is at an altitude of 2800 meters. This point is in itself quite a high start for your trek. From here, as you ascend uphill, you may struggle with altitude sickness, medically known as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Do not take this fatal condition lightly. Keep in mind that you cannot prepare for the altitude sickness beforehand and it can happen to anybody.

Yes, you should definitely carry medicines like Diamox for prevention but remember that if people are severely faced with this difficulty, they have to be choppered out to a lower altitude. There can also be minute problems due to the high altitude like fever, flu, low levels of oxygen intake, blisters, and frostbite. At such a high altitude, you can expect heavy snowfall which is another difficulty you will have to withstand during the Everest Base Camp trek.

As you go higher to the Khumbu region, you may start coughing and it can increase violently. This is due to the irritation from the cold dry air. To prevent this, any one out of the mask, buffer, scarf or a handkerchief will be useful to breathe in the humidified air. 

Other than this, if you are going for the Everest Base Camp trek during a peak period (September to November and February to May) you will come across big crowds and it may be difficult and time consuming for you to proceed on your trail. Rocks falling off from mountains is another hazard of which you have to be careful. Similarly, the glacial areas also have the risk of icefalls which are quite dangerous.

What makes it difficult?

Sneaky weather, fatal altitude sickness, dangerous rockfalls and icefalls, hiking up and trekking down the jagged pinnacles on foot, and several such elements make the Everest Base Camp difficult to conquer. Even before you start your journey on foot to the Everest base, the flights from Kathmandu to Lukla may get canceled due to harsh weather conditions.

You may even have to wait it out for a few days. And mind you, Lukla comes in the list of top ten most dangerous airports in the world! After descending back to the starting point as well, there is no guarantee that the weather will be suitable for flights to take off. You may have to resort to the expensive helicopter ride to go back to Kathmandu. 

Even after you reach the starting point (Lukla) for your trek on time, beginning your trek from a staggering 2800 meter high altitude turns out to be difficult for some people. The expedition in sub-zero temperatures is also one of the main reasons which makes this trek difficult. Along with it, a lot of people level up this challenging trek by carrying their own luggage instead of making the porters carry them. 

As you trek upwards, the air becomes thinner and thinner and the level of oxygen reduces making it difficult to properly breathe. So it is of utmost importance that you get used to the altitude steadily or else trekking up too high too fast will be fatal for you. Basic commodities like water and food also become expensive and limited as you trek higher and higher.

As the Everest Base Camp trek is becoming more and more popular, there are a lot of tour operators taking a large number of people to this trek. This has made the trail a lot more crowded and as a result, it may become difficult as well as time-consuming to ascend to and descend from the Everest Base Camp.