Everest Base Camp Trek

All clients travelling to Kathmandu will be met at the airport by a Keen Adventures’s representative who will arrange the transfer to the group hotel. Clients MUST provide the HR office with full details of their flights. Hotel contact details and an emergency number will be provided with your booking confirmation. If you have time, it may be worth considering arriving earlier in Kathmandu. Our trekking holidays are normally designed with minimal ‘down time’ in the city, but Kathmandu is a fascinating place and it is well worth spending extra time here. Arriving a day or two early will have the additional benefit of allowing you time to get over the stress of travelling across time zones, leaving you refreshed and ready for your trek. Note that on this holiday we have a very early start on day 3 to catch the morning flight to Lukla. We can easily arrange for you to spend extra nights in the city and airport transfers are included for all flights.

Whilst in Kathmandu the group will stay in 3-star luxury at either the Hotel Nepalaya or Hotel Moon Light. Located in the heart of the city, each of these excellent hotels offers the best facilities. Staying at either of these hotels, you can be assured of a restful start and finish to your time in Nepal. Whilst on trek there are 10 nights in lodges/tea houses. All accommodation is on a twin sharing basis (note that in some lodges only dormitory beds may be available). If you are travelling by yourself you will join other single clients of the same sex in twin or occasionally, triple rooms. It is not possible to arrange single accommodation in lodges. The Nepalese trekking lodges also are known as ‘tea-houses’ are simple, friendly and atmospheric. As they are far from the nearest road is it not surprising that they are simple establishments as everything must be carried up by porters or animals. Mostly these lodges have heated dining areas which are often attractively decorated. Accommodation is basic in unheated rooms with wooden beds and foam mattress. You will need a sleeping bag. The lodges have shared washing and toilet facilities. Some lodges have solar powered showers (charged at $2 – $3 per shower) and battery charging facilities (also charged at a rate per hour). Staying at the lodges is a great way to meet fellow hikers and the locals. For the 3 nights in Kathmandu single rooms are available for a supplementary cost. Additional hotel nights in Kathmandu are also available.

Typical meals provided in the lodges will include some Nepali dishes but also international cuisine from pizza and chips to apple pie. To ensure that the group can eat together, we order meals in advance and your trip leader will arrange a set menu for the group, which will alternate daily between local and international dishes. Breakfast will usually be porridge, eggs, bread and a hot drink, lunch will be a simple meal with a hot drink, and dinner will be 3 courses consisting of soup, main meal, and a simple pudding. If you wish to order additional dishes and/or snacks, you should budget accordingly. Boiled drinking water will be provided at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All the lodges and tea-houses sell snacks, chocolate bars, soft drinks, and beer. In Kathmandu, we take our meals in the hotel and local restaurants.

While staying in Kathmandu meals will be taken in the hotel or at a local restaurant. On the trek, the group will take their meals at lodges. Normally this will be a set meal for the whole group. Boiled or purified water is available at all the lodges we stay at. Bottled water is also available to purchase (at additional cost) but we do not recommend this on grounds of environmental care.

Access to the high and remote areas of the Himalaya where our treks start is often only possible using internal flights. The changeable nature of mountain weather makes flying conditions complex.

In addition, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal does not operate to the same standards as those of western nations and all airlines in Nepal appear on the European Commission’s list of airlines that are banned from flying into EU member states. Flying in Nepal is an acknowledged risk, and the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice provides further details which you can read on their website at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/nepal/safety-and-security.

HR is mindful of its duty of care to clients travelling with us in Nepal and we were stakeholders in an independent air audit of Nepal airlines undertaken by UK tour operators during 2015. KE uses only four airlines in Nepal which were approved by this audit as safe carriers. These airlines are Yeti Airlines, Tara Air, Buddha Air and Simrik Airlines. In addition to this, both Tara Air and Yeti Airlines have fulfilled the IATA Standard Safety Assessment (ISSA) – a new global safety standard for commercial airlines operating smaller aircraft www.iata.org/whatwedo/safety/audit/issa/Pages/index.aspx.

We continue to cooperate with other tour operators to monitor aviation safety in Nepal and will ensure we remain a stakeholder in any further air safety audits. While we have taken appropriate action to try to minimise the risks of flying in Nepal, you should be aware that flying in mountainous terrain is not without any risk. Please note that poor weather can cause delays on internal flights. If at the start of your holiday internal flights are cancelled for the day, you will spend an extra night near the airport and this may be at a hotel other than the group hotel.

On the majority of trips, there is enough flexibility in the trekking itinerary to make up 1 or possibly 2 lost days, but alternative arrangements must be made if internal flights are cancelled for a subsequent day. For trips that end with an internal flight out of the mountains with no alternative road access, we have included 2 nights in Kathmandu as a contingency against delay.

Helicopters can sometimes fly when the scheduled fixed wing aircraft cannot. If your group is offered the opportunity to use a chartered helicopter, either flying up from or back to Kathmandu, the cost will be shared between those choosing to take this option. In the extremely unlikely event that flight cancellations cause you to miss your homeward international flight, HR will render all assistance, but cannot be held liable for any extra costs incurred. We advise you to take out suitable insurance and to keep your receipts, as you may subsequently be able to make a claim.

The group will be led by an experienced English-speaking local leader, and on trek will have the services of porters to carry luggage and local Sherpa guides.

This holiday involves going to very high altitude. During the course of your trip you will be spending at least one night above 4000 meters and/or trekking to 5000 metres or above. This is not something that you should worry about; the human body is quite capable of adapting to a very wide range of altitudes, but it is important that we follow some simple rules in order to acclimatise successfully. Before coming on this holiday you should read the advice on trekking at high altitude. Unless you have previous experience of trekking above 4000 metres you should consult one of our trekking experts before embarking on this holiday. On this trip, we carry a portable altitude chamber (PAC-bag) and/or bottled oxygen for use in emergencies.

Approximately $250 – $300 (equivalent in others currency .) should be allowed for miscellaneous expenses including porter and trek crew tips, beer, soft drinks etc. It is not necessary to obtain local currency prior to departure. Sterling, Pound, US Dollars and Euros are equally acceptable for exchange in Nepal. We recommend that you carry your travel money in the form of cash since you will exchange the majority of this on the day of your arrival in Kathmandu. If you prefer not to carry all of your spending money in cash, it is possible to withdraw money from ATMs in Kathmandu using your debit or credit card. During the trek, it is possible to buy snacks, chocolate, soft drinks and beer on most days. Please be aware that since everything has to be carried up, these items become more expensive as you gain altitude.

Tipping is the accepted way of saying thank you for good service. Tips do not form part of the wages of your guides, porters and trek crew but they are very much appreciated. It is important to remember that tipping is voluntary and should be dependent on good service. Normally the tips are given at the end of the trek and this is best done as a group. Your trek leader will give you help and advice on this. Most groups will give the tips with a bit of ceremony (or sometimes a party) on the last evening, to mark the end of the trip. As a guide, we recommend that each group member contributes around £50 – 60 (in rupees) to these tips. At the end of a trek, many people also like to donate various items of their equipment to the porters and trek staff who work so hard to make the trip a success. Boots, gloves, hats, scarves and even socks (clean of course) are always warmly received by the porters. Technical clothing and equipment such as head-torches and trekking poles are highly prized by the Sherpa crews. If you think you would like to donate equipment at the end of your trip, your local trip leader will make arrangements for a fair distribution among the trek crew.

For this holiday you should take one piece of luggage (duffel bag will provide by HR) and a daypack. Your bag on the trek will be carried by porters or pack animals and should not weigh more than 15kg. For all flights to and from STOL airstrips in Nepal the maximum allowance, for hold baggage AND hand baggage combined, is 15kg. This weight allowance is strictly enforced and excess baggage will be charged. It is possible to leave items not required on trek at the hotel in Kathmandu. For international flights please check your baggage allowance with your airline.

A passport with 6 months remaining validity at the end of your stay is generally required for visits to countries outside the EU. The information that we provide is for UK passport holders. Please check the relevant embassy or consulate for other nationalities. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have the correct travel documents and visas for your holiday. Visa requirements and charges are subject to change without notice. If you are travelling outside the EU you should have at least 2 blank pages in your passport for each country that you visit.