Everest Base Camp, Three Passes Trek, Travel
Thado Koshigaun to Namche Bazaar, Everest Base Camp Honeymoon (Day Four)
After a very long wait for our flight to Lukla airport and a painful walk to Thado Koshigaun, it was nice to get some mint tea and dinner in a warm teahouse restaurant and plan the following day. Our original plan included going all the way to Namche Bazaar right after arriving in Lukla (1,400 m). However, we did not account for a few factors in our planning: 1) delays at the airport in Kathmandu (instead of leaving at 10:00 am, we left after 3:00 pm), and 2) 5:45 pm sunset means less daylight for trekking. So there we were, sipping tea at the “Holiday Inn Resthouse” teahouse of Thado Koshigaun (elevation 2,615 m), planning how we will catch up on walking the following day.
Lukla is not sitting at a very high elevation (1,400m), but once we got off the airplane and put on our backpacks – we immediately realized that we heavily overpacked. For the next little while, until we got to the teahouse, our hike was very uncomfortable. After dinner, we were set on leaving some of the items we packed at Namche Bazaar (if that’d be possible).
Trekking to Namche Bazaar
After dinner at the teahouse, we decided to wake up early the following morning (at 6:00 am), get breakfast and start trekking as fast as possible to get to Namche before dark. Because teahouses get busy quickly, the hosts will usually ask you to order your dinner when you check-in and order breakfast while you’re having dinner. This way, you can plan when to start your day, and it’s very nice to get greeted with a warm (not hot, unfortunately) cup of tea or coffee (instant only) at breakfast. It gets cold in the morning and at night, but hot in the sun, so layering is important, and quality lightweight clothing and gear is essential.
The trek to Namche Bazaar was challenging, mostly because our backpacks were heavy (we had something like 40 kg between the two of us, and the optimal weight is 10 kg or less per person). In hindsight, we should have prepped for the trek a little more than we had, but between the wedding planning and busy work schedules, we only realized we should do some cardio training one week before leaving.
The trek is also challenging because you are going higher, and the air gets thinner, and your backpack will feel heavier (so pack light), especially at the start of the trek when you’re still jetlagged and not prepped for long days of uphill walking. It was a long and tough hike, where we encountered herds of tourists and yaks for the first time. Still, the surrounding Himalayan mountains’ views were simply breathtaking with a picturesque view opening up one after another.
Travel Tip: On your trek, you’ll often get in a yak and mule traffic jams caused by a stubborn animal or a problem securing supplies to the animals. The first time we faced this situation, we made a wrong choice of trying to pass the animals on the cliff edge side, and as a result, I almost fell off that cliff. Thankfully I didn’t fall, but I did get yelled at by one of the porters. Yaks are very impressive animals, and it’s a rare opportunity to see them so close, but they could push you unintentionally. So let them pass and stick to the wall.
When in Namche: Accommodation and Food in the High Himalayas
When we finally got to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m), the sun was setting, and we were exhausted, so I don’t even recall much except for the very lovely Kangri Resort teahouse we stayed at and the friendly people we met there. The teahouse had great food, good rooms (rooms with a toilet available), and they agreed to store our bag with extra stuff until our return – it was too heavy to carry. I highly recommend booking a room at Kangri. It may be a little expensive, but so worth it. For us, since it was our honeymoon, we tried to book the best rooms we could find (which got more challenging as we ascended higher in the Himalayas). The great thing about the trek is that most people speak English, so if you want to book in advance, you can email or call (or do it on the tea houses website).
Namche Bazaar is a pretty big town in Nepal, and it’s the main trading center in the Khumbu region. Located at 3,440 meters high, it’s narrow streets are filled with tourists, trekking gear shops, friendly lodge owners, yaks, and the view of the surrounding area is just something out of this world. We got to Namche around 5:20 pm, so it was getting dark, and all we could think of was getting a teahouse room and taking a shower after sweating all day. The hike to Namche from Lukla is pretty tough, so I’m happy we had to make that stop in Thado. If you forgot to buy anything for your trek, Namche is a good place to stop before taking off to the higher villages. I’d recommend getting small things like a sunhat and a wool hat in Namche. You can check out my packing list here.
Travel Tip: The Everest Base Camp route goes through the High Himalayas, where slaughtering animals is prohibited. All meat and eggs are flown in from Kathmandu to Lukla and then transported on yaks to the higher up villages with no refrigeration. So it’s generally not recommended to eat meat or eggs after Namche Bazaar. At the Kangri Resort, we had their famous yak (buffalo) steak and burger and had no issues. These dishes were so good that we had the same thing when we got back from the trip. For the rest of the trip until our return, we stuck to vegetarian fried options.
That night at the Kangi’s restaurant, we met two trekkers who were on their way down from the same trek we were doing (and I now understand the feeling of accomplishment you get when you’re back to the place you started at). They told us about the people who trekked without a guide and got lost while crossing one of the passes on the Three Passes Trek (the trek we were doing solo). They also shared their concerns about trekking without a guide, which at the time freaked both of us out. However, I’m happy we stuck to our plan and travelled at our own pace. If you know your way around a map and follow the route, it’s not hard to trek solo over the three passes and the Everest Base Camp.
Travel Tip: Try to stay skeptical about what people tell you about their experience. The trek is challenging but not impossible, so make sure you ask the locals before setting off for one of the harder passes and make sure you’re properly acclimatized. Don’t let other travellers discourage you from doing the trek as everyone is different. We kind of fell for it, and our whole trip, I was dreading the Cho La Pass ice fields thinking about crevasses and the danger of falling in. When we crossed the actual pass, there were no crevasses. However, the scrambling through the boulder field part was very tough and slightly sketchy at times – yet still very manageable; an older (but fit) Japanese couple made it all the way through, and so did a lot of others travelling solo.
Our Kangri room had a giant king bed and was warm enough to sleep without a sleeping bag. It also had a flushing toilet (which was slightly more expensive). They do have a few showers located on the main floor, and the resto food is great. The beer is expensive, though, but that’s the case across Nepal. We liked our stay so much that we asked the owner to reserve the same room for our return. We also left a bag filled with extra stuff we didn’t need, and the teahouse owner agreed to store it (we’re not the first ones asking for that service). The difference in weight was a huge improvement for the long trek ahead. We went to bed excited and a little nervous about the next day – destination Tengboche elevation 3,867 meters.
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Everest Base Camp Trek Series:
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- Day 1 – Toronto to Kathmandu
- Day 2 – Exploring Kathmandu
- Day 3 – Kathmandu to Lukla
- Day 4 – Namche Bazaar
- Day 5 – Namche Bazaar to Tengboche
- Day 6 – Tengboche to Pangboche
- Day 7 – Pangboche to Dingboche
- Day 8 & 9 – Dingboche to Chuchung
- Day 10 – Chuchung to Lobuche (over the Kongma La Pass)
- Day 11 – Lobuche (and the Italian Pyramid)
- Day 12 – Gorakshep to Everest Base Camp
- Day 13 – To Kala Patthar and Dzongla
- Day 14 – To Dragnak (over Chola Pass)
- Day 15 – Gokyo (with Gokyo Ri ascent)
- Day 16 – Back to Namche Bazaar
- Day 17 – Namche Bazaar to Lukla
- Day 18 – Lukla to Kathmandu
- Day 19 – Kathmandu to Toronto
