Everest Base Camp, Three Passes Trek, Travel
Pangboche to Dingboche, Everest Base Camp Honeymoon (Day Seven)
DESTINATION: Dingboche
ELEVATION: 4,410 meters
ELEVATION GAIN: + 425 meters
DISTANCE: 5.0 km (3 hours of walking)
OXYGEN: 59% of sea level (previous 63%)
As you remember, on day six on our walk from Tengboche to Pangboche was the first time my altitude sickness started to show its signs. From talking to many incredible people on the trek, we all had some altitude symptoms in one form or another. The severity of it depended on how well the acclimatization was going. I’ve never been to heights above 3,000 meters in my life before this trip, which is why it took me a while to get used to the altitude of the High Himalayas. However, a hangover-like symptom is a small price to pay to walk amongst some of the world’s most beautiful mountains. On our day seven of the Three Passes Trek, we trekked to the village of Dingboche.
Dingboche is a tiny village (a few hundred people small) and is hidden in the Chukkung Valley. It’s surrounded by a magnificent view and is sheltered from the cold winds thanks to the surrounding mountain landscape. We tried to take some long exposure photos, but it gets pretty cold, so we had to escape into the restaurant.
Accommodation in Dingboche
When in Dingboche, we went around a few places that had a spot to stay overnight, but we returned to the Green Tara Lodge. Mainly because it was one of the few recommended by the Lonely Planet, and it was the one that had a spot. We stayed at the Green Tara, which was not bad, but if you have a choice, try to get a room with a view. Ours had no view and was pretty dark, but we didn’t mind it much because we planned to leave the next morning. You can check out a few places that are on the map here. The owner of the Green Tara is a baker and has fantastic baked goods at the bakery that’s right next door, Mama’s Bakery.
Travel Tip: Be careful with the food at the Green Tara. My husband and another trekker we met at this lodge had food poisoning. I am not entirely sure that it was the food they served or something else, but I know both my husband and the other trekker had dishes containing cheese and eggs. I decided to play it safe and stick to fried rice and vegetarian soups. After all, they do recommend to stick to vegetarian cuisine past Namche.
Acclimatizing in Dingboche
While in Dingboche, we went up the Nangkartshang peak (5,068 m) to acclimatize for the upcoming trip over the first pass on the Three Passes Trek – the Kongma La pass (5,528 m). Although Kala Patthar (5,545 m) is still the highest point on the Three Passes Trek and the Everest Base Camp trek, going over the Kongma La Pass was one of the most challenging hikes on this trek (especially considering that we got lost and instead of a 7 hr trek it took us 11 hrs to cross the pass and get to Chukkung, but about that later).
To Nangkartshang Peak (5,068 m)
The Nangkartshang peak is not well-publicized, but it’s an excellent acclimatization side trip from Dingboche. However, keep in mind that you have to be feeling well before you do the side trek to higher altitudes to get used to the altitude properly. I’m guilty of pushing myself too hard and going up too fast and then suffering the consequences.
We wanted to do the peak to get acclimatized before the Kongma La Pass crossing, which is a pretty big undertaking considering the pass is almost as high as Kala Patthar (the picturesque hike near Everest Base Camp). So slowly but surely, we headed to the peak. Surprisingly, the AMS symptoms (mainly headaches) seems to be getting worse on your way down compared to being at the top. I first thought it was an anomaly, but it turns out I was not alone as other hikers mentioned the same symptom. Staying well hydrated and taking it slow for the ascent and descent is key.
Travel Tip: Cell reception is pretty bad in Dingboche. Their WiFi is pretty weak, especially around lunchtime and dinner, when everyone is trying to access it. So fun fact, you get perfect cell reception at the Nangkartshang Peak! Every step on this side hike was challenging, even though we were only carrying a bottle of water and some snacks, but this was our first acclimatization hike to these heights. With only 59% of sea-level oxygen, it gets tougher and tougher to hike. The benefits of this altitude training when you get back home though, are amazing. I think I returned to Toronto the fittest I’ve ever been, with incredible lung capacity, but slightly malnourished though. 🙂
Dingboche is located in a small valley surrounded by the mountains, which means that there isn’t much wind at night. Which is a good thing as you’re protected from the cold winds, but on the other hand, that also means the air gets stuffy with the cooking smoke.
We originally planned to take off the next morning, but my AMS headaches got way worse at night, so we decided to stay an extra day. That day I recall I woke up feeling bad, but the next morning was way better (rest does help). Green Tara has a nice shower, which is super hot too. Our day eight was super chill as I refused to do anything but let my body get over the altitude and prepare for the challenging crossing of the Kongma La Pass – a stunning trek.
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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
