Kathmandu, the capital and largest city in Nepal, is like no other city in the world. The decaying buildings in the heart of the city are a contrast to the lively atmosphere that permeates the streets. The smell of incense wafts from the stores while street sellers push their wares, and people go about their daily lives, all against a backdrop of historic temples and carved statues. For several hundred years, Kathmandu was one of three rival royal cities, along with Bhaktapur and Patan. Situated in close proximity to each other, today these three almost run together. The highlight of Kathmandu has long been Durbar Square, the largest of the palace squares in the three royal cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Temples and monuments of varying shapes, sizes, styles, and faiths can be found here.
Advices : Bring cash USD and Rupees. There are no ATMs in Lukla or Namche Bazaar. Exchange rates are also very dismal so bring rupees with you at least $200 worth.
Train and prepare: The trek to Everest Base Camp is a stunning walk through the world famous trail to Mount Everest. It is not a technical climb; you do not need to have any previous technical climbing experience or even any altitude experience to complete the trek. However, you do need to be physically fit and have excellent strength, conditioning and endurance to be able to complete the trek and to fully enjoy the journey. If you have not trained your body to withstand the pressures of constant strain at high altitude, you will find it a very difficult task to complete the trek, risking your and other people’s safety. I would recommend that you spend at least four days a week doing some sort of intense physical exercise for approximately six to eight months prior to your starting date of your trek. Personally, I would have spent at least four days a week either walking up hill on a treadmill or walking on a stair-master (stair master is best) for one hour to two hours building up to 10 kilos (22lbs) in a backpack on my back. I have always been lucky and lived in a place where I had access to hills to train on the weekends, and I found that this was the greatest training I could get for trekking. I would spend at least one day a week out in the hills or mountains for at least a 4 hour walk and up to 7 hours in a row. Extra details at Trekking in Nepal.
Tips : Handi-wipes. You won’t be showering much showering much. Nobody does on Everest and we all smell. Showers are not very appealing at -10 degrees Celcius and you can go for days without properly washing. Handiwipes and hand sanitizer at least helps keep you healthy. We’re fans of Gold Bond powder as well for helping with itch and rashes and just relieving sticky skin.
Make Sure to Eat Enough – We provide three meals a day on the trek and a hot drink with each meal. If you’re hungry Dal Bhatt will be your best option as it is served as an all you can eat dish. This is the traditional Nepali dish that consists of rice, dal, a vegetable and a papad (fry bread) and pickle. We recommend the vegetarian options since the meat on the mountain is not very hygienic. It’s okay to eat the Yak cheese and eggs but take it easy on the cheese. Here is a good video showing the typical food and menu options.
Adventure Great Himalaya Treks & Expeditions is locally owned Nepalese trekking company based in Kathmandu Nepal. The company is well established for major delightful and memorable holidays in Nepal focusing the leisure tours to challenging adventure trips to the various Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. We are specialized on organizing private and group trekking, hiking, climbing and adventure tours in Nepal Himalayas specially the Everest Base camp Trek, Annapurna Base Camp Trek and many other trekking packages in Nepal. More details on https://www.adventuregreathimalaya.com/.