Nepal: Trekking in the Everest Region – and Why Everything Turned Out Differently

Dusty trails, chaotic streets in Kathmandu and mountains so big you can hardly grasp them: at the end of November 2023 we were in Nepal trekking in the Everest region . Together with our friends Tarah and David we planned the trip – and in the end everything turned out a bit differently than expected.

Arriving in Kathmandu

On 25 November we flew to Kathmandu , were picked up straight from the airport and met Tarah and David there. We spent the first two days at the Hotel Yambu and got a little acclimatised first.

Kathmandu is wild! So much traffic, everything feels like chaos – but at the same time a kind of controlled chaos. We explored the temples and got a feel for the city. Loud, lively and exciting.

The flight to Lukla

On 27 November we flew to Lukla – and honestly, we had a lot of respect for that flight. Lukla is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world. But the flight and the landing were super smooth. ✈️

In Lukla we met our guide , with whom we had planned the route and accommodation in advance. With him came two porters, who were super lovely and friendly.

Phakding & Namche Bazaar

That same day we started hiking to Phakding, where we spent the first night. And by the way: the food here is extremely tasty!

The next day we continued to Namche Bazaar, where we stayed two days to acclimatise. We were totally surprised how developed this place is – we hadn’t expected a The North Face store and an Irish pub up here. And beer at this altitude? It hits very differently, by the way. 🍺

Our go-to food

• Momos – filled dumplings you can eat any time
• Sherpa stew – a warming stew, perfect after a long day
• Dal bhat – lentils with rice and sides, the national dish and real fuel for the mountains

Deboche – first view of Ama Dablam

We continued to Deboche, where we stayed overnight again. Because of the dry air and dust we all had a bit of a sore throat, and Tarah, David and Tom were already feeling the altitude a little. But we were really lucky with the weather and got our first view of Ama Dablam here.

Dingboche & the moment above the sea of clouds

The next day we continued to Dingboche. Here we all felt the altitude – I mainly struggled with my sore throat.

The next afternoon we hiked up to over 5,000 metres and had an incredible view of Ama Dablam, towering above a sea of clouds . That was definitely the most impressive moment of this trip. 🏔️

Change of plan: back down the valley

We had been recommended a medication against altitude sickness as a preventive – and unfortunately Tom reacted really badly to it. He had an allergic reaction, got an extreme rash all over his body and was super weak.

So instead of continuing the trek with Tarah and David as planned, the next day we hiked all the way back to Namche Bazaar in one push. That was super hard. After a night there we took a helicopter to Lukla, because Tom was too unwell to hike that far again. We spent another night in Lukla and the next morning flew back to Kathmandu.

We stayed two more nights in Kathmandu, and the doctors even came to our hotel room. The medication worked really well – so well that we could still take a stroll through Kathmandu and discover a few less touristy corners . On 7 December we flew back home.

And the end of the story? Back home, over the next few weeks, Tom’s entire skin peeled off. He shed like a snake, haha. 🐍

Our stages at a glance

• 27 Nov: Lukla (2,860 m) → Phakding (2,610 m) – approx. 7.7 km, approx. +240 / −460 m along the trail (not recorded)
• 28 Nov: Phakding → Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) – 12.1 km, +1,131 m; in the afternoon an acclimatisation loop (4.7 km, +434 m)
• 29 Nov: Namche Bazaar – acclimatising
• 30 Nov: Namche Bazaar → Deboche (3,820 m) – 15.8 km, +1,099 m
• 1 Dec: Deboche → Dingboche (4,410 m) – 7.8 km, +536 m
• 2 Dec: hike to over 5,000 m – 7.4 km, +742 m
• 3 Dec: Dingboche → Namche Bazaar – 21.1 km in one push
• 4 Dec: helicopter from Namche Bazaar to Lukla

Distances and elevation gain come from our Strava recordings. We didn’t record the Lukla – Phakding stage; its distance and elevation are calculated from the trail (OpenStreetMap) and terrain data. Altitudes of the villages are rounded.

Good to know

• Costs: In total we spent about 3,000 euros per person.
• Cash: Be sure to bring enough cash – for the lodges and of course for tips for the porters. They play such an important role!
• Planning: In high season, book your guide, route and lodges early.
• Acclimatising: Plan rest days, e.g. in Namche Bazaar – almost everyone feels the altitude.

My verdict

Nepal was loud, chaotic, beautiful – and a bit nerve-racking too. Even though we had to cut our trek short, I’ll never forget that evening above the sea of clouds looking at Ama Dablam. And even less the people who accompanied and helped us there.

Love,
Anna