Here are a few essential things you must know before you book this trek. For example, some essential trek information includes travel insurance, altitude sickness, meals and accommodation, best time, trekking gear, trek permits, and more.
Meals during the trek
While on a Short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return, for 7 days, you’ll get 7 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, including a farewell dinner in Kathmandu.
Since all the tea houses in the Everest region are well-established, they provide the best hospitality. You’ll get expansive meal choices, a twin-sharing room with an attached bathroom, and other modern amenities.
Breakfast: Toast, omelet, potatoes, pies, waffles, chapati, bread with jam and butter, hot chocolate, coffee, tea, ginger lemon honey, etc.
Lunch and dinner: Nepali Dal Bhat with lentil soup and cooked vegetables, pizza, burgers, sandwiches, spaghetti, fried rice, dumplings, Tibetan bread, noodles, pasta, etc.
Accommodation during Everest Base Camp Short Trek
You’ll get the best available tea house for accommodation on the trek.
If you’re trekking solo with us, you’ll get a single room, private or twin sharing. However, You’ve to accommodate in a twin shared room with fellow trekkers upon trekking with our fixed departure group.
In most places, the tea houses offer twin-sharing rooms with attached bathrooms. However, during peak Everest trekking season, an attached bathroom at places like Lobuche and Gorak Shep is hard to get.
Consuming amenities like a hot water shower, hot drinking water, wifi cards, and battery charging costs a few hundred rupees. You’ve to pay for these additional amenities other than stated.
You can get warm electrical blankets and the best rooms at places like Namche and Dingboche. As these amenities are expensive, we don’t provide all on trek cost. However, if you wish to, we can ask for some discount.
Thus, if you want these amenities during the short EBC trek, you must inform us before leaving for the trek.
Everest Base Camp Trek Permits
During your short EBC Trek, you’ll need two essential trek permits. Since you’ll trek in Sagarmatha National Park, a national park entry permit cost USD 20 is a must. Moreover, you’re required to have a Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Permit at Lukla or Monjo at USD 30.
Your trek permit costs are included in the trek cost you pay to us. As these permits are available on the trek, your guide purchases them at Monjo.
Here are the documents you must bring with you to get these permits.
- Valid passport/driving license/government-issued document that identifies you
- Contact details of someone back home (for emergency contact)
Regarding the helicopter flight, you don’t need to pay for airport tax, helicopter flight permit, etc. The airline company manages everything related to flight permits and all.
Feel free to learn more about the Everest Base Camp Trek Permits on this blog.
Best time for Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return
If you’re planning for Short Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return in 2024, now is the best time. It’s March now, which is the best time for EBC Trek. April and May are the other beautiful months with clear weather and stable temperatures.
Snow-occupied mountains, fresh green vegetation, rhododendron blossom, and serene trails are best in March-May. Also, the temperature gets warmer in April and May in higher regions.
Autumn is another best time you can consider if planning for a short EBC Trek. Apart from rhododendron blossom, Autumn has everything that suits this trek. As summer rain deposits the snow over mountains, September and October are the right time to see snow-filled Everest. Also, you’ll find greenery everywhere at high altitudes, rejuvenated by the summer rain.
The clear weather days during these months are also best for helicopter flyouts. When you fly from Gorak Shep to Kathmandu, you’ll get a panoramic view of most mountains in the Everest region. Also, clear weather in these months makes 100% helicopter flights.
Acclimatization and Altitude sickness
Unlike 12 12-day itineraries with two acclimatization stops, there’s no acclimatization stop on the 7-day Everest Base Camp Short Trek with Helicopter Return. You’ll trek to the base camp for six days, and on the 7th day, you’ll fly back by helicopter.
Since there’s no acclimatization on this trek, we request you to trek to Langtang or Annapurna before joining this trip. At Langtang or Annapurna, you’ll reach 4,500 meters altitude, which provides adequate acclimatization.
If you don’t acclimate properly, you’ll likely get altitude sickness while on EBC Trek with Helicopter Return. Symptoms like headache, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite are common symptoms of altitude sickness. However, if symptoms persist, you’ll get HAPE or HACE, the extreme mountain sickness.
It’ll be almost impossible to continue trekking if you get altitude sickness. For instance, you’ll need a helicopter evacuation if you get extreme mountain sickness symptoms.
Physical fitness and trek preparations
Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return for seven days is demanding. With no acclimatization stop and rest days, trekking for six days becomes difficult if you don’t prepare well physically.
For physical fitness, you must work out on cardio and endurance training. Cycling, swimming, running, and hiking for a few months before joining the trek would be best. If possible, we recommend trekking to Langtang or Annapurna before joining Everest Base Camp Short Trek. With endurance and a short trek, you’ll acclimate well and trek easily.
For trek preparations, you must develop a positive mindset. You must purchase quality trekking gear and travel insurance with helicopter coverage.
Trek Safety on EBC Trek
You’ll be 100% safe, sound, and secured during Short Everest Base Camp Trek with a Helicopter Return from Gorak Shep. While trekking, your trek guide takes your utmost care with accommodation arrangements at the best available tea house. Also, your trek guide sets a steady pace for your walk to prevent you from getting altitude sickness. Moreover, your trek porter carries your trek gear and backpack safely throughout the trek.
Next up, a helicopter flight from Gorak Shep to Kathmandu. Helicopter flights in the Everest region are 100% safe. Nepali helicopter pilots fly regularly in the Everest region with massive flight time in the tank. Moreover, you’ll fly on Airbus helicopters, best for mountain fights. Hence, your flight to Kathmandu will be smooth, scenic, and exciting.
Trek guide and porter
While trekking with us, you’ll get seasoned trekking guides with multiple Everest trek experiences. Moreover, our guides are fluent English speakers, first aid responders, true professionals, and welcoming companions.
Trekking in the Everest region often gets tiring when you carry your backpack. Hence, we’ll provide a trekking porter to make your walk comfortable. Your trek porter carries your luggage throughout the trek. Also, they provide you with great companionship. Please make sure that your backpack doesn’t weigh more than 15 kg.
For your kind information, our trekking guides are Nepal government-licensed trek guides. Also, our trek porters are over 18 years of age. Moreover, our trekking guides and porters are fully insured.