Just finished the EBC trek solo and thought I’d share my experience because people often say it’s expensive or super difficult. Honestly, it was way more doable than I expected.
Total cost came to around 50,000 NPR from Kathmandu back to Kathmandu. No guide, no porter.
One thing I realized quickly: don’t overpack. Everything is available on the trail. Food, blankets, laundry in Namche, even Wi-Fi if you want to pay for it. I carried about an 8 kg backpack and that was more than enough.
You also don’t really need a sleeping bag. Every lodge I stayed at had thick, clean blankets that were perfectly fine.
My rough route looked like this:
Kathmandu → Salleri by bus (about 18 hours this time)
Salleri → Surke by jeep
Start trekking from Surke / Chaurikharka
Then the trek:
Day 1: Chaurikharka → Namche Bazaar
Day 2: Acclimatization day in Namche
Day 3: Namche → Pangboche
Day 4: Pangboche → Pheriche
Day 5: Pheriche → Lobuche
Day 6: Lobuche → Everest Base Camp → back to Lobuche
A lot of people hype this trek like it’s extremely difficult, but in my opinion 70% of it is just walking, with maybe 30% steep climbing and dealing with altitude. If you rest properly, eat well, and stay hydrated, it’s very manageable.
Funny thing is I didn’t do any special training before the trek either. Just went slow and listened to my body.
Also didn’t expect to find bars, music, and restaurants at 4000+ meters, but they’re definitely there.
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