Solo trek to Everest Base Camp in Nepal is one of the exciting and thrilling treks in the world. It is not everyone’s cup of tea; however, if you are physically fit and mentally prepared, then it is an independently doable trek, too. It will reward you with the unforgettable experiences along with flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and high level of solitude.
We highly recommend beginner trekkers not to participate in EBC solo trek without encompassing any trekking and hiking skills.
Despite being possible to trek independently to Everest Base Camp, it is not as easy as you think. You need to be cautious regarding your safety and have to put a lot of effort in logistic planning and researching about the entire route. Even if you carry the right gear and pick the best season, it will ultimately put a lot of threats to the solo trekkers.
Although being possible to trek EBC alone, we suggest you to go for the local trekking agency in Nepal to avoid the obstacles related to transportation, communication, teahouses, altitude sickness etc. during your journey
Everest Base Camp Solo Trek Pros
Everest Base Camp without a guide has several benefits which will attract you towards trekking independently.
- You are your own boss! You don’t need to obey the order of any other people. You can freely make choices regarding where to stay, where to eat and which route to choose.
- No time limitation to enjoy the nature and surrounding of the Khumbu valley as you don’t have to keep pace with someone else’s schedule.
- Since you are going for a solo trek, you will get a chance to gain deep insight about the Everest Base Camp history, trails, culture, people of the Himalayan region etc. because you will be researching a lot to be prepared.
- Everest Base Camp without a guide is cost-effective as you don’t need to pay for the guides, porters, and agencies.
Everest Base Camp Solo Trek Cons
Despite having a lot of advantages of solo trek to Everest Base Camp, there are numerous disadvantages, too which demand the need of a local trekking agency registered in Nepal for your trip.
- In case of emergency, there will be no one by your side to look after which may lead to adverse consequences.
- If you feel some sort of difficulty in the high altitude and demand the porter to carry your bag, then their charges will be double as compared to the already booked one.
- Trekking alone leads to problems like lack of interaction because of poor communication, lack of knowledge about the surrounding areas, and high chance of being harassed.
- Difficult for the solo trekkers to choose the right direction which may result in trekking through the wrong trail.
- Difficult to find accommodation during peak season, mainly in high altitude with only a few teahouses which might result in painful night stay.
If you have made the decision to explore the Khumbu region on your own, then we recommend you to at least hire a guide for your own safety and security throughout the journey. Prime Himalayas assures you to find an experienced and registered local trekking guide.
Here we have enlisted top 11 tips for the solo trekkers to plan your Everest Base Camp Trek.
1. Obtain Required Permits
Everest Base Camp lies in the Sagarmatha National Park. To enter this park, you need to obtain two different permits. Since you are planning for trekking Everest Base Camp independently, it is important for you to focus on how to obtain permits, from where to obtain the permits and what documents are required to acquire the permits.
Book your trekking plan with Prime Himalayas and we will look after all the required permits to provide you hassle-free trekking which you can’t get from solo trek to Everest Base Camp.
You need to have Sagarmatha National Park permit and Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality entrance fee to make your solo trek possible. You don’t need to have a guide or agency by your side to obtain these permits but you need to deeply understand each of these permits and where their counters are in Khumbu valley.
Sagarmatha National Park Permit can be obtained from Nepal Tourism Board located in Kathmandu and Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality entrance fee can be acquired either in Lukla or Monjo. Passport is required to obtain the permits.
2. Go Steady and Listen to Your Body
To every solo trekker travelling to Everest Base Camp, it is crucial for you to maintain your heart rate and manage the breathing process properly. There will be no guide, before and after you, to look for you and lead you by setting the specific pace. If you try to walk at a fast pace, thinking that you are active and energetic, it will exhaust you sooner and make you rest for a lot of time to normalize your breathing process.
So, try to walk slowly by listening to your body as rushing and running doesn’t work in high altitude. If you are someone who can’t manage the steady pace, then you should drop the plan of trekking to Everest Base Camp without a guide. You should register with a local trekking agency in Nepal and trek safely as your pace will be managed by guides.
3. Pack the Right Trekking Gears
While packing for the Everest Base Camp, every solo trekker wishes to have a local trekking agency by their side. However, since you have already made up your mind to trek independently, be wise while packing for the trip. Your entire experience and success rate of trek depends upon the gears and equipment that you have packed.
Start to plan for the right gears at least 1-2 months before heading towards the trekking. Don’t feel exhausted searching the Packing List for Everest Base Camp trek on Google, until and unless you get your packing done. While packing, stick towards the weight limit imposed by the certain authority for trekking.
Even after a lot of effort, if you don’t feel okay with your packing list, don’t hesitate to contact us. Prime Himalayas will guide you in packing reliable gears and will help you throughout your trekking journey.
4. Know About Altitude Sickness
Trekkers should learn deeply about the altitude sickness; its symptoms and prevention measures if they are going for trekking Everest Base Camp without guide. Solo trekkers don’t have a guide to share about how they are feeling so they, themselves, need to understand their body and how it’s feeling and should react to it quickly.
If you ignore the sign of the body and keep on walking, then it can even lead to severe problems and even death. Everest Base Camp is located above 5,000m, so there is a high chance of altitude sickness. So, we recommend you trek with a guide rather than independently for your own safety.
Some symptoms of altitude sickness are;
- Difficult to breath
- Insomnia
- Loss of appetite
- Weakness
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Headache etc.
5. Choose Best Season
If you are trying to trek to Everest Base Camp independently, then right season should be your main focus to avoid the possible risks. If you choose to trek in off-season such as winter and monsoon then it will only increase your risk. During off-season there will not be many trekkers around the trail. So, if you face any problems then you will not get any trekkers on the way to ask about the solution. Also, if you choose to trek in High-season, then you can’t get access to accommodation and even if you get, it will be costly.
So, Late High Season and Early Low Season is the best time for Everest Base Camp solo trekkers. At this time, you can meet with the trekkers of other groups. Also, the temperature will be warm and the sky will be cloudless which offers you the best view of Mt. Everest along with other giant peaks. Besides these, you can also easily find the accommodation at the affordable price.
6. Pre-Booking for the Accommodation
You will be staying in a Tea house during your solo trek to Everest Base Camp. Since you are trekking solo, it will be hard for you to book the tea house as it will already be booked by the other trekking agency for their groups. During the peak season, it can even lead you to spend your night at the dining table or sofa because of your inability to book the accommodation before the trip.
Everest Base Camp trek without a guide can be harsh if you don’t find a tea house to sleep peacefully. So, it is better for you to either contact the tea house’s owner by taking help from respective authorities before starting the journey or take help of the local professional trekking agency in Nepal.
7. Prioritize Acclimatization
Solo trekkers to Everest Base Camp have no one by their side to help them in emergency situations. So, preparing the itinerary with at least 2-3 days of acclimatization is the best way for you to stay safe from the altitude. Most itineraries have 2 days as acclimatization; one in Namche Bazar and another in Dingboche. But we recommend solo trekkers to add extra 1 or 2 days for acclimatization.
Altitude sickness is not a simple matter to keep it aside. If we look to the past, then we can find numerous people being descended back with the help of helicopters or died because of it. So, the best way to avoid the adverse consequences of altitude sickness is by adding proper acclimatization days. On these days, you will only do short hikes to high altitude and take rest at the remaining time.
If you are struggling to prepare the effective Everest Base Camp Itinerary, Prime Himalayas is there to satisfy you by preparing the itinerary with maximum acclimatization days for your security.
8. Comfortable Backpack
Being independent trekkers, having a comfortable backpack to successfully complete the Everest Base Camp trek is crucial. You need to carry your day pack by yourself while trekking on trails. So, if you packed your day pack with unnecessary items, then it will be impossible to carry it for more than 10 days.
Also, if you try to hire a porter at high altitude, it will cost you a lot. So, be cautious while managing your backpack and make it as lightweight as you can. It will help you to focus more on natural beauty and less on the stress put by the weight of the day pack on your back.
9. Maintain Good Health
Maintenance of good health is most if you are attempting Everest Base Camp trek alone. Your entire trip depends upon you. So, if you feel sick or uneasy, then your whole trip will fail and remain incomplete. To maintain good health during the whole trek, do some hiking practice, strength, and cardio training before heading towards the destination.
Similarly, during trek, eat hygienic food and avoid ordering meat as much as you can. Also, make sure that you eat enough food during each meal without being uncomfortable. Moreover, keep your body hydrated by drinking plenty of water i.e., 5-6 liters daily. Make sure to drink only purified water. Furthermore, get enough sleep during the whole journey to avoid disturbances during the trekking time.
10. Carry Required Medicines
Injuries are common and possible for both solo trekkers as well as trekkers with guides. However, trekkers to Everest Base Camp without a guide and any other individuals, which will result in slightly more injuries than the other group trekkers. Also, there is less chance of getting access to medicines in high altitude and there will be no supporter or agency with you who will look after your injuries and supply medicines to you.
So, for the solo trekkers, it is quite important to pack both first aid kit and personal medicines wisely. It should contain all the required medication as you are going to trek for more than 10 days and there is no one upon whom you can rely. During the entire trip, you are your own doctor.
Some most carried medications are;
- Cotton roll
- Dressing gauze
- Band-Aids
- Painkiller
- Omeprazole (For gastric problems)
- Antiemetic (To control vomiting)
- Loperamide (For diarrhoea)
- Diamox (For the altitude sickness)
- Cold medicines
- Throat Lozenges (For the sore throat)
- Paracetamol (For mild headaches)
- Water Purifying tablets
- Blister Bands etc.
11. Use Local Guide
Even if you are going for solo trek to Everest Base Camp, we recommend you at least take a local guide with you for your ease. Above mentioned all the points can be easily handled if you pick an experienced and professional guide with you. They can provide guidelines regarding which season to go for trek, which routes should be chosen for safety, how to interact with the locals, what is the history of the certain monastery/community/cultural group etc.
We can’t say that going for a solo trek by the guide only will solve all your problems but we can make sure that it will solve your 60% of problems. However, if you want to get rid of all the problems ranging from the struggle to pack the gears to obtain the permits, then book your trekking date with the local trekking agency of Nepal.
Everest Base Camp Solo Female
Solo female trek to Everest Base Camp is possible and safe, too. When it comes to solo female trek, people think that they can’t achieve it because they are less efficient to complete the challenging route by herself. However, this is just the myth. Be it male or female, if one is determined and has passion to undertake the challenges, then nothing will be impossible.
Saying all these, we will not say that the entire solo female trek to Everest Base Camp will be hassle-free and problem less. It is sure that you will be facing some problems but if you look deeply, there will also be solutions to all those problems. Some problems that solo female trekkers have to face are; chances of misleading by locals, hard to find a decent place to spend the night etc. However, these problems should be faced by solo male trekkers too, not only females.
You should focus less on problems and put high emphasis on solutions to tackle problems. Be strong enough to believe in yourself and your will to cope with the difficult situation by solving them precisely. Make sure to pack the right gears with you and carry all the required permits and documents. Apart from some problems, you can enjoy comfortably in the lap of Mt. Everest without any distractions.
However, if you feel risky to trek alone, then you always have the option for taking a female guide with you or joining in the female group for extra security. Prime Himalayas will help you both in hiring professional local female guides and organizing the trek for female groups with high safety and security.
Additional Tips for Everest Base Camp Solo Trekkers
- Don’t forget to carry Nepalese currency while you are on a solo trek as you can’t get access to an ATM in the high altitude.
- Before heading towards Everest Base Camp trek alone, learn about the local culture and communities in depth and respect them
- Leave the way for the Yaks and Donkeys and don’t tease them
- Carry the trekking map with you all the time and make sure to mark the entire routes before heading towards the journey.
Solo Everest Base Camp Trek is one of the wonderful opportunities that will provide uncountable memories which you can cherish for lifetime. However, as we already said trekking alone is not easy because it demands for a lot of physical and mental preparations. So, if you are ready to face any difficulties that the solo trek puts you in, then you are ready for it and you will also have an exciting time over the Himalayas.
However, if you are still not ready for all the obstacles but want to continue the journey, then you can always go with the Everest Base Camp Trek with a guide option. Prime Himalayas will help you to manage the professional and registered guide and porter for your solo trek to Everest Base Camp. Also, if you want our help to book the teahouse, to obtain the required permits and to prepare the best itinerary, then don’t hesitate to contact us.