An Independent Trekkers Guide To Everest Base Camp - Guide or No Guide?

Trekking in Nepal was flourished after Jimmy Roberts officially registered the ‘Mountain Travel Trekking agency’ in Nepal in 1964; Since then trekking to the Everest Base Camp of the Himalayan region has become the dream of every enthusiastic trekker across the world. Every year, almost 20,000 to 30,000 trekkers visit Nepal just for trekking. Among these trekkers, few trekkers prefer independent and solo trekking. We hope this blog can be an independent trekkers guide to Everest Base Camp Trek.

Trekking in the Everest Region individually and solely saves time, money and energy. Also, the itinerary of the trek can be managed by oneself and we are the master of our own while trekking; therefore these days many trekkers want to trek to Everest Base Camp individually.

Can you trek to EBC on your own? - An Independent Trekkers Guide To Everest Base Camp

Yes! Everest Base Camp Trek is a moderate trek that can be accomplished by the novice, veteran, solo, individual, teenager and mature trekkers of average physical stamina. If you are keen to trek individually or solely, then EBC Trek can be easily accomplished with month-long plans and prior trekking details.

There are lots of confusions regarding solo trekking and individual trekking. We have prepared this short info especially for the individual and solo trekkers who want to enjoy the awe-inspiring EBC Trek. Short Everest Base Camp Trek is the easiest and shortest Everest Region Trek which is the best trekking option for solo trekkers.

What is the difference between solo trekking and individual trekking?

Don’t get confused about solo trekking and individual trekking; these two terms are completely different from one another.

Solo trekking refers to trekking with guides and porters but without any trekking partners. We recommend you to prefer solo EBC trek than individual trekking.

Hiring guide plus porter, or guide cum porter is always the wise decision: All the bookings of flight and lodges are carried out by guides; also they keep a record of trekking route; and in case of emergencies or AMS symptoms, they provide you first aid too.

Individual trekking means trekking lonely without any guides, porters or trekking partners. This trekking is perfect for the trekkers who don’t want to spend extra expenses on guide and porter.

In this trek, trekkers are responsible for everything related to Trek; they need to possess maps of the routes and accommodation destinations. It is also trekkers’ duty to select the best trekking seasons, book domestic flights, purchase permit cards, keep weather update and all others.

Both solo and individual trekking are better options for the trekkers who want to enjoy the hassle-free and worry less EBC Trek including Classic Everest Base Camp Trek.

The things to be considered while trekking as solo or individual trekker:

Visa-on-arrival:

After landing at Tribhuwan International airport, trekkers need to get visa-on-arrival to stay and travel in Nepal. You can get a visa at the airport after filling the application mentioning the full detail information of yourself and how long you stay in Nepal. Trekkers need to submit application, passport, recent photo and should pay U$D 30 to U$D 40 for 30 days. The price of the visa may increase or decrease on how long you stay in Nepal; get a visa after checking the itinerary and don’t forget to add 1-2 buffer days. The trekkers who want to enjoy a longer trek can book Gokyo-Chol La-Everest Base Camp Trek.

Trekking Permit and legal travel documents:

While trekking in the Everest Region, every trekker needs to purchase Sagarmatha National Park permit (U$D 30-35) from Nepal Tourism Board. In past, there was compulsory to have TIMS Card; whereas trekkers nowadays need to purchase Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Permit (KPLRM Permit) to trek in the Himalayas. You can buy KPLRM Permit at Lukla showing your identity card at U$D 20.

Trekkers need to show these permit cards in different Tourist checkpoints to get further trekking permission. Without trekking permit, trekkers are prohibited to trek in Everest Region. To get permits, trekkers must have legal documents like passport, recent photographs, travel itinerary, insurance number, etc.

Flight tickets:

If you are planning to trek individually in the Himalayan region, you need to book the domestic Kathmandu – Lukla – Kathmandu flight ticket. Normally, the flight ticket is booked by agencies if you are trekking with the company; but it falls upon your duty to book tickets. You can do online bookings from anywhere in the world. The price of the ticket depends upon seasons: In offseasons, the ticket price may be cheaper whereas, in peak seasons, the price may be increased. Jiri – Everest Base Camp Trek is a better option for the trekkers to minimize the cost by cutting off the flight ticket.

*The flight may be delayed for few hours or get canceled if the weather is unfavorable. Neither trekkers get return money in this case; nor have they to pay extra money: you can fly on the same booked price when the climate goes normal.

Hotel booking:

While trekking to EBC, trekkers need to book the hotels or tea houses for comfortable and safe accommodation. During the peak seasons, there will be a shortage of rooms and solo trekkers need to live inside the camp. Especially solo trekkers don’t book the room previously and get suffered in the higher regions like Lobuche and Gorakshep.

To book the hotel, first, you need to have proper itinerary detail on where to stay for shelter. You can check the itinerary summary on our website. Once you finalize the accommodation destination, book the rooms online. The cost of the room is cheaper in the lower region while it is expensive in the higher region.

Keep route maps and detail itinerary:

Trekking is not that easy; it needs a lot of preparations and carefulness. There are various trekking trails to the EBC which are easy, moderate to strenuous. Most of the trekkers don’t have an idea about the trail; even some guides and trekking companies haven’t even explored some trails. In this case, trekkers need to purchase the Everest Region Map to trek through the comfortable trail. There are varieties of itinerary of EBC Trek; always prefer the AMS friendly itinerary while trekking in the higher elevation. Without itinerary, you don’t have an idea on how to reach, where to stay and where to acclimatize. Plan before you execute.

Hire guide cum porter:

Trekking in fun, but it can be a nightmare if you lost the trails in the Everest Region. We have found many trekkers wandering in the trails due to a lack of trail knowledge. If you hire the experienced guides cum porter who can speak English and have a record of trails. The guides will make your trek easier and comfy by carrying the bag-pack and also by taking you through the short and safe trails.

Trekking in the Himalayan region may be difficult due to lack of communication. There may also be the possibility of being cheated by local hotel owners too; so it is wise to hire the guide cum porter to trek Short-Classic EBC Trek as well as other EBC Treks.

Conclusion:

Nepal is also known as paradise on Earth due to its aesthetic natural beauty, geographical diversity, religious tolerance, architectural excellence, cultural prolificacy, cerulean landscape, traditional lifestyle, and tantalizing peaks. With the popularity of EBC Trek, there are lots of individual trekkers, who want to trek in the Himalayas; but due to lack of proper guidance and information, they are forced to trek in the group.

Everest Region Trek is not that easy; it needs concrete plans and perfect execution; therefore many trekkers consult with the companies and join the group trek on fixed departure dates. Group trekking is a comparatively burden-free trek than the individual trek in which you need to arrange everything on your own, but trekking as solo or individual trekker offers the exquisite and everlasting experience. Trekking individually can also minimize the expenses. Check our Budget EBC Trek, if you want to trek at affordable and reasonable price.

There are still a few restricted areas in Nepal where individual trekkers are prohibited from the trek. While booking Upper Mustang Trek and Dolpo Region Trek; consult with the experts and do lots of research before trekking to Everest Base Camp individually.

MMT is always there to help the individual as well as solo trekkers, please contact us for further details.