Everest Base Camp Trekking Company

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A number of years ago, I started having a fascination with Mount Everest. Everything from the fact that it is the tallest mountain on earth to the sheer guts and determination it must take to even start a journey to the summit intrigued me.  The mountain itself is a draw, but so is the rich culture and the dramatic landscapes that lie within the Sagarmatha National Park.  While climbing to the peak might be a stretch for most people, a trek to Everest Base Camp is well within reach for anyone that is looking to check off one of the seven wonders of the world from their bucket list.

The Perfect Trekking Company

As I began my research, I read what seemed like millions of blog posts, reviews, articles and even watched dozens of YouTube videos.  It was important for me to get a feel for what the trek would entail both logistically and physically.  Being in a foreign country and hiking literally into thin air was a daunting task.  I had never experienced any type of altitude and this would be my first visit to Nepal.  While it is possible to do the trek entirely on your own; carrying your gear, arranging accommodation, and navigating the trails I opted to chose a trekking company that would get us to base camp and back safely.  I scoured the web comparing prices and weighing different trekking packages and overall there are many great companies out there.  I, however, want to give a raving review of Life Himalaya Trekking and convince you that this is the company you want to take you to Everest Base Camp.

Planning The Trek

There weren’t many reviews of Life Himalaya on the internet, but when I sent out the initial inquiry I received a response almost immediately.  Shiba, the owner of Life Himalaya, was very attentive to every detail leading up to our arrival in Kathmandu. All correspondence was done through email and Shiba was always great about getting back to me with any questions or problems I had during the planning process.  You’ll obviously need a passport for your travels to Nepal and you’ll obtain your visa upon arrival in Kathmandu.  All payments can be done through their secure website or if you prefer you can pay in person when you get there with cash (this is what I did).  They can accommodate large or small groups.  We were a group of three and had another amazing woman join us from the USA.  We didn’t know her beforehand, but we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect person to join us on our trek!

Arriving In Kathmandu

Arriving in Kathmandu, we were greeted right outside of the airport by our guide Birsha who drove us to our hotel in Thamel, which is the touristy area of the city. Literally, from this point onward we did not have to think about anything during the entire trek.  Shiba and Birsha took care of everything from our accommodations to our meals.  Our hotel in Thamel was modern, clean, equipped with free wifi and was right off the main street close to shopping and restaurants.  After settling in, we had a pre-trek meeting where Shiba went over logistics for the week with us and we even received a free weather-proof duffel bag and a Life Himalaya Trekking shirt.

Trekking To Everest Base Camp

During the entire trek, Birsha handled everything for us and catered to anything we needed.  All meals and accommodation are included in the price so we were able to choose from anything on the teahouse menus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Birsha was also very aware of how we were handling the altitude and wanted to make sure we were all feeling strong before we would continue on. Every morning he would ask how we were feeling and every night he would record our oxygen levels as well as our heart rate to make sure we were all within a safe range. He kept a great pace the entire time and made sure to take plenty of pictures for us. Our Sherpas were equally as incredible and I’m still amazed at how fast they were able to get to the next destination and secure our rooms for the night.

Arriving At Everest Base Camp

Even when we hit some hiccups in our itinerary, Birsha and Shiba were able to accommodate us with anything we needed.  I really want to stress this because had we not been with Life Himalaya we might still be stuck up in the mountains.  Weather is always a huge factor with travel, but even slight unfavorable conditions could call for all helicopters or planes to be grounded due to safety.  Our initial helicopter flight down the mountain from Gorakshep to Lukla was canceled and we were stuck at 16,900′ for an extra night.  Even with all the teahouses filled to capacity, Birsha was able to snag us sleeping arrangements for the unexpected sleepover under Everest. The following day our flight from Lukla to Kathmandu was also canceled, but Life Himalaya was able to book us rooms for the extra night as well as provide us with a few extra meals.  Finally,  our flight to get back to Kathmandu was delayed   Shiba was able to secure us a spot on a helicopter to get us back to Kathmandu so that we would not miss our long-haul flight back home.

Trust The Best

Again, I can not say enough amazing things about Life Himalaya! If Everest Base Camp is on your bucket list at some point in the near future, I highly recommend trusting Life Himalaya. They will get you safely up and down the mountain while enjoying every minute of your time in one of the most amazing places on earth!

For more inspiration, check out my favorite photos from the trek to base camp HERE.