Everest Base Camp Trek

An Everest Base Camp trek is not to be sniffed at, an 11 day arduous and demanding trek to the bottom of the greatest mountain on the planet is quite frankly a challenge of a lifetime. It is not a traditional family vacation. Of course this does not mean that you can pack your trekking boots and hit the trail with a five year old but for all those households with restless teenagers looking for entertainment the road to EBC (Everest Base Camp) is fantastic.

For the adventurous family with teenagers, aged 16 plus, a few tour operators will now let you go on the traditional Everest Base Camp trek - a 12 day trek from Lukla to Base Camp at 5,365m. Having a couple of acclimatization days in Kathmandu you are then swiftly flown into Lukla, a Sherpa village perched just above the Dudh Koshi or ‘River of Milk'. This can be the gateway to the Everest region and you start your trek with a brief downhill trek to Phakding before embarking on the 7 day upward climb.

As soon as you initiate the trail life on trek will not get easier. A family vacation to EBC involves basic, locally run tea homes that get colder and dirtier as you climb, no bathrooms - return to nature the entire way and there is the altitude illness to deal with. A permanent headache, lack of sleep and generally feeling unwell are only part of this course for EBC trekkers. The downsides of a trip like this do outweigh the positives for some folks but for a family I couldn't recommend it enough. The hard conditions have a tendency to bring everybody together on the trail, with a common goal everyone looks out for each other. And obviously upon attaining Base Camp the sense of achievement far exceeds your expectations. Base Camp moves location every year but my ending point overlooked a glacier whose icy ridge sailed around to meet the West Ridge of Everest.

The views on the way up are astounding, Kala Pathar towers above alongside its cousin Everest and you are treated to continuous encounters with all the Nepalese way of life. The rewarding views are made even sweeter by the fact you have actually earned them. For a family sharing this experience together is memorable. Career trekkers and climbers call EBC, the ‘big one' and to bag this trek is to hold a real badge of honor. For your teens there is not a better way to acquire a sense of pride and achievement required to succeed from the big, wide world.

Family holidays don't have to be all about package deals to the Costa del Sol. These holidays benefit the household little as the parents tend to stay by the pool or at the bar while the teens sulk nearby. Trekking to Everest Base Camp means that you discuss the hardships and the accomplishment together.

It's the very diverse, scenically spectacular trek I've ever completed. You have a remarkably rich Buddhist and Sherpa tradition with temples and monasteries, locals trading along the trail, and yaks with sacks of salt coming across the pass from Tibet.