Everest

***Disclaimer*** We are sharing our experience with what we did on our trek with our kids. We consulted our doctor as well as have knowledge on acute mountain sickness (AMS), but we are NOT professionals. Please do your own research and talk to professionals before attempting to do any trekking at high altitude with kids. If you plan to bringing them, please do extensive research on altitude sickness and the symptoms, as kids are not able to facilitate medical symptom diagnoses like an adult. Their bodies are smaller, quicker to succumb to the effects of altitude sickness. Also, buy helicopter rescue insurance, and carry a safety device like a Garmin InReach.

Here you will find our 17-day detailed itinerary for how we made our way to EBC with slow acclimatization for our kids. We did this trek unsupported, meaning without a guide or porter.

As of April 1, 2023, you may be required to have a guide to hike in Nepal. This will add a cost of $25-$35 US per day. The perks of a guide are that they plan your hiking days out as well as choose the tea house for you so you don’t need to worry about where you will stay, but you can still have some say in where you stay if you like. They also have the knowledge of the mountain as well as look out for any signs or symptoms of altitude mountain sickness and have quick access to medical assistance if needed.

Prior to us embarking on this trek we were in contact with a guiding company who gave us very valuable information and continued to stay in contact with us throughout our trek in the event we needed anything. The contact info is here: Padam Raj Adhikari.

The tea house you stay at is also where you eat. If you decide to go eat at another tea house then where you are staying they will charge you significantly more for the room. When choosing a tea house to stay we always asked to see a menu first before committing to that lodge. Traditionally we would only order two items, one was usually Dal Bhat (which is bottomless) and the other a pasta dish. These two meals filled us up until the next meal. We did also drink a lot of hot lemon drinks and hot chocolate to stay warm. Popcorn was also a huge hit in the snack department. Breakfast usually consisted of eggs on toast and pancakes, which we needed to order a third plate for a lot of the time.

Day 1: Flew from Kathmandu (1440 m) to Lukla (2840 m)

• Picked up permits at the gate (2000 RS x2, girls free)
• Hiked from Lukla (2840 m) to Monjo (2835 m) – 13 km
• Hike time: 6.5 hrs with 1 hr lunch stop
• Stayed at Summit Lodge Room 500 RS (included private bathroom, charging outlet, hot showers)
• Total bill 4505 RS

Day 2: Picked up National Park pass at the gate in Monjo before we left (3000 RS x2, kids under 10 free)

Monjo (2835 m) to Namche Bazaar (3440 m) – 6.5 km

• Hike time: 4 hr 15 mins

• Stayed at Alpine Lodge Room 2000 RS (included private bathroom, free wifi, charging outlets, hot showers)
• Total bill 15,110 RS for the two nights

Day 3: Rest day (acclimatization day)

Day 4: Namche Bazaar (3440 m) to Phungi Thanga (3250 m) – 8 km

• Hike time: 4 hrs

• Stayed at Zambala Lodge Room 500 RS (no bathroom in room)
• Total bill 5650 RS 

Day 5: Phungi Thanga (3250 m) to Tenboche (3860 m) – 3 km

• Hike time: 3 hrs

• Trekkers Lodge 1500 RS (private bathroom, charging outlets)
• Total bill 7350 RS

Day 6: Tenboche (3860 m) to Shomare (4010 m) – 6.5 km

• Hike time: 4.5 hrs, 1 hr lunch stop

• Pasang Lodge 500 RS (no bathroom in room)
• Total bill 5500 RS

Day 7: Shomare (4010 m) to Dingboche (4410 m) – 4 km

• Hiking time: 3 hrs

• Hotel Countryside 1000 RS (private bathroom, free charging outlet)
• Hot showers 600 RS
• WIFI 600 RS per 24 hours
• Total bill 18,400 RS for the two nights

Day 8: Rest day (acclimatization day)

Day 9: Dingboche (4410 m) to Dughla (4620 m) – 5.5 km

• Hiking time: 3 hrs

• Kala Patthar Lodge 500 RS (room only)
• Total bill 7900 RS

Day 10: Dughla (4620 m) to Lobuche (4910 m) – 3 km

• Hiking time: 2.5 hrs

• New EBC guesthouse 1000 RS (room only)
• Total bill 8100 RS

Day 11: Lobuche (4910 m) to Gorek Shep (5140 m) – 5 km

• Hiking time: 3.5 hrs

• Buddha Lodge 1000 RS (room only)
• Total bill 18,250 RS for two nights

Day 12: Gorak Shep (5140 m) to Basecamp (5364 m)/back to Gorak Shep (5140 m) – 7 km

Hiking time: 5 hr 15 mins, 30 min break at Basecamp

Day 13: Gorak Shep (5140 m) to Pheriche (4240 m) – 13 km

• Hiking time: 6.5 hrs, 1 hr 45 mins lunch/snack breaks

• Himalaya Hotel 1000 RS (private bathroom)
• Total bill 8500 RS

Day 14: Pheriche (4240 m) to Phungi Thanga (3250 m) – 12.5 km

• Hiking time: 6 hrs, 1 hr 15 mins lunch break

• Zambala Lodge 500 RS (room only)
• Total bill 5850 RS

Day 15: Phungi Thanga (3350 m) to Phakding (2610 m) – 19 km

• Hiking time 8.5 hrs, 1.5 hrs lunch break

• Sunrise Hotel 500 RS (private bathroom)
• 3400 RS

Day 16: Phakding (2610 m) to Lukla (2840 m) – 8 km

• Hiking time: 3 hrs

• Hikers Inn 1300 RS (private bathroom, hot showers, free wifi, charging outlet)
• Total bill 5890 RS

Day 17: Lukla to Kathmandu flight

Total spent: 113,340 RS ($1170.25 CAD)

100 Rupees is $1.03 CAD

Flights: $1889 CAD round trip from Kathmandu to Lukla for all four of us. Girls plane tickets were 33% less than our adult tickets. We booked these through a trekking company called White Hill Adventures, Treks and Expeditions. Very knowledgeable, and we stayed in contact and had them move our flights around upon return as well as gave our insurance info, in case of emergency, so they would be able to help us out while up on the mountain.

The higher up past Namche Bazaar we got the more expensive things became. 

• Wifi was no longer free. Cost averaged about 600 RS for 24 hrs or 1000 RS for 48 hrs. 
• Hot showers 600 RS 
• Battery bank charge 300 RS per hour
• Snickers bar 400-800 RS
• Bottled water 300-400 RS
• Roll of toilet paper 400 RS
• NCELL SIM card worked in some locations, but not all.

This 17-day itinerary allowed for us to acclimatize properly as well as hike at a pace our girls could handle on their own. Being able to go less kilometres in a day made for a really relaxing, stress free trek. It gave us plenty of opportunity to enjoy the scenery without feeling we needed to rush, explore the small villages and dry out our sweaty hiking boots. Being at the tea houses mid day also gave us the opportunity to visit with the owners and learn about their culture and way of life.

None of us, especially our girls, had any issues with the altitude and we believe it was because after Namche Bazaar (3440 metres) we cut our distance and elevation gain in half of what the traditional trekking schedule is. All in all we only took an extra 4 days above the average trekking schedule but this allowed for us to slow down and take in the beauty of the surrounding mountains.

***This is not a guide, this is a blog intended for entertainment purposes, and we do not recommend taking children to high altitudes.***