Himalayan High: A visit to Namche Bazaar

by Kraig Becker on

One of the most famous and popular stops on the way to Everest is a village called Namche Bazaar, which is located at 11,286 feet (3440 meters). Most trekkers reach Namche on their second day of hiking, but to get there they must first conquer a very long, and challenging hill that is a test of stamina for just about anyone. In fact, that day on the trail is one of the most challenging of the entire trek, as you gain more than 2600 feet (800 meters) in altitude. Fortunately, nearly everyone who makes the trek ends up spending an extra day in Namche, giving them a chance to rest, acclimatize, and explore the place further.

Nestled along the crescent shaped slopes of the Khumbu Valley, Namche Bazaar is both charming and exhausting all at the same time. The narrow alleyways are lined with gear shops and teahouses, but you’ll have to climb more steps than you’d care to count just to visit any of them. It is especially disheartening when you arrive in the village after 3 or 4 hours of climbing, only to to discover that the lodge that you’re staying in happens to be on one of the upper tiers, and you’ll have to climb yet more stairs just to get to it. Luckily, Namche has some of the most comfortable and inviting teahouses in the entire region. You might even get a warm shower (for an extra charge!) and a TV in the common room.




With a population of roughly 1500 people, Namche is the largest town in the Khumbu Valley, and as such, has a number of amenities that you won’t find as you go higher. For instance, there is an actual bank in Namche, not to mention a police checkpoint, and a karaoke bar. Internet cafes are common as well, although I’m pretty sure they measure their connection speeds in terms of “baud” and not “megabits”.That population in Namche swells dramatically during the spring and fall trekking seasons of course, with backpackers and climbers flocking to the area in droves. It is not uncommon to hear a half dozen languages being spoken while you stroll the cobblestone streets past the numerous gear shops, and if there is anything that Namche has an abundance of, it is gear shops. If you’re a few days into the trek, and you find you’re in need of some piece of gear, then chances are you can find it in Namche Bazaar. Whether it’s boots, sleeping bags, or warmer clothes, you’ll find everything you could possibly need, often at excellent prices. Some of the gear is authentic, some are cheap knockoffs, but the village is an outdoor gear lovers dream come true, and while it is possible to resupply on some items later in the trek, everything gets more expensive the higher you go.

As I mentioned, you’ll actually spend a “rest day” in Namche to help you get use to the altitude and give you time for a bit of recovery. But that doesn’t mean that you’ll be taking it easy while you’re there. In fact, on my second day in Namche, my trekking group was up bright and early, as usual, and after breakfast we were on our way up a nearby mountain to continue working on our acclimatization. On that morning climb we actually went up an additional 1300 feet (400 meters), and got our first views of Everest, Lhotse, and one of the most beautiful mountains on the planet, Ama Dablam.

With our acclimatization climb out of the way, we were back in Namche by lunch time, and had the rest of the afternoon to spend at our leisure. Most of us took it easy, taking a nap, curling up with a good book, or playing cards in the lodge’s common room. Namche is the first part of the trek where altitude sickness begins to become a real concern, and it is important that you not only work on acclimatizing, but also get plenty of rest. You’re also burning a lot of calories on the trek and expending a lot of energy, therefore you’ll spend your rest days eating plenty of food and drinking lots of water as well.

Before long, your stay in Namche is over, and you’re back on the trail to ever higher, and ever smaller, villages. Each has their own unique character and each brings you one step closer to your ultimate goal – Everest. But when you depart Namche, you truly feel like you’re stepping into the High Himalaya and moving into more remote territory. The first few days are just a warm up for the adventure that is just ahead.


Next: On The Trail (Part 2)

Himalayan High: On the trail (part 1)

by Kraig Becker on

If you’ve been following the series of stories on my recent trek to Everest Base Camp, you already know that any trip to the Himalaya begins with a visit to Kathmandu, but before you can actually start the hike, you’ll also have to hop a flight to Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla as well. Once in Lukla, the trek actually gets underway, quite literally, immediately after you get off the plane. You won’t be picked up by any cars, taxis, or even a bus, but instead you’ll collect your pack, walk up a flight of stone stairs, and onto the path. The very same path that will eventually lead into the High Himalaya, and on to Everest itself.

But before you can go any higher, you must first go lower, and for the first day of the trek, you’ll actually be moving down. Lukla is located at 9380 feet (2860 meters), but in order to begin the acclimatization process, you’ll drop all the way down 8700 feet (2652 meters) as you make the hike to Pakding, the first stop on the way to Everest.

The initial day on the trail is a relatively easy one, as you’ll only spend about three hours hiking, on a mostly smooth, and easy to follow, route. Along the way you’ll wander through small villages built right onto the side of the mountain, and past Buddhist monuments covered in scared sutras, while the beautiful peaks of the Himalaya tower high overhead.

Even at that early stage of the trek you’ll begin to get a sense of what you can expect on the road ahead. The trail winds up and down steep slopes and across a number of suspension bridges that hang above gaping chasms, while an ice blue river, fed from a distant glacier, roars by far below. The trees and flowers are lush and beautiful, and in April, one of the prime times to visit the Khumbu Region, the air is filled with the fragrant scents of springtime in the mountains. Cool winds stir through the local flora and send dust from the trail into the air, something that is barely noticeable at lower altitudes, but will come back to haunt hikers in the days ahead.The road is far from empty, and you’ll encounter plenty of other trekkers along the way. Some will be in large groups, numbering close to 20, with several guides and a gaggle of porters in tow. Other, smaller, groups will be traveling independently, carrying their own packs and navigating their way without the use of a guide at all. But no matter if they’re part of a large, organized trek or going it alone, there is a camaraderie amongst trekkers on the trail, with friendly greetings, plenty of banter, and a lot of good-natured ribbing.

Trekkers aren’t the only ones who frequent the trail however, as there are plenty of Nepalis traveling between villages as well. Most impressive of these are the porters that you frequently see along the way, most of whom are carrying large, very heavy loads, up the steep mountain roads. While most of us are trying desperately to catch our breath, carrying just a 20 pound pack, these guys are hauling 100 pounds or more up into the very thing air. Worse yet they make it look easy, which can be rather dejecting at times.

Traveling through the Khumbu Valley is a challenge, especially as you move to higher altitudes. Fortunately, at the end of the day, you’re not climbing into a tent and hoping to get a good nights sleep. Instead, you’ll be staying in traditional Nepali teahouses, which have been a mainstay in the region for centuries. These teahouses offer simple accommodations with rooms that lack electricity and heat, but are small and comfortable, with a bed to roll your sleeping bag out on. They also have large common rooms where trekkers gather at the end of the day for warm meals, hot tea, and an evening of conversation and playingcards. A stay in the teahouse offers rest and relaxation, and a dash of local culture, that is an indelible part of any Himalayan adventure.

As I mentioned, the first day of the trek is short and not especially challenging. Trekkers drop in altitude to begin the acclimatization process, and for the most part, the hike is a pleasant walk through a beautiful area. But the second day is a completely different story. On Day 2, you’ll spend six to eight hours on the trail, and you’ll gain more than 2600 feet (800 meters) in altitude. Most of that will come after lunch, when you’ll begin a major climb that helps to make this one of the toughest days of the entire trek.

The final destination for that day is a place called Namche Bazaar, one of the larger, and more famous, villages in the Khumbu Valley. But in order to get to that place, you’ll need to climb a major slope. One that will test even the best conditioned trekkers. It is a long, grueling climb, that leaves you exhausted, gasping for breath, and more than ready for a break. But you’ll also feel a sense of accomplishment as well. You’ve conquered the first major hurdle of the trek, and you’ve climbed up to 11,305 feet (3446 meters). Fortunately, Namche Bazaar is also the first of two rest stops along the way, and the day after that long, brutal climb, you’ll have an opportunity to recuperate, acclimatize, and prepare for the journey ahead.

Next: A Visit To Namche Bazaar

Himalayan High: Lukla’s Tenzing-Hillary Airport

by Kraig Becker on

While Kathmandu is a unique and interesting city, it certainly isn’t a destination that draws you to Nepal. For most travelers to the region, myself included, it was simply a stop over until we could get on with our real journey, namely the trek to Everest Base Camp. After spending a day in the noisy Nepali capital city, I was more than anxious to get out of town, and get started with our hike.

The first stop for anyone traveling to Everest is Lukla, a small village located at 9380 feet (2860 meters). The town has the distinction of the only true airport in the Khumbu Valley region, and there are daily flights from Kathmandu. Named after the first two men to stand atop Everest, the Tenzing-Hillary Airport is the third highest in the world, but is best known for its unique landing strip, which runs 1729 feet (527 meters) in length, and actually goes up the side of a mountain at a 12% grade. That incline helps to slow down incoming planes at a more rapid rate, and actually assists aircraft on take off by helping them speed up more rapidly.

I set out from Kathmandu aboard a Twin Otter airplane, a utility aircraft that has been in service around the world for decades and is often employed in remote regions of the world. The plane seats 20 and is designed for short take offs and landings, perfect for getting in and out of Lukla. As luck would have it, when my trekking group scrambled aboard the plane in Kathmandu, I ended up in the very back of the plane, which gave me an excellent view into the cockpit, something that would later prove to be a bit scary as we made the approach into Tenzing-Hillary Airport.On the 45-minute flight from Kathmandu to Lukla you could practically feel the anticipation inside the cabin of the plane. We were all excited as we left the city behind and began to catch our first glimpses of the Himalaya themselves. Peering out the side windows, I caught sight of several snow capped mountains in the distance, while forests of rhododendron’s passed by on the slopes below. It was springtime in the Himalaya, and the whole region was in bloom.

Before long, we were making our final approach to Lukla, and my vantage point at the back of the plane, gave me an unobstructed view right into the cockpit, where I could watch both the pilot and copilot go about their business. This is a bit of an unusual sight, considering that most of the time when we fly, you can’t see what is happening up there, but on that small, Twin Otter, I could see exactly what the pilots saw, and in this case, that was a pretty scary sight.

Most of the flight, the view out of the cockpit window was generally what you’d expect, consisting of open sky or the occasional distant mountain. But as we came in for a landing, that view suddenly changed, and for a short time all I could see was a mountain wall looming directly in front of the aircraft. For several very long moments, that granite face blocked out all other views, and if you didn’t know any better, you’d think that we were about to fly directly into that rock face.

But the plane kept banking to one side, and slowly, ever so slowly, that gray wall of granite slid out of view, and a runway materialized, almost out of nowhere, in its place. The aircraft was in perfect position to land, and before we knew it, we were on the ground, rolling up the runway, and coming to a complete stop on the tarmac. After that, it was only a few minutes and we were out of the Twin Otter and on the ground in the Himalaya at last.

Once off the plane, there was little to do. We retrieved our backpacks almost immediately, and soon after that, we were on our way. Quite literally on our way. The stairs that lead up, and out of the airport run directly onto the trail that runs directly into the village of Lukla, and eventually the Khumbu Valley itself. The very same trail that will eventually lead to Everest Base Camp as well.

Next: On The Trail (Part 1)

Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Lukla, Nepal from Kraig Becker on Vimeo.

Swimmer completes Himalayan swim

by Kraig Becker on

A few days back we told you about Lewis Gordon Pugh, a British long distance swimmer and environmentalist, who had traveled to the Himalaya to attempt the highest altitude, long distance swim ever. At the time, he was in Gorak Shep, a small village near Everest Base Camp, acclimatizing and preparing to take his record breaking dip. Since then, he has completed the 1km swim in ice cold glacial waters, but not without a few scary moments first.

Pugh is considered one of the world’s top cold water swimmers, and has traveled the globe making similar swims in an effort to raise awareness of global warming and the effect it is having on the Earth’s environment. In this case, he went to the Himalaya to shine a spotlight on the disappearing glaciers there.

He might have asked himself what he was thinking the first time he took the plunge into Pumori Lake, at 17,700 feet. In his blog, Pugh called his test swim the most frightening day of his swimming career after he almost “went under” twice in 300 meters. The altitude played havoc with his body, making it impossible to breathe and zapping his endurance. Worse yet, he suffered from a bit of altitude sickness as well.

But the next day, Pugh regrouped, found his pacing, and completed his1km swim through waters that were just 36ºF in temperature. In his customary style, he also wore just his Speedo, swim cap, and goggles, which gives me the shivers just thinking about it. It took him 22 minutes, 51 seconds to cover the distance, and the exhausted swimmer was happy to be out of the water when he was done.

Having just been in the same area as Pugh a month or so back, I can tell you that it is difficult to walk and breathe there, let alone swim. I can’t even imagine how hard this must have been for him.

Himalayan High: A trek to Everest Base Camp

by Kraig Becker on

More than any other mountain, Mount Everest has always held an undeniable allure amongst the general public. Ever since it was first surveyed back in 1856, we’ve been fascinated by the massive peak that rises 29,029 feet above the Earth’s surface. Later, the world would hold its collective breath while explorers such as George Mallory and Andrew Irvine challenged the mountain, just because it was there. And later we would cheer when a young man from New Zealand, named Edmund Hillary, and his climbing partner from Nepal, Tenzing Norgay, stood atop the summit for the first time. The fascination turned a bit morbid when Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air told the tale of the that tragic 1996 climbing season during which 15 people lost their lives on the mountain. But that best selling book reintroduced a new generation to Everest, keeping its mystique alive and as strong as ever.

Climbing the mountain is an expensive and challenging endeavor, costing upwards of $50,000 and requiring a two month commitment to complete. Not many of us have that kind of time on our hands, not to mention that much disposable income, which makes it highly unlikely that we’ll ever stand on the summit ourselves. But the desire to see the mountain runs strong amongst adventure travelers, and each year hundreds of them make the trek to Everest Base Camp, just to experience a part of the mountain for themselves.

In April I had the privilege to make that trek for myself, spending 12 days hiking in the Khumbu Valley of Nepal, and ultimately arriving at Base Camp, located at 17,600 feet. Along the way, I passed through mountain villages, stayed in traditional teahouses, and experienced the Himalayan culture first hand, and all the while the stunning snow capped mountains of the region served as a breathtaking backdrop. The trip turned out to be everything I had hoped for and more, and while it isn’t an easy journey, for those who have always wanted to make it, it is definitely worth the hike.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing my experiences from the trek with Gadling readers. Hopefully I’ll be able to convey to you, in some small way, the sense of adventure and wonder that a walk in the Himalaya can produce. And that adventure starts in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal, and the gateway to those mountains.

Next: Kathmandu: Gateway to the Himalaya