Gokyo lakes and Everest base camp Having arrived in Katmandu via Delhi we were met by our tour guide Shailesh Tamang who for the next 19 days would be our go to advisor for all things Nepalese. The first night was spent in a Katmandu restaurant getting to know the rest of our group as well as sampling some of the local food. The next morning saw us all gathered for a pre dawn return to the airport in preparation for the flight to the mountain airstrip at Lukla in a small 16 seat aircraft. The views of the mountains and valleys during the flight gave us a sample of the sights we would experience during our trek. On arrival at Lukla and our baggage given over to the porters, who with seemingly superhuman strength carried 2 or 3 bags each, and we were off on our first day of trekking in Nepal. The first day of trekking was fairly short to ease us into what would progressively become tougher days of knee jolting foot pounding trekking. Our days took on a familiar routine of 7am breakfast, trek for a couple of hours then stop for refreshments at a teahouse then move on until lunch was taken at another teahouse and then onwards again until mid afternoon to our accomodation for the night. The teahouses are clean and very basic but do provide everything needed for this type of trip. Throughout the days of trekking there are a constant stream of porters, mules and yaks moving up and down the trail with supplies which adds to the whole experience of trekking in this mountain wilderness. The scenery is constantly changing as new valleys and mountains come into view at every turn of the trail, remember to look behind you as this view is as stunning as what lies ahead. During our trek we experienced weather that allowed walking in shirt sleeves as well as hand numbing bitter cold, so a good set of warm clothing is essential. There were a couple of extra early starts to climb Gokyo Ri and Kala Pattar to view sunrise over Everest which was well worth the extra effort. Our trek up and over Cho la pass was particularly tough as we had to walk through snow and when we started our descent more snow fell upon us, which for me just added to the whole experience. All in all this trip has left us with some amazing memories and a yearning to return one day.
We can't get over the class of service and total attention to details that the tour operator has provided us. I would highly recommend this agency for anyone traveling to Nepal. It's privately owned and goes the extra step to make their clients happy.
My wife and I did the Everest Base Camp Trek as organized by the local operator. We read guidebooks and numerous websites leading up to this trip, but nothing quite captured the awesomeness of the just being there in person. Each day of our trek was physically and mentally exhausting, but our guide saw to it that we were looked after - be it on the trail, dining, or settling in at the lodge each night. I could not be happier with how this trip was organized, and how Balaram and Ganga took care of us.