I am in the initial stages of researching a guided trek to the Nepal side base camp. Initial research indicates that there are all types of guide services available. Obviously I am looking for a reputable company, one that is established and not a fly by the night operation. Does anyone have any first hand experience with any trekking company that offers this trek?

Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

A good friend on mine a 62 year old general surgeon made the base camp trek with a medical group. Three of the docs had to be medivaced because of altitude sickness. He trained for several years and took Diamox to ward off altitude sickness. You better be in the shape of your life. He went with a medical group which made the arrangements for sherpas etc. Even then, there were problems with GI illness and weather. I do not have the name of any particular group.

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Originally posted by Bulldog:
Any suggestions are welcome.

I'm thinkin' a couple of extra pairs of wool socks.

My uncle has been twice, I think.
He used to climb until an avalanche in New Zealand nearly killed him.

I think it'd be awesome to go to base camp, I don't really have much desire to summit.

Can you share est cost to visit base camp, when you have it, ballpark?

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
A good friend on mine a 62 year old general surgeon made the base camp trek with a medical group. Three of the docs had to be medivaced because of altitude sickness. He trained for several years and took Diamox to ward off altitude sickness. You better be in the shape of your life. He went with a medical group which made the arrangements for sherpas etc. Even then, there were problems with GI illness and weather. I do not have the name of any particular group.

The trip would be several years off at this point. Yes, physical conditioning, preparation, and good luck are key. I've been fortunate enough to have traveled to a variety of third world countries, so I have the general knowledge and experience to be careful of what to eat and drink, however, even best plans and knowledge just aren't enough at times, that's where luck comes in.

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Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by Bulldog:
Any suggestions are welcome.

I'm thinkin' a couple of extra pairs of wool socks.

That's a good starting point!

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
My uncle has been twice, I think.
He used to climb until an avalanche in New Zealand nearly killed him.

I think it'd be awesome to go to base camp, I don't really have much desire to summit.

Can you share est cost to visit base camp, when you have it, ballpark?

This would actually be a HS graduation present for my son and I. We love doing all types of adventures, exploring, and experiencing things. My desire is to provide him with this amazing opportunity to do something epic before life takes him on his own path.

Cost wise, so far I am seeing prices without airfare to Kathmandu and a 14 day round trip trek anywhere from $3500-$7500 per person. Some include multiple daily meals, others meals and sherpa services. Most lodging seems to be in teahouse aka bunkhouse. I think this is what will really separate the trekking companies apart, some of the accommodations seem to be more rustic then others. I'm not as concerned about that as I am making sure the company is well run and reputable.

All accomodations are rustic by our standards. Gotta be careful what you eat. My friend was careful but had lots of diarrhea near the end. He told me there were lots of unintentional screwups, like having to be evancuated by an old Russian made helicopter back to Katmandu. He did say he and his college age daughter had a good experience. I would look at University groups who do these treks on an annual basis.

Bulldog - I did the trek to the Base Camp of zMt Everest in 1990. I went there with a youth group organized by the Neheru Mountaineering Institute, one of the 2 Govt. Mountaineering schools in India. It was a wonderful experience for us kids who were part of the program. We had about 12 guides, all members of the Indian Army leading the group, and as such the trek waas very memorable. We has acclamatizes for about 3 weeks at higher altitudes, but despite that,
6 members of our group had to turn back as they could not deal with altitude sickness.
Overall, it is a great experience.
Email me if you want any additional info,, my email is in my profile.
-Sid

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
All accomodations are rustic by our standards.

Very true, to clarify, some have very basic amenities like a small heater in a common room and hot, running water. Others do not have anything more than a roof, walls, and a place to throw a sleeping bag.

Look for guides who are AMGA certified; its over-kill for basically a long hiking trip but, guys who attain that are squared-away on the hill.
Get fit, build-up your cardio, trail run and bike...make it apart of your lifestyle. Go do a few races, don't need to win just give yourself some goals to aim for.

The below outfitters all have yearly Everest trips, they're VERY familiar with that mountain and the region.

Alpenglow Expediions- I've worked with these guys on other business projects, they'd be at the top of my list. One of their founders I very much like Adrien Ballinger, one of the US's foremost high-altitude guides.

Alpine Ascents - one of the longstanding guide companies in the US, I wouldn't hesitate using them.

Madison Mountaineering- very strong and reputable stable of guides that they work with.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: corsair,

After reading Into Thin Air the trek to base camp definitely doesn't sound like a cakewalk.

That sounds like an awesome experience, and something worth putting the effort into to attain. I hope you are able to do it, and when you do be sure to come back and share your experience. I'd love to do something like that some day, but it's probably not in the cards for us due to price and the amount of time it would take away from work.

I used RMI for my Rainer trip, incredibly professional outfit; I highly recommend.

https://www.rmiguides.com/

It looks like the offer a base camp trip:

https://www.rmiguides.com/himalaya/lobuche

Oof
7k plus airfare, 23 days.

quote:

Originally posted by Ronin1069:
I used RMI for my Rainer trip, incredibly professional outfit; I highly recommend.

https://www.rmiguides.com/

It looks like the offer a base camp trip:

https://www.rmiguides.com/himalaya/lobuche

RMI is super-solid, the Whittiker's are highly respected

Thanks everyone for the guide recommendations.

It's now 28 years since we did Everest base camp and climbed a few lesser peaks. The guide we used has aged out, so I don't have a recommendation to offer.

A few comments though.

1) Altitude sickness is a threat above 10,000 ft for anybody at any time. Even climbers who've been to significantly higher elevations before can suddenly get ill on the next expedition. Be sure there is a decent oversight plan for your trek. Most of the group I went with were MDs who do serious high altitude research. They're the ones who pioneered Diamox and other protocols. Two of them evaluated each person twice per day. So yeah, your trek needs knowledgeable oversight. Some nausea, poor sleep, and headache are to be expected. Diarrhea is not uncommon, nor is loss of appetite. When it gets worse to where a person is breathless or has crackles in their lungs it is serious. The docs looked in our eyes, too, to look for swelling around where the optic nerve comes in, which indicates fluid buildup around the brain. Out of 20-24 people in each expedition I've been on, about 2 had to be sent back down (one on a stretcher). So a 10% rate of significant altitude sickness preventing continuation.

2) Diamox really does work. It is a diuretic, so about 12 hours after the first dose you'll start peeing like crazy. Don't take it at bedtime in your tent at high altitude when it is really cold outside! Most climbers take it as they start up, and then they discontinue as the begin descent.

3) Younger people seem to do worse with altitude. This may be self-selection though, where people who do ok will go on future trips but people who do poorly stop mountaineering, giving a false conclusion that younger people tolerate altitude worse than older. Still, it is worth be aware that contrary to most things about our bodies and aging, you may do better than your son.

4) Ascend slowly. Go high, sleep low. Hypoxia sets in during sleep because your pulse and respiration rates go down to a pre-set. During exercise they speed up as needed. Above about 12,000 feet you want to only ascend maybe 2,000 in a day, and then above that maybe only 1,000 feet in a day. That's hard to do on this trek but do try to build in plenty of acclimatization days.

5) I assume you'll fly into Lukla and trek from there. That's a crazy little village that you should probably move through quickly rather than stay there. We stayed about an hour walk from there, camping next to a teahouse. Looks like they've built bigger establishment there now. Beware lice in the teahouse bunks! Bring a thin cotton bag to sleep in, and a small inflatable backpacking pillow if you like. The Nemo Fillo is my current camp pillow.

6) Teahouse bunk rooms are/were quite dirty. They have yak dung fueled stoves, which has a particular smell. Much of the wood has been harvested decades ago, and the dung is everywhere, so you'll experience that!

7) Most arrive at basecamp with diarrhea. My theory is it is due to poor sanitary practices of the cooks. Treks will have a lead guide, the Sirdar, and then a bunch of physical laborers who do a bit of everything. I never saw them wash hands before prepping food, and the dish washing was less than great. Bring Imodium, and perhaps take probiotics daily.

8) Khumbu Cough is common. Probably a combination of very dry air plus yak dung dust. Expect to experience it.

9) The bathrooms get more and more primitive the higher you go. Just when you think it can't get worse, it does! The good news is they get better as you come back down. Outhouses, no running water. Bring some TP.

10) The Sherpas and porters are amazing! Tough, strong, and happy. They won't baby your backpacks though, so plan on carrying fragile items in your day pack. And, don't bother bringing gifts of modern high tech clothing, because they'll just sell it and keep wearing what they already have.

11) We had to pay a photography fee. It was a day or two into the trek and we came across a military check point. Research this and have the necessary cash if they are still doing this.

12) You'll feel like crap on the way up. A bit drunk and hung over, with a touch of the flu. At base camp after a day or two you'll feel kind of normal, but it will still be an effort to do anything physical. On the way down you'll feel really good, and by the time you get to Kathmandu you'll feel like Superman. Everything will be more intense - colors, sounds, sensations. Enjoy it for the few days!

13) I found overall strength and conditioning works better than concentrating on aerobic fitness. Trail quick-walking with a heavy pack and ankle weights was good. Weight lifting, biking, core exercises.

14) Leave time for snafus on the way in. Customs issues with your backpack arriving, bad weather delaying your flight to Lukla, etc.

15) Plan time for snafus on the way down. Flight issues at Lukla are legendary. Weather can shut down the route by mid-day, so I suggest booking the first flight of the morning from Lukla back to Kathmandu.

16) Leave time for sightseeing. Bhaktapur near Khatmandu is worth half a day. Hire one of the local guides at the English school who can show you lots of cool details and explain what you're seeing. Ours said just pay at the end what we thought it was worth. Kathmandu has some very interesting things to see. The funeral pyres on the river bank were something you don't see here.

17) Avoid off-brand airlines. Fly major trusted airlines as much as possible.

18) Take a good camera with good lenses, including telephoto. A good small digital with true optical zoom at the minimum. Bring batteries!

19) Diversions to other valleys are worth the time if you can. Cho Oyu is spectacular, and you can climb Gokyo Ri which has views across to Everest. Island Peak is spectacular.

I don't know anything about this company but their itinerary is informative. https://lifehimalayatrekking.c...e-camp-trek-map.html