The Top Of The World: Everest Base Camp 1

#Hiking #Mountains #Nepal #Everest

The first hurdle in reaching Everest Base Camp isn't your stamina or acclimatizing to the altitude, but getting the plane up and down smoothly! 🛩️

From Kathmandu International Airport, a grueling 4-5 hour drive takes you to a small, shabby, and chaotic inland airport! Don't try to take a city-dwelling flight to Lukla; you'll never get on the plane!

Lukla Airport (renamed Tenzing-Hillary Airport in 2008) is known as the most dangerous airport in the world! Flanked by the Himalayas on one side and a cliff on the other, the runway is only 527 meters long, requiring aircraft to accelerate and decelerate on a slope. Even the slightest mistake can result in a fatal crash. 💀

For safety reasons, flights to Lukla are only possible on clear days. Due to frequent flight cancellations, Kathmandu's inland airport is packed with passengers waiting to board. Even if you've purchased your ticket, getting a boarding pass isn't guaranteed! From what I observed at the time, the domestic airport was packed with at least 300 people. The staff prioritized large groups of 10 or more, leaving individual travelers waiting on a waitlist. Getting a waitlist isn't easy either; it's best to ask a local tour guide to help you get one, or you'll be ignored.

Our domestic flights were booked through a local travel agency, for a 9:30 a.m. flight. The three of us finally boarded at 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m., respectively. We had to take two separate flights (from different airlines), so it doesn't really matter which ticket we bought. 😓

After obtaining our boarding passes, we had our luggage weighed. The carry-on baggage plus checked luggage could not exceed 15kg, otherwise there would be a fine (we think the scale was slightly manipulated; we were both 1kg over the limit). We then went through a simple manual security check, like a Didi-style bag check, and were allowed to board!

The flight to Lukla was a small plane, with only 18 seats, including the flight attendant seats. You could choose your seat freely! We recommend sitting on the left side for a great view of the snow-capped mountains. The flight lasts 25 minutes, and the flight attendants will distribute mints and cotton wool (ear plugs) to passengers.

Arriving in Lukla marks the gateway to climbing Mount Everest! Lukla is the starting and ending point for this 12-day climb to Base Camp. It's a relatively well-maintained town.

Mountain climbing travelogue...to be continued...

Post by 得果幾日假去旅行都要去行山 | May 9, 2023