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A hard trek but really rewarding - the best trek I've ever done. The surroundings are unbeatable. I am glad I did this with Exodus - I felt sorry for a few people who were trying to a similar trek independently (even though I've done treks independently myself in the past).
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Reaching the summits of the 3 amazing passes with the support of a great group of people and a brilliant leader was just superb. There were so many views and places which made me feel quite emotional because they are so special. The views from the top of the passes, from Gokyo Ri and Kala Pattar stand out for me.
What did you think of your group leader?
Pasang is a top guide, top leader and top man. He is a model to all guides in fact. He is well known and respected throughout the area and his knowledge, organisational ability and understanding of others are tremendous. He really is the best. If you have Pasang as your leader you are so lucky.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
If you like trekking don't miss this but don't underestimate it. Make sure you have good equipment. Spending so many days above 5000 metres is hard and it can be very cold, especially in the hut bedrooms! The food available is good though and you're well looked after in the lodges.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Go for it!
Kevin Alderson
HIGH PASSES OF EVEREST
Written
The best Everest trek there is. It's tough, no doubt about it, but the rewards are worth it!
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Watching the sun setting over Everest from Gokyo Ri. Hard to describe how good it makes you feel.
What did you think of your group leader?
Lakpa, our head guide is a real local expert and a great laugh, he really made the trip even more enjoyable
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Bring plenty of snacks, you're gonna need them!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you can get the extra time to make this trip, it is definitely worth adding on the high passes if you are only considering Base Camp at present
Frances Murray
HIGH PASSES OF EVEREST
Written
An amazing experience which totally superseded my (pretty) high expectations. Great group, fantastic leadership team and a very rewarding itinerary- felt we really got to see places most people wouldn't get to explore
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Without doubt the whole holiday was inspirational- whether it was the cultural experience of the commotion of Kathmandu, the sense of remoteness and wilderness or the sense of achievement in completing the High Passes and summiting the mountains.
What did you think of your group leader?
It was very clear from the start that Pasang was well connected and respected- from his colleagues who also provided excellent support, to the hotel staff in Kathmandu and the other leaders we met whilst on the trek. He provided timely, accurate and essential advice and recommendations each evening so that when we got up the next day, we knew what we'd be getting up to! He also had a great sense of humour (particularly as he liked to mock my Norn' Irish accent) and it felt like he never took a break the whole trip. He was simply, outstanding. Exodus is lucky to have him.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Do bring reserve Bank of England notes to change in Namche on the way back down- I think we were all running a bit tight close to the end.
Be prepared to be hungry!! It's amazing how much your body needs when you are at altitude for so long- we were constantly wolfing food down!!! And this is against the principle that you loose your appetite with altitude.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
A brilliant itinerary, at times tough but uber rewarding. Sign up and you'll have a ball!
An unforgettable trip, for all the right reasons. Travelling through the world's highest mountains, having to dig deep into my mental and physical reserves, all with a great group and leader (Pasang). This is the trek to do.
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
All the peaks and passes we climbed. Particularly the passes, as then the sense of journey became real, looking back from where we had come and looking forward to where we were about to go. Also our group, all very different, but with a common purpose. Lastly, the the the people who lived and worked in the mountains. Their self reliance and work ethic and a ready smile are an example to all.
What did you think of your group leader?
Pasang had a real love and enthusiasm for the mountains. His briefing talks each evening were delivered with eloquence and humour, and gave a real feel for what the following day would bring. He was also an effective motivator during the tough times and helped make them a little easier. Probably one of the most importatnt factors in a trip such as this is how everyone acclimatises and stays healthy. Pasang was key in this respect constantly ensuring that we were given advice on how to avoid altitude sickness and stomach bugs.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
You will need plenty of determination, stamina and lungpower. There are 18 days of trekking where for 9 days you are sleeping between 4500 and 5200m, and each day climbing to well above 5000m. Make sure that you're fit enough not to wake up each morning feeling muscle stiffness, fatigue or with sore feet. Eat and drink as much as you can.
You will probably need more money than you think on trek. Water is expensive at high altitude and you can be spending around £7 per day just on this.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you have the time and are fit this by far the best trek that Exodus offer in Nepal. This was my first trek, and although I found it hard, it is an extremely satisfying trip, as apart from the Namche to Lukla section, it doesn't repeat any of the route.
What a fantastic adventure in an unbelievably beautiful part of the world. The weather was amazing, the scenery was stunning, the group got on so well, the leader was superb, the food was excellent, and the accomodation was way better than expected. I feel very privileged to have been able to experience this place.
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
A small local girl (max 3 years) on first day of trek standing next to side of path we were on. With no prompting, as I walked past she stretched her hand out and handed me a small wild flower, smiled and waved me on. She was looking for nothing in return.
Barry, the oldest guy in our group (65), who was unfortunately ill for most of the trip (probably 14/18 days) and did not look well for much of that time, managed to the top of every peak and every pass. He was an inspiration for the rest of the group.
The emotion of being at Everest Base Camp on the 6th anniversary of my dads death and building a stone cairn there, realising that his love of the outdoors when I was little had a large part to play in me being there.
Local porters carrying up to 20 sheets of plywood on their individual backs and walking uphill in a bent over position. One guy had 120kg of wood. They get paid 'well' but an unbelievably tough way to earn a living.
On the way down through Phakding, a young boy (maybe 5) who was standing outside a building with a glass window, steaming it up with his breath, turned round and walked across towards me. At the other side of the wall between us, he bent down and picked up an old rucksack and then walked round the end of the wall onto the main path I was on. He proceeded to hold out the rucksack for me to take, and turned round and held his arms out for me to put the rucksack on his back. He then marched off down the path in front of me with a rucksack that was way too big for him, much to the amusement of the watching locals. What is he dreaming of?
Taking a photo of the top of Ama Dablam with 20x optical zoom camera and zooming in to photo to see two guys and the shadow there bodies were casting, at the top of the mountain. It was amazing.
What did you think of your group leader?
Psang was the best group leader that we have had on any trip we have done with either Exodus or Explore. His organisational skills were great, he kept things simple and clear, he had a great sense of humour, and he successfully got everybody in the group round the complete trek.
He did such a great job of keeping an eye on all members of the group, noticing when people were not drinking enough, or maybe struggling a bit on a particular day. He didn't force his opinions on you, rather suggested things that he would do, leaving it for you to decide, and it was great testament to him that everybody took his recommendations on board.
He also slept like a banana :)
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
You do NOT need to take that many changes of clothes with you. My wife and I spent so long prior to travelling out to Nepal and then subsequently at Kathmandu before flying to Lukla, trying to work out many items we needed to take on the trek. After getting rid of more and more, we still ended up taking too many items. The pace is slow and most of the trek is at high altitude, so you dont really sweat. You do need a few layers.
10 / 11 people took Diamox on advice from the tour leader for most of the time at or above 4000m. I didn't and I was fine. My wife did and she was fine!
Use the shower at Hotel Zongla Inn (if you stay there of course!) . The floor was padded, the water was hot, and most importantly the plastic frosted glass floor to ceiling window faced the sun in the afternoon, so it was actually warm when you finished having your shower.
Most people in the group needed more money that had been recommended to take with you on the trek. Once above Namche Bazaar, you have nowhere to access money unless either your fellow travellers will lend you some or your group leader does cash advances.
Your guide and assistant guide may not travel back with you to Kathmandu. You need to ensure you have enough additional money to tip them before flying back to the city.
Take a metal drinking bottle and use it as a hot water bottle.
Camel pac was the easiest method of drinking, although high up and early morning, the hose often froze up, so it is good to have an alternative.
Amazingly we were actually recommended to use plastic bottles of mineral water. (or boiled water) rather than treating the local water with iodine etc. Turns out there are a number of plastic bottle recycling plants in the area we were trekking (really!)). Only one person out of the 11 in our group chose to use treated water.
Do not have any concern about the food. It was, almost without exception, very good. Even in the highest camp at Gorak Shep (5180m), they had a comprehensive menu (8 breakfast choices, 8 soups, 6 noodle dishes, 4 rice dishes, and even pizzas (really). The availability of meat higher up was more limited, although chicken was still available at 5180m. It does get more expensive the higher you get as does the water. If you eat more than others you pay more than others! You will love the Sherpa Stew!
You don't actually need to take any chocolate bars with you. Almost every tea house had mars, snickers, some had bounty bars, most had packets of Macvities Digestive Biscuits and Pringles (or equivalent). Many tea houses also did big plates of popcorn.
Some tea houses are warmer than others, even when some have their yak dung burning stoves in operation they were still fairly cold, and I am talking about the dining areas and not the rooms.
We both had Rab Expedition jackets with us, but for most of the trip didn't really need them. In November there was no rain, so a smaller standard down jacket would probably have done. They were great first thing in the early morning starts, but got too warm to wear for too long when the sun was out. They were good as an extra blanket on a couple of occasions.
The rooms are in the main comfortable, but do make sure you take a pillow case with you. Above about 4500m it is very cold at night. We had between -10C and -15C in a couple of the tea houses. I don't generally notice the cold so much but for a number of nights had 4/5 season sleeping bag, thermal liner bag inside, two layers on top half, thermal bottoms, socks and a woolly hat. My wife had hot water bottle most nights above 3000m.
The accommodation was much cleaner than expected. We deliberately went late in the year after being told there were less people in general trekking at this time, meaning less throughput for the tea houses.
Battery charging is available at almost all tea houses, with prices going up with the altitude. Many people on the trekking route had fancy cameras with them. Because of the weight I only took a Panasonic TZ30 compact. I had three batteries with me, and they needed recharging probably 3 times each for the 2200+ photos. The batteries for the DSLR's seemed to last better than the compact batteries.
Put your batteries inside your sleeping bag to keep them warm.
I took a one hour charger for 4*AA (or 4*AAA) batteries with me. That proved great for GPS batteries.
Yak Traks were ideal for crossing Ngozumpo glacier. Some people had crampons. We only needed them for around 40 minutes on a single part of the whole trip. The Yak Traks have since been used back home!
Make sure you have buff(s) with you if you are walking late in the year (Oct/Nov). Many of the paths were very dry and dusty, and walking in a line there was a lot of dust kicked up. Many people spent quite a lot of time with buffs over their noses.
There were a couple of opportunities to have clothes washed by the porters. Be warned. They will NOT wash your underwear.
Do not underestimate how much liquid you need to drink. Stick to the advice given and DO NOT drink less that that amount. Otherwise you WILL regret it. Your pee should be 'clear and copious'.
No matter how much you eat, you will lose weight because of the altitude. Putting on a few extra pounds before the trip would not be a bad thing.
Take up Geocaching before you go. www.geocaching.com. There are a few to be found around the trek!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The pace was pretty slow at times which was probably ideal for the slowest members of the group. For the early parts it also helped greatly with the acclimatisation.
Our group did resemble a herd of sheep occasionally with people in single file, one person close in behind the other. If that didn't suit you could hang back.
It was amazing to see Yaks crossing mountain passes at 5500m.
Everybody in our group had either done one or more of G20, Kilimanjaro, Mont Blanc. Some had also done other Himalayan treks, but they said this one bettered the others. It was a tough trek, but perhaps not as hard as some of the group expected. The acclimatisation period probably helped considerably, and where several people had suffered fairly badly with altitude on Kilimanjaro (including my wife), the same problems did not arise on this trip.
The weather we had for the trip was unbelievable. There was only really one afternoon that the clouds came in and the view disappeared and the temperature dropped significantly. That made for spectacular landscapes and helped create some outstanding photos, and I am sure helped with everybody's enjoyment of this wonderful journey.
Do it now. Don't wait. You wont regret it for a single second.
Barrie McGevor
HIGH PASSES OF EVEREST
Written
Definitely the most demanding and rewarding trek I have done. Far more than, for example, the Annapurna Circuit.
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
There were many “big moments” on this trek. Climbing five peaks over 5km was demanding - to put it mildly – but also very rewarding as they all afford great views. The high passes were awe inspiring but the descents were even harder than the climbs and demanded concentration and fitness. Crossing the glaciers were possibly the hardest parts as they were tough challenges at the end of long, hard days. But we did it.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our leader inspired great confidence, as anyone who has climbed Everest would. His tales of climbing peaks over 8km and of a candlelight ascent of the iconic (for us) Ama Dablam were a treat in themselves. If I have a criticism it is that he sometimes under-reacted a bit. We lost a guide and a porter with Acute Mountain Sickness and but for the intervention of a team of medics, who happened to be sharing our accommodation, the guide could have been even more seriously affected. We were then two short on our support team and unable to replace them (where do you find people that far from a town?). I think the training of leaders and contingency plans for loss of support personnel are something for Exodus to consider.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Read the blurb. It says it’s tough. Believe me, it’s tough! If you can’t go to the Lake District and climb Scafell or Great Gable every day for a week, you aren’t fit enough. Yes you do get fitter and stronger as you go (more so if you're younger) but this is substantially offset by the effects of altitude and oxygen starvation. If you aren’t fit enough you will not be able to appreciate the incredible scenery you are walking in and you will also affect your fellow trekkers having to stop and wait for you all the time.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
If you aren’t fit enough, get fit. And then do the trek. This is a great experience if you love mountains.
Finally, don’t listen to scare stories about Lukla airport – people would pay money just to fly in and out of this incredible place. You should, however, be aware of the potential for delays. We lost two days because the airport was fog bound – not an unusual occurrence. We ended up paying £450 each for a helicopter to take us somewhere close because planes couldn’t land – and flying in one of those isn’t something I’d repeat too quickly! Not sure yet if the insurance will help with this. However, we couldn’t have done the whole trip otherwise and we weren’t going to allow that without a fight. I think Exodus (and other companies using this airport) should be a bit more up-front about the chance of delays and get some contingency built in, like a call off contract with helicopter companies for flights at reasonable rates. And make sure the insurance you offer does cover this eventuality.
What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The views from Gokyo Ri and all three passes were superb although it is difficult to choose as you have magnificent scenery "in your face" the entire trek. Sunset over Ama Dablam and Everest viewed from Thyangboche was for me a special quiet moment.
What did you think of your group leader?
Pasang and his entire team were terrific. Nothing was too much trouble and although the atmosphere was laid back they carried out their duties with a high degree of professionalism.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Do not underestimate the toughness of the trek and be prepared for very cold nights. Take plenty of cough sweets with you as Strepsils were £9 a packet in Namche.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Go for it and be prepared to have your mind blown away by the magnificent scenery.
from 23 reviews.
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