Day 4 (30/Mar/2026): Ramechhap - Lukla (2860m) - Phakding (2610m)
Memories from our trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC)
The day started early with the hope of getting good weather and we flying to Lukla. Plan was to have an early breakfast and reach airport by 6am. By 5:30am we were all down at the lawns for breakfast. Though not very hungry we grabbed some fruits and sandwiches and started walking to the airport. Ashish was already at the airport to ensure our group is first in the queue to get boarding passes. Yes, it is pretty much first-come-first-serve basis 😅.
Reached airport, got our boarding passes and now wait. Today there was no hassle of weighing and managing luggage. It was already at the airport somewhere. Today we noticed our boarding passes were printed and not hand written. This gave us some hope. However, all of us knew by now that there are a lot of dependencies which are beyond anyone's control to fly out of Ramechhap.
With boarding passes, security checks done, we were back in the waiting room. Sanjeev was back to tracking Summit air flights on Lukla Airport Live. We got to know Sam had reached Lukla - he had directly flow from Kathmandu to Lukla. AP team (Ghanshyam, Sam, Ashish, Chirring) were all co-ordinating and trying to get us on a flight at the earliest. Ofcourse all the effort was in the hope that weather would be good and flights would be operational.
We had a ray of hope when we saw Summit airlines land at Ramechhap. Unfortunately, we were not yet called. This flight left and kept us waiting. We saw Sita and Tara airlines land as well and take its passengers. We were all glued to Lukla Airport Live – trying to see if there is a Summit airlines leaving from there and in the hope it would come to Ramechhap. This was almost like waiting for a bus in a remote village of India not know when it would come yet waiting in hope that it would come soon and we would get on to it 😀.
Finally, we saw a Summit airlines flight take off from Lukla. All we had to do was wait for 20-30 minutes to know whether this was our lucky flight. And, yes, the flight which landed next at Ramechhap was indeed Summit Airlines! The wait was over and we were called to board. We also saw our bags being boarded onto the flight. So it was actually happening.
Flying to Lulka is an adventure in itself. The aircrafts are tiny, max 12-14 seaters and are largely operated manually by pilots. They fly at a relatively lower altitude and only experienced pilots can operate these flights. Our flight had one pilot and one air-hostess. The air-hostess directed us on our seating to ensure weight is distributed evenly across the aircraft. We are seated, the engine starts and it is pretty loud. Up until now we were mostly worried about when we will board. Now that we were actually seated, and the aircraft moving on the runway it sunk in that we were actually flying to the most talked about airport in the world – The Lukla Airport!
This is short 30 minute flight but plays an important means of connectivity to the start of EBC trek - Lukla. Apparently to reach Lukla by road it would take 19-20 hours. This flight journey was another unique experience. The aircraft flies low and one could see the roads carved through the hills. It’s a wonder how the pilot was able to navigate the aircraft through the hills, through the clouds even with low visibility. We were all trying to adjust to the turbulence and noise of the engine at the same time enjoying the views. As were just about getting used to aircraft, it was already time to land.
The runway at Lukla Airport (Tenzing-Hillary Airport) is approximately 527 meters (1,729 feet) long – one of the shortest runways. It features a steep upward gradient and is situated at an elevation of roughly 2,860 meters (9,400 feet), serving as the primary gateway for Everest Base Camp (EBC). We were all focused watching out of the window to view the landing. Even before we could soak into the surroundings, the aircraft had landed. It was moment to rejoice.
Once out of the aircraft, we saw Sam with the AP team waiting for us. From here on we didn’t have to worry about anything. AP team ensured we were all well taken care of. While we walked out of Lukla Airport, we were greeted to life-size golden colored statues of Tenzing & Hillary. A short walk from here was Mountain View Lodge where we were all headed for briefing before we start our trek.
It was bright sunny day and we all gathered at the terrace of Mountain View Lodge. The views from here were amazing. We could see a few snow-capped mountains from here. The plan was to use this place to freshen up, fuel ourselves with some hot Ginger Lemon Tea (GLT) and potato fries.
Once everyone gathered and had their tea, Sam introduced the support team that would be with us for next 11 days on this EBC trek. Apart from Sam, the founder of AP and Everest & Ama Dablam summiteer, three other guides Dorchi Dai, Sonam Dai and Chirring (younger brother of Dorchi Dai) would accompany us on this trek. We were lucky to have Sam lead and guide us on this trek. There were 6 sherpas - Ram Lakshman (who was the senior most), Mahindra, Japan Dai, Roshan, Ashwin, and Yogesh. Yogesh played dual role. Apart from the role of a sherpa, he also did the duties of a guide once we reached the tea houses.
We were a full team of 22 people - 4 Guides, 6 Sherpas and 12 Trek group members
Hyderabad Gang - A couple (Shyam & Shweta - senior trekker) and their friends Rishi and Gavish.
Yogesh (Rishi’s childhood friend)
Megha (the healer – she had medicines for all kinds of pains)
Rupal (marathon runner)
Gowthami (HR madam)
Sanjeev (my dear friend and mate from college. Everyone thought he was a doctor by profession)
Shobita (my dear friend and mate since grade 12)
Pankaj & me.
EBC trek group was all set and excited to embark on this journey. After all the meets and greets and everyone recharged, and it was time to actually begin the EBC Trek. We started around 9:30am, and a few minutes’ walk from the Mountain View Lodge, we came to the “Pasang Lhamu Memorial Gate” – official starting point of EBC trek.
I was thrilled when Sam said from here up to Phakding it’s all 'Nepali flat'. Even though Ashish described what 'Nepali flat' meant, I had not experienced. Little did know what it means to hike on a Nepali flat trail. The word flat is deceiving 😅. In a few minutes of walking we all got into our own rhythm and pace. Our guides also spread themselves to ensure there is one guide around every 3-4 members. I walked at a slow pace to avoid exertion and altitude sickness. Pankaj calibrated his pace with me. He either walked along side of me or right behind me.
Each sherpa typically carries around 25Kgs (2 duffle bags) and takes them to the next destination. They were so quick, we never saw them on our way. Four guides were always with the group, supporting members with different pace. No matter what, there would be one guide with the members who were ahead and one at the end to ensure all the group members were safe. Apart from accompanying, guiding us, the trek leads/guides also provided information about the surroundings, stories from their treks and lives. It was very great getting to know them and their interesting journeys.
The guides were constantly watching us to see if we were facing any issues, encountering altitude sickness, needed any support. Apart from trekking along with us, they would allocate rooms, coordinate our meals, take and place our orders, filling our water bottles with water and purifying tablets, ensuring we all ate properly, briefing us on the next day’s plans and just being a buddy for any support we would need.
Today was a sunny day and we didn’t need any extra layers. Lush green all around and with the mountains on one side the trail was beautiful. We could see small hamlets on the hills. I wondered how people lived in such secluded areas. An hour into the trek, we stopped for a break at a beautiful café called ‘Himalayan Sherpa Coffee’. The café’s had open sitting area which was overlooking a valley and beautiful hilltops all around. Few group members had coffee & snacks here. We were glad to get a short break and clean washrooms.
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| Himalayan Sherpa Cafe |
Throughout the EBC trail, there are great cafes which serve amazing coffee and delicious bakery items. These café’s also have clean washrooms, so all the more reasons to take breaks 😀. Cold weather, Diamox and lots of water consumption to avoid AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) all contribute to frequent bio breaks - which can pretty annoying especially at higher altitude.
Unlike other paths, EBC trails are not smooth. To make it accessible across all seasons, most of the trail are cobbled with uneven stones. One has to be extra careful and it also exerts a lot of pressure on the knees, ankle and feet. The beauty of the surroundings make it easy to not worry about the path. The trail just keeps getting prettier.
After a couple of hours on the trail we came across a suspension bridge – Thado Koshi suspension bridge, built on Thado Koshi river. This was the first bridge crossing and Dorchi dai said we would be crossing many more in the coming days. These bridges are long and they connect two hills. When you peep down on the bridge, you realise the river is so deep down. Amazing views - green hills all around, river gushing below and cool wind blowing on our faces.
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| Thado Koshi suspension bridge |
Throughout this trail we came across small hamlets, farmlands, prayer flags and rocks with prayer scripts carved on them. One needs to move around these rocks in way that they are to your right. We also came across Rhododendron trees, Magnolia trees which have huge white flowers (this was first time I was seeing a Magnolia tree), then we came across cherry and peach trees as well. This stretch of the trail was very green and beautiful. Around noon we stopped for lunch at a tea house. We had dal-bhat-tarkari thali for lunch. The weather was getting colder and hot dal-bhat with muli ka pickle & papad felt good. After lunch and a couple more hours of trekking we reached Phakding.
Phakding is at 2610m (8563ft), approximately 200m lower than Lukla. Our stay at Phakding was at beautiful tea house called 'Sherpa Guide Lodge'. The lodge had a backdrop of mountains which were mostly green and few had dusted ice on their peaks. The tea house had a nice open area at the entrance where they had put a few recliners, then the main building had the restaurant & kitchen and the rooms were behind the main building. The rooms were on either side of the passage and were made of solid wood. It reminded me of houseboats in Kashmir. Each room had two beds, a table & chair and a attached bath. The window from the room overlooked a small patch of farmland and beyond that were mountains.
By now the weather had got more cold. I also started feeling a little uneasy in the room. I thought it was because of the ventilation. Pankaj and I decided to go to the common area and have Ginger Lemon Tea (GLT), hoping I would feel better. We shared a GLT, I felt a little better and went back to our room. After a few minutes, the uneasiness returned. I also started feeling heavy headed and giddy when I bent. It was pretty cold by now, so put on some warm layers and returned to the common area with playing cards – hoping some distraction might help. More group members joined us to play cards. My uneasiness worsened. I told Sam about this and he asked me to step out into fresh air. Pankaj, Sam and I went out in the open area of the lodge. I told Pankaj, maybe this is it. We may have to return back and say bye-bye to the trek. I was feeling very low and sick. Sam asked a few questions to understand what I was going through. He got oximeter to measure my SPO2 and an inhaler which would help feel better. My SPO2 was normal. The herbal inhaler and deep breaths helped. Sam said my uneasiness is because of low intake of water. Today I had only two bottles of water. Since I was on Diamox, I had to consume a minimum of 3-4 liters of water. That explained. Fresh air, deep breaths, herbal inhaler and assurance from Sam that it is lack of water which has caused this, I started feeling better.
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| Sherpa Lodge - Tea House @ Phakding |
After some time Sam took all of us around Phakding. Phakding is small village enroute EBC - mostly with tea houses, cafes and shops serving the trekkers. We visited a Irish café which had a pool table and a bakery which had some amazing cakes and cookies. Apparently the parts of the pool table were manually carried by sherpas and then assembled here.
After exploring around Phakding, we were back at the tea house. We had some time before dinner was served. So we decided to get on to our card games. We were enjoying our game so much, we didn’t realise we were loud and disturbing others in the common area. Our trek lead informed us to keep it a little quite. After a few games, it was time for dinner. The guides meticulously got each of our orders, served our meals and also ensured we all ate well. This was also the time they would observe us to see if any of us were feeling sick. Low appetite is one of the signs of AMS.
Opposite our table, there was a family of 5 (parents and 3 children - all seemed under 13). They were celebrating their son’s (youngest kid) 10th birthday. We all sang for him. At this point we didn’t know them. But as the days went we kept bumping into this family at various tea houses on the EBC trek and got to know them more. They were from Australia - Brave hearts! We infact met them even on the last day at Kathmandu before we returned to Bangalore.
With dinner done, it was time to wind-up day 1 of the trek. It was an exciting first day and the next day was going to be a long one with significant ascent before we reach the famous Namche bazar - doorway to EBC.
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