08: Debouche to Dingboche - Where the Mountains Get Bigger and the Air Gets Thinner!

Day 8 (3/Apr/2026): Debouche (3820m) to Dingboche (4252m)

Memories from our trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC) 

The room and bed at Rivendell were very comfortable. We got some good sleep. Morning brought another stream of beautiful views. We got a glimpse of mountains from our beds. We could see Mt. Everest from the room. I very well knew it would be super cold out, but couldn’t resist going out to experience it fully. To see the golden glow on the top of these mountains as the first rays of sun fell on them is magical. Soon Pankaj also joined me in the courtyard to experience this view. After soaking in this to our heart content, we went back to our rooms to get ready for another beautiful day.

First rays of sun hitting the mountains @Rivendell

 

After breakfast, we started our journey to Dingboche. At the end of the day we would be above 4000m (13000+ ft) - big milestone for me and Pankaj. The last trek we had done was at 12000 ft. It was a clear sunny day as we started our hike. We passed through the rhododendrons forest (the flowers hadn’t bloomed yet) and then as while we were crossing a small bridge, Chirring pointed to us a herd of mountain goats on the hills. The trail was smooth and easy to walk. 

 

 

After a couple of hours of hiking, we stopped for tea at ‘Everest Sherpa Lodge’. This lodge is owned and run by Ang Temba Sherpa who has been on Everest expedition multiple times. His tea house is a museum in itself. It hosts oxygen cylinders over the years, mountaineering tools and lots of stuff which were left as debris on the Everest trail. The coolest item was a wooden trunk used by Edmund Hillary during 1953 Everest expedition. Another interesting thing was photographs of yeti’s footsteps. These clicks were taken by Ang Temba Sherpa himself. It was exciting to hear the story on how and where he clicked these pictures. 

Everest Sherpa Lodge

The tea house also had a musical instrument very similar to Guitar. Chirring tried playing the instrument. We all had our GLTs and got a few pictures at this tea house which had so many interesting stories. Soon Ang Temba’s wife also joined – without doubt she was the most beautiful women in this area. After spending an hour or so at this place, we were back on the trail.

Ang Temba Sherpa's Collection

Few steps into the trail, got a call from Shrishti. She was finalising her University for her Phd. The network was patchy and we were unable to hear her well. Pankaj and I spent a few minutes speaking to her and decided its better we have a detailed call later in the night or next day as we would be spending two nights at Dingboche. 

 

Clean blue skies, wide open terrain, quite trails and mountains all along – this is how the trail was until lunch time. The trail was smooth and we were able to enjoy the surroundings without having to worry about a fall. We saw a helicopter delivering the goods to the near by village. Since there is no road transport, all goods are delivered either by chopper or mules or Yaks or by people. We also saw Ama Dablam Base camp from where one could start the summit trek to Ama Dablam. This was by far the most peaceful trail. 

 

 

Around noon, after a couple of hours of hiking, we reached our lunch spot – a tea house owned and managed by Sanduk Dorse Tamang – a 15+ times Mt. Everest summiteer. We were lucky to meet and speak to him about his adventures.

 

There were few chairs and tables outside the tea house. It was bright and sunny and we were all tired. Even though it was a just a couple of hours hike, the altitude was hitting. All of us just sat out and rested for some time before going in for lunch.

Lunch was regular Dal Bhat Chawal Trakari. Many of us were carring chutney powder, pickles etc. We shared this during lunch and dinner. Gongura pickle was the hero. Few minutes of rest post lunch and then it was time to start layering up, wearing all our accessories and applying sunscreen. 

Few meters from the tea house we had to cross a small bridge to get on the other side of the Imja river. Pankaj, me, Megha and Gowthami were walking together. We stopped to touch and feel how cold the river water was – uff it was super cold. We clicked a few pictures and got back on the trail. 

 

 

From here the tree line started receding. We would see only small bushes. The trail was wide and open. The view now was very different. The sky was blue, soil color was like that of clay, it was colder and bright, and super windy, the mountains were close by and there were fewer people on the trail. Now that we had gained altitude, our pace of walking had also reduced.   

 

We stopped at a place for a break. Here we saw the head of Yak and body was a few meters away. Dorchi Tai said maybe mountain leopard might have killed the yak. After taking a break for few minutes here, we continued our hike. Few minutes into the hike, we came across a herd of yaks. The thumb rule is to move to the mountain side. But since the trail was wide, we had to just move away from the direction in which the yaks were approaching. We did exactly that, but one yak decided to change the direction at the last minute and came right next to me. In the process to avoid getting hit by the yak, I fell down. Thankfully I wasn’t hurt. Pheew, this was a lesson 😅

 

 

It started drizzling as we got closer to Dingboche. Sam had recommended to stop over at the famous Café 4410 for hot chocolate. It was almost 4:30pm when we reached the café. It was full, bustling with so many trekkers. Since there was no place here, we went to Sherpa café few meters away from Cafe 4410. This café was cozy and warm. They had comfortable chairs and sofas and charging points (very important). We ordered some hot chocolate and pastry. After a long tiring day, this was haven. From here it was a few minutes walk to our destination for the day – The Dingboche Resort where we would be staying for next two nights. 

 

 

By the time we reached the resort, it was already cloudy and very cold. Our bags were placed in our rooms. The rooms were one level below the common area (kitchen & dining) and facing the mountains. View of Ama Dablam and other mountains from the room were breathtaking. The rooms were cozy with attached bathroom. Though there was no provision of hot water in the bathroom, just having attached bathrooms with running water at this altitude was a luxury. 

After a quick freshen-up we were all in the common dining area for some games before dinner. We played card games (mostly judgement), uno and dumb-charades. Even with the Bukhari on, it was cold.  Lots of chit-chat and games made the evenings fun and relaxing. Our appetites were also getting lower. We could eat one full dish. 4-5 people typically ordered different dishes and shared. We had dinner, placed our breakfast order for next day and went back to our rooms. It was a full moon day and the smoking snow peaked mountains in moonlight looked beautiful. With this view in our memory, it was bedtime.

 

09: Acclimatisation at Dingboche - Where the Mountains Get Bigger and the Air Gets Thinner!

Day 9 (4/Apr/2026): Acclimatisation day at Dingboche (4252m)

Memories from our trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC) 

The day started at 5am. Seeing the spectacular view of mountains from the tea house the previous day, Sanjeev and I had planned to step out to view the sunrise over the mountains. It had slightly snowed over the night and the morning chill was real. Even with all the layers, it was super cold. As we stepped out, a beautiful sight awaited us. Slowly the tips of the mountains started turning golden-red as the first rays of sun hit them. Depending on the height of the mountains the tips turning golden red was spread across few minutes. After soaking into the beautiful sunrise, went back to our rooms to get ready for the acclimatisation day hike.

 

Today we were hiking to Nangakarsang which was at 5000+m (16400+ ft.). We had our breakfast, layered up and all set for the day hike. The trail is a slow and continuous ascent. As we gained more altitude we could feel the tiredness due to low oxygen. At the same time, the views started getting dramatic. The higher we went the mountains seemed bigger and closer. The hues of white, grey and black all around. The 360° view of mountains was mind-blowing.

Acclimatisation hike to Nangakarsang

On the trail, Sam suggested a good photo spot which had a rock with the mountains in the backdrop. We got some amazing clicks here. This also turned to be a good break before we continued to hike further up hill. The trail was mostly ascent and with loose soil. So had to walk with firm foot.

 

 

We climbed about 75% of the Nangakarshang and Sam suggested we all stop here and have a picnic. The spot chosen for the break was amazing.

 

We got a panoramic view of all the mountains. We all go out the snacks we were carrying. Collectively we had yoga bars, trail mix, chikkes, dry fruit ladoos, chaklis, karela chips, salted peanuts and pringles. This picnic at 16000 ft. overlooking the mountains on bright sunny day with clear blue sky munching over so many different snacks, chit-chatting and laughing with this amazing trek group is something we will cherish for our life. Can’t imagine we also joined in for a fun video call to Praveen Reddy (a friend of Sham and Shweta) whom none of us knew or met. Even then we all joined in to pull his leg and thank him for the salted peanuts he had sent. It was crazy!

 

Picnic overlooking the mountains

After relaxing here for a while, it was time to start the descend. We had to be extra careful on the way down. Soil was loose and there were small pebbles which would increase the chance of skidding and ankle twisting. Slowly, watching every step we started descending. The climb in the morning felt so long, but the descend was relatively shorter and easier. By lunch time we were back at the tea house. Tea houses look and feel very different between 10-3PM. There are fewer people. It’s quieter and frankly feels a little sad. We get so used to seeing the tea houses from late afternoons to mornings where they are bustling with trekkers, everyone they are tired are still chatting, laughing, playing, eating… you kind of start missing it.

Our lunch was ready. Dropped our bags in the room, freshened up and had our hot lunch of dal-bhat-chawal. Few people decided to have lunch at Café 4110 instead of the tea house. We (Pankaj, Sanjeev, Shobita, Gowthami, Megha, Rupal and me) decided to eat at the tea house, relax a bit and then go to the café. Post lunch we played a few rounds of card games to make sure we don’t go to room and fall asleep. Rupal was feeling a bit unwell. She had slight cold and slight fever. She skipped the card game and read. 

 

 

 

Around 3pm, we all left for the café. As usual the café was bustling with people. The smell of fresh bakes and brewing coffee was inviting. We got a table outside in the sit-out. Ordered hot chocolates and couple of pastries to share among the group. Can’t fathom the thought of having fresh coffee and cakes at 16000 ft. which are freshly made, hot and delicious. We spent time here at the café chit-chatting until it started getting cloudy and chilly. It was time to head back to tea house before it starts raining. We knew what it meant if we got our shoes wet.

Back at the tea house it was time to change into thermals/fleece and gather in the common area for the evening. Lot of trekkers had gathered – some of them had just arrived from Debouche and some of them like us had finished their acclimatisation day hike and back at the tea house. Here we again met the Australian family we had met at Namche Bazar. I was chatting with them and got to know more about them.  Some of them were playing cards, some were playing Uno. I read a bit before joining the group for card games. Even the trek leads joined us to play cards/uno. It was super fun.

After few games of cards, followed by dinner it was time to call it a day. Sam and Dorchi dai briefed us how the next day would look like. We realised it was going to get tougher from here on. It was also time to call/update family. Everyone spreadout to make their calls and get back to their rooms for a good night sleep.