Prepare for EBC

Do not expect:

• 5-star accommodation. The higher you get the more basic the accommodation will get (beds, blankets, very dim room lights and a table if you are lucky) and expect common toilets! It’s going to be zero-star accommodation 
• Toilets to be clean. There will be a smell 
• To brush your teeth as the higher you get, the water will be frozen the next morning (though at some point someone will pour hot water on it) 
• Good quality and tasty food 
• Hot showers. Even if you do get one, you probably don’t want to bother as they are not at all pleasant in cold/freezing temperatures 
• Clean pathways and routes throughout your journey as there will be horse and yak dung everywhere. Be prepared to step on it

Things to bring or prepare for EBC

• Lots of wet wipes (it is difficult to shower and too cold to shower). In certain places you also need to pay for a hot shower. Wet wipes make life much easier and you need them to wipe away the dust!
• At least 1 toilet roll per person, as the lodges do not provide toilet rolls. We got through just over 1 roll each over the whole trek.
• Tissue paper and serviettes. Tissue paper cost 50 rupees for 1 packet. 
• Microfibre travel towel (you need a towel to dry fast overnight so that you can put it into your bag)
• Small quantity of shampoo, conditioner and shower gel as all these are not provided at the lodges.
• Buff (to cover your nose and mouth while trekking especially when it’s windy and the sand will be blown in your face. Inhaling too much of dust will make you ill).
• Sun cream (preferably SPF 50+).
• Sunglasses (it is very bright).
• Good walking boots. Almost everyone we saw was wearing boots, though a few wore shoes. The routes are really too uneven for shoes and the boots also kept our feet dry in the unexpected snow. 
• Spare shoes (we brought trail runners as backups to our boots but ended up only using them around the lodges).
• A pair of walking sticks.
• Hat/cap and woolly hat.
• Slippers/sandals (for light walking and going to shower or toilet). It’s going to be too cold to step onto the tiles. 
• Headlight. Lights are very dim in certain lodges. 
• Thermals 
• Winter clothing, windbreaker, raincoat. You may be able to wear shorts from Lukla to Namche Bazaar. After Namche Bazaar, it will be very cold and you will need warm clothes. 
• Snacks (e.g. Snickers, Mars, chocolates) and protein shake powder for when you can't stomach the food.
• Energy Gels.  Only used a couple but good for emergencies.  Energy bars are too difficult to eat when you are dehydrated.
• Diamox (to prevent/ease AMS), Imodium and rehydration salts (in case of food poisoning), ibuprofen (for headache and other aches), plasters (for blisters) and other medications in accordance to your needs. 
• Cash – assuming nothing goes wrong during the trek, you only need around US$100 per person (converted to Nepalese rupees). However, it is best to bring approximately another US$1,000 per person (for emergencies, i.e. for horse rides and helicopter). Please take note that you may not be able to withdraw money at the ATM in Kathmandu and Namche Bazaar (we couldn’t).

Things to avoid

• All kinds of meat as it is not fresh and may cause food poisoning. Stay vegetarian if possible. It’s alright to have meat at Lukla but not anywhere else 
• Try to order Asian food and not Western food (e.g. pizza, spaghetti or sandwich) as it’s not up to the standard you’d expect. The food at all the lodges is low in quality. However, the local food Dhal Bhat tasted good in all the lodges. 
• Avoid alcohol when ascending as it will affect your acclimatization and your stomach
• Unbottled water. Lots of people use tablets/drops to sterilize the water, and we were planning on doing that but in the end, decided to stick to bottled water just to be safe (and as it tastes better)

Costs for the whole trip

• Ground package – US$1,250 per person based on twin sharing. If single supplement, add another US$150
• Nepal visa on arrival – US$25
• Plane tickets – depending on which airlines and where you are coming from.
• Travelling insurance (which includes medical evacuation by helicopter) – US$100 for a couple
• Cash – assuming nothing goes wrong during the trek, you only need US$100 per person