My cousin and I decided to trek to the Everest Base Camp (EBC). Although the decision was made on a whim we prepared ourselves for the difficult trek. The EBC and Kala Patthar, lies at an elevation of 5,364 m and 5,550 m respectively.

We took a flight to Lukla and thoroughly enjoyed it. The snow peaked mountains, surrounded by beautiful villages impressed us immensely. The first day of our trek began with walking through small settlements in the valley. We headed to Monjo and after almost seven hours of walking, stopped at Phakding for the night.

The next day we woke up early and after a big breakfast marched through beautiful pine forests passing the Dudhkoshi river and several suspension bridges. We started our climb gradually in the shadow of mountains like Kusum Kangru, Everest and Nuptse until we arrived at Namchey Bazaar, the gateway to Mt Everest and a business hub for the region sitting at an altitude of 3,440 m.

We took a day’s break at Namchey and decided to walk up to the Everest Hotel (3,880 m) to acclimatise. The hotel boasts of a great view of the Everest region. We could see Mt Everest and Ama Dablam and spent almost an hour enjoying the view. Close to sunset we returned to our base Namchey for the night.

Early the next day we descended to Phunki Thanga where we had light snacks and then climbed up a steep hill at first and then gradually ascended through the forest and mani stones to the world famous Tengbochey. Then we headed downhill to Debochey for an overnight stay.

After a night’s rest we started off to Dingbochey, one of the most spectacular trekking routes, about six hours of walk through Pangbochey at an altitude of 4,410 m. We hiked up to NagazongRi which welcomed us with a great view of the mountains — Lhotse, LhostseShar, Makalu, Baruntse, Amaddablam, Kangtega and Island peak that took us to an

altitude of almost 5,200 m.

As the days passed we got closer to our destination. We were so close yet so far! We headed for Lobuchey (4,930 m). The valley begins to narrow as you walk through a small ridge and then contours around the base of the Khumbu glacier. A cold night in Lobuchey is what awaited us.

We reached Gorakshep around afternoon the next day. We then commenced our trek for the most awaited destination, EBC. After a light meal we started heading for EBC and it took us almost three hours to get there. We walked through the Khumbu glacier with a great view of the Everest along with Mt Pumori, Mt Lingtern, Mt Khumbutse, Nuptse and others, which made this excursion all the more appealing.

We were finally at the base of the world’s greatest and tallest mountain from where all mountaineers start their ascent of Everest. We spent around 45 minutes there and then returned to Gorakshep and started preparing for our ultimate destination, Kala Patthar.

Around five the next morning, we started our walk in the cold and chilly wind. We reached the top (5,550 m) to be greeted by a panoramic view of the Himalayas. We couldn’t spend more than 20 minutes there because of freezing strong winds. We descended to Dinbochey for the night. This was the longest day for us. We had walked for almost 12 hours!

Next day was another long one for us to walk down to Namchey and then to Lukla. I was just too happy to be able live one of my longest awaited dreams.

However, before you embark on such a dream journey prepare a checklist. Precautions must be taken including medical advice from your doctor. Your checklist should include the right equipment and clothing suggested by the experts.

The author is the CEO at Vogue Ad and enjoys long walks and treks.