5 Common Problems You Would Face or Experience

While Travelling to Everest Region

1. Lukla Flight Delays and Cancellation
2. Altitude Sickness
3. Khumbu Cough
4. High Cost of Food Items
5. Meatless Days
6. Problems with Wifi, Hot Showers, and ATM

1. Lukla Flight Delays and Cancellation:

Flying into the Tenzing Hillary Airport, situated at 2846 meters can be problemsome sometimes. Therefore, bad weather plays a vital role for the flight delays and cancellations. There are very few flights to Lukla. Lukla, also known as Tenzing Hillary Airport, is the gateway to the Everest Base Camp trek.

Currently, it is the main airport serving tourists in the Everest region and becomes busier during peak season. Because it is located on a mountain plateau with strong winds and clouds throughout the day, flights to Lukla are mainly operated before noon.

Therefore, in the afternoon, weather conditions became extremely difficult for aircraft to land. Additionally, most of Lukla's flights are operated through Manthali Airport during the peak season from March to May and September to November due to air traffic in Kathmandu.

From Kathmandu, one can also fly to Phaplu or drive a day to Salleri, then Lukla, is a three-day walk from Salleri. Another option to reach Lukla or the Everest region are flying by Helicopters, with a higher cost.

2. Altitude Sickness:

Altitude Sickness is also known as Acute Mountain Sickness. It is a very common problem for trekkers in the Everest region as they gradually ascend to higher altitudes. Therefore, you start to feel the effects of altitude from Namche onwards. Dizziness, headache, and palpitations are some of the initial symptoms.

If not addressed on time, the situation can worsen and people can develop life-threatening symptoms such as HACE (high-altitude cerebral edema) and pulmonary edema. For Everest Base Camp trek, Namche Bazaar and Dingboche/ Pheriche are the best destinations to stay and acclimatize properly.

Some preventive measures are:

1.    Continuously hydrate yourself

2.    Have ginger tea and lots of garlic

3.    Take Diamox as soon as you feel the effect of Altitude Sickness

4.    Not to skip your Acclimatization day

5.    Rest an extra day at a lower elevation before moving up to an elevation

6.    While Trekking, keep your pace slow and rhythmic

7.    Frequently, monitor your blood oxygen level

8.    Eat healthy and sleep well

3. Khumbu Cough:

Khumbu Cough, also known as high-altitude cough, is one of the common problems among trekkers trekking to Everest Region. It seems surprising that the cause of this “Khumbu cough” has not yet been recognized. This is more common when travelling at altitudes above 3,000m.

Cold, dry air easily irritates the bronchial tubes, leading to more coughing. Additionally, difficulty breathing at altitude due to lack of oxygen and mouth breathing can make the situation worse.

How to avoid this high altitude related cough problems:

●     Use buff or handkerchief to protect your neck and mouth from the cold

●     Wear a mask to breathe humidified air

●     Avoid breathing through your mouth

●     Wear warm clothes to avoid cold-related problems

●     Keep yourself well hydrated

4. High Cost of Food Items:

Everest region is a mountainous region with no proper road connectivity. Food, fuel, medicine, and construction materials are all flown in by cargo planes from the cities and transported up the mountains by porters or mules.

That is why shopkeepers and lodge owners from Everest Region have to pay huge amounts of money to transport the materials up the mountain. Clearly, the prices of the products offered there are higher.

So, we recommend you buy snacks in Kathmandu before going to Lukla if you want to save a few dollars. You will have to automatically pay more for the items available at a fraction of the price compared to Kathmandu when you go to the Everest region.

5. Meatless Days:

This is bad news for Meat lovers! It doesn't mean you won't find meat dishes, but we recommend you avoid them. Meat in the tea houses may have been stored for several days and is no longer fresh. Like other products, meat is also transported from lowland towns and villages. 

However, we highly recommend you go vegetarian. There is no cold storage or freezer to properly preserve meat in the tea houses of the Everest region. This is why it is better to refuse meat products when hiking. Instead of meat, you can opt for a plant-based diet, which is healthier and good for your system.

Moreover, potatoes, spinach, and mustard greens are widely used by tea house owners to prepare many dishes. Likewise, they also offer delicious vegetarian dishes like noodles, fried potatoes, pasta, boiled eggs, pancakes, spaghetti, omelettes, toast, momo, garlic soup, and many more.

6. Problem with Wifi, Hot Showers, and ATM:

Although WiFi is available on the trail, it is unstable, and you have to pay the lodge owner extra to use the internet. Everest Link Wi-Fi cards can be purchased at any lodge. It is an internet service provider for the Khumbu region. While the network works well in some places, at higher altitudes, you may experience connection issues.

You can expect to pay around Rs 100–500 per hour. ATMs and hot showers in the Khumbu region are also expensive. If you are used to showering every day, this may be a problem. Most teahouses offer hot showers for a price. The only thing is that there will be no shower head. Therefore, you will have a bucket of hot water and a cup to wash. 

While the lodges from Lukla to Namche have decent bathrooms with proper showers, tea shops beyond Namche often have functional toilet facilities. Some old tea houses at the higher level have toilets built outside. However, be mentally prepared to use Asian or Squatting type toilets in some places in the Everest region.