Everest Expedition

You can obtain the Nepalese visa from Nepalese consulate in your country easily or upon your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. For that, you require a valid passport with 2 copies of passport size photos. Similarly, A visa for Nepal can be obtained at Nepal India border entry point at Birgunj, Nepalgunj, Kakadvitta, Bhairahawa, Gaddachowki and Kodari on the Nepal China border. A15/30/90 day multiple entries Nepalese visa can be obtained by paying USD 30/50/125 or equivalent foreign currency respectively. For more information, please visit http://www.nepalimmigration.gov.np/page/tourist-visa

We will be at the airport to welcome you upon your arrival to Nepal. We will be carrying the Raj BalaTreks & Expedition placard with your name underneath. From airport you will escorted to your hotel and we help you to check-in.

High Altitude Expeditions like Everest requires previous mountaineering experience and it is expected that the climber has previous experience of climbing at least 7000m peak or 8000m peak like Cho-Oyu or Manaslu before attempting bigger mountains.

Also, you will be spending 2 months in the mountain, a fierce determination; strong mental health and a burning desire to climb the mountain are the essential pre-requisites for joining this expedition. Prepare yourself to tackle high altitude sickness, tough weather conditions and exhaustion. One needs to be familiar with the use of climbing equipment, walking in snow and ice and must have a good level of fitness. You should be familiar with Rope skills, ice axe arrest and crampon skills, the use of ascenders (Jumar) and descenders, and how to use your particular harness.

The months of April to June is the best time to attempt an ascent to the summit. This is the time when the nature awakens so the trail to the Base Camp can be very interesting taking a biodiversity of plants into consideration. In May however, which is said to be the warmest month in the region, some clouds may appear that deprive you of beautiful views. In fact, it is almost impossible to predict the weather but if you do not like cold, may is an ideal month. That is the reason why every Everest expedition organized by us starts in April and finishes at the end of May or at the beginning of June.

If you consider the time to travel from base camp to base camp, Everest summit will take about 5-6 days. The main issue is acclimatizing to the high altitude. The Everest expedition takes place through rotations of base camps in Everest. You travel from base camp to base camp, all to acclimatize better and make the future climb easier. After you reach the Base Camp (5,364 m.) in late March, you will stay in the base camp to adjust to the altitude. After resting, you scale up the unpredictable Khumbu Icefall halfway and return to the base camp. After a few days rest, you will again go up the icefall and stay at Camp 1(5,943 m.). The path to Camp 1 is above the Khumbu glacier and changes every year. You will stay a few days in Camp 1 and return to base camp.  Some night rest in the base camp and you are ready to reach Camp 2 (6,400 m.). After spending some nights getting used to the altitude at Camp 2, you again return to base camp and rest for another 3-4 days.

Again you climb up to Camp 2 rest for a day and reach Camp 3 (7,162 m.) at the base of Mount Lhotse. After staying a night or two, you return all the way back to base camp. This ascends, and descend rotation helps you to adapt to the thin air and high altitude. You will experience the later climbs to base camps easier and quicker than your first try, all thanks to acclimatization. After the return to base camp, you will rest for 4-5 days
for a final push in the window of mid-may. Then you reach directly to Camp 2 for two nights and then reach Camp 3 the next day. The following day you will complete the vertical climb to Camp 4 situated at 8,000 meters. You rest at Camp four that night. Make sure to rest as much as possible and put your oxygen when in Camp 4 at all times. You start the summit push as early as 9 pm to 11:45 pm. An early summit push gives you enough time to return to Camp 4 in broad daylight. It takes a gruesome 11 hours to reach the top of Mount Everest from Camp 4 and a further 7 hours to reach Camp 4 from the summit. After returning to Camp 4, you will stay the night there resting. The next day you will reach down to Camp 2 and stay the night. Then you will climb down directly to base camp and rest for some days. Hence, your Everest summit attempt
concludes.

For each climber choosing the right expedition guide service that not only suits their needs, but provides the best safely and secure mountaineering experience possible is very important. It is very important that the climbers who choose Raj Bala Treks & Expedition for this trip of a lifetime experience have expectations that are compatible with the program we offer and the style of expedition Raj Bala Treks & Expedition runs. We do not want to simply “fill our expedition”, but instead we want to comprise a team of companionable people who are focused on reaching the summit with the highest level of support and safety standards that can be provided by a guiding service on Mt Everest. We team this with the best standards of food and quality equipment to further assist each client reach their full potential. We feel that we offer the best environment and opportunity for you to be successful on the world’s highest mountain.

The use of oxygen equipment plays a huge role in climbing high mountains and can help to avoid many critical situations and save your life. On Everest, we provide each climber with 11 bottles of oxygen (8 for you and 3 for your sherpa) with the use of the latest mask & regulator (Top Out or Summit Oxygen Systems). 

During the summit push, we run oxygen on a higher flow (3L/min) allowing you to climb more efficiently.

We consider delicious and nutritious food to be a key component to the overall success of our expeditions.

We charter the food in by flight most of the time and take the utmost care in quality and hygienic preparation. From typical Nepalese food to western food, our expedition chef will cater all meals at Base Camp and Camp 2. For higher camps, we provide wide variety of nutritious high foods.

During the trek, your meals will be served at the teahouse/lodge you will stay and in Kathmandu, only breakfast will be provided to give you the maximum flexibility in deciding where what and with whom to eat for lunch and dinner.

If you have any special dietary requirements please let us know in advance and we will be sure to cater to your needs. You could bring comfort foods from your home that you enjoy eating during the expedition - chocolates, energy gel, power bars, dry fruits, candies, other snacks etc.

We provide each climber with an individual box tent at the base camp during an entire expedition. Each box tent will have spacious space, comfortable mattresses, carpeted floor and more for your comfort. Higher above from base camp, a high-quality extreme weather tent will be provided for every 2 climbers. It’s also a lot warmer and safer when you can keep an eye on each other.

At base camp, there will also be a heated dining room, kitchen tent, toilet tent, shower tent etc and more for your comfort.

Our Everest Expedition follows the footsteps of legendary Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa. Our route follows through the Khumbu icefall, up the Western Cwm, the Lhotse Face, the South Col, South Summit, the Hillary Step and on to the Summit.

On itinerary has been devised keeping every important aspects in mind to allow a well paced acclimatization schedule during the entire expedition.

Our base camp is well-appointed, providing each climber with a comfortable
environment. There will be a heated dining room, personal tent for each individual, kitchen tent, shower and etc. and more for your comfort.

We provide spacious expedition quality personal tents for all our clients both with full board or base-camp service only.

Our Everest expedition itinerary has been tailored carefully keeping every aspect in mind. We have included Lobuche east climb (6,119m) on our itinerary. With Lobuche climb included, it provides each climber with better acclimatization, the practice of climbing techniques and reduces the walk on icefall. 

After the Lobuche climb, rotation of higher camps (Camp 1, 2 and 3) with overnight will be done for acclimatization.

Our Everest Expedition group will be equipped with a satellite phone for emergency purpose throughout the expedition duration. The cell phone network is available during the trekking section and at base camp but the service is not reliable and may fluctuate depending on weather conditions. Satellite internet is available at base camp at an extra cost. In case you need to make a personal call, you can use the sat phone at $3 per minute.

We also provide a radio communication system to communicate between the camps.

Our emphasis is always on maintaining the small group so that it will be easy to coordinate and cooperate with each other especially in high altitude expeditions like Everest. Our expedition consists of Min 2 to Max 8 climbers in one group. You will get to know your Sherpa guide and team member personally on our expedition. Being a small group is always efficient on a bigger mountain.

We operate a small team of cohesive climbers with the support of our experienced sherpa guides who have all summated Everest previously. We only take 8 climbers in one group and provide Nepali UIAGM/IFMGA Expedition leader, Expedition Manager and 1:1 sherpa guide to client ratio.

It’s mandatory to get rescue insurance before embarking on any adventurous activities like high altitude expeditions. We advise all our clients to get an insurance that covers up emergency helicopter evacuation that may be needed in case of the occurrence of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) in high altitudes where there are no other means of transportation available. Medical expenses, Baggage lost, Delays and Cancellation, Death & Repatriation are also other important factors to include when purchasing your Insurance.

It is advisable to review carefully the insurance and its coverages before making the final decision.

The gear listed below is required for the expedition. We encourage you to get all equipment listed below and kindly ensure you check and try every equipment. You can also buy or hire the same in Kathmandu as they are available in the many trekking shops from branded to local manufacturers in Kathmandu.

Head:

• Warm Hat and Bandana/Scarf
• Baseball cap
• Thermal Balaclava / Buff
• Sunglasses with UV protection
• Ski goggles (Anti-fog and good ventilation)
• Headlight X 2 with spare batteries

Upper body:

• Long-sleeved shirts
• T-Shirts
• Baselayers
• Warm Jackets/Sweater/Pullover
• Waterproof jackets
• Down Jacket with hood (800m fill)
• Primaloft or light down jacket
• Down Suit (Lightweight, comfortable fit and 800m fill) (For Summit Climb Only)

Lower body:

• Thermal
• Inner wears / Baselayers
• Undergarments
• Waterproof trousers
• Trekking trousers
• Down or Primaloft pants

Feet:

• Warm socks (4 pair thin socks and 4 pair thick socks)
• Trekking shoes (Preferably full to protect/support your ankle)
• 8000m Mountaineering boots (Lightweight and comfortable size)
• Camp Shoes
• Gaiters
• Down shoe

Hands

• Gloves
• Primaloft Mitten
• Down Mitten

Climbing equipment:

• Climbing helmet
• Backpack 30-35 litres (To carry your sunblock, water, camera, waterproof jackets and others that you may require while trekking)
• Backpack 60-70 litres for climbing
• A pair of trekking poles
• Harness
• Ascender/Jumar (Large handle)
• Descender /Figure 8
• ATC Guide
• Carabiners (4 screw gate and 4 snap gate)
• Prussik cord X 2
• Slings X 2
• Ice Axe
• 12-points steel crampons
• Inflatable sleeping mattress
• Sleeping bag X 2 (One for base camp and one for higher camps)

Others:

• Trekking poles
• Water bottle one (1) litre X 2 with an insulated cover
• Thermos
• Multi-tool knife
• Pee bottle
• Laundry bag to keep dirty clothes
• Large plastic bags to keep the clothes dry
• Padlock
• Binoculars
• Sewing kit
• Duct tape
• Reading materials, notebooks and pens
• Extra clothes to wear in Kathmandu when you come back from the expedition.
• Camera with charger or spare batteries

Toiletries and hygiene

• Quick-drying towel
• Small face towel
• Toothbrush &Toothpaste
• Deodorants, Soap and Shampoo (Smaller bottle)
• Face and body moisturizer, Sunscreen and lip balm
• Hand sanitiser/Antiseptic wipes
• Hygiene products
• Basic first aid kit

Documents

• Passport with visa and validity of 6 months after your trip completion
• 4 copies of passport size photos for permits and official formalities
• Travel Insurance
• Flight tickets
• Credit cards in case of emergencies
• Driving ID or any other ID in case of loss of your passport.

We, Raj Bala Treks & Expedition are a tour; trekking & Mountain Expedition operator registered with the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation of Government of Nepal and can organize expeditions in the Himalayas. Only Nepalese companies are allowed to provide all kind of support for mountaineers. Even if you decide to choose any western company, it is mandatory to operate through a Nepalese one and you will have to pay extra for intermediaries. That is why it is better to contact us directly and another reason is the fact, that we take responsibility for your safety, and provides you with all legal, administrative, logistical, and
guiding and support services once you get off the plane.