Hi everyone,
A group of friends and I are planning on traveling to Tibet for about 6 weeks, and as part of our trip we would like to see the tallest mountain in the world from either the Tibet base camp or the Nepalese base camp. However, it's proving to be a tough choice on what base camp to choose! I was hoping people in the community could offer pros/cons on the two base camps.
The Nepalese base camp seems to be a bit more well travelled, which means that we're likely to encounter more trekkers and have crowding problems (and thus perhaps have a less authentic experience), but I also get the impression that it may be easier to organise porters/guides/food along the way because it is more well travelled. The Tibet side seems to be a bit less travelled by trekkers, but I have read that it is possible to get to the base camp via a car, which isn't exactly a plus in my book (the whole point of trekking is to 'get away from it all', not to trek beside a road!!). I have heard that the scenery along the way on the Nepalese side is awesome, but haven't heard much about the scenery along the way in Tibet (after all, the journey is just as important as the end goal!).
I would really appreciate any input anyone may have!
Happy travelling!
Taras
If you plan on visiting both Tibet and Nepal go for both options. basically you drive to the Basecamp on the Tibetan side. Theres a huge amount of tourists arriving in minibusses and 4wds. its easy. The drive is beautiful. On the nepalese side theres also a lot of trekkers, but as its a fairly long trek it wont feel crowded (well, thats at least what I have heard, havent done that bit myself). So if your into trekking go for the nepalese side.
hi
just did the tibet side yesterday, having done nepal side in 2005. the tibet side has the best view of everest and can be reached by landcruiser - the views on the way to base camp are spectacular and of course you can trek up to it but you will be passed by tourists in landcruisers continually, there are also tent hotels, souvenir stalls and a china post office so its hardly a unique environment. the nepal side takes a trek of 2 to 3 weeks through amazing scenery and is a much more rewarding experience there are no roads so no tourists and when i did in december , we were the only ones at base camp.
Richbee, since you were just at EBC, this might be an odd question, but did you notice what dates the EBC post office is open until? The Lonely Planet guide gives hours for it, but not approximate dates of operation, and I've heard that it gets closed for the season "some time between September and October", but nobody seems to know specifically when. Thanks~ !
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