Everest Base Camp : Day 6 - Acclimatization Day in Dingboche

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Today is another rest day aka acclimatization day. Most people just hiked Nangkartshang or Nagarjun Hill or whatever its name (cos they have many forms of the same word). Some go to Chukhung village or even further up to Chukhung Ri.

Dinesh asked my preference but I let him decide what’s best. He chose Nangkartshang. Perhaps because it’s nearer so that we could have more rest time afterwards. The hill is just north, behind the village.

good morning!

toast with egg and hot chocolate for breakfast

Mountain Paradise Lodge & Restaurant

Done with breakfast, Dinesh and I were ready to start the climb. Debbie, Ken and Amin were still enjoying theirs so we made our move first. See ya at the top!

Climbing Nangkartshang, you have options. You can go up as much as you can, reaching the vertical prayer flags or all the way to the top of the ridge. The hike was rather difficult due to the thinning air. I was very slow and struggling to move one step forward. Even contemplated to hike only halfway till the vertical prayer flags but Dinesh kept on pushing me to continue.

if you look closely, you’ll see hikers heading to Lobuche

Dingboche valley

i’m tireddddddd

Looking up at the hilltop, I could already see a lot of hikers up there. They must started the hike really early to catch the sunrise. The weather was spectacular today. Even from the halfway point, the view was incredible. So yeah.. why do I need to go all the way to the top again?

Dinesh never stopped, he kept going up, so I had no choice but to follow him. Well of course I have a choice cos I hired him so I can decide what I wanna do righttttt?! But I knew this is for my own good. Gonna make the best out of my trip. Gasping for air, I summoned all my strength and climbed on, while chanting ‘bistari.. bistari’. Slowly but surely, I would reach the top.

Three hours and a half later, we reached the top of the ridge at 5,060 metres. Woahh.. my first time being over 5,000 metres. Everest Base Camp is at 5,364 metres so it felt good to be reaching this altitude today. I can do this!

Dinesh, my porter

everyone’s favorite mountain on the trek, beautiful Ama Dablam







The excitement of making it to the top replenished my energy. Suddenly, I was alive again hahaha. The 360 degree view, Subhanallah! Thanks Dinesh for not agreeing to stop halfway. Enjoying our snacks and a gazillion photos later, I noticed a single bar (and sometimes double) on the top right of my phone. Heyyy!! There’s network coverage! It was weak, but good enough to whatsapp my family, updating my whereabouts and condition. Even managed to do IG story of the amazing view around me. #sempat

macaroni and egg, hot lemon for lunch

I wanted to take a nap after lunch but my eyes were wide open. Why?!? Bored, I went outside for a walk. Gotta enjoy my time here and take nice photos around the village.

sherpas bringing up the construction material


everyday view in Dingboche

creative way to boil water


dried yaks’ dung used to fuel the fireplace

badass kitty.. how can you live up here in the cold?

yaks going home cos it’s getting dark

garbage problem on the mountain

sunset

dhal bhat and garlic soup again for dinner

Dingboche and surrounding area map

Elevation at Dingboche: 4,410 m

Elevation at Nangkartshang:  5,060 m

Day’s elevation change: +650 m

Distance:  4 km

Duration:  6 hours

Amount spent:
Breakfast – Rs 730
Lunch – Rs 730
Dinner – Rs 1000
Night stay at Mountain Paradise Lodge, double room – Rs 500
Total = Rs 2960