The Himalayas | Part 2
Distance: 14.9km
Vertical altitude gain: 970m / 3200ft
Price of a 1 litre water in:
Kathmandu: Rs50 (Nepalese rupees)
Namche Bazaar: Rs150
Dingboche: Rs200
Duration: 2 days
Namche Bazaar
We’re up early for a sunrise shoot at the Everest viewpoint, about a kilometre from our lodge in Namche Bazaar. It’s cold and I’m not feeling great. Even though I didn’t touch a drop of liquor the night before, I wake up with hangover symptoms — my first night sleeping at 11,300ft above sea level has taken its toll. Oddly, I’ve slept higher in the Drakensberg without any issues.
Panorama of Namche Bazaar from near the helicopter landing port.
The previous afternoon we spent exploring Namche Bazaar — the main trading hub of the Khumbu region. The town serves as both a resupply point and acclimatisation stop for trekkers heading toward Everest. It’s packed with shops, lodges, internet cafés, and coffee spots, including the excellent Café de 8848 and Illy Espresso Bar, where we treat ourselves to cappuccinos and tiramisu.
Namche Bazaar town centre.
Out of breath at Namche Bazaar
Afterwards I climb to the helicopter viewpoint for a bird’s-eye view of Namche. Even the short climb leaves me breathless — altitude is no joke. The view is worth every gasp, though mist prevents me from seeing the surrounding giants of Kongde Ri (6187m) and Thamserku (6623m).
Sunrise view south down the valley from Everest viewpoint.
The next morning, we return for another attempt at sunrise photos, but thick mist still blocks the panorama. Even so, I capture the valley below where we’d trekked up from the day before.
Views for days
After breakfast, we pack light and leave Namche behind, heading deeper into the Khumbu. As the mist burns away, Thamserku towers in full splendour 3,000 meters above the valley.
Thamserku in the early morning sunshine.
Rounding a bend, the full sweep of the Himalayas unfolds: Everest and Lhotse ahead, Ama Dablam dominating the middle distance, and Thamserku close on our right. The view is almost surreal — sunlight slicing through deep valleys and ridges sculpted by centuries of wind and ice.
Nuptse, Everest and Lhotse — still more than 20km away.
We pause often to photograph stupas framed by Ama Dablam — a view that never grows old.
Stupa on the way to Tengboche.
The real God’s Window
Two hours later we stop for tea at the Everest View Hotel. The morning is perfectly still and clear — Taboche, Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku fill the horizon. I sip orange tea, mesmerised by their impossible scale and beauty.
Taboche, Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam from the Everest View Hotel.
Then comes the descent — 400 meters down to the valley floor, only to climb those 400 back up to Tengboche. It’s a punishing rhythm. Along the way, we pass smiling porters and cheerful locals, each carrying astonishing loads with calm determination.
Porter carrying plastic bottles — a difficult and awkward load.
Deboche
By evening we reach Deboche and check into the Paradise Lodge. The tea room is warm and welcoming, though the rooms are frigid and noisy. Deboche is also where I first encounter the “wet” toilet system — a bucket-and-scoop affair that makes South African long-drops seem luxurious.
Paradise Lodge, Deboche, in the morning light.
That night I struggle to sleep — shallow breathing and gasping awakenings make rest elusive. It’s my first real taste of altitude insomnia.
Onwards and upwards
At dawn we set out for Dingboche — an eight-hour trek with 700 meters of altitude gain. The trail winds through moss-draped rhododendron forests, crosses suspension bridges, and eventually opens into alpine meadows beneath the watchful gaze of Ama Dablam.
Crossing the Dudh Koshi with Ama Dablam in the distance.
After lunch in Pangboche, we continue above the tree line at 4000m. Every step is slower, every breath shorter, but the scenery just keeps getting better. Glacial moraines snake down the slopes, and the air grows thin and crisp.
Ama Dablam near Pangboche.
We arrive in Dingboche as the sun sets — a picturesque village on the Imja River valley floor, surrounded by Ama Dablam, Taboche and Lhotse. The Moonlight Lodge is the best of the trek so far — warm hosts, western toilets (sort of), and rooms drenched in afternoon light.
Dingboche, with the path to the 5100m viewpoint visible on the left.
That evening we photograph stars over Taboche, the night sky a dazzling unfamiliar canvas without the Southern Cross. Tomorrow — a rest day and our first climb above 15,000ft.
Taboche with Dingboche stupa under a star-filled sky.
Click here for Part 1 of Eksteen’s Himalayan journey, and follow this link for Part 3.
To see more of Eksteen’s photography, visit waytogophotography.co.za.