Day 1 of Mount Everest Base Camp Tour (Lukla to Phadking, Thursday March 19, 2015)

Here we go – it is 5am in the morning and we are on our way to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu's Airport. When we arrive it is still dark – and we are part of a huge queue in a provisional hut with dozens of trekkers, all fully equipped with backpacks, poles, hiking boots and looking forward to their Himalayan experience. Somehow (and thanks to Dorjee) we manage our way through the chaos and finally we board the small DHC-6 Twin Otter (Yes, I checked this before :-)) of Yeti Tara Airlines. This is one of the smallest aircrafts I have ever been flying with: We are only 16 passengers in this twin-propeller aircraft specifically designed for short takeoff and landing. Inside the plane we are all in a good mood but also thrilled as we all know (and I didn’t tell anybody of my family about this): We will be flying to the Himalayas and right to the Airport of Lukla which has the reputation for being the scariest and most dangerous airport in the world!

Boarding our small 16 seats propeller aircraft which will take us to the infamous Lukla airport...

Inside the Yeti Tara Air "Twin Otter"...

 

We take off and the entire flight is simply spectacular: The sun is just rising, there are no clouds and we fly along the Great Himalaya Range. Somewhere in front of us is Mount Everest but we are still not able to see it as all local Himalayan flights are visual flights only, following the valleys at a rather low altitude. Out of a sudden we enter a narrow valley and see the single, sloped runway of Lukla airport in front of us: The runway is just 460 meters long (!) and uphill, starting at a major cliff. Landing too early or too late simply means disaster (unfortunately there have been a couple of incidents over the last years). On the other hand – taking into consideration the 30+ flights a day into and out of Lukla this is still the easiest and safest way to reach the Himalaya – still safer than travelling with buses or cars (there are numerous accidents every year - no wonder after our first experiences with the Nepali traffic in Kathmandu...).

Views on our way to Lukla...

 

We land without any problem and reach the aircraft parking position within seconds. The airport is so small that there is just place for 4 aircrafts at the same time. As we step out, the first passengers of the return flight already step in. We pick up our trekking gear, take some shots from the airport and walk to the Paradise Lodge next by. Here we meet our porters for the first time – and here we get used to the ‘Sherpa way of trekking’: Welcoming each other, having a Lemon Tea first and then settling to start the hike…

All good - landed safely at Lukla Airport...
 

The #1 activity in Lukla: Plane spotting at the "world's scariest airport'...

 

Lukla is a quite unimpressive village and we are happy as we get out of it. We sign our hiking passes for the Mount Everest National Park region, present them to the tourist office and finally we are on our way. The first moments of hiking are just a dream: The weather is brilliant and we are surrounded by 6000m high peaks as we walk through green and fertile grounds.

Start in Lukla - ready to go!

All small villages on our way are very well maintained and as we cross the first Yak Train it almost feels like Switzerland, listening to the bells – ok, let’s keep in mind that we are in the Himalaya and that these are Yaks and not cows. We cross our first suspension bridge, have our first tea in a garden near the bridge and master our first ascend. It takes less than 4 hours until we reach Phakding, our first stop.  The Lodge there (Namaste Lodge) is basic, but good (cold water only but a Western style toilet! Yeah!). After a healthy lunch, Randy, Jim and me head for the ‘Liquor Bar’ where we have some beers and discuss life (especially Rock Music of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s…). What a great, first and also easy trekking day!

Impressions from Day 1: