Everest Base Camp Trek Day 7 Dingboche To Lobuche

A small wooden bridge, adorned in Buddhist prayer flags, along the Everest Base Camp trail to Lobuche.

Intro: My seventh day trekking along the Everest Base Camp trail took me from the small town of Dingboche to Lobuche, and my first encounter with one of the base camps used by mountaineers attempting to summit the towering Himalayan peaks that surrounded us.

A herd of heavily laden oxen passing along the trail between Dingboche and Lobuche, with the Himalayan mountains behind.

Just when you think the scenery couldn’t get any better, the Everest Base Camp trail leads you to higher and even more spectacular views. We were already at the halfway point of this 12-day journey and I was at the highest altitude I’d ever been at (approximately 4,500m). I couldn’t believe how quickly time was flying by on this adventure.

Porters trekking up from the small village of Thukla, along the trail that heads back towards Dingboche.

Right as my Garmin GPS watch hit 8AM, Ram (my awesome trekking guide) and I left Dingboche Hotel and were back on the main Everest Base Camp trail towards Lobuche. Here I’d like to share with you a few of my thoughts on this seventh day of trekking, and then let the photos do the talking. Be sure to check out the reel at the bottom of this post for all the images!

• As familiar as I was with the morning routine on the Everest Base Camp trek – from having breakfast to packing all my belongings for my porter Suzan to take to the next town – I never took for granted all the little things in between. Like breathing in the fresh mountain air, a cup of warm coffee, and watching the locals just go about their morning business.
• I had no idea there was a town just a few hundred feet below Dingboche, called Periche, until we started hiking that morning. Ram told me we would be staying in Periche on the way down, just to mix things up a bit.
• The view that morning as we started trekking, looking back at the mountains with Periche down below, was absolutely incredible! The Himalayas never looked so close and clear than on this 7th day of the Everest Base Camp trek.
• We stopped after half an hour of hiking to soak up the surroundings and take some photos. I got one of Suzan and Ram just hanging out, which always makes me reflect on this wonderful time spent with the Ace the Himalaya team.
• Not too long after leaving Dingboche, we came across a metal footbridge that crossed a small river. I saw a herd of oxen coming up the trail and decided to race to the other side of the bride to be ready for a photo. The oxen got pretty close to me as they walked by, but fortunately none of them decided to go crazy and attack me :).
• Right after crossing the bridge, we came across a very small town called Thukla, where we stopped for a restroom break and drink. It consisted of just a big tea house and handful of restaurants and shops, making Tengboche feel like a city! It was a great place to take a breather, grab a small bite to eat, and get ready for the big climb that lay ahead.
• The weather changed quite abruptly as Ram and I made our way up the hill along the trail to Lobuche. The clear blue morning sky, streaked with white clouds, quickly turned to dark grey, but we managed to avoid any rain or snow throughout the rest of the day. The change in weather actually made trekking conditions a bit cooler, although I was still wearing my waterproof jacket.
• Once we reached the top of the hill, we saw several statues with prayer flags wrapped around them. Ram said that they were in memory of people who had died while trekking to or from Mount Everest. A moment of silence for them.
• About 3 hours or so into the trek (and after getting through the hardest part), we saw several large, colorful tents in the distance. The ground was all covered in snow, with about a dozen people walking around. Mr. “Expert” Ram told me that this was a basecamp for some of the neighboring Himalayan peaks. And here I was thinking that the trail to Everest Base Camp was ONLY for that! But it turns out that many trekkers use it to access the challenging peak summits that surrounded us.
• After around 4 1/2 hours of trekking, including frequent stops for photos and me going at a snail’s pace, we finally reached the town of Lobuche.
• Located at nearly 5,000 meters, I was definitely feeling the reduced oxygen in the air as we approached Lobuche. I had to make sure I walked slower and drank more water – two things I didn’t end up doing enough of (as you’ll find out later).
• It was crazy to think that the actual peak of Mount Everest was still another 3,000 or so meters above where I was, not to mention the weather and high altitude challenges of getting there.
  I was feeling a bit bummed that the sky was all grey and the sun nowhere in sight when we arrived in Lobuche. Throughout six days on the Everest Base Camp trek, I was yet to see or capture a sunset. But my luck turned for the better later in the day!
• Some snow began to fall as we arrived into Lobuche, although not as heavy as what we experienced arriving into Dingboche a couple of days prior. Being a Southern Californian for essentially my entire life, any amount of snow was welcome!
• On our way to the tea house in Lobuche, we passed by a rather large blue tent, tied down with ropes into a snow-covered ground. It reminded me of my Inca Trail trek in Peru the previous month, when porters had set up and taken down our tents along the journey. Unfortunately, I was a bit tired to take a peek inside this particular one.
• Our tea house in Lobuche Mother Earth House was a “whopping” 200ft or so after the official entrance into the town. Ram and I made our way inside and settled in for the rest of the day.

Taking the final few steps towards our Lobuche tea house for the night, Mother Earth House.

EVEREST BASE CAMP TREKKING DETAILS
Day: 7 of 12
Start: Dingboche (4,530 meters)
End: Lobuche (4,940 meters)
Elevation change: +410 meters
Distance: 17.4 kilometers
Time: 4 hours, 30 minutes

TOP THREE TIPS

• 1: More than any other, this is THE day to take it real slow and drink lots of water to prevent altitude sickness.
• 2: When heading out of Dingboche, look down below and you’ll see Periche, most likely a town you’ll be staying in on the way back down from Everest Base Camp.
• 3: Have your waterproof clothes handy, you never know when the weather might turn for the worse.