Gokyo via Everest Base Camp

SAFETY FEATURES

Your safety is of supreme concern while traveling with WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS. In an emergency, the group has a four (4)-liter oxygen bottle with a mask and regulator, a first aid kit, and 24-hour medical assistance from a high-altitude medical team of doctors.

For emergency cases, we equip our Guide with the necessary communication means. WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS also works with the national rescue helicopter airlines.

Updated weather forecasts are part of the journey to minimize risks, particularly during the crossing of the higher passes.

Depending on the difficulty of some itineraries, WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS will secure the route using the necessary technical gear, if needed.

Please note that the above-mentioned itinerary information is purely indicative and can likely modify during the trekking by your Guide. He has the authority to make such changes if necessary (due to safety concerns, etc.). We stick to the scheduled itinerary as much as possible. However, as this is an adventure trip in remote mountain regions and at high altitudes, we cannot fully guarantee it as it is necessary to consider each situation as it occurs and consequently adapt the program in its best way. Elements such as weather conditions, the health conditions of a group member, and unexpected natural disasters, among others, can all contribute to changes in the scheduled itinerary.

Our Guide will try to ensure that the trekking runs according to the foreseen plan to the benefit of all the participants, but we thank you for being prepared with some flexibility and comprehension if required.

Please check the degrees of difficulty while choosing a Trekking with WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS. Most of the itineraries proposed in our Trekking Programs are in remote areas of the Himalayas and at high altitudes, mostly more elevated than the Alps. Therefore, an excellent physical condition is necessary to appreciate the whole richness of this adventure.

OUR WILD YAK TEAM

The success of this journey depends on the personal status of each participant and WILD YAK Team’s experience. Therefore, we carefully select our WILD YAK Team members according to their expertise in a particular environment and individual aptitudes. Our Team is thus highly experienced, skilled, trained, courteous, and supportive.

WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS’ is proud to support our local staff by providing them with a fair salary and encouraging them to take mountaineering workshops, wilderness first aid training, environmental preservation courses, garbage management, team leadership, and language refreshers on a regular basis.

Our Trekking Guide and his role: WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS’ Trekking Guide is a professional government-trained guide with experience in directing and trekking around the Himalaya, including first aid training and in-depth knowledge of the local flora, fauna, and general environment preservation. Our Guide leads you through the trekking and across the passes while giving you interesting information about the mountains, culture, traditions, and landscapes. He will help as an interpreter with the local populations. He is ensuring your safety and is checking your needs throughout the trail and to the top of the pass, monitoring symptoms of high altitude sickness. The Guide plays a vital role in taking care of our member’s needs, supervising the Team and porters, and assuring the safety requirements. He also ensures the trail/campsite is clean throughout the trekking trip. He frequently informs WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS about the progress of the group during the entire trekking experience.

Our Assistant Guide: Our Assistant Guide also has a government license but must work as an assistant guide for some time to become a company-approved Guide. He assists the Guide with all the essential duties, ensuring safety and checking that the group’s performance runs smoothly. He is equipped with an emergency first aid kit and walks with the members to monitor the group.

Our Porters: WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS has its reliable porters. They are responsible for carrying your luggage during the trekking with proper handling standards.

WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS is very concerned about the porters. We support and respect the porters’ rights and have high standards to ensure their well-being and well-treatment. We pay them a fair salary, including a bonus, and provide them with reasonable food allowances, good clothes, shoes, sunglasses, and medical insurance.

ACCOMMODATION & MEALS

In Kathmandu:

We stay at high-standard Hotels on a sharing basis, including breakfasts. Depending on availability, you can book single rooms upon request at an additional cost. We go to excellent restaurants in town for our dinners. You can enjoy various types of cuisine, from the typical Nepali, Thai, and even steaks and Italian meals. WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS representatives have screened each restaurant to ensure that it is of suitable quality for our guests.

During Trekking:

WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS recommends the lodges (small traditional mountain guesthouses) per defined itinerary destination. Please be aware that single rooms are not available. Though blankets are available at the lodges, we recommend bringing your sleeping bag, as the sleeping rooms are not heated. Still, the dining hall will be heated in most of the lodge every evening. Showers are available at the majority of lodges at an extra cost. Please note that there are standard toilets in most of the lodges, except where we provide you with attached rooms (if available). It is the case in Namche, Gokyo, and Lukla to fully enjoy your rest day with a shower.

Many lodges serve a variety of cuisines such as continental, Indian, Tibetan, and local cooking. Please note that the beverages are on each participant’s charge. Except: coffee and tea selection served for breakfast and in the afternoons upon your arrival, as well as some special snacks provided by WILD YAK EXPEDITIONS. Lunch packages are also available on some specific days.

TRANSPORTATION

All transportations in Kathmandu are by private vehicles. Flight to Lukla and back, by two-engines Otter Aeroplane.

TYPICAL TREKKING DAY

Everest-Gokyo paths are broad and well maintained as compared to other parts of Himalayan trekking trails. While trekking, our day starts with a warm wake-up tea/coffee. After refreshing ourselves, we pack our luggage and have breakfast. Then, considering the altitude and acclimatization as the day sets off, we trek slowly towards our next destination. We take frequent rest breaks to take photographs, treasure the landscape, confront the culture and admire the fascinating mountain scenery.
A 1 to 2 hours relaxing lunch break is taken, except when crossing the passes. After the lunch break, we will at least spend 2 to 3 hours more on the trail before reaching the next lodge, where some warm hot tea/coffee and cookies/biscuits welcome you. Our trained Guide will accompany the group for the whole day. Before dinner, we might enjoy a short walk through the village, photographing or chatting with other group members or exceptional staff. After dinner, our Guide briefs you on the next day’s program.