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Dingboche – 14,300-foot Yak Pastures

The more time spent at 14,000 feet, the better your body will be able to handle the ascent to Base Camp, at 17,600 feet. Extra time gives your body a chance to adjust to the lower quantities of oxygen available in each breath. For that reason we spent two days camping next to the herder’s huts in Dingboche.

My dad and I shared a tent together for 2 1/2 weeks and I never got used to his snoring!

On the trail to Dingboche you will pass Chukpo Lare, a memorial site for all the Sherpas who have died on Himalayan climbing expeditions. If a Sherpa dies at Base Camp or on the mountain and his body is recovered, it is brought to Chukpo Lare for cremation.

Camping in the yak pastures of Dingboche

If you decide to take a “rest day,” it’s a good idea to hike higher and then come back down again and sleep at your existing elevation. This is supposed to help increase your chances of proper acclimatization. So we hiked up to the nearby village of Chukung at 15,500 feet and then spent a second night at Dingboche.

Afternoon snow showers

Everest Base Camp Trek Journal:
Lukla – Welcome to the Khumbu Region
Phakding – It’s all uphill from here
Namche Bazaar – Never stand between a yak and a 1,000-ft sheer drop off
Thame – Good ‘ol sherpa hospitality
Khunde – May those who seek the Path of Peace find It, and Happiness
Tengboche – Hot showars for everyone
Dingboche – 14,300 foot high yak pastures
The Pyramid – Who built a pyramid in the middle of the Himalayas?
Gorak Shep – The inside of my tent is as cold as a meat locker
Kala Pattar – It’s all downhill from here, for us anyway
Everest Base Camp – We’ve already traveled a vertical distance of over 37,000 feet to get here – that’s more than one Everest!

map – gear – itinerary – news article