Conquering the Everest Three Passes Trek in Nepal (Interview)

Welcome to the 5th edition of Travel Chats!

Travel Chats is a monthly interview series where I invite fellow female travelers and bloggers to share their latest adventures.

The goal is to inspire you to discover new destinations and get to know our contributors through their stories. The best part? They share their practical tips & advice (the good stuff you won’t find in a guidebook) to help you plan your trip.

In this interview, Anya from travel blog Unexpected Occurrence shares her adventurous trip to Nepal and her practical tips for anyone wanting to conquer the Three Passes Trek to Everest Base Camp.

Travel Chats: Conquering the Three Passes Trek in Nepal

Tell us a bit about yourself

Hello! I’m Anya. I’m a full time student and an adventure travel blogger. I love all things active and outdoors – hiking and cycling are some of my favourite things to do! I’m currently based in Scotland, but I’ve spent most of my life in between the USA and Singapore.

How would you describe your travel style?

I’m definitely an adventure traveller. Being active in the outdoors and really challenging myself is the best part of travel for me. When you’re travelling, you’re constantly pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and expanding your horizons (as cliche as it sounds). I love to continue pushing those limits by doing something that is physically and mentally challenging. Throwing myself into those situations is when I feel the most ‘me’!

While I’m an adventure travel blogger, I’m also such a foodie! I love to see what incredible outdoor adventures a destination offers, and after the more adventurous part of the trip is over, I love to eat everything that I can get my hands on. Food is such an important part of culture and I love exploring a country through it’s dishes!

Tell us about your trip to Nepal and why you wanted to visit

Nepal is one of the most incredible places I’ve ever been. Nepal had actually fascinated me since I was little. When I was about twelve, my parents bought me a book about a kid who climbed Mount Everest. Everest seemed a bit far out of reach, so I told myself that sometime in my life I’d go to Everest Base Camp.

A decade later, I made it to EBC and absolutely fell in love with the country. The culture is so well preserved and the Himalayas are the most beautiful mountain range I’ve ever seen. Being surrounded by the tallest mountains on Earth is humbling and I’m so drawn to them. I even moved to Nepal briefly after my third trip – I had fallen in love!

The last time I was in Nepal, I did the Three Passes Trek independently, which was one of the most challenging hikes I’ve ever done. Pokhara is the ultimate place to relax after a big trek like that one, so definitely allocate some time to hang out there!

What was the most memorable moment of your trip?

When I was trekking, there was one high pass that we had to cross that I honestly didn’t think I’d be able to get over. I was seeing double and I had never been affected by altitude so badly in my life. The funny thing is that as I kept walking higher, I started feeling better.

At the top of the pass, I was rewarded with the most stunning view I had ever seen. High altitude lakes, the world’s tallest mountains, and snow everywhere. I celebrated with a Snickers bar. I felt so good standing at the top of that pass – it’s one of my happiest memories thus far in my life.

What resources proved most helpful when planning this trip?

A lot of trekking routes change every year depending on snowfall and crevasses, so word of mouth is invaluable. I also relied on the app, Maps.me. You can download offline maps, which is really helpful for navigating around Kathmandu’s busy alleyways!

I wouldn’t rely on it whilst trekking for the actual route, but I used it to see the altitude I was at. Blog wise, there isn’t that much about the three passes trek, so I wrote a detailed guide to the trek. I also looked at a lot of trekking company itineraries to make sure I was giving myself enough time in my itinerary to acclimatise.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of trekking in Nepal?

I would highly recommend only going over high mountain passes with other people. It would be great if you could go over the passes the same day as a guided group, as the guides typically know where the crevasses are.

I would DEFINITELY pack microspikes, as the ice can be super dangerous and slippery. I’d also bring many more chocolate bars than you think you’ll need. When morale runs low, those guys cheer you up like nothing else.

What’s your next adventure?

My next adventure is actually a cycling trip. I’m going to be moving to Italy by the end of the year, and on my way from Scotland to Italy, I’d love to go cycling in the Swiss Alps. I’m currently thinking of cycling around Switzerland’s lakes with a few mountain passes thrown in for good measure. It’s all in the planning stages right now! I have exams first, so unfortunately I’ll be staying put in Scotland for a little while.