Rule Number Two : Give Way to the Donkeys on the EBC Trail

On a trek to Everest Base Camp the first rule of the trail is to give way to the yaks on the trail and stand to the mountain side, unless you want to be accidentally pushed off the side of a mountain. The second rule is to give way to the donkeys

I posted this video on Facebook on our first trek in November December 2013. It was taken on my iphone and shows the number of donkeys on the trail and why you don’t want to be on the bridge at the same time as a donkey herd. It also shows that the bridges you regularly cross can be areas for a little bit of congestion and turn taking. One way flow is definitely the safe way.

The video is taken from the lodge right on the river in Upper Phakding where we had slept the night on our journey back down from Shomare. We had eaten breakfast and were just about to cross the bridge when there were donkeys everywhere.

You may notice me struggling to find the correct words.. One of the things I love about the trek is the peace and meditative walking. Left to plod along quietly and watch where you are treading so you don’t trip. I wasn’t doing a lot of talking and sometimes I couldn’t think of the word I wanted!

Sadly there were hardly any donkeys on the trek in 2015. Reasons? The slow season but probably it was also due to the trade embargo India imposed on Nepal. The gas bottles came from India on trucks and then up the mountain with the donkeys.

Anyway I loved the donkeys and sometimes did a little donkey traffic control from the side lines if the donkeys stopped and the donkeys herder had gone on ahead. CHUK! Chuk!