Millionaire entrepreneur reveals how he completed a ‘grueling’ nine-day trek to Everest Basecamp with just three weeks of training – and claims ‘ANYONE can do it’

A terrifying airport runway, long days of hiking, a lack of oxygen and no showers – a self-made millionaire with no hiking experience has revealed a detailed account of his journey to Everest Basecamp with all luxury out the window.

Neel Parekh, 35, from Los Angeles, ventured into the Himalaya this spring with his wife for a “grueling” nine-day trek to the foot of the world’s highest mountain.

In a thread on X (formerly Twitter) documenting the experience, the self-proclaimed “office jockey owner” emphasizes that he trained for just three weeks before the ride. He says: “I’m convinced ANYONE with average fitness can do this.”

He adds: ‘The tour itself is not too technical. It’s long, yes, but that’s to be expected. The hard parts come from the unexpected…’

From “day one,” Neel said the journey began with a heart-pounding flight to the “world’s most dangerous runway,” which is only 1,729 feet long and “looks like it was made for ants.”

Neel Parekh, 35, of Los Angeles, ventured to the Himalayas this spring with his wife for a “grueling” nine-day trek to the base of the world’s highest mountain and wrote about it on X

From “day one,” Neel said, the journey began with a heart-pounding flight to the “world’s most dangerous runway,” which is just 1,729 feet long and “looks like it was made for ants.”

From there Neel and his wife met a local guide named Govinda and started their journey.

His diary entry for the day reads enthusiastically: ‘Feeling fresh and excitement high. Easy day. Four hours of trekking. Checking in at a teahouse accommodation.

“Food was provided the whole trip so no problem there. No problems on day one. LFG. This sh** is going to be easy.”

On the second day, however, Neel’s opinion changed somewhat, as he wrote: ‘Update: this was indeed not easy.’

He notes that the most difficult moments included “seven hours of walking,” “suspension bridges,” “uneven terrain” and “plodding uphill with a sideways stab.”

But he does highlight some “fun parts” of the adventure, such as “traveling through small villages” to observe “a different way of life” and “not-freakin-real” landscapes that make you “feel like you’re in another world.”

At the end of day two, Neel and his wife reached the “largest” town in the area, Namche Bazar, and he said it “felt incredible to be near something modern (i.e. they even had a little local bar).”

When he woke up the next day, Neel said things had started badly as he was “freezing,” with even the shower “barely getting above freezing.”

More difficult moments included ‘seven hours of walking’, ‘suspension bridges’, ‘uneven terrain’ and ‘slogging uphill with a side stitch’

The worst part of Neel’s expedition came on the fourth day, when it ‘rained all day long’

But he soon warmed up with a four-hour hike uphill, which rewarded him with “a lookout point and a glimpse of the homie Everest towering above the mountain range.”

The worst of Neel’s expedition occurred on the fourth day, when it “rained all day.”

Fortunately, he said, he had rented a raincoat in Kathmandu, so he “put that on and dressed warmly.”

In addition to the bad weather, the businessman said he was suffering from fatigue after “several days of bad sleep”, due to poor and very basic accommodation.

He said he ended the day in his sleeping bag, “wet from the rain and frustrated about what I had gotten myself into.”

The ‘schizophrenic’ weather continued on day five, with sunshine, wind, snow and ‘then sunny again’.

However, Neel said the hiking trail, which took six hours, was “fairly easy,” with a series of “suspension bridges and beautiful rivers.”

From that day on, the Californian felt “renewedly energized” about the trip and was “in awe of the changing landscape.”

The only thing that stopped him somewhat was a bout of altitude sickness on day seven after an acclimatization walk. His head was “throbbing” from a lack of oxygen and because he was not drinking enough.

After ‘drinking water and Liquid IV’, Neel felt ‘a lot’ better as he planned the final trek to base camp.

A period of ‘schizophrenic’ weather continued on day five, with sunshine, wind, snow and ‘then sunny again’

When it comes to packing, Neel suggests ‘layering’ and ‘leaving the huge coat at home’

He wrote for his “day eight” diary entry: “Everest Basecamp Finish is close, baby. We set off through a valley for a six-hour journey to reach our next destination. Yaks accompany us. It is a beautiful day.

‘Oxygen at this altitude is 50 percent of oxygen at sea level. The last part is tough. I’m out of breath.

‘I’ve been stopping every few minutes for the past two hours. But my excitement at reaching the promised land keeps me going. Finally I turn the bend and see it. We have reached Base Camp.’

The next morning, after a trek to a viewpoint, Neel and his wife started the journey back to Kathmandu.

He writes: ‘Both my wife and I feel incredibly fulfilled… and can’t wait to get back to civilization. Massages and momos (dumplings) are waiting for us back in Kathmandu.’

In an effort to help others planning an Everest Base Camp trek, Neel shared his training plan and essential packing list.

First, he said his three-week fitness regimen consisted of a combination of HIIT boxing and two hours of uphill hiking.

He said of his condition: ‘Physically I was fine during the trek. The altitude exhausted me some days, but there’s not much you can do about that.

“In retrospect, I would tell someone to just take the stairs every day until you can go up and down the stairs for an hour without any problems.” If you have rocky trails nearby, even better.”

When it comes to packing, he advises wearing ‘layers’ and ‘leaving the thick coat at home’. If you don’t have any equipment yet, it is best to buy it in Kathmandu as it is ‘much cheaper’.

Besides hiking gear, other essential items include altitude sickness medication (Diamox), toilet paper, a pillowcase and a deck of cards, ‘an easy way to make friends in the teahouses’.