Rene and Dante Burdych are passionate about protecting our rhino. So passionate, in fact, that they plan to trek to Mount Everest base camp and raise awareness about the rhino situation along the way. At just 12 years old, Dante will be one of the youngest South Africans to make this trek.

They will be leaving South Africa for Kathmandu, Nepal, on 26 April 2012. Situated about 1 400m above sea level, Kathmandu is the gateway to the Himalayas.
On 29 April a short flight will take them to Lukla, from where they will trek to Phakding, 2 640m above sea level. The following day they will take on the steep ascent to Namche Bazaar. Here Rene and Dante will spend two days acclimatising to the altitude of 3 450m.

Their next stop will be Tengboche, situated at 3 860m above sea level, followed by Pheriche (4 280m) and a further two days spent acclimatising. These rest days are essential to help prevent altitude sickness, a reaction of the body to lower amounts of oxygen at high altitudes.

From Pheriche Rene and Dante will trek to Thukla (4 600m) and then Lobuche (4 940m), followed by two rest days for acclimatisation. Their next stop will be Gorak Shep (5 170m) and from here they will summit to Kala Pattar (5 554m). The following day they should reach Mount Everest base camp, situated at 5 400m above sea level – a full 4 000m higher than their starting point in Kathmandu.

“The plan is very flexible and depends on weather conditions and how we acclimatise,” Rene says. “But the goal remains the same: to reach base camp of the highest mountain in the world.”

Watch this space to find out more about Rene and Dante’s trip.