Kathmandu-Everest Base Camp-Kathmandu

You will be received by our staff at the airport and transferred to Hotel Tibet.
Rest of the day at leisure.

You will be transferred from your hotel to the Domestic Airport for the early morning fight to the mountain airstrip at Lukla. A remarkable beginning to the trek as you fy over the verdant hills and emerald valleys of Nepal with the massive Himalayan peaks visible towards the north. On arrival, we meet with our Sherpa guides and then begin the trek that follows the Dudh Khosi valley up to the village of Phakding.

Today’s hike calls for a climb up to the trading town of Namche Bazaar. Halfway up the hill we are rewarded with our frst views of Everest and Lhotse. Namche is the largest town in the Khumbu and has superb views of Thamserku (6,648m), Kwangde (6,220m) and Khumbila (5,700m).

Today is a rest day to allow us to adapt to the higher altitudes. There is plenty to do in and around Namche; we can take a short walk above the town to get a view of Everest. You can spend some time at the interesting Sherpa Culture Museum which is worth a visit. Return to the lodge for lunch and in the afternoon, you can either relax or visit the Bazaar. Overnight at the lodge.

From Namche Bazaar the trail takes you high above the Dudh Khosi River through rhododendron forest with superb views up the valley to Everest and Ama Dablam. After crossing the river at Phunki Tenga, we start the climb through a forest to Tengboche. The main monastery of the Khumbu is located here and is worth visiting. Our lodge at Deboche is a mere 15 minutes walk away from Tengboche.

After descending to the Imja Khola, we cross the river and climb gradually to the village of Pangboche. On arrival at the lodge, you have an early lunch before starting the hike towards Ama Dablam Base Camp. This is an opportunity to get of the main Everest Base Camp trail and explore a quieter area in the Khumbu below one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. If you prefer a shorter walk, you can walk to the viewpoint above Pangtreks boche village and also visit the Gompa (small monastery) there.

From Pangboche, we walk to Dingboche to spend two nights there, which will help with the acclimatization process.

Today’s hike takes us towards Island Peak and lunch is at one of the teahouse lodges at Chukhung before walking back to Dingboche in the afternoon. This greatly helps your acclimatization by following the golden rule of “climbing high and sleeping low”.

From Dingboche, the trail continues up the valley towards the moraine of the Khumbu glacier and then across to Dughla. At Dughla the trail goes directly up the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier before turning left just past the Climber and Sherpa Memorial. From the memorial the route leads to a short descent and follows the western side of the valley to Lobuche. The sight of Tawache and Nuptse are awe inspiring from Lobuche, towering almost 2 km directly above you.

Making an early start, we follow the trail along the western side of the broad Khumbu valley. The conical peak of Pumori soon comes into view; it is on a lower ridge of this mountain which we will be going to tomorrow for the Everest view point of Kala Pathar. The trail makes a short descent to the sandy area at Gorakshep. It should take between 2 to 3 hours of walking to get to Gorakshep from Lobuche. After a light lunch those in the group who would like to walk on to Everest Base Camp will head of for the 5 to 6 hour return trek. The trail is mainly on rocky moraine before crossing over to the glacier. There is a startling view of the infamous Khumbu icefall from the Base Camp.

In the morning we climb up to the summit of Kala Pathar; it ofers stunning views of the Everest massive (you cannot see Everest from Base Camp) including Himalayan giants like Pumori, Changtse, Nuptse and Lhotse. After walking up to Kala Pathar, we return to the teahouse at Gorakshep for lunch. We then descend to return to the thicker air of Pheriche in the afternoon.

Shortly after leaving Pheriche, we cross a bridge over the Khumbu River and then rejoin the trail that we took to Dingboche on Day 8. Just before entering Pangboche village we take a detour that takes us high up the hillside to finally reach the village of Phortse. Here one is rewarded with delightful views of Tengboche Monastery with Mount Kangtega providing the backdrop.

Leaving Phortse, we descend steeply through birch and rhododendron forest to the river Dudhi Khosi. We cross the river and walk up to the Mong La pass at 3,963m. From here the descent to Tashinga begins, where we join the main Base Camp trail again. We retrace our steps back to Namche Bazaar and hike down to Monjo village.

From Monjo, we continue descending down the Dudh Khosi valley passing through the villages of Phakding, Ghat and Cheplung. At Chaurikharka, we start ascending the fnal hill of the trek to reach Lukla. Overnight at Numbur Lodge.

If the weather is good, we leave Lukla on an early morning fight back to Kathmandu. The rest of the day in Kathmandu, you are free to relax or go shopping. The usual practice is for groups to meet up in the evening for a farewell meal. Overnight at the hotel.

Overnight at the hotel.

Transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu for the fight back home.