DAY 2 - KATHMANDU TO LUKLA & TREK TO PHAKDING

Elevation: 2,800 m/9184 ft (Lukla) & 2,652 m/8,698 ft (Phakding)
Flight time: 35 mins
Walking Distance: 8 km (3 to 4 hours)
Accommodation: Tea house

After an early breakfast, we will take a short domestic flight to Lukla – the gateway to Everest. Our flight will land on Tenzing-Hillary Airport which is widely known as the World’s most dangerous airport, the surrounding terrain, thin air, highly changeable weather and the airport’s short, sloping runway make it one of the most challenging landings in the world.

After introducing you to the rest of the crew, we will kick off the trek with an easy walk through Chaurikharka village and descent towards Dudhkoshi Ghat where you’ll likely encounter fellow trekkers, locals, and yaks. The trail follows the bank of the Dudhkoshi River until Phakding, where we will be staying for the night to acclimatize. Having an easy first day is intentional, allowing you time to get used to the higher elevation so enjoy your free time in Phakding, a popular stopping point. Overnight stay in Tea house.

DAY 3 - PHAKDING TO NAMCHE BAZAAR

Elevation: 3,440 m/11,283 ft
Walking Distance: 10 – 12 km (5 to 6 hours)
Accommodation: Tea house

Our destination today will be Namche Bazaar, the biggest Sherpa village in Nepal. This is a challenging day as you’ll start to feel the altitude. The trail also consists of a few high suspension bridges over the Dudh Kosi River and after trekking through the beautiful pine forest to Monjo, we will approach the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park which was set-up to protect and preserve the fragile mountain environment for a brief permit check. The trail gets steeper along the way, and if the weather is clear, you will get the first glimpses of Mount Everest. Overnight stay in Tea house.

DAY 4 - NAMCHE BAZAAR - DAY HIKE (KHUNDE/KHUMJUNG AND EVEREST VIEW HOTEL)

Elevation: 3,440 m/11,283 ft
Accommodation: Tea house

Today is a rest day but if you choose to do a hike, we will leave early for the hike up to the Everest View Hotel about an hour’s hike above Namche Bazaar. It offers a fantastic panorama view of the Himalayas and Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. After enjoying the view and relaxing with a hot coffee we continue ahead to the traditional Sherpa villages of Khunde and Khumjung. If you’re interested, we will visit Khumjung Monastery which houses the scalp of what’s said to be a Yeti. Leaving the villages, we circle back to Namche via the small airstrip at Shyangboche. Overnight stay in Tea house.

DAY 5 - NAMCHE BAZAAR TO PHORTSE

Elevation: 3,800 m/12,540 ft
Walking Distance: 6 – 7 km (5 to 6 hours)
Accommodation: Tea house

Today, we skip the traditional Base Camp trail and explore the lower section of Gokyo valley. We will head towards the east to Kyanjuma where we will stop for tea before the ascent of the fabulous ridge to Mong-la. Our destination for the day will be Phortse village; a less explored Sherpa village in the Khumbu region and the terraced village formation of Phortse is one-of-its-kind in Khumbu. Overnight stay in Tea house.

DAY 6 - PHORTSE TO DINGBOCHE

Elevation: 4,410 m/14,470 ft
Walking Distance: 9.5 km (5 to 6 hours)
Accommodation: Tea house

Leaving Phortse, we head up to the main route to Everest Base Camp from Phortse Tenga to Dingboche with an altitude gain of 730 meters. The trekking trail however is a spectacular one, said to be one of the most beautiful trekking trails with Ama Dablam edged ever closer to you. We will pass by Pangboche village and stop by the beautiful Somare village for lunch before continuing our ascent to our destination of the day – Dingboche. Overnight stay in Tea house.

DAY 7 - DINGBOCHE - DAY HIKE (SURROUNDING VALLEYS OF CHHUKANG AND IMJA)

Elevation: 4,410 m/14,470 ft
Accommodation: Tea house

After a strenuous few days of continuous climbing, today is our chance to rest up before the last leg of our adventure! Or if you’re up for it, try an optional acclimatization hike and savor a full day of exploring Dingboche and the surrounding valleys of Chhukung and Imja, the latter of which link to Island Peak. Taking the trek to the valleys will pay off with rewarding views! Overnight stay in Tea house.

DAY 8 - DINGBOCHE TO LOBUCHE

Elevation: 4,940 m/16,210 ft
Walking Distance: 8.4 km (4 to 5 hours)
Accommodation: Tea house

After a day of rest, we will head back to the main trail. You will also start to notice that the trek gradually becoming more challenging due to high altitude. Our climb continues through the wide valley, just beneath the snow-capped peaks of Cholatse and Tawache, looming impressively. You’ll notice that the landscape becomes more icy and remote, with sparser habitation.

We’ll pass Dungla, but not before a tough, steep walk to the top of a high hill. You’ll find many stone cairns along the top of the path, those are the memorial Stupas dedicated to the climbers and trekkers who lost their lives to Everest over the years. The route continues gently along the slope of the Khumbu glacier – the tallest glacier in the world to a small settlement, Lobuche. From here, you will be able to see spectacular views of Lobuche, Pumari and the Nuptse. Prepare for a cold night as we are high above sea level!

DAY 9 - LOBUCHE TO EVEREST BASE CAMP

Elevation: 5180 m/16,994 ft (Gorekshep) & 5364 m/17,598 ft (EBC)
Walking Distance: 15 km (6 to 8 hours)
Accommodation: Tea house

Today is the day! At the crack of dawn, we will leave Lobuche and along the way we’ll get a chance to catch the amazing view of the sun rises upon the summits of the Himalayan mountains. We’ll traverse the Khumbu Glacier on our way to Gorakshep; a dry, sandy lake bed. After a quick lunch, we’ll climb along the Khumbu Glacier at a slow but steady pace to reach Everest Base Camp. The trail is after all on a glacier and snow capped rocks hence it is harder, involving rocky dunes and moraine, formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris.

At the Base Camp, during Spring Everest Expedition season, you’ll have the chance to meet climbers attempting to scale the mountain’s summit. After taking some time to admire your surroundings, we’ll make our way back down to Gorakshep, where you’ll spend the night. Overnight stay in Tea house.

DAY 10 – CLIMB KALAPATHAR AND TREK TO PERICHE

Elevation: 5,545 m/18,192 ft (Kalapathar) & 4,320 m/14,173 ft (Pheriche)
Walking Distance: 12 – 13 km (5 to 6 hours)
Accommodation: Tea house

Today marks your very own summit bid and the highest elevation of the whole trek. We’ll wake before dawn to hike towards Kalapathar – meaning “black rock” in Nepali. Kalapathar is a relatively small peak that can be climbed in a single day. All experience levels can attempt the trek, but it’s still known to be a tough high-altitude climb! For those that brave the challenging climb will be rewarded with unparalleled views of the entire Khumbu Glacier below you and come face-to-face with the highest mountaintop in the world! After your summit, it’s back to Gorekshep for breakfast and down in the direction of Pheriche. Overnight stay in Tea house.

DAY 11 - PERICHE TO NAMCHE BAZAAR

Elevation: 4,320 m/14,173 ft (Pheriche) & 3,440 m/11,283 ft (Namche)
Walking Distance: 13 – 15 km (7 to 8 hours)
Accommodation: Tea house

From now on, our pace will be a lot quicker as we descend, and the walking gets easier. We retrace our steps back to Pangboche and the walk from Pheriche back to Tengboche is mainly downhill. At Tengboche, we will stop and visit the most active monastery in Khumbu region and if you would like you can also light a butter lamp for an experience. After our prayers, we’ll descend the bridge over the Dudh Koshi to Phunki Tenga, where you can check out the Buddhist prayer wheels powered by water. We’ll head towards Namche Bazaar for the night. Overnight stay in Tea house.

DAY 12 - NAMCHE TO PHAKDING TO LUKLA

Elevation: 2,800 m/9,184 ft
Walking Distance: 16 km (6 to 7 hours)
Accommodation: Tea house

Today’s trail is a fairly easy one and it also marks our final day of trekking. We trek along Dudhi Koshi River toward the Hillary Suspension Bridge and then pass through several local villages to Lukla, where we’ll spend our last night in the mountains. A farewell party will be held with all the trekking crew: Thanks to great teamwork and perseverance, you made it! Overnight stay in Tea house.

DAY 13 - LUKLA TO KATHMANDU

Elevation: 1,350 m/4,428 ft
Flight time: 35 mins
Accommodation: Local hotel

After spending the last morning in the mountains, we’ll hop on a brief flight from Lukla to Kathmandu, where your journey both began and ends. You’ll be transferred to your hotel upon landing and enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening at your leisure to catch up on your much-needed rest. Otherwise, you have the entire capital at your fingertips for sightseeing before you depart tomorrow. Your conquest of the Himalayas is complete! We’ll meet up one last time for a celebratory dinner at one of the town’s finest Nepalese restaurants.

DAY 12 - KATHMANDU: DEPARTURE DAY

It’s your last day in Nepal! Grab some breakfast and take in some last-minute shopping in Kathmandu before we’ll say our goodbyes and bid you farewell. We’ll make sure you arrive at the Airport with plenty time before your flight home and have everything you need to leave well!

NOTE: The above  route and walking hours serve as a guide only. This itinerary may change at any time due to weather, trail conditions or other reason.

If  you have extra days after the trek and would like to extend your trip?

Let us know and we will be able to help you to arrange day tours around the city or even a 3-day trip to Chitwan for safari tour.

KATHMANDU (CONTINGENCY DAY)
As mountainous weather is often unpredictable, domestic flights to and from Lukla are easily affected by any minor signs of bad weather. We advise all our adventurers to factor in at least 1 or preferably 2 days of contingency days at the end of their trip. Moreover, there are a lot of interesting places to visit in Kathmandu at your leisure. We recommend Kathmandu & Bhaktapur Durbar Square (Royal Palace), Monkey temple – Swayambhunath or even trying out a Yoga class in Thamel or Patan.