Everest Base Camp Trek

An early morning start takes us to the domestic terminal Kathmandu Airport for the 35-minute scenic flight to Tenzing and Hillary Airport at Lukla (2,850m/ 9,350ft). On arrival at the airport, the guide will brief us and introduce our porters before we begin our trek towards Phakding (2,610 m).

After landing we have time to explore the village while our Sherpa crew sort and load our trekking equipment. Then we begin our trek by descending towards the Dudh Kosi River where we join the main trail to Namche Bazaar, located just above Chaunrikharka (2,713 m). The walking is easy. After passing through the small village of Ghat (2,550 m), it is a short walk to Phakding.

We follow the Dudh Koshi, ascending through Himalayan pine and cedar forests, to the celebrated village of Namche Bazaar. The village of Namche is a historic trading post where Nepalese and Tibetan traders exchange salt, dried meat and textiles.

Besides being a splendid destination to shop for traditional crafts, Namche remains the central trading post in the Khumbu that attracts Himalayan and lowland merchants. If the weather permits, on the hike we capture our first glimpses of Everest and neighboring peaks. 

The rest day at Namche Bazaar is crucial for acclimatization. It is advisable to stay active instead of being idle for this day. There are plenty of things to do around Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar is the main center of the Khumbu region and has ATMs, cyber cafés, shops, restaurants, bakeries, and a colourful market each Friday evening and Saturday morning. To acclimatize, we visit Khunde Hospital set-up by Sir Edmund Hillary or take a one hour walk up to the Everest View Hotel above Namche for the sunset view of Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest and so on. We then go to Khumjung where we visit Khumjung Hillary School and enjoy flora and fauna found at such altitude. We begin our hike after enjoying lunch; bypassing the route of Khimde. There are also good views from the Sagarmatha National Park Centre and Museum just above the town. After going through our acclimatization drills, we head down to our lodge for a good sleep.

After breakfast, our trail leads moderately flat with a superb view of Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and close up view of Thamserku, Khangtaiga. The trail continues wild lives spot of musk deer (a herd of Himalayan Thar) colorful pheasant (Danphe, National bird) Trail descend to Dudh Koshi river where few lodges and series of picturesque water driven prayer wheels. Cross suspension bridge over Dudh Koshi River a steep climb through pine and juniper forest, walk about 2 hours bring you to Tengboche. The famous Tengboche Gompa (Tengboche Monastery) with the background view of Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Mt. Everest, and other peaks. During October/November in full moon, the colorful Mani Rimdu festival is held here with masked dancing and Tibetan opera in the monastery courtyard.

From Tengboche, the trail drops to Debuche crosses another exciting suspension bridge on the Imja Khola and climbs to Pangboche amongst thousands of mani stones. The upper Pangboche trails reward us with a more pristine view of the Himalayas and the Pangboche Monastery. Our uphill trek continues, taking us to the quaint traditional Sherpa village of Dingboche with its exquisite views of Lhotse, Island Peak, and Ama Dablam. At Dingboche, we see a beautiful array of fields enclosed by stone walls to protect barley, buckwheat, and potatoes from the cold winds and grazing animals.

Dingboche is a popular stop for trekkers and climbers headed to Mt. Everest, Ama Dablam or Imja Tse. The village is beautiful with an array of fields enclosed by stone walls to protect barley, buckwheat, and potatoes from the cold wind and grazing animals. We spend a day at Dingboche for acclimatization. This would be your second acclimatization day that requires about 6 hours of trekking to an altitude of 5100m. The main aim is to climb high and sleep low. The footpath becomes steep at times, resulting in a physically strenuous day. We take day hikes to either Nagarjun Hill or Chukkhung Valley for great views of Makalu, Lhotse, Chalotse, Tawache, and Ama Dablam.

After breakfast, our trail climbs to, the ridge with the towering view of Tawache peak & Cholatse. The trail continues through the Yak grazing pasture to Dhukla (4620 /15158ft) crossing a wooden bridge on the roaring stream. leads steep up to gravely terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier for about one hour, then bears left to the group of memorials to lost climbers and Sherpa’s, including Scott Fischer (American mountaineer) who died in the 1996, Everest disaster and 10-time Everest submitter Babu Chiri Sherpa (Nepali mountain guide) who perished on a mission to climb Everest. Next, we continue to the Khumbu Glacier moraine and find ourselves facing several great peaks - Khumbutse, Lingtren, Pumori and Mahalangur Himal. The trail then eases off as we follow the valley to Lobuche.

We take the trail to Everest Base Camp through the once vast Gorakshep Lake. Continuing straight ahead, we come across the Indian army mountaineers' memorials. The path from here can be misleading; hence, it is important that we follow our lead Sherpa diligently. The walk is strenuous due to thin air in the high altitude. We pass through rocky dunes, moraine, and streams before reaching the Everest Base Camp. Upon reaching the Everest Base Camp, we see tents of mountaineers that stand out in bright colors against the monotony of gray surroundings (especially in the spring). Nuptse, Khumbuste, and Pumori are the mountains we can view from the base camp. We get back to Gorak Shep for a good night's rest.

We prepare for an early morning departure, amid pre-dawn darkness and cold temperatures (-10 to -14 C). Plus, there is always the potential for chilly winds which are quite common. Familiar peaks such as Lingtren, Khumbutse, and Changtse tower to the east even as Everest begins to reveal itself. But, it is upon reaching Kala Patthar that we get to see360 degree up-close and formidable views of Mt. Everest. We take pictures, enjoy the magnificent mountain panorama, and then return to Pheriche for a good night's rest.

Leaving the mountains behind us, our descent takes us away from the Everest Base Camp through Pangboche and Tengboche before continuing to the town of Namche Bazaar. We arrive back to Namche in the afternoon.

This is our last day on these lovely mountains that have been home to us all of these days. Early in the morning, we'll begin our journey towards Lukla through the confluence of Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers. We will then pass through several forests and bridges.

Catching wonderful views of the glistening Mt. Thamserku (6618 m) we’ll come across several suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi River. Once we reach Lukla, where the trek began we enjoy this time to recall the experiences of the last couple of weeks and the personal achievement of all those who took part. In the evening we’ll get a moment to cherish after such a great adventure.

Today, we will extend our final goodbyes to the Khumbu region. After Breakfast, we catch an early morning flight to Kathmandu after our long mountain journey. On arrival in Kathmandu, we will be transferred to our pre-booked hotel. If we want to explore any other areas of Kathmandu, we may do that today. Our guides can help you with both souvenir shopping or sightseeing. There will be a farewell dinner in the evening to celebrate the successful completion of our journey. 

Our journey in Nepal comes to an end today! But the memories will remain forever of the wonderful times we spent together. A High Wonders Travel representative will drop us off at the airport approximately 3 hours before our scheduled flight.