Detail Itinerary
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Day 01 : Fly to Lukla (2,860m/9,383ft) and Trek to Phakding (2,610m/8,563ft) -4 Hours
You take a scenic flight from Kathmandu International Airport to Lukla (Tenzing Hillary Airstrip) in the morning. If the weather is fine with crystal clear morning, you enjoy the aerial view of the lush valleys, and great Himalayas. After landing at Lukla, the gateway to Everest region trekking, you meet other trekkers from different countries come to visit the Everest. Then, you formally begin your trekking to Everest Base Camp from here beginning to ascend towards Phakding. On the way, you will cross few suspension bridges, rhododendron forests occupied by varieties of birds to reach tonight’s destination. Overnight stay at a guesthouse by enjoying the first dinner served with great hospitality in the Sherpa village.
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Day 02 : Trek to Namche Bazaar (3,440m/10,958ft) -6 Hours
After having breakfast at Phakding, you move further towards Namche Bazaar, the main marketplace of the entire Khumbu region. The trekking trail to Namche Bazaar follows the Dudh Koshi River banks and passes through lush pine forests. You have to cross Hillary Suspension Bridge, named after one of the first Everest Summiteers, Sir Edmund Hillary. The trail then enters into Sagarmatha National Park, the natural site of Nepal enlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One of the highest altitude national parks in the world, this national park is the home for many mountain animals and plants. In the course of the journey, you may see the endangered species of animals like Himalayan thar, red panda and Himalayan bear. You end today’s trekking in Everest region at Namche Bazaar which consists banks, good hotels, shopping malls, ATM booths including other modern amenities. You spend the night at a comfortable hotel by enjoying the delicious food items according to your choice.
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Day 03 : Acclimatization Day
This is the first acclimatization day in the Khumbu region so that you can well adjust into the high elevation. The rest day at Namche Bazaar enables you to make the further journey towards higher elevation stopovers en route. You don’t have to wake up early but sleep till late morning to take a complete physical and mental rest. You can take a hike to Everest View Hotel which is just about one hour’s walk from Namchhe Bazaar. Situated at the elevation of 3,880m, Everest View Hotel is one of the hotels situated in the highest altitude in the world. This hotel serves as the vantage point to see Mt. Everest, Mt. Ama Dablam and Mt. Thamserku.
Another attraction of Namche Bazaar rest day is the Sherpa Museum (also called Hillary Museum) which gives information about the Everest expeditions. You can find the information about various expeditions made in the past years by Sherpas, their lifecycles and artifacts. The central attraction of this museum is the “Hall of Fame” which displays the photos of Sherpas and rare pictures of Tenzing Hillary who were the first to reach the Everest Summit.
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Day 04 : Trek to Tengboche (3,860m/12,664ft) -5 Hours
Now, you are ready to ascend further towards higher elevation stopover as you spent the rest day at Namche Bazaar. After breakfast, you start the journey along the stone paved trails going past dense forests of pine and rhododendron trees. If you are fortunate, you may have a sudden view of the Himalayan pheasant (Lophophorus, the national bird of Nepal). You can also enjoy the mesmerizing view of the snowcapped peaks Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Khumbila during the ascent. Finally, you reach Tengboche village which is one of the major stopovers during Everest region trekking.
Tenboche village is named after the largest and oldest monastery of the entire Khumbu region, Tenboche Monastery. It is said to be one of the most picturesque village in the world, which offers the rarest view of the highest peak of the world, Mount Everest. You can hear a truly interesting story behind Tenboche Monastery about Tenzing Norgay, one of the two pioneer to reach the top of Everest. As they say, Tenzing was born in Thami village, one of the most important Sherpa cultural villages of the region, and went to this shrine to become a monk! Whatever the truth behind this anecdote, this monastery is really peaceful place to visit to.
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Day 05 : Trek to Dingboche (4,410m/14,469ft) – 5 Hours
Today, you make your trip up to Dingboche, one of the major Sherpa settlement areas of the Everest region. As soon as you have your breakfast, you begin the voyage following the trail that moves ahead along the Imja River banks. The Imja River originates from the Imja Lake which has Island Peak famous for peak climbing in Nepal. Then, it moves further crossing a suspension bridge and thick rhododendron forests of Sagarmatha National Park housing diverse wildlife and vegetation. On the way, you go past some other Sherpa settlement areas like Pangboche, Milingo and Somare which reflect the Sherpa culture and tradition. Cherishing the welcoming sight of Mt. Nuptse, Cholatse Peak, Tobache Peak and Mt. Lhotse, finally you reach Dingboche for the night station.
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Day 06 : Acclimatization Day
Today is the second day for the acclimatization to measure the trail leading to the base camp of Mount Everest. Actually, rest day during the ascent to the Himalayas is a good idea to prepare yourself to move uphill without any problems. This break in the middle of the trekking prepares you to avoid the altitude sickness in the days to come. Take a complete rest by sleeping until late in the morning as you are not going to move any further. For acclimatization purpose, you take a hike to Nagarjun Hill which is situated at 5,100m which takes about four hours. Although the path to the top of the hill is steep, the alluring vistas of the snowcapped peaks are the rewards. You can enjoy the miraculous outlook of the snowy peaks like Lobuche East and West, Taboche Peak, Ama Dablam, etc. The view of Periche Valley where you spend a night while returning from EBC on foot, is also equally captivating.
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Day 07 : Trek to Lobuche (4,910m/16,109ft) -5 Hours
After having breakfast, you move forward along the trail that goes past the crevice deposited by the Khumbu Glacier. By leaving the world’s largest glacier behind, you move ahead to the area housing memorials of the mountaineers and trekkers. These memorials are of those great climbers who tried to summit the Everest but lost their lives while going upwards or downwards. You feel really high-spirited seeing these memorials which bless you to successfully complete the journey to base camp of the highest peak. Moving ahead through the rugged trail, you reach Lobuche village which is very beautiful due to well managed trail. The people of this village are very helpful, co-operative and friendly that you can find the best hospitality over there. You can also relish the astonishing vistas of Lobuche East and Lobuche West which are important climbing peaks of Nepal. Overnight stay at a hotel by cherishing the hygienic food items prepared by the Sherpa woman.
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Day 08 : Trek to Gorak Shep (5,140m/16,864ft) and Hike to Everest Base Camp (5,364m/17,598ft) -8 Hours
Today is most important of Everest Base Camp trekking 9 days itinerary as you will have the most awaited moment! Waking up early in the morning, you begin the journey towards Gorak Shep by following the rugged trail. Gorak Shep used to be the original base camp until 1953 expedition led by Tenzing Hillary before the current Everest Base Camp. Although the trail is steep and rough, the splendid panorama of the Khumbu Glacier and other snow-clad peaks inspires you to keep ascending. Gorak Shep is a small Himalayan village inside Sagarmatha National Park and the final rest point to make reach to the base camp.
After reaching Gorak Shep, you keep your things at the hotel booked for the night accommodation and hike to Everest Base Camp. Don’t forget to walk slowly but steadily to prevent altitude sickness at the eleventh hour of the journey! By enjoying the sight of the Khumbu Icefall, it takes nearly two hours to cross the 3.5-km steep trail from Gorak Shep to EBC. Reaching the highest point of Everest Base Camp trek gives you the sense of victory over the most talked topic of adventure tourism. You can capture the glimpses of the snowcapped peaks of the Everest region although Mt. Everest is hidden behind Mt. Lhotse. After storing the memories of the base camp of the highest peak of the world in the camera and the mind, you retreat towards Gorak Shep.
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Day 09 : Hike to Kala Patthar (5,550m/18,209ft) and Helicopter Flight Back to Kathmandu – 60 Minutes
Today’s journey is also very very important as you are going to have the 360-degree panoramic view of the Everest region. Rising around 3 o’clock, you set up the journey towards Kala Patthar, the vantage point of the entire Everest vicinity. If you can manage to reach the vantage point before the sunrise, you can have the rarest view of lifetime. The view of Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Ama Dablam and other peaks including Mt. Pumori is incredible. You can take the snaps by keeping the Sacred Mountain Giants on the background as a lifelong memory that you can share with your grandchildren!
After fulfilling your desire for close-up view of the world’s highest peaks, you descend down to Gorak Shep. You can relish the amazing vistas of the glittering Himalayas due to the sunrays while having breakfast l in Gorak Shep. After you are finished with the breakfast, you take a scenic flight back to Kathmandu in a helicopter. You can enjoy the aerial view of the silvery mountains, icefalls, glaciers, dense forests and lush valleys during the return flight.
