Everest Base Camp

Once you reach KTM airport and finish with the immigration and custom formalities be prepared to confront the confusion outside the airport which is common in most of the south Asian countries. As you walk out of the Exit door into the passenger pick up area you will see hundreds of people with different sign boards in their hands, taxi drivers looking for fares, hotel touts looking for customers and porters trying to help with the luggage for tips. Please remain calm and do not walk out of the restricted area into the crowd straight away. Remain there and try to find the Hi On Life’s sign board. Once you spot it, walk straight to the signboard and identify yourself. From here we will take care of you.
When you arrive to your hotel you will be briefed about your activities and “do’s and don’ts” while your stay in Kathmandu. We will also collect some documents from you. Please have the following things handy when arriving.

Travel/ Medical Insurance (photo copy)
3 passport size photos
Photocopy of your passport.

After breakfast you will be taken for a half day city tour where you will be visiting some historical temples and monuments.

Places you will visit:

Boudhanath Stupa: It is the largest stupa in Nepal and the holiest Tibetan Buddhist temple outside Tibet.

Kathmandu Durbar Square: Commonly called Basantapur Darbar  is one of three Durbar (royal palace) Squares in the Kathmandu Valley in Nepal, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Durbar Square was surrounded with spectacular architecture that showed the skills of the Newar artists and craftsmen over several centuries, but several buildings in the Square collapsed due to a major earthquake on 25 April 2015.

After sightseeing you will be driven back to your hotel and your Group leader will give you your trek briefing and issue you your ‘trek pack’ consisting of a duffle bag, down jacket/or fleece sweater, sleeping bag, inner liner for your sleeping bag and rain poncho. Your afternoon is free for you to do your packing and purchasing your last minute items for your trek.

Flight: 30 mins
Trek distance: 11 kms
Trekking: 4 hours
Elevation difference: -140m Lukla to Benkar

A very early morning wake up and transfer to the domestic airport to board our flight which is a small 17 seated Twin Otter or Dornier aircraft. The flight times can be flexible because we need clear weather both in Kathmandu and Lukla to be able to fly. So this can sometimes involve waiting in the terminal for a long time. Once we get the all clear signal we take off to our destination on a 40 min scenic mountain flight to Lukla.

After a cup of tea at Paradise Lodge in Lukla we are treading on the legendary “Everest Highway” which heads downwards through the alpine valley following the “Dudh Kosi” or Milk River (named after its milky color from glacial silt). We reach Benkar after a half a day walk and end our first day here. Benkar is situated at the bank of Dudh Kosi and the lodge that we will stay at, has a beautiful waterfall behind and an amzing view of Mt. Thamserku (6636m) right in front of you.

Distance: 10 kms
Trekking: 6 hours
Elevation difference: +700m

Today we have an easy walk in the morning following the Dudh Kosi crossing it several times on long suspension bridges. We reach Monjo after 2 hours walk which is the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park. Here we get your National Park Permits. 30 mins from here, we reach Jorsale where we stop for lunch.

After lunch we continue to trek along the Dudh Kosi for 45 mins to reach Larche Doban, which is the confluence of the Dudh Kosi and Bhote Kosi. Here we cross the famous suspension bridge which is about a hundred meters above the river and 113m long. After crossing this bridge, it is a steady climb for 1 ½ hours to reach Namche Bazaar, which is the Sherpa capital of the Khumbu region. On a clear day you get views of Everest, Lhotse, Thamserku, Kusum Kangru, Kwangde and Taweche on the way to Namche.

Distance- Hike to Everest view hotel and back: 6 kms
Trekking : 3 hours
Elevation difference: +400m & – 400m

As we will have gained about 700m that day, it demands a rest and acclimatization day for the following day. In the morning we will hike to Everest View Hotel where you will have breathtaking views over Mount Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Peak 38, Taweche and Cholatse towards the North, and Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kangtega and Kusum Kanguru to the East. Towards your west the 5 km ridge called the Skyline ridge which is the summit ridge of Mt Kwangde rises majestically along with Teng Kang Poche, Pachermo and Tengi Regi Taw. We will enjoy this fascinating view with warm drinks and biscuits.

You will be back at lunchtime and will have plenty of time to rest or look around the market and shop.

Distance: 12 kms
Trekking : 6 hours
Elevation difference: +430m

We start as usual around 8 AM after breakfast. Until lunch the trail is undulating along the side of the hill far above the Dudh Kosi. The trail is easy and magnificent views of Everest, Lhotse and Amadablam continues, therefore we will takes this opportunity to have a tea break at Kyangjuma to enjoy the views. After tea we will descend to Dudh Kosi to stop for lunch at a lodge at the bank of the river.

After lunch it is a stead 2 ½ hour climb to Tyangboche. Upon arriving Tyangboche your guide will organize a visit inside the monastery. Please make sure that you carry your thick jacket and woolen hat as it is usually freezing inside the monastery while you are attending the prayers and meditation. After spending some time at the monastery, we will descend 20 mins to reach Deboche, through a forest with birch, pine and rhododendron covered with lichens and moss giving it a fairy tale look.

We have chosen to spend the night at Deboche instead of Tyangboche mainly because Tyangboche is usually crowded since a lot of tourists walk only upto Tyangboche as their final destination and secondly, Deboche is much warmer since it is much less exposed to wind.

Distance: 11 kms
Trekking: 5 hours
Elevation difference: +600m

Considering only the trail, today is probably one of the easiest trek, but because we are ascending to 4300m it is to be treaded gently and carefully. We begin with a walk through the fairytale like forest until we reach a bridge to cross Imja Khola. There are chances to spot Danphe (the national bird of Nepal), Blood pheasant, Himalayan Musk deer, and Thar. After we cross the bridge to the other side of the river, you will notice that the vegetation is sparse and you are on the exposed side of the valley. The view of Mt. Amadablam following the river upwards is simply magnificent. An easy 45 mins walk from the bridge reaches us to Pangboche (3990m), which is the highest permanent settlement in the Khumbu valley.

We will continue towards the same side of the valley on an undulating trail, with Imja Khola below us and the majestic Mt. Amadablam above. After a 45 min walk from Pangboche we reach Shomare at 4060m. Here we are above the tree line and you will notice that now we are on high, barren and exposed alpine land. We will stop here for lunch. After lunch we reach a flat exposed area called Orsho which is usually windy and the trail is relatively flat and continues for about an hour. After the end of this “flat trail”, we begin to climb steadily for about 40 mins to reach a pass. From here you will see the beautiful Pheriche valley with Lobuche Peak (6119) at the end of the valley and also Imja Tse (6189m) towards the East, both of which are famous trekking peaks in Nepal. From the pass we descend about 20 mins to the Khumbu Khola, corss the stream and walk another 20 mins to reach our lodge.

Distance- Hike to Nangartshang peak and back Distance: 5 kms
Trekking: 4 hours
Elevation difference: +600m

Today we climb Nangartshang peak (5100m) for acclimatization. The trail begins right behind your lodge and it is a steady steep climb for about 3 to 3 ½ hours to reach the summit. The wind is bitterly cold at the top so make sure you carry warm gloves, woolen hats and jackets. It is not necessary to climb right to the top- remember, rest is equally important for acclimatization as climbing high. If you feel healthy and fine, sure, climb to the summit, otherwise an ascent of 400 to 500 m is sufficient for acclimatization. Do not push too hard and get exhausted before the main objective; Everest Base Camp.

We come back to lunch by lunch time. In the afternoon you can attend the lecture on High altitude sickness at the Himalayan Resue Association hospital.

Distance: 12 kms
Trekking: 5 hours
Elevation difference: +580m

The trail follows the Khumbu khola upwards along the Pheriche valley. The trail is almost flat for about an hour and then starts to climb gently in the beginning and moderately steep towards the end for about an hour. It takes about 2 to 2 ½ hours from Pheriche to reach Thukla at 4620m where we stop for lunch. Just before reaching Thukla, we cross a stream of melted ice which flows just above us in the Khumbu Glacier. Thukla is situated on the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier.

After lunch we climb steeply up alongside the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. After an hour climb we reach the top of the moraine, which is a flat ground dotted around with numerous graves and memorials of the climbers who lost their lives while climbing Mt. Everest and the surrounding mountains. It is a spooky place yet breathtakingly beautiful with unimaginable views of Mt. Amadablam, Thamserku, Kangtega, Taweche and Cholatse rising from below us to touch the skyline to the South. You can find memorials of some of the reknowned climbers of the world here. Right around the corner, you will get your first glimpse of the Khumbu Icefall, Kalapathar and part of Everest base Camp. From here it is an easy 40 mins, almost flat walk to Lobuche.

Distance: 12 kms
Trekking: 8/9 hours
Elevation difference: +400m

We have an early breakfast and hit start today around 6 AM. In the beginning the trail is relatively flat alongside the lateral moraine of the Khumbu glacier. An hour of the easy walk brings us to the bottom of the lateral moraine of Changri Glacier. It is a steep 20 mins climb and we are at the top overlooking the Lobuche valley below us towards the South and Mt. Nuptse and the Khumbu Glacier towards East. The trail leads across the Changri Nup and Changri Shar glacier with short steep ascends and decends through rough moraines of ice and rocks. After about 2 hours of walk through this glacier we reach Gorakhshep. At 5180m, Gorakhshep is the last settlement on the trail to Everest Base Camp, which is a group of tea houses.

We will have a quick lunch here and refill water and head off to our objective- Everest Base Camp. The trail is rough and endless short ascends and decends through rocky moraines alongside the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. About 2 to 2 ½ hours walk along the Khumbu glacier we reach Everest Base Camp. Everest Base Camp is situated right on the top of the Khumbu Glacier. While you are here you will hear the sound of ice cracking below you and witness a few avalanches on the sides of the surrounding mountains. It gives you a sense of how unforgiving climbing mountains can be. After spending some time at the Base Camo and taking pics we head back the same way to Gorakhshep.

Distance: 18 kms
Trekking: 8/9 hours
Elevation difference: -1200m

Another early morning and we head towards the summit of Kalapathar. Kalapathar is famous for its view of Everest, and a bird’s eyes view of the Khumbu Glacier. The climb starts right on the other side of the dried lake across the lodge. It is a steady steep climb for about 2 to 2 ½ hours to reach the summit of Kalapathar. The views are simply fantastic. Right in front of you is Mt. Pumori 71 rising menacingly at 7161m. Magnificent views of Mt. Everest with Khumbu Icefall and the Western cwm, and the South Col connecting with Mt. Lhotse and Nuptse with the view of the entire Khumbu glacier below you makes an unforgettable memory.

After spending some time at the summit we head back to the lodge at Gorakhshep and start our journey back. A three hours walk from Gorakhshep will bring us to Dingboche.

Distance: 11 kms
Trekking: 7 hours
Elevation difference: -450m

The trail begins to descend alongside the Imja Khola for about 30 mins where we cross a small metal bridge and climb up to the other side and meet the trail which we took to reach Pheriche. We trek back to Pangboche the same way up, but about 10 mins before reaching the lower village, we will take the upper trail and reach the Upper Pangboche village. It is a beautiful hidden village, which is non touristic and you see local life and less touristic. There is a monastery which is the oldest and most important monastery of the Khumbu region. Here we stop for lunch.

After lunch we take the high trail looking down on the trail from Tyangboche. This trail is very scenic with views of Amadablam, Thamserku and Kangtega. A three hour walk along this scenic trail will lead us to Phortse. Phortse is another beautiful and non touristic village. Every year the famous Khumbu Ice Training is held in this village. There is also an artificial climbing wall here.

Distance: 11 kms
Trekking: 6 hours
Elevation difference: -450m

We begin with a descend through rhododendron and birch forest to Dudh Kosi. If you have missed the Danphe and Musk deer before, then this is definitely the place to spot them. After crossing the Dudh Kosi, the trail climbs steeply for about an hour to reach Mong la, which is a pass with a few tea houses. From here we descend along a beautiful trail to Khumjung. Khumjung is the largest settlement of the Khumbu Valley with a high school and hospital both made by Sir Edmund Hillary. We will stop here for lunch. After lunch we trek to Namche.

Distance: 10 kms
Trekking: 3 hours
Elevation difference: -700m

Today we give you a free morning. After breakfast your guide will fix a meeting time and give you time on your own. You can walk around the market, enjoy coffee and cakes at the bakery or do your shopping of souvenirs. After meeting with the group and guides, you will continue to Benkar. We usually have a group dinner along with the staff here. Your guide will arrange this.

Distance: 11 kms
Trekking: 4 hours
Elevation difference: -140m

Today is the final day of your trek, back tracking the way we started this epic journey. On arriving Lukla you can check in to your rooms and then fix a meeting with the staff for the last night party. Your guide will arrange and fix a time for the evening. You can collect your group tipping and give it to your guide. He will put them in separate envelopes according to the names of the staff and their share and give them back to you. Usually our groups have a farewell speech and distribute the tips which will be followed with a few song and dances.

Usually it is an early morning flight to Kathmandu. Upon arrival to Kathmandu we check in to our hotel and the rest of the day is free to take showers, spa, shopping etc.

We have allowed this extra day as a buffer day in case of flight cancellation from Lukla back to Kathmandu. You can use this day to do some extra sightseeing around Kathmandu valley. Your group leader can suggest and help organize sightseeing trip to some of the most famous sites around the valley.
Some suggestions: Bhaktapur, Swoyambunath.

We will drive you to Tribhuwan International airport about 3 ½ hours before your departure time.