Upon your arrival in the Kathmandu airport (KTM) you will be greeted by a representative from Sherpa Expedition Guide & Adventure. After completing your custom formalities (Visa, etc) and picking up your luggage, look for our representative with a display board showing your name at the arrival gate. You will be then transferred to your Hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu. After check-in, you will meet your trekking guide as well as other participants and do final preparation for the trip. 

After breakfast, early morning we get transferred to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport for an early morning flight to Lukla (2,800m/9,186ft), a gateway destination from where our trek starts. After an adventurous 20-40 minute flight above breathtaking green and white mountains, we reach the Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla. This is one of the most beautiful air routes in the world culminating in a dramatic landing on a hillside surrounded by high mountains peaks.  Here we take a short break and after some packing and arrangements, we start our trek through the prosperous village of Lukla until we reach Phakding. To assist in acclimatization, we only have a short hike today. However, if interested in additional activities. we can take a side trip to a nearby monastery. Overnight in Phakding. 

Note: 2 available routes from Kathmandu to Lukla – (i) via road from Kathmandu to Ramechhap (journey by jeep may take 8 hours or more depending on weather and road conditions) then flight from Ramechhap to Lukla or (ii) direct flight from Kathmandu airport to Lukla. Though (ii) is more expensive flight ticket, it saves hours of travelling by road.

Walking through a beautiful pine forest, the track leads us along the Dudh Koshi River across numerous suspension bridges. One of which is the famous Hillary Suspension Bridge. We catch wonderful view of the glistening Mt. Thamserku (6618 m). Through the settlement of Benkar, Chumoa, Monjo, we come to the check post and entrance to Sagarmatha National Park. We pass through the last village of Jorsale before reaching Namche Bazaar. The trail climbs through the forests and bridges until we reach the confluence of the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers. After a final steep ascent of about two hours we get our first sight of Mt. Everest peering over the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge. We pause in our trek at Chautara to admire the view. We still need to hike for about 1.5 hours to reach Namche Bazaar, a gateway to Base Camp and main trading centre of this region. We stay overnight in Namche Bazaar.

This is the scheduled ‘acclimatization’ day for this trek. Health experts always recommend us to stay active and moving during the rest day rather than being idle. We either spend the day taking a day hike to Thame or visiting Khunde or relaxing and exploring Namche Bazaar itself. Namche Bazzar is the main centre of the Khumbu region and has government offices, ATMs, Internet cafes, shops, restaurants, a bakery and a colorful market each Friday evening and Saturday. If we trek a few hundred vertical feet during the day, it will help us to properly acclimatize. We can either visit the Tourist Visitor Center near the headquarters of the Sagarmatha National Park where we can observe an assortment of things related to the first climbers, Sherpa culture and learn about the various plant and animal life of the region, or we can also take an interesting side trip up to Khumjung. 

This is the “rest” day during which we can either purely rest & relax or take a couple of hours to hike up to Everest View Hotel. We climb up to the famous airstrip at Syangboche. Just above the airstrip is the Everest View Hotel, a Japanese scheme to build a deluxe hotel with great views of the highest mountains on Earth. The Khumjung Valley is surrounded by the snowy peaks of Kongde and Thamserku and the sacred peak Khumbila, hosts a well-known monastery that houses a yeti scalp. If time (and energy levels!) permits, we can also visit the Hillary School which is at the same site. 

The breathtaking peaks of Kongde Ri, Khangtega, Pachermo Peak, Tangerito Peak, and Samdur Peak will greet us as we ascend to the hotel.

We will have a coffee/tea break on the terrace of this lovely hotel while admiring the breathtaking views of Everest, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Lhotse, Taboche, Cholatse, and Nuptse. After the coffee/tea break, we walk back down to Namche Bazzar. Overnight in Namche Bazaar. 

After breakfast in Namche, we start our trek towards the village of Tengboche, enjoying superb views of Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and close up view of Thamserku. Our trek follows on the gradual trail with few ups and downs overlooking magnificent views of the great Himalaya. Along the way we can spot wildlife like pheasant, musk deer, or a herd of Himalayan Thar. The trail goes gradually down up to Kayangjuma. The path eventually reaches Sansa which is the major trail junction to Gokyo valley and Everest Base Camp. The trek then follows through the pine forests and after we cross the prayer flags festooned bridge over Dudh Koshi River, we reach Phunki Thenga, a small settlement with a couple of teahouses and a small army post amidst the alpine woods. After having a relaxed lunch at Phunki Thenga, we experience a slightly tough climb up through the pine forests before we reach Tengboche. Tengboche is a great place for close up views of Ama-Dablam, Nuptse, and Everest and it has a biggest Buddhist Monastery all over in Khumbu region. We can visit the monastery on the same day to witness the ceremony in the principal and popular monastery of the region. Overnight stay at lodge in Tengboche.

We will trek down through the hillside blanketed by rhododendron and juniper trees. If it’s spring, pink and red rhododendron flowers ablaze in our surroundings.  After crossing the prayer flag and bridge over the Dudh Koshi River, the trail follows the Dudh Koshi gorge descending rapidly through the pine forests. The path eventually reaches Sansa which is the major trail junction in the region.  We stop for lunch along the way.  Following lunch, the trail to Namche Bazaar clings to the steep wooded slope beyond Kyangjuma, winding through several bends. We keep a lookout for wild life such as mountain goats, snow leopards, colorful pheasants, etc., while we pass through the forest on the trail before we reach Namche Bazaar.  Overnight in Namche Bazaar. 

The trail descends steeply downward so we need to walk slowly and under control as our shaky legs continuously battle the rocky terrain. After crossing the suspension bridges over the fast flowing Dudh Koshi and its tributaries, the trail becomes more level. By today we start to get warmed up by the light breeze.  Although we are travelling the same route down, we see completely different views. Here we can take pictures of a mixture of open plains, rhododendron and pine forests, and in the distance, the snow-covered peaks. We walk through the Sherpa villages’ noticing the impressive faith of Buddhism and culture of prayer stones and prayers flag while we walk through the villages. Upon arrival in Lukla, we can finally stretch those sore legs. Overnight in Lukla. 

We fly back to Kathmandu after our long mountain journey. The early morning flight drops us at Kathmandu. You can rest and relax throughout the day in your hotel. If you’d like to take some gifts home from Nepal for friends and relatives, visit some nearby shops or venture out in Thamel for typical Nepalese goods. If you want to explore any other areas of Kathmandu, take the time to do that today! Overnight in Kathmandu or Home Sweet Home!