Everest Base Camp Trek

Arrival in Kathmandu

Upon your arrival at Kathmandu airport, you will meet the trip leader or guide and will be taken to your hotel. After a brief rest, take some time to shop for all the essentials you will need during the trek. This will be followed by a briefing on all aspects of the trek, including the places you will visit, the climate, and the local culture. If you desire, you can arrive a day earlier to explore the city of Kathmandu as well.

The night will be spent in Kathmandu.

Fly to Lukla & Trek to Toc Toc

The day begins with a flight to Lukla in a twin otter plane. The flight is an enjoyable experience in itself, as it travels up the valley into the Himalayas. After a spectacular landing in the Lukla airstrip, you will meet the porter who will guide you throughout the trek.

As you trek up the Dudh Kosi Valley, you will get to move past the Mani Walls, which are inscribed with Buddhist prayers. Along with meeting the Sherpas, or the Khumbu locals, you will witness traditional villages and their culture, prayer wheels and flags.

After a day filled with adventure, the night will be spent at Toc Toc.

Trek to Namche Bazaar

We set off towards the north and our destination today is the Sagarmatha National Park. With the background of the beautiful Thamserku peaks, we cross over three suspension bridges and make the steep climb that leads to Namche Hill. From Namche Hill, you get to see the first glance of Mt. Everest! Namche Bazaar, also called Khumbu’s de facto capital is surrounded by three huge peaks- Kangtega, Kongde, and Thamserku. Located in a terraced bowl-shaped valley, the small town is a great place to explore the local culture.

The overnight stay is at Namche Bazaar.

Acclimatisation day at Namche Bazaar

The day begins with a half-day hike to acclimatize and you have two choices on how you wish to do so. You can either climb up to the Sherpa cultural museum and explore it for the rest of the afternoon or you can hike up to Khunde and Khumjung, two Sherpa villages located beneath the Khumila mountain.

The evening gets more interesting with the opportunity to meet the last surviving climber of the Mt. Everest expedition in 1953. Kancha Sherpa will enthrall you with the captivating tale of the first-ever climb of the highest mountain in the world. The exciting day ends with a peaceful night’s rest at Namche Bazaar.

Trek to Deboche via Tengboche

The day begins with a trip towards Deboche. En route, you will get to see enthralling views of several mountain ranges, including the Everest, Ama Dablam, Nuptse, and Lhotse. As the trek continues, we make our way through the Dudh Kosi on another suspension bridge, after crossing a rhododendron forest and reach the Kangtega peak. The mountain peak is shaped like a horse saddle and leads you to an important spiritual destination in the Khumbu- the Tengboche monastery.

After spending some time in the tranquility of the monastery, we move on to Deboche, a small village, where we will spend the night.

Trek to Pangboche & take a day hike to Ama Dablam Base Camp

On the 6th day of Everest base camp trek, we begin with an early morning hike to Pangboche, which is short but quite remarkable. It starts with a climb up to the Imja Khola valley and you get to experience and take in the beautiful views of the Ama Dablam peak, the Everest flanking the background along with the Taboche peak in the West.

After reaching Pangboche and checking our lodge, it’s time for a quick snack before we begin hiking again. This time it’s towards the Base Camp of Ama Dablam. To reach there, we have to take a bridge across the peak of Imjo Khola followed by a steady climb to the camp.

Offering a wonderful view of the Kangtega, Thamserku, and Taboche peaks, the base camp is beneath the western face of the Imjo Khola and set in a yak pasture. The night is spent at Pangboche.

Trek to Dingboche

The day begins with a trek to Dingboche, through Imja Khola valley. The path is quaint and enjoyable as we climb by the hill, filled with yak pastures and old farm settlements. Once we reach Dingboche, you can either spend some time exploring the town or move on to explore Periche where you could catch an informative session by the Himalayan Rescue Association about the high altitude.

The night is spent in Dingboche.

Acclimatisation day in Dingboche

It’s time for another acclimatization walk! After assessing your fitness, the trip leader will help plan your climb. If you’re up for an adventure you can opt for the Nangkartshang peak hike. Since the altitude of the viewpoint is 5070m, you can easily catch a glimpse of several prominent peaks here, including Makalu, the world’s fifth highest mountain. Others include Chocolate, Taboche, Island Park, and Ama Dablam.

Or you can walk up to Chukkung, instead, making it a slightly gentler hike. Chukkung is a settlement in the Khola valley known for the beautiful view it offers of the mountains, lakes, and glaciers surrounding the area.

After a day of hiking, the night is spent at Dingboche.

Trek to Lobuche

Today’s trek is towards Lobuche and begins with a slow climb out of Dingboche which takes approximately three hours. After the climb, we visit Dughla, another small settlement for lunch.

The trail continues from Dughla up the Khumbu glacier, where there is a ridge dedicated to acting as a memorial for those who lost their lives on Everest. We then cross the Pumori pyramid toward lake Lobuche, a summer herder’s settlement which currently acts as a great resting place for climbers and trekkers. If you’re lucky you might get to view the beautiful sunset over Nuptse from here. The overnight stay is at Lobuche.

Trek to Gorak Shep and journey to Everest Base Camp

It’s important to start the trek early today, though the weather might make it uncomfortable till sunrise. The trek begins with a few steep but short ascents along Khumbu’s moraine wall. After making your way through the debris and boulder fields of Changri Shar glacier, you reach Gorak Shep, another settlement set in a sandy basin, flanked by mountains from all sides. After a short reprieve, we then start working our way towards the Everest Base Camp.

This is a difficult path to follow, with high altitudes and uneven terrain across the Khumbu glacier. The view from the climb, however, makes it well worth the trip. Once you reach the base camp, get ready to meet climbers from all over the world, preparing to climb Everest!

Some trekkers have the option of taking a helicopter back to Kathmandu, once they reach Kala Pathar. This cuts down the return journey by four days as well.

The night is spent in Gorak Shep.

Climb Kala Pathar & Trek down to Pheriche

Today we begin the trek towards Kala Pathar. The view from here is said to be the best one of Everest, especially for a non-mountaineer. The trek must begin early when the sky is clearer. The view atop Kala Pathar is spectacular, with a clear panorama of mountain giants like Everest, Lhotse, Pumori, and Nuptse. After reaching and enjoying the view from Kala Pathar, we climb down to Gorak Shep and come back to Dughla, from which we make our way to Pheriche.

The night is spent at Pheriche.

Continue down to Phortse

While traveling back to Namche, we take a small detour to visit Phortse, a Sherpa village. We reach there by going back to Pangboche and then going south along a high trail, known for its wonderful views of Tengboche and Pangboche along with being home to several Himalayan Tahr and Musk Deer. Phortse is a great place to relax and is relatively off the beaten path, giving it a nice homely feel.

The night is spent here.

Return to Namche Bazaar

We leave Phortse today and make our way out through the woods surrounding the village. Because they’ve been left untouched for several years, there’s a good chance of spotting one of the animals usually found here like the Himalayan Monal, Tahr, or a stray Musk Deer.

After leaving the forest, we reach the Dudh Kosi river and then climb up to Mong La, which is said to be the birthplace of Lama Sange Dorje, who is said to be the monk who introduced Buddhism to the people of Khumbu. We then make our way towards Namche Bazaar again and spend the night here.

Return to Lukla

We now begin our descent to Lukla from Namche. It is said to be one of the most difficult days of the trek, due to the amount of time the descent takes. After re-crossing Dudh Kosi through the suspension bridges, we arrive at Lukla by afternoon.

The night is spent in Lukla and is the final night in the mountains.

Fly to Kathmandu

It’s time to say goodbye to the Himalayas as the day begins with a flight back to Kathmandu from Lukla.

Upon arrival, it is time for a well-deserved rest at the hotel. The night is spent at Kathmandu.

Buffer Day / Leisure day in Kathmandu

The day is yours to explore and learn more about the beautiful city of Kathmandu. If you’d like, we could arrange a sightseeing tour for you to know more about this ancient city. This day also acts as a buffer in case of flight cancellations or delays on the previous day.

The overnight stay is in Kathmandu.

Depart for Home

After an early breakfast, the everest base camp trek concludes with a transfer to the Kathmandu airport, where you can board the departure flight. In case you wish to travel by other means, we could drop you off at the nearest bus or railway station as well.