14 Days Everest Base Camp – Kalapathar Trek

Our office representative will be on standby with our vehicle to Meet and greet you at the airport. You will see our display board with your name written inside a heart with ‘Nepal Lion Tours and Treks’ distinctly displayed. This is the only display board of its kind among a whole lot of others. You will be transferred to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may have the opportunity to get familiar with the area of the hotel surroundings and get acclimatised to this happening medieval city. Alternatively, you may prefer to recover from your journey by relaxing beside the hotel pool and get rid of all that jetlag. Your guide will later provide you an informal briefing about your trip in the days ahead. Later in the evening it would be good to have an early supper and get to bed so you could get up early the next day to begin your trip. Overnight at your hotel in the valley of temples, some say it’s the most on earth.

We will need to wake up before the birds and depart the hotel at around 2-3am for a drive to Manthali (Ramechhap) airport to catch our flight to Lukla. During this time of day there is usually light traffic, the drive ought to take something like 3-4 hours. Roads in Nepal are not of the same standard like the west, there may be potholed areas and the last section is pretty roughshod.

We fly to the mountain airstrip of Lukla (2,800m); and relish what we see on one of the most beautiful air routes on earth, which stunningly concludes on a sharp ridge surrounded by high mountainous peaks. Lukla is a gateway to the Khumbu region and our trek begins from hereabouts. We meet our other crew members and begin sorting out our equipment with help from them. We then hit the trails for a brief leg of our trek, heading northwards up the valley of the Dudh Kosi (or 'Milk River'known so because of the gushing streams that look white and milky). We descend from the small plateau, down into the lush forested valley. The trail offers some teasing views before reaching the small settlement of Phakding at (2,652m), where we spend our first night in a Tea-house lodge (our sleeping altitude is 2,652m)

After a hot breakfast, we head out of Phakding and follow the Dudh Kosi northwards. Today's hike takes us through splendid forests with lovely vistas of the mountains ahead. We criss-cross the river several times by airy bridges as we pass through the villages of Benkar, Monjo and Jorsale. The last bridge brings us to the foot of the sharp climb to Namche. Halfway up this ascent, we are likely to get our first views, if the clouds are kind, of the summit of Everest which appears regally behind the great rim of Nuptse-Lhotse. A last 300m of clambering brings us to Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa capital and the main town in the area. Namche is a flourishing Sherpa town and an ancient trading centre.

After breakfast, we begin our acclimatization hikes. It is important walking to higher altitudes during your two day stay in Namche Bazaar. There are options here to trek to Khumjung where you can visit the local school and hospital or to Thame village, home to Sherpa Everest expediters, namely, the great Everest climber Tenzing Norgay.

We can also hike to the airstrip in Shyangboche at (3720m), above the airstrip is the Everest view hotel, which was set up by the Japanese to bring affluent tourists into the region for a prime view of Everest. The scheme was brought down by the fact the hotel was at nearly 4000m and many suffer from altitude sickness.
For much of the walk, we have great views of Ama Dablam and other Himalayan giants. We walk back down through Khumjung to a monastery. Sadly, it was damaged in the earthquake but is now being repaired. Inside is a small box and after paying the entry fee (which goes towards the repairs) - we will be shown the only Yeti skull in the world! Descending to the main trail we spend the night at Namche

This morning after breakfast, we descend to the river line; and cross it at the small settlement of Phunki Tenga at 3,250m, then climb steeply through the forest to Tengboche at 3,870m. We ought to arrive here by lunchtime and at high noon we will visit the famous monastery. The sunset and sunrise on these unbelievable panoramas of mountains we behold is something we will never forget for some time to come - Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse and Ama Dablam provide a spectacular backdrop to our teahouse. As we hike we look out for Himalayan Tahr in the lush forest surrounding the monastery. We crash out in our tea-house (sleeping at an altitude of 3,870m)

After breakfast, we descend and hike through dense forests filled with a variety of abundant trees – birch, conifers and rhododendrons. This walk wonderfully rewards us with fabulous views of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam. The quaint trail dips down to Deboche, crosses the Imja River and takes us to pretty village of Pangboche. The upper Pangboche trails welcome us with more immaculate views of the big peaks and the old Pangboche Monastery, one of the oldest in the Khumbu. The hike then goes ahead towards the Imja Valley, Lobuche River and finally begins clambering up to Dingboche. At Dingboche, we see a fine display of fields surrounded by stone walls to protect crops of barley, buckwheat and potatoes from the cold winds and grazing animals. We spend the night here in a tea-house lodge (sleeping at an altitude of 4,350m)

Dingboche is a well known haul up point for trekkers and climbers making a beeline to Mt. Everest, Ama Dablam or Island Peak [Imja Tse]. The chocolate box village is attractive with an assortment of fields surrounded by stone walls to protect precious crops like barley, buckwheat and potatoes from strong winds and grazing animals. We hang around for a day at Dingboche to get used to the thin air we will experience in the days ahead. We take day hikes to either Nagarjun Hill or Chukkhung Valley for great views of Makalu, Lhotse, Cholatse, Tawache and Ama Dablam. Those adapting well to the altitude can climb Nangkartshang Peak at 5,100m. There is the option to climb halfway to the peak or for the energetic it takes about 3.5hrs to the top. It’s a tough and steep climb but well worth the effort for the amazing views. We bunk out at the same altitude for the night.

After breakfast, we set out on the trail as it climbs steeply out of Dingboche past a chorten and ascends the valley gradually to Dughla at the end of the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We haul up hereabouts for a tea break and munch on some snacks before the sharp climb up to Chupki Lhara, a beautiful, yet touching place where you will find a line of memorials in honor to the climbers who died on Everest and from where we have beautiful views of the peaks lying on the Nepal-Tibet border. Our trail then cools off as we go by the valley to Lobuche, a pretty little hamlet with a few teahouses. Late afternoon we get options to hike up onto the lateral moraine of the Khumbu glacier to witness a breathtaking sunset on Nuptse which you will not forget in a hurry. We then spend the night in a tea-house sleeping at an altitude of 4,940m).

Today after breakfast, we must be prepared for a grueling, challenging day and for this we must hit the trails very early. We head for the Khumbu Glacier northwards to Gorak Shep. The trail goes up and down the moraine with some short steep sections. The path is stony as we are now on the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We take something like 2-3 hours to reach Gorak Shep where we haul up for a breather and something to eat. Between base camp and back no lodges are available, so we will fill our water bottles and carry some snacks for the journey to Everest Base Camp. We start by walking across a grimy flat at Gorak Shep and climb onto the lateral moraine of the Khumbu glacier. The trail ascends the side of the glacier for several hours before finally descending onto the rocky glacial moraine itself. The trail winds up and down through interesting ice seracs to the area we call Everest Base Camp. In spring, we might see in the distance some of the expedition teams gearing up to climb the mountain. From the Base Camp we get stunning upfront views of the Khumbu Ice Fall as we understand just how difficult it is for the climbers to negotiate a route through the huge blocks of ice. Nuptse towers above us and Pumori rears up behind us.

After a brief halt to get some great pictures by the Base Camp rock we retrace our steps to Gorak Shep. We stop here for a night in tea-house lodges sleeping at an altitude of 5,170m.

We get set for an early morning departure, real early at the break of dawn in darkness and cold temperatures (-10 to -14 C). Plus, we must brace up for biting winds which are quite common. Familiar peaks such as Lingtren, Khumbutse, and Changtse tower to the east even as Everest begins to reveal itself. Nevertheless, it is upon reaching Kala Pathar that we get to see 360 degree close-up and gripping, breathtaking views of Mt. Everest. Our video cams go on overdrive; we enjoy the glorious mountain panorama, and then return back to Pangboche via Pheriche for a well earned night's rest. The early afternoon time is used to descend down to Pangboche for a good night's rest. Pangboche is a great village to spend the day because of its ancient monastery.

We also interestingly get to know that all the ice doctors who prepare Everest summiteers for the big climb hail from this pretty village. We spend our night at a teahouse lodge sleeping at an altitude of 3985m.

After breakfast, we begin our trek down through a ridge carpeted by rhododendron and juniper trees. After crossing the airy prayer-flag festooned bridge over the Dudh Koshi River, our trail clings to the Dudh Koshi gorge descending rapidly, but pleasantly through pine forests. While in the forest, we may come across colorful pheasants and mountain goats. The route finally reaches Sanasa from where we can enjoy views of Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Nuptse mountains. We also pass meandering trails and then cut through a forest before reaching the bustling Namche Bazaar. We do an Overnight in Namche Bazaar at an altitude of 3,440m

Today the trail descends sharply downward so we need to take care as our tired wobbly legs continuously navigate the rock-strewn terrain. After crossing some airy suspension bridges over the gushing Dudh Koshi and its tributaries, the trail gets a bit easy going and natural. When we finally touch down at Lukla, we relax our aching legs and reminisce on the wonderful experiences of the last couple of weeks. We arrange for a special celebration because this is our last day on these mountains that have given us so much of joy all these days. We then go to bed after a wonderful day in Lukla.

We hop an early morning flight to Kathmandu after our almost 2 weeks mountain odyssey. On reaching Kathmandu, we can take some rest or do some last minute souvenir shopping. If we want to participate in any other activities of ancient Kathmandu, we may do that today. Our guides can help you with some shopping or sightseeing. We will enjoy a farewell dinner at a good restaurant in the evening. While enjoying our meals, we’ll be entertained to some scintillating cultural dances performed by the local belles to celebrate the successful conclusion of a fantastic trip. Overnight in Kathmandu

After breakfast, our rep and office vehicle will be on standby at our hotel to transfer us to the airport for our connecting flight home.