16 Days Everest Base Camp Trek

After landing at the Tribhuwan International Airport, you will be picked up by our representative who will drop you off at the hotel. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Our journey starts with a scenic flight to Lukla. There, we will meet up with rest of the team and begin our trek. We descend towards the Cheplung village. At Cheplung we get to see beautiful views of Mt. Khumbila. Mount Khumbila (5761m) also known as “God of Khumbu” sacred mountain which has never been climbed. Our journey then continues towards Phakding. Overnight in Phakding.

This is a big day as we’ll be covering a height of over 800 meters and that too mostly on the last part of the trail. Also, we will be crossing through loads of long suspension bridges over the Dudhkoshi river. The first part of trail is easy, we cross the Dudkoshi and walk along the path west of the river. We pass through pine forests and small villages along the way. We continue up north the Benkar valley, we cross he Dudh koshi again and continue forwards passing through the Chumoa and Monjo villages. We will then reach the Everest National Park entrance gate at Jorsalle, where all the climbing passes are checked and verified. Here, you will start seeing more sights of the snow-clad mountains ahead. The last parts of the trek get tougher. We must climb a steep incline to reach the Hillary bridge. The Hillary bridge is the last one on today’s journey, it is also the longest and the highest. We then continue hiking up a steep path leading up to Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar is a famous town in the region. It is the starting point for all expeditions in the Everest region. It is a historic town with markets selling everything from Tibetan artefacts to trekking and climbing equipment. There you will get good views of the mighty snow-clad peaks in the region. It is rich in history and culture, so there’s a lot more to see. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

This day is primarily meant for an acclimatization trek to a higher altitude and then back to Namche to sleep one more night at the current altitude.  We will be hiking up to Khumjung village. It is a small but vibrant Sherpa village. There we will be visiting the Hillary School and the Khumjung Gompa that has a scalp on display which the monastery claims belong to the mythical Yeti.  This is good opportunity to learn more about the Sherpa culture, taste local cuisines, and observe the never-tiring views of the Himalayas. After our day of exploration, we make our way back to Namche Bazaar. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

With a delicious breakfast checked off the list, we will prepare to trek up to the renowned Tengboche monastery at Tengboche village.  It is the largest monastery in the region and one of the most significant ones as well. The monastery is perched in a beautiful spot on a high ridge with Mount Ama Dablam in the background. It is surrounded by pines, azaleas and colorful mountain rhododendrons, and the views are just fantastic; you can get good views of Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku!
The early parts of the hike up to Tengboche is pleasant, with loads of opportunities to get good pictures of the beautiful Himalayan landscape. You will pass through small villages and Buddhist stupas along the way and may also come across an old man and a woman who claim to maintain the trail, they have a big sign in four languages asking for donations for maintenance. Midway along the trail splits. Three different signs point towards the Khumjung village, other Gokyo, and Tengboche respectively. As we approach the last part of the trail, things turn steep! The last few kilometers until we reach Tengboche has the most height gain, while most of the trail is slow and steady inclination and sometimes descent and up again. Overnight in Tengboche.

Many claim the trek from Tengboche to Dingboche turned out to be one of their favorites of the entire journey. The trail promises an outstanding view of Mount Everest like you’ve never seen before. The first part of the trail is relatively moderate with river crossings along wooden bridges, climbing up large steps through colorful gateways, and the ever-existing views of the Himalayas. You will pass through lush forests of birch, confer and rhododendron trees. From Tengboche we descend to Debuche and cross the Imja River. We then continue towards Pangboche through the upper Pangboche trail. We get to see the Pangboche Monastery along the way.  The climb to Dingboche begins once we reach the Imja Valley and the Lobuche River. The trek to Dingboche is as picturesque as the village itself.  Overnight at Dingboche.

Dingboche is above the tree-line, people! You know what that means, it means it’s time to acclimatize! We will do some hiking around Dinboche. We shall ascent a ridge behind the village, from where we can get views of six of the tallest mountains in the world that includes the Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu. Not only those, we get good views of the Cholatse and Taboche peak, and other snow-clad mountains rising above the Khumbu Khola Valley, particularly Lobuche West, Lobuche East and Lhotse. The spot also offers spectacular views of the Imja Khola Valley and the attractive Dingboche village. Overnight at Dingboche.

It is a short walk from Dingboche to Duglha that takes only a few hours. With the ever-increasing altitude things slower down and a short journey may also seem like an eternity; the good thing is you are surrounded by such beauty that none of that matters. Also, the trail to Duglha, for the first part, lets you travel across a wide pass, rather than walking in a straight line. Along the journey we also get to see the campsite used for the first successful Everest Expedition of 1953. We will also be blessed with the sight of Mt. Pumori during our journey. During the last parts, the trail descends and twists leaving Mt Pumori slowly out of our view. We continue, cross a stream and climb to Duglha. Duglha is a very small village, village maybe too much of generous word, with a huge strand of prayer flags hung across the valley. We can go on a hike to see a nearby glacier from where we can also get a great view of Ama Dablan. Overnight in Duglha.

On this day, along with the views of the great mountains like Nuptse, we will pay respect to those that fallen climbing Everest at the Everest memorial sight at the top of a ridge above Duglha. The journey to Lobuche begins with a demanding two-hour ascent up the steep terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We ascend a ridge called Chupki Lhara following a trail surrounded by boulders on each side to finally reach a memorial sight for the fallen climbers. The place is a grim reminder of the dangers of Everest. As we move further we make it to the Khumbu Glacier moraine where we are blessed with tremendous views of Khumbutse, Lingtren, Pumori and Mahalangur Himal. We then walk towards Lobuche village. Overnight in Lobuche.

The trail to Gorak Shep is rocky and makes it difficult to walk quickly. We move along the Khumbu glacier. The hike isn’t so difficult, it’s steady with minor ups and downs, but the elevation can make things very much tougher. On Gorak Shep you feel like you’re walking on a beach because Gorak Shep is a frozen lakebed covered with sand.
Once Gorak Shep is conquered, now it’s the part of the journey you’ve been waiting for- Everest Base Camp. The trail to EBC is also very rocky and degrades into larger rocks as closer we get to the EBC. The rocky terrain, the ascents and descents on a glacial path, and the elevation, make this trail challenging. But, the views from there and the feeling of being there away from the “world” is incredible. It isn’t more about the views but it’s more about the self-satisfaction you get and the ability to say to yourself, that, you’ve made it!
You can see the mighty Khumbu Ice fall, the upper part of the Khumbu glacier, stunning views of  Nuptse, Khumbuste and Pumori, and many other Himalayan giants from EBC. We will head back to spend the night in Gorak Shep. Overnight in Gorak Shep.

The trek starts early in the morning. We walk up a slope admiring great views of Lingtren, Khumbutse, and Changtse mountains. Kala Patthar is a famous landmark in the region, it literally means black rock. Some would say, Kala Patthar is the highlight of the whole trip. Since the mountains surrounding EBC are so massive, you can’t actually see Mount Everest. It is on top of Kala Patthar, where one can see the best view of Mount Everest. Hikers walk early in the morning to Kala Patthar to witness the sunrise from Kala Pattar. After spending some time at Kala Pathhar, we head back down to Gorak Shep and from there down to Pheriche. Pheriche is small Sherpa village, it is also a popular spot for trekkers especially the Tshola Tsho Lake. Overnight in Pheriche.

Now, that we’re done with all the climbing, it’s time to come down. And, by down, 2,000 feet down, with occasional ups and downs. We descend through rhododendron, juniper and pine forests, at one-point crossing over the Dudh Koshi over a wooden bridge. We make it down to Sansa where awesome vistas of Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Nuptse mountains await. Twisting and turning through the woods we finally make it to  Namche Bazaar. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

It’s again all downhill from here. Enjoy the views and reflect upon what you just achieved in these last two weeks. It is a wonderful time to fully grasp what you have just completed. After passing some rocky path, it is just a quick descent, crossing several suspensions bridges on the way until we reach our destination. We will also be passing by many monasteries, too. And finally, we make it back to Lukla. This will be the last day in the mountains! Time to rest, reflect and relax! Overnight in Lukla.

We will catch an early morning flight to Kathmandu, where we can do some last-minute souvenir shopping and some celebration! You can also check out some other places in Kathmandu, we will be assisting you with that as well. A farewell dinner is arranged to celebrate your success. Overnight in Kathmandu.

It is important to add a day to your itinerary of your 16 Days Everest Base Camp Trek, in case of the weather conditions for your fly back. Like the day before you will have free time to enjoy as you want.

This is it, you’re last day in Nepal. We don’t want to say goodbye, we hope we’ll meet again! Our representative will escort you to the airport three hours before the scheduled flight.