Everest Trek & Overnight at Base Camp - 17 Days

Welcome to Kathmandu! The start of your 17 day Everest Base Camp Trek with overnight camping! Upon arrival, a team member will come collect you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. Rest up once there, as in the evening there will be a trip discussion to go over what you'll be doing for the next 16 days. If you do have a late arrival, that's not a problem as the meeting can be discussed the next day.

Lukla flights now operate from and to Manthali Airport, Ramechhap in peak hiking season. The airport lies approximately 4-5 hours drive from Kathmandu. This additional transfer will be included in the price but it is likely to involve a very early start on Day 3 - between 2 and 4am, depending on exact flight timing. This will happen during October, November, April and May.

Today after an included breakfast, we enjoy a guided tour of the ancient archeological, spiritual and historical sites of Kathmandu that will last for about 5-6 hours. Nepal has a rich religious diversity, which you will explore by visiting both Hindu and Buddhist sites including Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and the ancient archeological site Patan Durbar Square. Once the guided tour has concluded, you have the rest of the day as a free day to enjoy as your please. In the evening, there will be another trip discussion session if you'd missed on day one. Breakfast is included

Today is an early morning start as we board the beautiful and spectacular flight to Lukla where we begin our amazing trek!

Please be aware that all Lukla flights in peak trekking season (Spring and Autumn) depart (and return to) from Manthali instead of Kathmandu. This is approximately 4-5 hrs drive and often involves an early start.

We'll meet our additional staff at Lukla and arrange the luggage for porters. Setting off along the Dodh Koshi River through pine and cedar forests, we'll make our way to our campsite in Phakding. Along the way, we'll see Mani stones, and a picturesque setting. Today is a short trekking day, but upon arrival in Phakding, you'll have time to explore the Pema Choling Monastry and the nearby Sherpa Village. Today will include all three meals and the walking time is approximately 3 to 4 hours.

Today is a longer trekking day compared to yesterday, but it is also the first day where we'll be greeted with our first view of Mount Everest! Leaving Phakding after breakfast, we will begin our trek by crossing the Dudhkoshi river via a suspension bridge. We'll then pass through beautiful pine forests and be greeted with views of Mt. Thamserku, Mt. Khumbila and Mt. Kongde. After this section of the walk we'll reach the village of Monjo. Continuing our walk, we will reach the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park where we get our National Park permits checked and begin our descend to Jorsale. Here we will stop and enjoy our lunch in of the teahouses where we'll regain our energy for the next bit of the walk. Leaving Jorsale, it is a demanding uphill climb for roughly an hour. Along the way to Namche, we will cross two suspension bridges, one being the second longest in the Everest Region known as the Hilary bridge. We'll continue our tough climb up to reach a resting place with a view of Everest in all its majesty. We further climb to reach our final destination for the day, Namche Bazaar. Today's walking time will be aproximately 5 to 6 hours. All meals included today.

Today will be an Acclimatisation Day as we are at 3,440m/11,283ft. Today we will be active as we hike to a higher altitude to then descend back to a lower altitude. This is so we give our bodies a chance to get used to the environment. After breakfast we will walk up Syanboche to the Everest View Hotel Area, here we will have an amazing view of Everest and the neighbouring mountains, Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and more. Depending on everyone, we may even hike further to the surrounding villages of Khunde and Khumjung to visit the historic Hillary School and Hillary Hospital. After this we'll begin our descend back to Namche Village where we will have time to explore further. Today's walking time will be roughly 3-6 hours, with all meals included.

After breakfast, we say goodbye to Namche and make our way to Tengboche. The first part of the trek today is along the same trail as the day before to Syangboche and instead of continuing uphill to Syangboche airstrip, we take will take right fork to get to the main Everest base camp trail. We travel down to the roaring Dudh Kosi, cross the suspension bridge and walk through pleasant alpine forest. We hike up and up over rocks and dirt until we reach our teahouse at Tengboche. Today we'll have great viewpoints along the trail, where you'll see the stunning snow capped Himalayan mountains. Upon reaching Tengboche, we'll have our lunch and rest up. Here you can explore the Tengboche Monastery in the backdrop and take in the surroundings as Tengboche is one of the most picturesque places along the Everest base camp trail. All meals included today, with a walking time of roughly 6 hours.

Today if you wake up early, you'll be greeted with an amazing sunrise peaking through the Himalayan mountains. After breakfast at our lodge, we begin our hike to Dingboche. First we make our way to Pangboche, our lunch spot. This walk will be filled with river crossings, climbing up large steps through colourful gateways, standing on the edge of the trail as heavily loaded yaks pass by, and the ubiquitous views of the Himalayas. After short walk past Pangboche we cross the treeline and notice the transition from lush forests to the suddenly barren terrain with small shrubs. Upon reaching Dingboche, we check in to our lodge. You may start to feel some headaches at this stage, as you have now been trekking at pretty high altitudes, above 4000m. You must stay well hydrated and tell your guides honestly if you experience health problems. Don’t ignore them although its normal to get some headaches and stomach upset. Walking time roughly 5-6 hours and all meals included.

We have ascended nearly 1,000m since our last acclimatization day and are due for another day to ‘rest’ and let our bodies adopt slowly with the thin air. If you have not experienced symptoms of altitude yet, you may feel it at Dingboche. Be thankful if you don’t experience any symptoms related to altitude sickness and are lucky enough not to feel sick and successfully adopt with the altitude but you will feel thinness of the air with every breath. Golden decree to acclimatize is to hike high and sleep at low, so we hike to Nangkartshang (also known as Nagarjun hill) to acclimatize and at the same time to cherish remarkable views of the world’s fourth (Lhotse) and fifth (Makalu) highest as well as Kangtega, Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Cho Oyu, Taboche, Cholatse and more. The short 45 minute walk-up takes us past old Buddhist prayer stupas, streams of prayer flags, and locals with baskets strapped to their backs scouring the mountain for yak dung to feed the night’s fire. Upon return and as the day passes, we clump around the yak dung stove trying to keep warm with a group of hikers from all over the world maybe sharing travel stories. Walking time roughly 4 to 5 hours with all meals included.

We head out in the early morning hours for our hike to Lobuche. After Dingboche you will start to feel the trek getting more difficult as the air is getting thinner and colder, however this does mean you're getting closer to base camp! As we continue our walk today, we'll take a small break at Thukla. Ahead a top of a hill we see prayer flags flapping, little Buddhist stupas everywhere (smaller stones stacked perfectly), with plaques and small shrines dedicated to the intrepid climbers who have lost their lives on the mountains around us. We stop to catch our breath in this huge memorial area which stands as a symbol of accomplishment, inspiration, and a reminder of the great devastation these mountains have caused. After around 5 hours of slow paced trekking, including frequent stops for photos, we finally reach the town of Lobuche. (5-6hours) All meals included today.

We start as usual after breakfast. Today’s hike is challenging mainly due to altitude. As we scramble over boulders over the Lobuche pass and the Khumbu glacier all our concentration and energy is taken because of the altitude gain and we need to stop often. As we continue our walk we will reach, a tiny settlement, Gorekshep that sits on top of small frozen lake. Gorekshep is the original Base Camp for climbers summiting Everest, and although Base Camp has since been moved closer to the mountain, it still remains a busy stop for both trekkers and climbers. Most trekkers make Gorekshep their base to go for a hike to Everest Base Camp and Kalapatthar which is about two hours trek each from Gorekshep. At around 3-4 pm (depending upon season), we start our hike to westwards from Gorekshep for Kalapatthar, the best view point to view Everest Himalayan range. Sunset view of Everest and neighboring mountains is dramatic during sunset as the setting sun fires the peaks with golden glory. We return back to sleep at Gorakshep today to aid acclimatisation for our next day’s Everest base camp hike and exciting overnight stay at Everest base camp! (8-9 hours) All meals included

It’s the ultimate day of our trip but since we are spending a whole day and night at Everest base camp, there is no rush to leave our sleeping bags early in the chilly morning. We wake up leisurely and after breakfast we begin our hike to Everest Base camp which starts with a walk back towards the Khumbu Glacier through the incredibly loose sand of Gorak Shep’s dry lakebed. Akin to the hike to Gorakshep from Lobuche the trail is easy, sloping gently upwards, but altitude makes it intense. On a clear day we can see Khumbu Icefall (one of the major obstacles Everest climbers need to conquer on their Everest expedition). The trail reaches the top of the ridge and follows the mountain edge due north towards the cul-de-sac at the end of the glacier. If its Everest climbing season (April-May), we see colorful tents at Everest base camp. We will reach Everest base camp which is marked with piles of stones and strings of prayer flags and few Everest base camp signs. We'll also see other giants such as Mt Lingtren, Mt. Khumbutse, Mt. Nuptse and Mt. Lhotse and more. We have the whole day to explore base camp, and if you have more energy you can climb closer to Khumbu Icefall. Enjoy both the sunset views and sunrise view over the mountains from Everest base camp! Observe the expedition life at Everest base camp and share night with some of the intrepid Everest climbers. (2 hours) all meals included

Early Morning our camping staffs will prepare breakfast for you. After breakfast we retrace towards Pheriche. As we will lose a lot of elevation the lack of oxygen is no longer a hurdle to breathe. A few miles beyond the Everest memorials, we descend a steep hill into a valley. We will follow the same trail back as we used to reach Everest base camp to reach Lobuche. Here we will have a rest and lunch stop. After lunch, we'll continue on to Pangboche where we will be staying the night in a cosy mountain lodge. All meals included today, with a walking time of roughly 7 to 8 hours.

Now onwards we'll be descending in our treks, and don't have to worry as much about altitude sickness. We are trekking gradually towards lower altitude but we still have to deal with sporadic uphills and downhills on the way back. The pressure on the knees during descents is greater and can cause more pain, so be extra careful. From Pheriche we cross the Khumbu Khola River and ascend a short steep trail to the top of a small ridge for great views of Imja Valley, Ama Dablam and Kantega. We then descend to small settlements at Orsho and Shomare before passing through Lower Pangboche to reach the suspension bridge over the Imja Khola River to ascend back to Tengboche for lunch. After lunch and a welcome break, we cross the Dudh Kosi River and ascend to Tashinga. From here the trail contours high above the valley through Shanasa and on to Namche Bazaar, where we spend the night (if agreed the group all together can trek down to Monjo too). Walking time today roughly 5 to 6 hours with all meals included.

We get out through the entrance gate of Namche Bazaar, and start the 600m descent down the huge hill upon which Namche sits. We pass through the permit check post and continue. Although not as steep as the hill from Tengboche, it is still a challenge for the knees and ankles. Here, one last view of Everest as we continue down and further our descent. This stretch of trail is exceptionally scenic with pine trees lining the turquoise river. We come across another suspension bridge and second check post for the day before entering Jorsale. Its now hard climb to Monjo. We trek back through the gateway which marked the entrance/exit to Sagarmatha National Park. We walk past Toktok and Phakding following the long trail to Ghat. Our entry into Ghat is another steep climb through boulders painted with Tibetan scripts. Our arrival at the top of the hill is marked by the mani walls, shrines and chorten. More series of mani walls and we eventually see the gateway to Lukla. Finally, we walk at flat surface at Lukla and check into our local mountain lodge. Walking time roughly 6 to 7 hours and all meals included.

An early morning start to catch our scheduled flight back to Kathmandu. Please do keep in mind, the flight can be delayed or cancelled due to weather restrictions. Once arrived in Kathmandu, you will be transferred to your hotel where you can relax and rest for the day. It will be a free day in Kathmandu, so do explore and walk through the shops and markets. A farewell dinner will be organised tonight to celebrate what you've achieved! Please note, it is best to not arrange as travel on Day 15, as please do bear in mind the contingency day and weather cancelling flights. Breakfast is included

Due to the possibility of flights being cancelled, we have included the contingency day in the itinerary. This is purely so your return travel is not affected by any inconveniences. Breakfast is included today.

Sadly, it is finally time to say goodbye. If you are departing for home today, please do inform us on your flight details so we can arrange transfer to the airport. Hopefully, this trip has been a trip of a lifetime and you take home amazing memories of Mt Everest and an overnight stay at base camp! Breakfast included