International Flight.

Arrive Kathmandu usually early evening.  Transfer to hotel close to the famous, bustling Thamel district of Kathmandu. Generally we spend two days in Kathmandu completing final preparation and gear checks before taking our flight to Lukla. (H,B)

Morning briefing after which the rest of the day is free for you to enjoy the wonders of Kathmandu.  Sightseeing tours can be arranged and would include visiting the temples of Bodnath, Swayambhunath (The Monkey Temple), Pashupatinath and Durbar Square.  Simply wandering around the huge array of shops, markets, cafes, bars and restaurants in Thamel is a fascinating experience. (H,B)

Early in the morning we transfer to the airport for a spectacular and breathtaking flight to the Sherpa village of Lukla (2800m).  After lunch we can do the short walk along the typically stony path that descends from the forested terraces of Lukla.  This takes us right into the Dudh Kosi (‘river of milk’) valley and the brightly painted lodges of Phakding (2610m).  From here there are stunning views of Kusum Kanguru’s North Face (6367m). Along the trail are mani stone walls, brightly decorated with coloured paints. Buddhists hold these sacred and you must, as a sign of respect, pass these in a clockwise direction. ALL DAYS until return to Kathmandu include (T or C, B,L,D).
 

Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3440m).  We trek into the Sherpa capital and heart of the Khumbu.  You will now be becoming familiar with local protocol for passing chortens, mani stones, yaks, spinning prayer wheels etc and enjoying the hustle and bustle of trekking and everyday life that exists on the ‘Everest Trail’.  At Monjo we enter Sagarmartha National Park and can visit the small visitor centre there. Here the track starts to rise up the famous Namche Hill, the first big ascent and time to drop down a gear and take a slow and steady pace. 4-5 hrs duration.

Acclimatisation/Rest Day in Namche Bazaar.  It is important to have a couple of nights and a rest day in Namche before proceeding any higher.  You can spend the day taking short walks up to Thami or Khumjung, visiting the Everest, Ama Dablam and Pumori viewpoints or just relaxing and exploring the narrow streets of this busy Sherpa capital.

Namche Bazaar to Debouche (3800m). Heading north east up the side of the Dudh Kosi, we climb steeply out of Namche where the mountain views start to open up and become more dramatic, with superb views of Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse. We eventually drop down to Phortse Tenga where we will have lunch. After lunch we take the gentle zig-zag trail up to the beautiful Thengboche monastery. We will have time to visit the monastery before dropping down to Debouche, which is 20 minutes down the trail from Thengboche. 5-6 hrs duration.

Pangboche to Dingboche (4358m).  A good day walking through beautiful rhododendron trees that gradually takes us back to the river and into Pangboche, a great viewpoint for Ama Dablam.  On leaving the village we turn up the Imja valley to reach the lovely and picturesque village of Dingboche. 6-7hrs duration.

Acclimatisation/Rest days at Dingboche.

Dingboche to Lobuche: (4,930m) Today we reach the extensive and overwhelming Khumbu glacier and trek up alongside it to reach the small village of Lobuche.

Ascent of Lobuche East (6119m). By acclimatising on Lobuche we can reduce the number of times we have to travel through the Khumbu Icefall down to 3 journeys. Teams that don’t acclimatise elsewhere will normally have to make an extra journey through the icefall in readiness for a summit bid.

Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5160m) A 3-4 hour walk next to the Khumbu Glacier brings us to the crossing of the Changri Glacier to Gorak Shep.  You are welcome to take a evening ascent of Kalar Patar (5554m) to catch the classic sunset view of Everest.

Gorak Shep to the historical Everest Base Camp (5340m)

Acclimatisation in BC and Skills Training

Move to Camp 1 (5900m)

Move to ABC Camp 2 (6400m)

Acclimatisation

Walk to base of Lhotse Face (6800m) Climb towards Camp 3 (+7000m) if fixed ropes are in place.

Reserve Day

Rest at Camp II

Descend to BC

Return to Kathmandu and fly home.