As you land in Kathmandu and ‘pass the immigration procedures you are greeted by a friendly representative of ours at the very gate. You shall then be transferred to your designated hotel in the Kathmandu valley by means of a private vehicle most likely a jeep. For the rest of the day, you could explore the city to your liking. Being said that, you must compensate for a guide yourself if you choose to have the company of someone familiar with the surroundings while making your way through the city.
Your second day in Nepal is all about exploring the splendid sights of the three historic cities that are incorporated within the Kathmandu valley. After your breakfast, you shall witness the artistry and culture surrounding the UNESCO world heritage sites such as Boudhanath, Pashupatinath, Monkey Temple, Patan, Bhaktapur, and Kathmandu Durbar Square. These heritage sights are among the few places you would get a chance to live the history and culture of for the day.
As we head to the hotels we are greeted by climbing experts who will check your pieces of equipment while also going through some introduction and a quick info session about the trek.
Referred to by many as one of the most serene air routes, the Kathmandu to Lukla flight will let you indulge in the majestic snowy mountains for a total of 45 minutes. As you land in Lukla, the gateway to our trek, we get acquainted with our crew members and start the formal preparation for our trek.
We commence our trek from Lukla embarking on a gradual descent for the first hour to get towards Cheplang village. There you would get to witness the glorious peak of Mt. Khumbila (18900ft), a sacred mountain on which no man has set foot. We further descend until we find ourselves at the place we spend our night at, Phakding.
As you slowly descend towards Namche Bazar you come across a pine forest that also features a plethora of Rhododendron flowers which would just take your breath away. You cross the bridge over Dudh Koshi while on your way and this daunting experience shall surely be stapled into your memory for a lifetime. You go through Sanasa and head to Namche Bazaar to stay the night.
There is a huge variety of activities in store for the day as you take your time to explore the mountainous town of Namche Bazar. While familiarizing yourself with the high altitude of the town, a huge hub comprising government offices, ATMs, Internet cafes, shops, and restaurants welcomes you to indulge in the colorful nature of the marketplace. The trekkers get to have a tranquil experience whilst viewing the gigantic snowy landmasses including Mount Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kongde, and many others.
If you happen to be an adventure seeker, however, we have a day trip planned with you in mind as well. We shall undertake a trek to a village named Khumjung located 3240 m above sea level. The village will provide you an insight into the lives of friendly and cultural Gurung communities of the region.
Climbing up Khumjung hill we get to witness the magnificent views of the mountain ranges. Alongside the breathtaking vistas, we then shall descend to the valleys by the Dudhkoshi river and then head further north for the rest of the trip. At about an altitude of 3973m, there is a beautiful monastery descending from the peak of Mt. Khumbila (5761m). We then descend down a sandy slope to get to Phortse Thanga.
Machermo, our destination for the day requires you to climb uphill alongside serene waterfalls and rhododendron forests proving enough lush green forests along the way. Our first stop would be Tongba village and pass through Dole, Labarma, and Luza villages before setting foot on Machhermo.
The 8th day in Nepal has a lot of adventure in store for you as we climb upwards and indulge in much more crisp views of the mountain peaks including the sixth highest peak of the world, Cho Oyo (8153m). Descending towards the riverbank and continuing on the beaten path we reach the Ngazumpa Glacier located on a steep trail. There are a total of three lakes in the region namely Longpongo at 4690m, Taboche, and Dudh Pokhari. You are sure to be spellbound as we get to witness the blue waters reflecting the sun's rays and the glorious peaks. The breathtaking village of Gokyo is located between the third lake and Cho-Oyo, where you will stay the night.
Gokyo-Ri shall be our first destination of ours for the day. Yet, that doesn’t mean that the day comes to an end just there, there is a huge plethora of adventure and beautiful scenery waiting for you. The more we climb upwards the more picturesque the view gets as we get a glimpse of mountains like Cho Oyo, Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu. Another tranquil lake, Ngozumba Tsho is waiting to be explored by you this very day enriching you with its calm nature.
Today you shall descend to a small Gurung village of Dragnag before settling in for the night. As you walk through the rocky beaten paths you are presented with majestic views of the mountains but the sun-kissed Mt. Everest triumphs it all towering above other peaks. Despite having to climb for a little while, you will have a fairly leveled-out trek for the rest of your day.
One of the most daunting and adventurous treks of the entire journey will get your adrenaline pumping in no time. Given the slippery glaciers and icy rocks, the already hard-to-reach destination of Chola Pass is made even harder. However, we’ve got you covered as there are Sherpas assisting you every step of the way. As we go through with our trek by a frozen lake the highest point of the pass is reached. The top is marked with Buddhist prayer flags that provide a colorful celebration of your triumph over the hardships of the trail. We then pass through some splendid glaciers and rocky lands before arriving in the village of Dzongla. There we will stay the night alongside the view of mountains like Cholatse, Ama Dablam, and Lobuche
Early in the morning, you will hike towards KalaPathar to witness the sublime rising sun over the highest mountain in the world Mt. Everest. While the biggest mountain is the major focus, peaks like Mt. Pumori, Mt. Lingtren, Khumbutse, Changtse, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Nupte, Mt. Ama Dablam also reflect the glares of the rising sun. After indulging in the splendid view we descend down to Loboche and have lunch there. We then descend further along the Dudh Koshi river basin for an estimated 3 hours along the grassy ridge to reach Dzonghla.
As you rise in the village of Dzonglha, you are greeted by the crisp view of the sun dwindling over Mt. Cholatse. As we are on the verge of triumph over Chola Pass, this trek is bound to be one of the toughest. As we are headed west of the village we already feel the adventure just setting in with the rocky paths and icy glaciers along the way. The off-beaten path often crusted with ice leads us to a basin close to the pass. We rise above the heights of the pass only to witness the mesmerizing scenery of crisp white mountain ranges. The top also gives off a colorful vibe as there are prayer flags swaying along with the strong winds.
After the picturesque view we grasped, it was time for the return. We then carry along a filled path with rhododendron flowers for 4/5 hours to reach our destination of Dragnag. On the way, we get a chance to witness the longest glacier in Nepal, the Ngozumpa glacier.
As you embarked on one of your hardest treks this day is meant to make up for it with the easy nature of trekking it has to offer. A grassy trail with a view of Mt. Lobuche is undertaken as we descend down from the village. After reaching the village of Lobuche in 6 hours we shall take a break for the
rest of the day.
As you have your breakfast and undertake your day’s trek you first come across a nearby glacier. The rocky and windy terrain shall be passed in order to reach Gorakshep. The region also provides picturesque views of Mt. Pumori for you to indulge in while walking. We would have lunch there.
You should be extra cautious and follow the Sherpa’s instructions as he leads you toward your major destination of Everest Base camp. As a matter of fact, the paths to the destination are rather unconventional and change every year due to the moving glaciers. You pass by many rocky dunes, moraine, and streams to step on the base camp of Mt. Everest. The base camp located at an altitude of 5364m sure is a hard one to explore but totally worth it. You shall then spend some time there to appreciate the sheer majesty of the base of the peak before returning to Gorakshep for the night.
A 2-hour climb is waiting for you in the morning which will lead you to the 360 degrees viewpoint of Kalapathar. This is the moment when some of the highest peaks of the Himalayas present themselves to you can’t help but feel totally and utterly alive by their snowy landmasses. The highly cherishable view is something that would just ooze away from the difficulties and hardships you have encountered so far in your journey.Peaks like Pumari (7,145m), Lingtren (6,695m), Khumbutse (6,623m), Changtse (7,550m), Nupse (7879m), and even Everest itself shall leave no stone unturned to make you feel completely awestruck. After enjoying the serene views you have your breakfast at Gorakshep. Then we will trek down to one of Imja Valley’s villages, Pheriche.
As you slowly descend towards Namche Bazar you come across a pine forest that also features a plethora of Rhododendron flowers which would just take your breath away. You cross the bridge over Dudh Koshi while on your way and this daunting experience shall surely be stapled into your memory for a lifetime. You go through Sanasa and head to Namche Bazaar to stay the night.
The last day of your trek wakes you up at the gateway town of Namche Bazar with some of the crispest views. After breakfast, we will commence our descent toward Lukla. While crossing the beaten path you come across some of the most scenic beauty the area has to offer in form of mountains, villages, and lush greenery. You would spend the night in Lukla indulging in a fun time with the crew as well as the locals.
Generally, the flight to Kathmandu takes off in the morning given the fact that fierce wind strikes out the possibility of flight afternoon. Although this may be the case for most of the days if there is a bad weather situation the flights will be canceled for safety reasons. If you board the flight you shall land in Kathmandu in 45 minutes. You would be transported to your hotel and you are free for the rest of the day. Explore the city or get some shopping done before heading out.
