Everest Base Camp Heli Trek

Today is the first day of your epic Himalayan adventure as we plan on taking a thrilling mountain flight to Lukla. It will take about 30 minutes to reach Lukla from Kathmandu. Just make sure to get yourself a seat on the left side of the plane if you wish to glance upon the grandiose Himalayas during your flight.

After arriving at Lukla, we meet up with our remaining trek crew and then leave Lukla town by taking our first baby steps into the vast wilderness of Khumbu region. We will need to descend all the way down to Chaurikharka and from there we begin ascending up through a scenic uphill trail until we reach Phakding village.

Stay overnight at Phakding. Walking Time: 3-4 hours.

Hope you enjoyed your first night inside the stunning Everest region. Unlike yesterday, this day is going to be a bit longer and more taxing as we have to reach the fabulous Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar. Therefore, we wake up a little early and utilize the perfect morning environment which radiates an eccentric aroma of natural freshness and enthusiasm.

We finish our breakfast and trek onward through lush green forested trek trails decorated with mani walls and chortens. Rhododendron and pine trees occupy most of our trail but seemingly we begin to get dramatic views of the shimmering Dudh Koshi river that follows up from the Himalayas to the lower hill areas of Khumbu region. Crossing several high suspension bridges like the looming Hillary Bridge, we ultimately arrive at our final destination of Namche Bazaar.

Stay overnight at Namche Bazaar. Walking Time: 5-6 hours.

Like any other high Himalayan trek in Nepal, we too have planned an acclimatization day which is very vital for the successful completion of the entire trek and for the individual safety of the trekkers. Hence, we are going to spend the entire day exploring the surrounding areas of Namche Bazaar & do some rather shorter hikes to some nearby places worth visiting.

Trekkers can hike up to the famous Everest View Hotel which is also known as the world’s highest hotel in terms of location and geography. As the name suggest, you can get a firsthand glimpse at the world’s highest mountain, Mt. Everest (8,848m) along with some other Himalayan peaks.

And for alternatives, you can even visit villages like Khumjung, Thame and Khunde. These villages have their own unique attractions that appeal and fascinate the minds of travelers. So, visiting them can be a very enriching experience from you.

Stay overnight at Namche Bazaar. Walking time: 4-5 hours.

Continuing on with our trek, we are now going to leave Namche Bazaar and head towards Tengboche village which lies at a high elevation of 3,860 meters above sea level. Following an inclined mountainous trail above the Dudh Koshi river, the views of Mt. Ama Dablam become clearer and more stunning with each step taken by us. Passing through a number of small tiny villages made up of little fragments of scattered tea houses and shops, trekkers move gradually downward to a place called Phunki Thenka.

As we continue to walk for about 2 hours on an uphill trail filled with rhododendron and pine trees, we shall arrive at our final destination of Tengboche village. Stay overnight at Tengboche village. Walking time: 5 to 6 hours.

After spending an incredible night at the religious Buddhist village of Tengboche, our day begins with a pleasing cup of tea and breakfast which you can eat while gazing at the fabulous mountain vistas. Next, we pack up our bags once again and move steadily onward to Dingboche village. We will need to descend a bit down through a thick forested trail and then later on cross a small wooden bridge over the shimmering Imja river which is one of the many Himalayan rivers that flows through the Khumbu region. Temperatures and winds can extremely differ as we get closer to Dingboche village. The verdant lush vegetation starts to become less available and thins out from here onward.

Stay overnight at Dingboche village. Walking time: 5 to 6 hours.

It’s day seven and as Dingboche is situated at an extreme elevation where the temperature and wind become alarmingly perilous, it is very important for us to spend our second acclimatization day at Dingboche. Your body might not be well adjusted to these natural aspects of high elevations. Therefore, we plan on pausing our trek for a bit and hike to a nearby hill called Nagerjun (5,100m). Or you can just do a side trip to Chhukung Ri which presents you with a stunning picture of Himalayan mountains which include Mt. Makalu, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Ama Dablam and Mt. Thamserku. If you think about it, this day can be a very refreshing opportunity to experience some exotic Himalayan views and scenery.

Stay overnight at Dingboche. Walking time: 3 to 4 hours.

You might experience a bit of fatigue and loss of appetite as we march forward to our next upcoming destination. So, you might want to inform your guide about any concerning health situations before going any further. After having our breakfast and getting ready for our departure from Dingboche village, we are now going to follow a rocky unstable Himalayan terrain towards Lobuche where we plan on remaining overnight before heading to Everest Base Camp tomorrow. Our trek today will require us to cross a high pass of Thok La but before that we have to pass through small village settlements of Dosa and Dughla. Upon arriving at Lobuche, you can easily feel the decline in the temperature as it gets extremely cold. Furthermore, this place is your penultimate stop before launching off towards the base camp of Mt. Everest.

Stay overnight at Lobuche. Walking time: 4 to 5 hours.

We have a long day ahead of us so we suggest waking up early to start your day sooner than usual. In the beginning, we will need to cross a challenging and exhausting pass called Lobuche Pass. Our trail will take us through a rocky path with very less vegetation and reach Gorekshep after walking for about 3 hours. Next, we have our lunch at Gorekshep and make our final push towards the glorious Everest Base Camp. Don’t let the exhaustion let you hold back. Just keep going ahead as we have few more steps to take before ultimately reaching the EBC. Upon reaching the Everest Base Camp, trekkers can solemnly explore this vast icy, frigid area. You can take photographs and even though you can’t see the summit of Mt. Everest, it will be an unforgettable moment of your entire journey for sure. Lastly, we shall retrace our steps back down to Gorekshep.

Stay overnight at Gorekshep. Walking time: 8 to 9 hours.

*Another option will be to go and do a hike up to the top of Kalapatthar in the late afternoon today for the most close-up views of Mt. Everest. But by doing so, we will need to cancel our plans to visit Everest Base Camp today and just leave it for tomorrow. And we will have to climb our way up to Kalapatthar in strong sunlight and only return back after sunset. But you can discuss about these things at the last moment too as it is totally up to you.

We start our early in the morning before sunrise at around 4 am-5 am(depending upon season) to spectacle best sunrise views over Mt. Everest from Kalapatthar. We gear up, put on our downjackets, woolen socks, globes and start ahead. We walk with the help of headlights. Slowly as we hike at the top, we can hear gurgling sound of ice crackling down from Nuptse, and have the best views of Mt. Everest when sun shines through horizon creating magic as it turns white snowcapped Himalayas into golden in color. We click plenty of pictures and hike down to Gorekshep to collect our belongings, until then the helicopter will be there to fly you back to Kathmandu . Or you can prefer to from Kalapatthar itself too.