Everest base camp -Lobuche East Peak Climbing

Today we’ll board a flight to Lukla (2810m) from Kathmandu. Rejoice in the sight of splendid hills, rivers and mountains during the 30 minutes long flight. On reaching Lukla airport, you’ll be introduced to your porter, and served a wholesome breakfast. After that, we will head north to Phakding (2620m). It is an easy 3-hour hike through the Dudhkoshi valley. We will head north from the airstrip to Chheplung (2700m) and cross the crystal clear Thadokoshi on a locally built suspension bridge. Past the bridge, you can see KusamKanggru (6367m), which is one of the toughest mountains to conquer. Away from the ThadoKoshi, the trail continues towards the Ghat (2590m) and we will cross a ridge marked with painted Mani stones. We will carry on to the beautiful tribal village of Phakding where you will stay overnight.

Today we will head to Namche Bazaar, the famous village of the Khumbu region. On our way to Namche, we will cross the winding Dudhkoshi River five times on thrilling suspension bridges, covered with colourful Buddhist prayer flags. Then, we will continue our climb, which will bring you to Jorsale. From there, it’s a two and a half hour ascent to Namche, with two major viewpoints on your way. If you’re lucky, on a clear day, you can relish the hypnotic view of Everest.

At Jorsale, you will enter Sagarmatha National park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) where you will be required to verify your permits. After 5-6 hours of tough hiking, we’ll reach Namche Bazaar, the chief economic hub of the region and the gateway to Everest.

Adaptation to harsh geography and high altitude is vital before further continuing the ascent to avoid altitude sickness and other unwelcomed illness. You’ll be taken for a one day hike through the beautiful villages of Khunde and Khumjung.

After getting back to Everest view hotel, you can go to look at the giant skull of so called mystical creature “Yeti”, in a monastery in the region. You can also savour a lovely pastry in the world’s highest bakery. On a fairly clear day, you will have a breathtaking view of peaks such as Everest, Lhotse, AmaDablam among others.

After a healthy breakfast at Namche (3,500m), we will hike to Tengboche (3,870m). The estimated distance is 10km. By now you will be familiar to strong wind and rough terrain. We can see the sight of porters packing the luggage from the yaks. The trail progressively becomes narrower and steep. You will come across numerous monasteries, suspension bridges, waterfalls and rhododendron forests on your way to Tengboche.

On reaching Tengboche, you can visit Nepal’s one of the oldest monasteries. Here you can be part of unique and spiritual Buddhist rituals. We will spend the night at a local tea house.

Early morning after breakfast we will move to Dingboche (4410m). The air starts to become thin significantly from here. It’s approximately a 5.5 hour long trek uphill. We head towards our ultimate goal, the Everest base camp. We cross the Imja valley and several Sherpa villages. We will spend the night here in Dingboche.

It's an 800m climb from the Pheriche to Nagarjun peak (5000m). It has some good views of the mountains including Mt. Makalu, the 5th highest mountain in the world. This hike helps a lot for acclimatization and takes about 3-4 hours. Enjoy the view from the top and descend down to Dingboche. You will spend the night at a local lodge.

The trek to Lobuche is pleasant as you get closer and closer to the snow clad giants. It is a gradual climb. After a 45-60 min hike, you will reach Thukla. Here, we will make a stop for food and continue up to a flat area where several memorials dedicated to the climbers who died on Everest are erected. Thenin another two hours, you will have climbed out of the valley and descended to the yak pastures at Lobuche. Tomorrow, we hike to Everest Base Camp.

Pack light for the 2-3 hour trek to Gorakshep. The path winds between boulders and will be rocky and slippery. But then you will be surrounded by huge mountains on all sides. You can see the highest glacier, Khumbu glacier, along the way. After reaching Gorakshep, we check into a lodge, eat something and head to EBC. Another 1-2 hour hike along Khumbu glacier will bring you to the base camp. The yellow tents of the climbers will become visible as you reach EBC. Then, you can look around and take pictures before heading back to Gorakshep.

You will notice when up in the Base Camp that Everest is not completely visible. From Gorakshep, you walk down, up and up again to Kalapathar. You will climb up to Kalapather either sunrise or sunset time. It will take 1 and a half to 2 hours. All the effort is worth it as you get the best view of Mount Everest, Nuptse and Changtse with a little of Lhotse from here. Then we return to Gorakshep for food and descend Lobuche east base camp. We will be rewarded by beautiful views on Lobuche peak. The night will be spent in Lobuche base camp at an altitude of 4,865m. Overnight at tented camp.

We will now trek towards high camp from Lobuche base camp. It will be around 4 hours long through the main trail. We will spend the night at an altitude of 5,600m from sea level. On reaching the high camp, we will spend the rest of the day adapting to the high atmosphere.

Today is the main highlight of the whole trek. We will climb the summit from east today. On reaching the top of the peak, we will realize the sweet taste of victory. From the peak, we can now have beautiful view on mountains covered with snow. After spending some time at the peak, we will return back to the base camp. Then trek down to Pheriche.

We will walk down to the village of Namche bazaar, the epitome of Sherpa culture. We will stay overnight at a guest house in Namche.

It is around a 7-hour long walk downhill from Namche to Lukla. On this day, our time in Sagarmatha National Park will come to an end. On the following day, we will board a plane to the capital. You will bid goodbye to this trek with a memorable walk down to Lukla.

Early in the morning, we will catch a plane from Lukla to Kathmandu. Don’t forget to pick a seat on the right side, to see the insatiable mountains again. On reaching Kathmandu, you will be escorted back to your hotel.