Gokyo and Everest Base Camp trek

We board a flight to Lukla early in the morning. It takes 30 minutes to arrive at Lukla airport. There we will be introduced to our porter. Then, we will stop for breakfast after which we will begin our first day’s walk to Phakding, a fairly easy 3 hours walk through the Dudhkosi valley. We will head north from the airstrip to Chheplung (2700m). Here we will cross the Thado Koshi River on a local-style suspension bridge. Just past the bridge, we can see the peak Kusum and Kanggru (6367m), which are the most difficult trekking peaks to climb. Beyond the ThadoKoshi, the trail climbs a bit towards Ghat (2590m), then we will cross a ridge marked with painted Mani stones and climb to Phakding where we will stay overnight

We start our second day of trek through the Valley of Dudhkosi River. We cross the Dudhkosi River five times on the exciting suspension bridges laden with prayer flags on the way to Namche. After we cross the last bridge, there is a steep climb up to Namche where the trail gradually leads up to Jorsale. It is a 2 and a half hour climb up to Namche with two view points on the way. We can have a mesmerizing view of Mt Everest on a clear day. At Jorsale, we enter the Sagarmatha National park where we will need to verify our permits. After 5 or 6 hours of hard walking, we reach the main trading centre, Namche bazaar.

Acclimatization is very important before proceeding higher to avoid altitude sickness. We will be taken for a day’s hike through the villages of Khunde and Khumjung and come back to Namche through the Everest view hotel Khumjung. We can see the head of a Yeti in the monastery of the area. We can also visit the bakery at world’s highest altitude. We get to enjoy the panoramic views of Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and many other mountains on a fair day. Even the view from Everest View hotel is very impressive. We start with a steep one-hour climb to the Syangboche airstrip (3790m), from where we will slowly ascend towards Khunde passing numerous chorten (stone Buddhist monuments). From Khunde, we follow the trail eastwards to Khumjung, the largest village in Khumbu, at the foot of the sacred peak Khumbila. After enjoying lunch at Khumjung, we follow a gradual climb to Everest View Hotel where we will enjoy the splendid mountain views. Then we descend towards Namche (3540m).

Our route for today to Tengboche weaves in and out of side valleys, making small ups and downs, to the teashops of Kenjoma, and joins the trail from Khumjung just before a collection of Mani stones. The views of Everest and Ama Dablam are excellent from this part of the trek. We pass the small settlement of Sanasa from where the trail drops towards Phunkithanga (3250m). From here the trail climbs steeply through pine forests and around Mani stones as it follows the side of a hill to the saddle on which the monastery of Tengboche sits at 3870m. The view from here is rightly deemed to be one of the world’s most magnificent sceneries. Kwangde (6187m), Tawachee (6542m), Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse (8501m), Amadablam, Kantega and Thamserku provide an inspiring panorama as the Himalayan giants. We will spend the night in Tengboche village (5 hrs).

We descend through a beautiful forest then cross the Imja Khola and trek through the village of Pangboche. The route continues through summer pastures to Dingboche. We will spend the night at Dingboche. It is a very relaxing village with lots of mountain views. This is very easy walk and takes about 4 to 5 hours.

We start with a climb to the chorten trail that is a gentle climb for about 1 and half hours. Then we get to Thugla at 4600m with a tea house where we will have lunch before climbing the steep part of the day’s trek for about one and a half hours. We start to get close to high mountains like Mt. Pumori and Mt. Nuptse after a while as we proceed towards Lobuche where only basic accommodation and food is provided. Then we trek along a broad valley floor to Thugla, leaving behind the Trekkers Aid Post at Pheriche at 4240 m. A western volunteer doctor, supported by The Himalayan Rescue Association is stationed here and offers treatment and consultation to trekkers as we continue up the valley gaining altitude. When we come out of the valley, we descend to the yak pastures at Lobuche. Overnight at Lodge. The day’s trip takes about 5 and a half hour’s walk.

This morning, we will take a 2 hour’s hike up to Gorakshep. First part is nice and easy but one hour later the trail starts to get harder which is compensated by the really nice view of big walls formed by Everest, Nuptse and many other mountains. Once we climb about 150m then trail gets better again. Short after we will get to the moraine. Finally we get to 5160m, the world’s highest settlement at Gorakshep. Once we have lunch, we begin our walk to Everest base camp. We will be walking on side ridge of the Khumbu glacier. After walking on the ridge for about one and half hours, we cross the Glacier and into the Everest base camp area. Today we reach Everest base camp at an altitude of 5360m. We will be able to meet and talk to other mountain climbers at the base camp. We can get a good view of Khumbu glacier and Khumbu Ice fall. From there we can also see the big crevasses in the climbing way. After appreciating our own efforts and photographing the achievements, we start our way back to Gorakshep. (6-7 hour)

We will start early morning hike to Kalapathar. We spend some time enjoying the sunrise on the splendid Himalayan ranges, relishing in a unique view and experience and head back to Lobuche. From Lobuche, few hours hike will take us to Dzongla which is the only place where we can spend the night

Early morning, we start our walk from Dzongla to the Cho-la pass. The walk over the glacier is an enjoyable experience if we can make the trip during the best season otherwise excess snow makes it impossible to cross the pass. As the darkness returns we trek down to Tagnag to spend the night there.

It is a short day trek as we reach Gokyo in about 4-5 hours just in time to have lunch. Then we spend the rest of the day exploring the Gokyo valley. We can also visit the glaciers and turquoise lakes of the Gokyo valley while witnessing the spellbinding views of the Himalayan giants like Everest, Cho-Oyu, Lhotse Makalu and others. We spend the night in Gokyo.

The upwards trek is quite a feat to Gokyo RI. Every step of the steep climb is worth it once we reach the pass and see the astonishing views of the Gokyo valley, the Ngozumpa glacier and a panoramic scene of the Khumbu Himalayan giants. After spending some time there, we make our way down to Dole where we spend the night

The trek from Dole to Namche Bazaar takes about six hours. During the course of the day, we cross the Khumjung village while walking on the base of Mount Amadablam. Once we reach Namche Bazaar, we rest and spend the night there

From Namche, first we make our way towards Phakding which takes about 5-6 hours, and then a leisurely walk takes us to Lukla by evening where we spend the night in a hotel or a Sherpa village.

We will fly back to Kathmandu early from Lukla. Here we will be transferred from the airport to the hotel. We can choose to either rest or stroll around the various tourist attractions in Kathmandu