The Everest Base Camp Trek
The classic trek through the Khumbu to Everest Base Camp. Climb Kala Pattar for superb views of Everest & Nuptse. Easy trekking along spectacular paths

The Everest Base Camp Trek is one of our most popular walks and this superb itinerary has been developed to get the most of our time in the mountains. Our principal objectives are to climb the 18,000 foot trekking peak of Kala Pattar for the classic views of Everest, and then to make an adventurous day hike up the Khumbu Glacier to the Base Camp itself.

We fly into the mountain airstrip at Lukla and trek north along the banks of the Dudh Kosi river. All along the route colourful prayer flags, chortens and mani stones dot the landscape, and as a backdrop we have some of the most famous peaks in the Himalaya. Thamserku, Kang Tega and Kusum Kangru are all visible on our first full day of walking, at the end of which we arrive at the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar. From here on our itinerary is structured to allow as much time as possible for acclimatisation, and we will spend the next few days gaining height very gradually. Rest days are built into the programme at Namche and Pheriche to give everyone the opportunity to properly adjust to the higher altitudes. Peaks including Ama Dablam, Nuptse and Lhotse line our route, and as we continue to ascend through the small settlements at Lobuche and Gorak Shep the scenery becomes even more impressive, with Pumori, Lingtren and Changtse all becoming visible. From Gorak Shep we are able to climb Kala Pattar for the classic views of Everest and our trek culminates with a demanding hike along the Khumbu Glacier to Everest Base Camp.

Grade
Strenuous

Duration
19 days

Suggested Itinerary

DAY 1 Depart UK
We depart from the UK for the overnight flight to Kathmandu. We depart from London Heathrow airport and change aircraft in the Gulf.

DAY 2 Arrive Kathmandu
We arrive in Kathmandu in the afternoon and are met by some of our team of Sherpas. We transfer by private coach to the comfortable Hotel Marsyangdi situated in the very centre of the Thamel tourist district of the city. We are within close walking distance of the many restaurants, bars and shops which this part of the city is famous for. After checking into our rooms we can relax in the hotel’s pleasant garden before an early evening meal. Flying to Kathmandu produces considerable jet lag on this first night and most of us will be asleep by 10pm.

DAY 3 Sightseeing in Kathmandu
A free day to explore this lively and exotic city. Guidebooks will suggest many popular excursions including the Buddhist stupa at Bodnath and the Monkey Temple at Swayambunath. These are best visited using a taxi or by bicycles which are available for rental at every street corner. In truth there are so many places to see in the Kathmandu valley that you will not have time for all of them. Many people enjoy just wandering about the narrow alleyways of Asan market place, or down by the temples and pagodas of Durbar Square, near to the old hippy area of Freak Street. Others will need to scour the plethora of walking and climbing shops for that last essential piece of trekking equipment. And for those who just have to stay in touch with the outside world you can check your email in one of the many internet cafes which have sprung up around Thamel Chowk and the Kathmandu guest house. In the evening we will visit a traditional Newari restaurant for an authentic Nepali meal and live entertainment.

DAY 4 Fly to Lukla
An early start today for our flight to Lukla. We will need to be ready in the hotel lobby by 5.30am at the latest in order to drive to the airport for the 7.30am flight. Our Sherpa crew will handle everything so you can go onto autopilot and grab a cup of coffee when we enter the mayhem of the domestic terminal building. Flights to Lukla operate within the constraints of the weather at Lukla itself and if there is cloud in the morning we may have a delay which can be up to several hours whilst planes fly other routes until the conditions at Lukla improve. The airport in Lukla has recently undergone an extensive upgrade and the old gravel landing strip of legend and notoriety has been replaced with impressive new tarmac and there is also a modern stone-built terminal building. We fly across the grain of the land over a series of ridges and our Sherpas will be able to point out villages and paths on the original trekking route from Jiri up to Lukla. With clear weather we get fantastic views of the mountains and as we turn into the deep gorge of the Dudh Kosi valley we can look ahead and see Everest itself. But most people will have their sights firmly set on the approach to Lukla and our exciting descent to the runway will cause those of a nervous disposition to hold onto their seats. After we arrive we meet the remainder of our Sherpa crew who will have flown up the previous day to arrange porters and yaks and to make sure all our trek provisions are in place. Depending on our arrival time we may have lunch in Lukla or start trekking directly, walking down for 45 minutes to the Dudh Kosi valley. When we hit the valley we follow the course of the river northwards, staying at all times on the east bank. After another couple of hours or so we come to the village of Phakding where we stop for the night.

DAY 5 Trek to Namche
Immediately after leaving Phakding we cross the Dudh Kosi river by a long suspension bridge and continue following the river northwards. We get our first good views of the mountains when Thamserku (6608m) appears at the head of a narrow valley. The path crosses back to the other side of the river and passes through the Sagarmatha National Park gates at Monjo where we will be required to show our permits. We then continue along an undulating riverside path until a final suspension bridge is crossed just below ‘Namche hill’. From here it’s all up hill for a good hour; a long steep hill climb where Sherpa guides and trek leaders can be seen cajoling tired trekkers up a relentless series of zig zags to Namche Bazaar, the principal village of the Khumbu region. We stay at a comfortable Sherpa lodge.

DAY 6 Acclimatisation in Namche
Today we make an acclimatisation trek up to Khumjung, a delightful Sherpa village situated just above Namche. Although only a short day we gain a couple of hundred metres of altitude which helps us to adjust to the altitude. And in addition Khumjung is a very quiet village which does not see the volume of trekkers that pass through Namche. After lunch we return to our lodge in Namche Bazaar.

DAY 7 Trek to Deboche
We leave Namche and follow a spectacular path which traverses around the hillside high above the Dudh Kosi river. After about two hours we arrive at the lodges of Sanasa where we can stop for tea. We then descend all the way down to the Dudh Kosi river and our lunch stop at Phunki Tenga. From here a long climb up many switch backs takes us to the famous Gompa at Tengboche. We continue for a short distance, and our overnight stop at the hamlet of Deboche, situated in pleasant pine forests.

DAY 8 Trek to Dingboche
From Deboche we head north and soon cross the Dudh Kosi river by way of a small suspension bridge which spans a deep chasm in the river valley. We then follow a delightful path through the village of Pangboche. Superb views of Ama Dablam present themselves at virtually every point on the path. We continue along the river and our overnight camp at the village of Dingboche.

DAY 9 Acclimatisation in Dingboche
To the north of Dingboche there are spectacular views of Lhotse’s huge South Face. As part of our acclimatisation programme, we trek northwards for a couple of hours directly towards this face. We can take lunch at the hamlet of Chukkung, and for those with lots of energy, several local hills offer a short climb for even better views. In the afternoon we return to Dingboche.

DAY 10 Trek to Lobuche
From Dingboche we start to ascend into the highest parts of the Khumbu. The path traverses the hillside until we reach the few stone buildings at Dugla. We have lunch here and then continue to ascend by the snout of the Khumbu Glacier, passing many stone chortens. The path follows a pleasant, grassy valley and finally reaches the lodges at Lobuche where there are outstanding views of Nuptse.

DAY 11 Trek to Gorak Shep
A short but spectacular day today as we trek on a rough path high above the Khumbu Glacier to Gorak Shep (5200m). Consisting of just a handful of basic lodges and yak herders huts, this is the last habitation before Everest base camp. Every Everest expedition over the last 50 year has passed through here and their general detritus litters the lodges, with expedition paraphernalia of every kind suspended from the rafters. We camp here on the sandy flats, and in the afternoon can make the ascent of Kala Pattar (5545m) for the classic views of the world’s highest mountain. The best time to be on the summit of Kala Pattar is the late afternoon when the sun is setting in the west away from the mountain. We are eyeball to eyeball with Pumori and our panorama stretches across the Lho La to Changtse in Tibet.

DAY 12 Everest Base Camp
From Gorak Shep we descend a short scree gully down to the moraine covered Khumbu Glacier. The route to base camp is generally well-defined with a series of cairns marking the way. We walk on the glacial ice which is pitted with many small stones and as we approach the basecamp area the occasional ice tower juts up. This is not a snow-covered glacier so any crevasses are clearly visible and do not present any difficulty. After three hours we arrive at the basecamp area, which is a sprawling mass of tents during the main Spring climbing season. Although we cannot see the summit of Everest from base camp the Khumbu icefall is right in front of us and we may be able to see the black dots of climbers descending through this chaotic jumble of ice blocks. To the west we get a new perspective on Pumori and can pick out the usual route of ascent, while to the south we have a panorama of lesser Khumbu peaks including Cholatse, Taboche and Kwangde. After taking our photos and admiring the scenery we retrace our steps back to the camp at Gorak Shep.

DAY 13 Trek to Pangboche
From Gorak Shep we retrace our route to Lobuche and continue descending to the small collection of buildings at Dugla (4600m). We follow the broad valley to Pheriche (4240m) where we have lunch. This sprawling village is home to the Himalayan Rescue Association and there is a small medical post here staffed by western volunteers. We cross the Dudh Kosi by a small wooden bridge and continue on a delightful path high above the river to the village of Pangboche. There are superb views of Ama Dablam (6856m) from all along the trail, offering varied perspectives on this famous peak. Pangboche is a sizeable Sherpa community with a large Gompa situated high above the village.

DAY 14 Return to Namche Bazaar
Our final day in the high mountains takes us back to Namche Bazaar. Although we are leaving the Khumbu now, this is one of the best days walking on the entire trek. The path initially descends to the river below Pangboche and crosses via a rickety suspension bridge spanning a narrow chasm. We then climb up through pretty forest to the famous Gompa at Tengboche. Here we can gaze back north at the fantastic panorama which includes Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam, whilst to the east we can see Kang Tega and Thamserku. We will also be able to visit the Gompa which has been newly built since the old one was destroyed by fire in 1989. We then begin the long descent down a seemingly endless series of switch-backs to the Dudh Kosi at Punki Tenga. We stop here for lunch in a very pleasant and sunny location. Finally we begin our last big hill which climbs up to the lodges at Sanasa. From here the path contours around the hillside in a superb high level position until we reach Namche and our comfortable lodge.

DAY 15 Contingency day
Spare day. This will act as a ‘buffer day’ in case of disruptions to our itinerary caused by bad weather, flight delay and so forth.

DAY 16 Return to Lukla
Today we retrace our route down the Dudh Kosi and back to Lukla. Although we took two days to make the same journey on the way up, we are now well acclimatised and most people cover the distance to Lukla in five or six hours. We stop for lunch in Phakding before the final slow climb back up to the airstrip. We stay at the Mera Hotel in the centre of the village and will have a final celebratory meal with our Sherpa team. This is a time for traditional Sherpa songs and dancing.

DAY 17 Fly Lukla to Kathmandu
Saying goodbye to our Sherpas and porters we board our flight and make the exciting one hour flight back to Kathmandu. If the flights are running to schedule we should be back at our hotel by 10am for showers, maybe a second breakfast and some lazing around the hotel garden.

DAY 18 Kathamndu - evening departure
We depart our hotel around 3pm to drive to the airport and our return flight.

DAY 19 Arrive UK
We arrive into London Heathrow in the morning