On arrival in Kathmandu you will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel.

Today you drive to Dhap, a long drive which firstly takes you east along the valley of the Sun Kosi River, down to the lowlands. You then head up through the foothills into the mountains to reach Dhap, a small village in the lower Solu Khumbu region and the starting point for your trek. The Solu Khumbu is the homeland of the Sherpa people.

Today you set off on your trek with an easy trekking day to get you started. Leaving the roadhead, an undulating path takes you through rhododendron forest and sub-alpine flowers, with endless views of the foothills stretching away. The valleys here are steep sided, with terraced fields carved into the hillsides growing of rice and vegetables. You will enjoy a relaxed day walking on quiet trails through this unspoilt, quintessentially rural Sherpa region.

After about five hours walking you arrive at Jhapre, a quiet mountain village perched above a deep valley with views of Everest and Numbur Himal. Today you will have a bit of an introduction to Sherpa culture – in Jhapre there’s a pretty little Buddhist gompa and a stupa, evidence of Sherpa Buddhist culture which, along with numerous mani walls alongside the trail, you will get accustomed to seeing during your trek. You will spend the night in a tea house in Jhapre.

Leaving the village of Jhapre, you follow a trail up to a grassy ridge with panoramic views. You then continue on the trail heading higher up into more alpine type vegetation passing Buddhist stupas and mani walls along the way. An optional diversion to Lamje Bhanjyang at 3,480m/11,417ft is worthwhile for the extensive views which include Everest. You arrive at the simple village of Bulbule with time to explore your surroundings in the afternoon.

Soon after you leave Bulbule the path splits and you turn right to Pikey Peak. You pass by the huts of the yak herders and may see yaks grazing. A long mani wall is further evidence of the strong Buddhist faith of the region. You contour the hillside below Taklung Danda and through some fine forest. If you are doing this trek in the spring the rhododendrons should be in bloom. You then ascend for another couple of hours to reach Pikey Peak Base Camp.

From base camp it is a relatively short climb to the summit at 4,065m/13,337ft but unless the afternoon is very clear it is best to leave the climb to the summit till the morning when there is a better chance of clear skies and unobstructed views.

After a very early breakfast you climb along a series of switchbacks for a couple of hours to reach the summit of Pikey Peak, festooned with many prayer flags. From here, if the weather is clear, you should get the most fabulous unobstructed views over the Himalaya from Annapurna and Dhaulagiri in the west across to Kanchenjunga far away to the east. To the north you will see Everest, Thamserku, Kangtaiga, Khatang and Karyoling, with Manaslu, Gaurishankar, Dorje Lakpa, and Langtang to the west. Pikey Peak is a truly wonderful viewpoint and will give you a great taste of what is to come. Edmund Hillary is said to have commented that the view from here was his favourite in all Nepal.

After marveling at the views you start the descent from the summit heading downhill into rhododendron and pine forest. The descent continues to Lamjura La, where you will join the main Jiri to Everest route, formerly the original Everest walk-in trail, used by so many expeditions and trekkers on their way to Everest in the past. Now following in the footsteps of those first Everest pioneers you continue down on a good trail through fir and rhododendron forest, passing several mani walls and stone chortens finally emerging into farmland and the large village of Junbesi. Junbesi is a traditional Sherpa village set in a beautiful open position with Numbur Mountain towering overhead. It is considered a cradle of Sherpa culture and architecture.

You leave Junbesi on an enchanting trail through the forest. Crossing the Junbesi River you climb the Salung ridge to reach a corner from where you have more superb views of the great peaks, including Everest, Makalu and Chamlang. From here you drop down to the Ringmo Khola and climb again to Ringmo, 2,805m/9,202ft, a pretty Sherpa village, famous for its apple, peach and apricot orchards. The Ringmo Apple House was a favourite stop here for generations of trekkers over the years. From Ringmo you climb to reach the Takshindhu La at 10,075ft/3,071m for more gorgeous views. Takshindhu is famous for its magnificent monastery located just below the pass, one of the largest and most impressive monasteries in the Solu region. You will spend the night in a lodge in Takshindhu.

From Takshindhu, the trail is mostly downhill into a huge valley, to reach the Dudh Koshi River. For the first hour you descend through a forest of hemlock, oak and rhododendron to reach the village of Nunthala 2,270m/7,450ft. From here, you continue down for another couple of hours passing through cultivated terraces and agricultural farmland, dotted with small Sherpa and Rai settlements. You finally reach the bottom at the raging Dudh Kosi River which you cross on a suspension bridge. You then have a gradual climb for an hour to the pretty Rai village of Jubing. Unlike the Buddhist Sherpas the Rais are a Hindu ethnic group and it is interesting to see the difference in their villages. From Jubing the trail meanders uphill, with a steep section for about an hour, to arrive at the large village of Khari Khola.

From the bridge in Khari Khola the trail climbs steeply uphill for about an hour to reach Bupsa, a small settlement with five or six lodges and great views of the surrounding landscape. You then ascend again through alpine forest to reach the Khari La (pass), 2,880m/9,186ft, and then continue through bamboo forest for a further two to three hours to reach the small Sherpa village of Puiyan where you will stay overnight.

Leaving Puiyan you climb for an hour or two before coming to a ridge overlooking Lukla and Surkhe. A 45 minute descent brings you to Surkhe, incidentally the home of Pasang Lamu, the first Sherpa woman to climb Mount Everest. In Surkhe, Lukla, with its famous airport, is almost directly above you but it would be a very steep climb to reach Lukla from here. Instead, from Surkhe you cross a small bridge over a stream and then climb more gently for a couple of hours passing through the villages of Mushe and Chaurikharka, and through giant boulders, to reach Choplung, where the main trail from Lukla comes in from the right to join your route.

You are now on the main Everest trail and you will find it to be considerably busier with trekkers who have flown in to start their trek from Lukla airport, local people, porters and pack animals carrying goods up to Namche Bazaar. You continue to follow this main trail, gently up and down, until you cross a long suspension bridge into the village of Phakding and arrive at your tea house for the night.

Today is quite a long day but by now you should be fitter and well-acclimatised so will find it considerably more easy going than if you had just flown in to Lukla. From Phakding your trail leads upstream along the valley, through patches of conifer trees and several more small villages. Several hours of walking will bring you to Chumoa, 2,743m/8,997ft, a small and picturesque village of about 25 houses located below Thamserku Mountain and close to the entrance to the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park. You cross the Monjo Khola and pass through Monjo village, and continue to the park gates at Jorsale where you complete entry formalities. You then walk on alongside the river to arrive at the confluence of the Imja Drangka and the Nangpo Drangpo, which combine to form the Dudh Khosi. Crossing the river on a high bridge you start the steep climb to Namche. Near the halfway point up the hill, if the sky is clear, you should get views of Everest and Lhotse. You then continue the climb, less steeply now, to arrive in Namche.

Namche is the largest and most prosperous village in the Khumbu. Thamserku, 6,618m, and Kwangde, 6,224m, loom to the east and west and the sacred mountain Khumbila, 5,707m, dominates the skyline to the north behind the village. The narrow streets at its centre are a mixture of traditional and modern, with Sherpa homes mingled with cafes and shops selling everything from trekking and climbing equipment to foodstuffs, tennis shoes and Tibetan boots.

‘Climb high, sleep low’ is the mantra for good acclimatisation. To aid your acclimatisation further it is a good idea today to, at the very least, walk up the hill to the Park Headquarters and visit the interesting Sagarmatha National Park Museum. From here there are the first really good views of Everest and Ama Dablam – a wonderful panorama.
If you are feeling energetic you might also make the worthwhile excursion to the Everest View Hotel, situated above the village of Khumjung. Although rather an ugly building and out of keeping with its surroundings, there are very good views from its terrace and you can have a cup of tea, or a glass of hot lemon there and enjoy the scenery. It would then be possible to descend from here to visit the gompa in Khumjung and return to Namche by a different route.

Today, you firstly have a steep pull up out of Namche village, past the park headquarters and museum, to reach a corner of the trail turning north. You then follow a high path which winds round the hillside above the river. From this airy trail you have fabulous views of the mountains across the valley, principally Thamserkhu and Kang Taiga. You pass through the small settlement of Trashinga before dropping down to the river which you cross on a suspension bridge. You climb for a few minutes to the small hamlet of Phunki Tenga, remarkable for its series of water driven prayer wheels. From here it is a further 2-3 hours to reach Thyangboche, ascending through beautiful forest to arrive at a large welcome gateway and a huge chorten, which you pass to arrive at the monastery. The setting of Thyangboche Monastery is magical, with the most amazing mountain views. It will probably be cloudy by the time you arrive in the early afternoon, but is normally clear first thing in the morning so it will be worthwhile getting up early for the sensational views of Everest and Ama Dablam.

There is a good visitors’ centre at Thyangboche and you should also be able to step inside the temple for the afternoon prayer ceremony. Visitors are welcome but you should sit quietly on the right hand side of the temple. A small donation is appreciated!

You will probably be woken in the early hours, while it is still dark, by the sound of horns and cymbals as the monks have their first prayers of the day. You will have time to visit the monastery in the morning if you did not go yesterday.

Leaving Thyangboche, your path descends through trees to Deboche where the small and atmospheric nunnery is worth a visit. You pass further houses and mani walls as the path continues along the river valley amongst the trees. After crossing a bridge over a picturesque gorge, the path gradually climbs, with stunning views of Ama Dablam ahead. There are numerous fantastic photo opportunities in both directions, and frequent chortens and mani walls are passed as height is gained to reach the village of Pangboche. This is a very picturesque village with stone-walled fields and there is a very interesting monastery set in trees at the top of the village. This is probably the oldest monastery of the Khumbu region, possibly dating back as far as the first introduction of Buddhism into the Khumbu. There used to be a ‘yeti’ scalp and claw kept here, but they were stolen some years ago.

You continue from Pangboche and the path ascends above the village with the sparse landscape now reflecting the height. You pass some yak herders’ cottages and walled fields at Orsho before crossing a stream and making a final steep ascent to Dingboche. The village of Dingboche is set in a stunning position, surrounded by high peaks. In summer months they grow barley here – possibly the highest altitude in the world at which this crop is grown. For acclimatisation you need to spend two nights around the 4,000m level and Dingboche, lying in a sheltered spot above the Imja Khola is generally more attractive for this than Pheriche, another settlement at similar altitude situated on the other side of the ridge.

There are several opportunities for interesting acclimatisation walks from Dingboche. The most spectacular of these is to walk up the ridge behind the village to make an energetic ascent of Nagazong Ri. This is a steep, but not technically difficult ascent to a summit at 5,083 metres, from where there are stunning views of Makalu and Amphu Laptse. You can take in the small temple of Nagartsang Gompa on the way down – there is a nice sheltered terrace here from where you can enjoy the views. You will descend in time for lunch in the village.

In the afternoon you might care to walk across to the village of Pheriche to visit the Himalayan Rescue Association clinic; one of the doctors there often gives a talk about high altitude acclimatisation in the afternoon.

If these options don’t appeal, it is possible to walk up the valley beyond Dingboche to the yak grazing pastures at Chukhung, 4,730m, a 4-5 hour round trip.

This morning you ascend the ridge to a large chorten above Dingboche village and it is then an easy walk up a wide, grassy plateau. The peaks of Tawoche and Cholatse tower above you and it is possible to see Pheriche Village in the valley below to your left. At the tiny hamlet of Duglha you reach a jumble of rocks which mark the terminal moraine at the base of the Khumbu glacier. You ascend steeply up this moraine to reach the top where there are many memorial cairns to those who have died on Everest. The landscape is now wild and rocky and there is a real feeling of being high in the mountains.

Following the stream (often frozen) at one side of the moraine you soon reach the cluster of houses at Lobuche. This rather bleak spot was once a yak grazing settlement and was then inhabited only during the summer months, but now it is open throughout the winter serving trekkers and climbers and is the jumping off point for Everest Base Camp and Kala Pattar. Sunset over Nuptse is particularly spectacular from here. It is worth walking over to the moraine to view the moraine covered glacier behind it.

This is the big day for the trek to Base Camp. An early start is essential to get there before any cloud comes down and it will probably be very cold when you set off. Make sure to have something for breakfast even if you don’t feel like it as you will need the energy. You are at high altitude, so take some snacks to keep you going along the way and be sure to have your water bottle filled when you set off.

Leaving Lobuche you head northeast, along the side of the Khumbu Glacier through jumbled moraine and shattered rock. There is almost no vegetation here. Even so, small convoys of the delightful Tibetan Snow Cock can often be seen along the way or heard calling from the hillsides. You make several energetic ups and downs across the moraine and descend to Gorak Shep where it is worth having a reviving cup of tea and a snack.

From Gorak Shep it is still a long, fairly arduous trek to base camp, initially following the top of the moraine and then descending onto the boulder-strewn glacier. In the climbing season you may follow mountaineering groups, or yaks carrying supplies, but at other times there are just a series of small cairns to mark the route. After a couple of hours you reach the base camp area from where, although you do not have views of the actual summit of Everest, there are sensational close-up views of the terrifying Khumbu ice-fall and the surrounding scenery of ice seracs and tumbled rocks. At this altitude the return to Gorak Shep will feel like quite a long way and will use up your remaining reserves of energy.

At Gorak Shep you will be ideally placed for an ascent of Kala Pattar in the clear of the morning before cloud comes in to obscure the summit of Everest. Although not far this is a tough ascent of approximately 2-3 hours until you finally reach the rocky summit of Kala Pattar at 5,545m – quite literally the high-point of your trek. From the summit of Kala Pattar there are great views of the summit of Everest as well as other Himalayan giants – Pumori, the Tibetan peak Changtse, Nuptse, Lhotse and countless other needles and snow fluted ridges. You can also look down on the Khumbu Glacier where base camp is located during the climbing season in late spring.

You will then descend to Gorak Shep and take the trail back down to Lobuche. From Lobuche you follow the path down as far as Dughla and then instead of taking the trail over to the left to Dingboche you descend to the flat valley bottom and it then quite a short distance on the flat to reach Pheriche. From Pheriche you further retrace your way down the valley to reach the village of Pangboche.

From Pangboche you descend to cross a suspension bridge and then climb through woods to reach Thyangboche. You then descend all the way to Phunki Tenga to cross the river and climb up past the villages of Tashinga and Kangzhuma. If you are feeling energetic you could take a side trip here to visit the villages of Khumjung and Khunde if you have not already visited, otherwise you take the wonderful high trail which roller coasters round the hillside high above the Dudh Kosi River. Again you have fabulous views of the mountains across the valley – principally Thamserkhu and Kang Taiga. You descend into Namche to spend the night.

Most people head towards Lukla with a heavy heart. There is something very special about the setting, the villages and the people of the high Khumbu hills and valleys. Your final day of trekking starts with a steep descent to cross the Dudh Kosi, and finishes with a final, long uphill climb to Lukla. which is situated high above the river on a shelf at 2,800m/9,450ft. The houses and hotels rapidly proliferate on the approach through the outskirts of the village, until finally you arrive and can relax and enjoy a celebratory beer.

If you would prefer to avoid the flight out from Lukla it is possible to continue your trek for a further two days to the roadhead, and then transfer back to Kathmandu by vehicle. Please ask us about this option at the time of booking if it is of interest.

You will either fly back direct to Kathmandu or to Ramechap Airport by scheduled flight. If you fly to Ramechap you will then be driven to Kathmandu. Sometimes these domestic flights are delayed by bad weather. In recent years though these delays are much less frequent than they used to be. If you are delayed, we do ask that you are patient. Our local agents will be doing their best to get your flights secured.

Now back in Kathmandu it’s time to celebrate the successful completion of your trek, perhaps with an evening at the Rum Doodle Restaurant, a place frequented by trekkers and climbers alike, with pride of place given to a board with the signatures of many Everest summiteers – just the place to reflect on your achievements.

In the morning there is a half-day guided sightseeing tour. You will visit Boudhanath Stupa, then Kathmandu Durbar Square with its many temples and palaces. You will end your tour in Kathmandu’s busy main bazaar, Thamel, the ideal opportunity to pick up a souvenir before you head home.

Later in the afternoon there will be a group transfer to the airport for your overnight flight back to Home.