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Itinerary:
DAYS
1-3:
(if coming from North America)
Fly to
Kathmandu, Nepal. Upon arrival in Kathmandu our
staff will greet you at the airport and transfer you
to your hotel where you will meet your guide. Hotel.
DAY 4:
Free day in Kathmandu to make final preparations and
do a little exploring on your own. Rent a bike and
visit the Hindu and Buddhist sites of Bodhnath,
Swayambunath and Pashupatinath; the city center at
Durbar Square; and enjoy the exciting nightlife of
Kathmandu's Thamel District. Hotel. (B)
DAY 5:
Fly to Lukla (9,000') and begin the trek up the
Khumbu valley, following the Dudh Kosi River through
a rich agricultural area. The Sherpas in these
villages raise large crops of corn, potatoes, wheat,
turnips, cauliflower and cabbage, and tend herds of
cows, sheep, goats, and yak cross-breeds.
Interspersed between villages stand magnificent
forests of magnolia, rhododendron and fir trees. As
you hike, watch the cliffs above the river for a
glimpse of musk deer and Himalayan tahr. Visit the
gompa (monastery) at Phakding, largest in the Pharak
district. We spend the night in Phakding (8,300').
Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 6:
A steep ascent to Namche Bazaar (11,270'), a
prosperous market town and the administrative center
for the Khumbu region. In Namche, one will often see
Khampa Tibetans who have crossed over from Chinese
occupied Tibet to trade with the Sherpa of the
Khumbu. At Jorsale the trail enters Sagarmatha Nat'l
Park. Visit the National Park museum situated on a
hilltop above Namche. With good weather you will be
rewarded with views of Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse.
Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 7:
A 3 to 4 hour acclimatization day hike to the
village of Thame (12,400'), located up the Bhote
Kosi (Tibetan River) valley, west of Namche. The
Ngampa La pass at the top of this long valley is an
important crossover point for both Tibetan and
Sherpa traders. From Thame we are treated to
spectacular views of the snow covered giants of the
Khumbu as well as many lesser but equally dramatic
ice clad peaks. Intricately carved mani stones line
the way to Thame and are renowned for their
complexity and beauty. After we pay a visit to the
Thame gompa we return to Namche for the night.
Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 8:
We leave Namche for the climb to the Sherpa villages
of Kunde and Khumjung (12,400'). Khumjung, which is
more traditional in appearance than Namche, is the
location of the Hillary School, a primary and
secondary school financed by the Himalayan Trust,
the philanthropic organization established by Sir
Edmund Hillary. There is also a gompa possessing a
skull said to be of the yeti. We pause here for an
acclimatization day. Camping. (B,L,D)
DAYS 9-12:
Crossing the flanks of Khumbila, the abode of the
patron god of the Khumbu region, you descend steep
switchbacks back to the Dudh Kosi River. Climb up
the valley toward the river's source, and move into
the vegetational zone of juniper and conifer. Along
the way the trail passes through many kharkas, or
summer settlements, inhabited during the summer
months when the Sherpas bring their yaks to graze
the high pastures. One of these, Machhermo, was the
site of a 1974 purported yeti attack on a Sherpa
woman and herd of yaks, the most credible yeti
incident yet reported. The landscape that greets you
upon arrival at Gokyo is that of turquoise lakes,
glaciers and savage mountain scenery. While there
you may scale the easily climbable peak of Gokyo Ri
(17,984') for a magnificent panorama of summits
including Cho Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Pumori, Changtse,
Everest, Nuptse, Makalu, Ama Dablam, Kang Taiga,
Thamserku, Khumbila, Tawoche and Cholatse. Camping.
(B,L,D)
DAYS 13-14:
Cross the dry glacier below Gokyo to Dragnag and
ascend a narrow valley to a camp at Chugima. After
breaking camp the next day at Chugima we make an
early morning crossing of Cho La Pass (16,500') to a
fantastic campsite at Zangla below the north face of
Cholatse. Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 15:
Traverse the flanks of Lobuche peak to the
settlement of Lobuche (16,175') and camp for the
night. Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 16:
Leave at dawn to ascend Kala Pattar. Hike up
an increasingly rough and steep trail through
Lobuche (16,200) to Gorak Shep (17,000'). Pass the
small and often frozen lake, and continue upward to
Kala Pattar (18,450'). Catch your breath at the top
and survey one of the most magnificent mountain
panoramas in the world: the south and west faces of
Mount Everest (29,028') and its entourage of
neighboring peaks Lhotse and Nuptse. Look down on
Everest Base Camp where mountaineers are assembled.
Everest, the world's highest mountain, was first
climbed in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing
Norgay. Its Nepali name, Sagarmatha, means 'Churning
Stick of the Ocean of Existence.' The Sherpas call
it by its Tibetan name, Chomolongma, which means
'Mother Goddess of the Universe.' The name we know
comes from Sir George Everest, who was head of the
Survey of India from 1823?1843. Return to Lobuche
for the night. Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 17:
We cross the wide glacial moraine and scale
the Kongma La Pass (18,000') to the settlement of
Chukung (15,518'). Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 18:
Climb to the top of Chukung Ri (19,000'), a non
technical walk up a well defined trail for
magnificent views of the dramatic South Wall of
Lhotse. Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 19:
Descend down valley past the village of
Pangboche, and after a walk through a beautiful
rhododendron forest we arrive at the monastery of
Thyangboche (12,700'). Destroyed by fire in 1989,
this gompa has since been reconstructed. From
Thyangboche the mountain panorama is one of the most
breathtaking in the Khumbu. From this vantage point,
the massive Nuptse-Lhotse wall conceals all but the
tip of Everest. Rising above the monastery is
"Mothers Charm Box", Ama Dablam (22,494'). The name
stems from a mountain formation said to resemble a
dablam, a charm box worn by female residents of the
Khumbu and Tibet. Descend back via the Imja and Dudh
Kosi River valleys past mani stones and water driven
prayer wheels back to Namche Bazaar. Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 20:
Continue down valley to Namche. Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 21:
Trek down valley following the Dudh Kosi
River to Lukla. Camping. (B,L,D)
DAY 22:
Flight from Lukla to Kathmandu. Transfer to hotel.
Hotel. (B)
DAY 23:
Free day in Kathmandu. Hotel.
DAYS 24-25:
Depart Kathmandu. Fly home.
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