Original Everest Base Camp Trek in 12 Days

DAY 1: LUKLA/PHAKDING (2656M) Almost all treks to Everest begins from Lukla so, early in the morning, we drive to Tribhuvan International airport (in a private car) for a flight to Lukla. It takes 30-35 minutes to reach Tenzing Hillary airport/ Lukla airport. After reaching Lukla, we introduce the porters and the team members joining us on the trek. The ultimate Everest base camp trek begins with a hike up through the beautiful town of Lukla to the Pasang Lhamu Memorial Gate. From the gate, the trail leading us out of Lukla, drops down to the village of Phakding, traversing the community forest and small sherpa villages like Thalsharoa, Chheplung, Thado Koshi Gaon, and Chhuthawa. Savour the beauty of well-decorated chortens, prayer rocks, prayer flags and prayer wheels on our way alongside the mesmerizing view of Kusum Kangru and the Dudh Koshi River. It takes about 4 hours to walk downhill to reach Phakding. Check-in at the teahouse. In the remaining time, either rest or explore the nearby monasteries. Overnight stay in a teahouse at Phakding; DAY 2: TREK TO NAMCHE (3450M) After breakfast in Phakding, we continue our Everest base camp trek. Crossing the bridge across the Dudh Koshi River, leaving Phakding our trail continues north, through the forest of pine, up and downhill past a few suspension bridges and small settlements: Toktok, Bengkar, Chhamuwa to Monjo. At Monjo, your guide will take care of the necessary formalities, before entering the Sagarmatha National Park. From the entrance of the Sagarmatha National Park, we continue on a trail which steeply drops down to the bridge across the Dudh Koshi River. Crossing the bridge, and following the lower riverbank trail, we climb into the forest over gravel and boulders and continue to Larja bridge, past Larja Dobhan. After the Larja Bridge, enjoying the first view of Mt. Everest and hiking up the steep hill through the pine forest on a rocky trail to Mislung, the forest ends and the trail levels out from Mislung. From Mislung, the plain trail leads us to Namche. After checking into the teahouse, the remaining time can either be spent resting or exploring the town of Namche. Overnight stay at Namche; DAY 3: ACCLIMATIZATION To prevent Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), further up the trail, a day stop at Namche for acclimatization is essential. Staying active boosts, the process of acclimatization rather than simply resting. Therefore, we will go for an acclimatization hike – a full-day circuit through Khunde, Khumjung and back to Namche. Enjoying the wonderful view of Khumbu la, Ama Dablam and Thamserku peaks we advance to Khunde Tsamkhang (a Buddhist temple), built above the village of Khunde. We reach Hillary Memorial viewpoint to see the 360-degree views of Khunde, Namche, Ama Dablam, and Pachermo Peak. After exploring Khunde, through the potato fields we continue east to the largest village in the Khumbu region- Khumjung. We will explore around the village to see the Hillary School (a school established by Sir Edmund Hillary), the longest Mani wall in the Khumbu region, and Khumjung monastery which treasures a skull of a Yeti. Overnight stay at Namche; DAY 4: TREK TO TENCGBOCHE (3870M) We begin the trek to Tengboche through an easy trail to Phunki Thanga. Ascending towards Tengboche village, home to the largest monastery in the Everest region, we enter the Sagarmatha National Park. The monastery is located within the Sagarmatha National park. Enjoying panoramic views of the highest mountains on the earth including Everest, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Lhotse, and Nuptse, we reach Tengboche. If we reach there early, we will most probably be able to witness a religious Buddhist ceremony. Overnight stay in Tengboche; DAY 5: TREK TO DINGBOCHE (4410M) After breakfast, we begin our day’s trek walking downhill passing through lush forests full of birch, conifers and rhododendron trees. Accompanied by breathtaking views of Mt. Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam, the trail descends down to Debuche, passing over the Imja river taking us to Pangboche. Walking the upper Pangboche trails, enjoying pristine views of the Himalayas and Pangboche monastery, we move towards the Imja Valley. Passing the Lobuche river and climbing up to Dingboche, we reach the beautiful windy village adorned by chortens and prayer flags. Overnight stay at Dingboche; DAY 6: ACCLIMATIZATION This marks our second stop for acclimatization. Dingboche is a very popular stop for trekkers and climbers headed to Mt. Everest, Ama Dablam and Imja Tse/ Island Peak. Walking around the beautiful village with stone walls protecting fields and crops like barley, buckwheat, and potatoes from cold wind and grazing, we spend a day at Dingboche for acclimatization. We take a day hike to Nagarjun Hill where we can observe great views of Mt. Makalu, Lhotse, Chalotse, Tawache, Ama Dablam and others. Overnight at Dingboche; DAY 7: TREK TO LOBUCHE (4940 M) The trail will become more and more challenging as we reach higher altitudes. We ascend the steep terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier which goes through boulder-strewn slopes leading us up to Chupki Lhara. Chupki Lhara is a ridge that provides spectacular views. After climbing the moraine on the far side through Khumbu glacier the trail leads us to Lobuche. Overnight at Lobuche; DAY 8: TREK TO GORAKSHEP (5170M/EVEREST BASE CAMP (5364M) Moving along the lateral moraine of the Khumbu glacier, we leave icy cold Lobuche and head towards Gorak Shep. On the way, we come across the magnificent view of the crest of the north ridge of Everest along with Mt. Pumori, Mahalangur, Lingtern, Khumbutse, Nuptse and other mountains. After almost two hours of walking, we reach Gorak Shep and rest for lunch before heading to Everest base camp. We pass through rocky dunes, streams, and moraines and reach the base camp to the highest mountain in the world; Everest. From here, we can observe the stunning view of Nuptse, Khumbutse, and Pumori mountains. We trek back to Gorak Shep. Overnight at Gorak Shep; DAY 9: KALA PATTHAR (5545M)/PHERICHE (4288M) Early in the morning, we start our trek to Kala Patthar to catch the breathtaking view of sunrise on Mount Everest from Kala Patthar. After several hours of ascent, we reach the top of Kalapatthar from where we can admire the glorious sunrise over Mount Everest up close. The day’s first light will illuminate the pristine views of Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Taboche, Cholatse, and Lobuche on the way down. From Kala Patthar, we head back to Gorak shep for breakfast. After breakfast, we head down the rocky route to Pheriche. Overnight at Pheriche; DAY 10: TREK TO NAMCHE We trek down the descending trail at first to Tengboche. Walking downhill retracing our way back through Sagarmatha National Park accompanied by the stunning views of the glorious mountains we reach Namche. We will stay overnight at Namche. DAY 11: TREK TO LUKLA After our breakfast, we return back over the main track down to Dudh Koshi retracing our way back to Phakding. Following the track, we reach Lukla scaling different Sherpa villages crossing a suspension bridge above Thado Koshi. This will be our last night in the mountains until next time. Overnight stay at teahouse in Lukla; DAY 12: KATHMANDU After about 35 minutes of flight time, we reach Kathmandu and drive back to the hotel. Rest of the day is for relaxing or sightseeing around Kathmandu city or it’s up to you to plan whether to stroll around the city buying souvenirs or spend a relaxing day at massage.