Everest Base Camp Trek
Everest Base Camp Trek is a moderate to difficult trekking in the Khumbu region of the eastern Himalayas. Everest Base Camp Trek is a venture that allows you to explore the exotic flora and fauna of the Sagarmatha National Park in the Khumbu region, along with picturesque valleys, tempting mountains, beautiful glacial lakes, massive glaciers, diverse climatic zones, and vegetation. During the trek, you will find yourself in locations that feel like paradise, surrounded by snow-capped mountains such as Lhotse, Nuptse, Pumori, and Ama Dablam alongside Everest.
Everest Base Camp Trek is one of the greatest and once-in-a-lifetime world’s top exploration destinations in the Himalayas. Trekking to Everest Base Camp in Nepal is an ultimate goal for trekkers. The scenery is simply breathtaking with parades of shining peaks, spectacular glaciers around, ancient Buddhist stupas and monasteries with the fascinating Sherpa people and their culture and tradition in the Khumbu region.
Start from Lukla after the beautiful flight to Lukla (35 minutes exciting Mountain flight from Kathmandu).
Once we arrive in Lukla, the trekking trail passes through Sherpa villages over countless ridges. Trek to Everest Base Camp along the Dudh Koshi River, climb up to the busting Sherpa settlement of Namche Bazaar where we spend two nights to ensure proper acclimatization with an exploration hike around. Leaving Namche we hike to the hidden valley of Khunde and Khumjung and then to Dingboche via Phortse. The Everest Base camp trek designed itinerary allows all the trekkers to have enough time for proper and better acclimatisation. We hike up to the Kalapathar at the height of 5545 meters, the highest point on our entire trek, from the experience of seeing Mount Everest and the wonderful Himalayan vista we will never be forgotten.
Everest Base Camp Trek Highlights:
- Experience Scenic Mountain flight over the Himalayas (Kathmandu- Lukla- Kathmandu)
- Explore Sherpa villages, culture and lifestyle, old monasteries, prayer flags, Prayer wheels
- Mountain view (Mount Everest, Pumori, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse), thrilling view of the glacier (Khumbu), sensational trekking trails, high suspension bridges, unexposed flora and fauna en-route
- Panoramic view of sunrise and sunset at the world’s highest peak Mount Everest(8848 m) from Kalapathar (5555 m).
Volunteer World Nepal designed the Everest Base Camp Trek route in the Himalayas to minimize the risk of Acute Mountain Sickness with two proper acclimatization days before conquering Everest Base Camp. From Namche Bazaar we visit the National Park headquarters with displays of local flora and fauna and the culture and lifestyles of the Khumbu Sherpas.
An afternoon walk to the Sherpa village of Khumjung offers an authentic experience of Sherpa traditional life. Magnificent views of Thamserku, Kangtega, Ama Dablam (The Jewel), Island Peak plus the Everest – Lhotse – Nuptse group. The Everest Base Camp Trek route resumes toward the hilltop village of Tengboche and visits the Buddhist Monastery. Then to Pangboche summer Sherpa settlement, and to Dingboche for another acclimatization stop: walk to Nangkartshang Hill for fitness at the higher altitudes. See unparalleled views of the Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Nuptse glaciers.
Program day to day detail itinerary:
Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu:
You will be picked up at the airport by one of the Volunteer World Nepal staff and driven to your Kathmandu host family or a hotel. Here you will be welcomed into the family, be given your own room and be provided with all your meals while in Kathmandu. This will be your home during your orientation and volunteering in Nepal. With easy bus routes into town and the surrounding countryside, this quiet and safe suburb is the perfect base for your time in Nepal. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 02: Kathmandu: Sightseeing and Trek Preparation:
We tour Durbar Square, Pashupatinath temple, Swayambhunath stupa and Bouddhanath stupa which are all world heritage sites. The Durbar Square sheds light on the life of the royals in ancient times. Pashupatinath temple is one of the most important places of pilgrimage for all Hindus. Swayambhunath is also known as the Monkey Temple and Baudhanath Stupa is one of the largest stupas in the world. At noon, we are introduced to our fellow participants and discuss our trip at the Volunteer World Nepal office. Overnight in Kathmandu. Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Day 03: Kathmandu – Lukla – Phakding Trek:
We take an early morning flight to Lukla which is where all Everest treks begin. We meet the rest of our team in Lukla and start trekking from there. We walk on a trail that gradually descends to Cheplung village from where we get a glimpse of Mt. Khumbila, a sacred mountain which has never been climbed. From here, we gradually descend until Phakding. Overnight sta in Phakding.
Day 04: Phakding to Namche Bazaar Trek:
Our trail passes through a pine forest and we continue our walk on the trail that goes north up the Benkar valley. We cross Dudh Koshi River and pass Chumoa and Monjo villages before reaching the entrance of the Everest National Park. Then after crossing a suspension bridge, we pass Jorsale village and walk alongside of the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers. We ascend on a steep trail and reach Namche Bazaar which is probably the biggest town in the Everest region. Overnight stay in Namche Bazaar.
Day 05: Namche Bazaar: Rest and Acclimatization Day:
We can tour Namche Bazaar which is the primary town of the Everest or Khumbu region and has government offices, ATMs, internet cafes, shops, restaurants, and a colourful market. We can hike up to Sagarmatha National Park and enjoy the sunrise over the Himalayas including Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kongde and so on. If we are interested in a day hike, we can trek to Khumjung village. Today we also visit the Hillary School and a monastery which houses a yeti scalp! Overnight stay in Namche Bazaar
Day 06: Namche Bazaar to Tengboche Trek :
The trek until Phunki is an easy walk. From here we ascend towards Tengboche village which houses the very famous Tengboche monastery which is the biggest monastery of the Everest region. It is located within the Sagarmatha National Park which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The monastery is blessed with panoramic views of the Himalayas, including Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Thamserku. The Tengboche Monastery opens at 3:00pm, so if we reach there by 3 o’clock we can observe a Buddhist religious ceremony. Overnight in Tengboche.
Day 07: Tengboche to Dingboche Trek :
Our trail descends and passes through lush forests of birch, confer and rhododendron trees. While trekking we can admire good views of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam. We walk downhill to Debuche and cross the Imja River to reach Pangboche. We choose the upper Pangboche trail and admire the Himalayan vista and the Pangboche Monastery. We continue our walk to the Imja Valley and Lobuche River before ascending to Dingboche. It is a picturesque village with beautiful barley, potato and buckwheat fields complete with grazing animals dotted along those fields.
Day 08: Dingboche to Duglha Trek :
It is a relatively short journey from Dinboche to Duglha. We trek across a wide pass which is a much wanted change from walking in a straight line. Around the beginning of our trek today we enjoy the company of the mighty Himalayas on all sides. The valley begins to narrow as we come closer to Dusa. We pass the campsite of the first successful Everest Expedition in 1953. We begin to see Mt. Pumori as we continue on our trail. As our trail descends and curves, we bid goodbye to Mt. Pumori. We cross a stream and ascend to Duglha which is a tiny village with a huge strand of prayer flags hung across the valley. After reaching Duglha, we can walk for 45 minutes to an hour and visit the Memorial Shrine. Overnight in Duglha.
Day 09: Duglha to Lobuche Trek :
We ascend to the steep terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. The trail passes through boulder-strewn slopes as we ascend Chupki Lhara which is a ridge that provides spectacular mountain views. The top of the ridge is filled with prayer flags and stones which are memorial shrines for climbers who lost their lives on Mt. Everest. As the trail drops to the Khumbu Glacier moraine, we find ourselves facing several great peaks including Khumbutse, Lingtren, Pumori and Mahalangur Himal. As we are crossing Khumbu Glacier we can also see Mt. Nuptse. Overnight in Lobuche.
Day 10: Lobuche to Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp and back to Gorak Shep Trek :
The trek to Everest Base Camp is not very difficult. However, we ascend and descend mostly on a glacier path. There is also a lot of meandering on rough terrains. As we reach the base camp, we enjoy the incredible melt patterns and admire the gently rounded ice towers on the upper part of the Khumbu glacier. The Everest Base Camp is stunningly beautiful. We can enjoy amazing views of Nuptse, Khumbuste and Pumori mountains from the base camp. After soaking in the beauty, we walk back towards Gorak Shep where we spend the night. Overnight in Gorak Shep.
Day 11: Gorak Shep to Kala Patthar to Pheriche Trek :
We wake up early for the walk up to Kala Patthar. It is dark outside with cold temperature and most likely chilly winds. We walk on a fairly steep trail at a comfortable pace. As we are climbing up the hill we can see Lingtren, Khumbutse, and Changtse mountains. The view from the summit is outstanding. We can see the world’s tallest mountain Everest along other mighty Himalayan peaks. After spending some time at the summit of Kala Patthar, we walk back to Gorak Shep which is relatively easier than hiking up to Kala Pathhar.
Trekkers who visit the Everest Base Camp today will have an early breakfast as the hike up to the Everest base camp takes longer than the hike to Kala Patthar. After returning to Gorak Shep, both the groups will have lunch together. After lunch we descend to Pheriche to spend the night. Overnight in Pheriche.
Day 12: Pheriche to Namche Trek :
We lose approximately 2,000 feet in elevation today and walk on a trail with a lot of ups and downs. We descend through a hillside filled with rhododendron and juniper trees and cross a bridge over the Dudh Koshi River. We descend rapidly through pine forest where we can easily spot mountains goats, pheasants and other wild animals and birds common to the area. The path eventually reaches Sansa from where we can enjoy views of Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Nuptse mountains. We walk on winding trails followed by another walk through a forest before reaching Namche Bazaar. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.
Day 13: Namche Bazaar to Lukla Trek:
We begin our trek to Namche Bazaar today on a rocky terrain. It is mostly a downhill trek on a trail alongside the Dudh Koshi River. We cross several suspension bridges, pass by several monasteries and villages before reaching Lukla. After reaching Lukla we spend rest of the day taking rest as today will be our last day on the mountains. Overnight in Lukla.
Day 14: Lukla to Kathmandu:
We catch an early morning flight to Kathmandu after our long mountain journey. After reaching Kathmandu, we can take a rest or do some souvenir shopping. If we want to explore any other areas of Kathmandu, we may do that today. Our guides can help you with both souvenir shopping or sightseeing. There will be a farewell dinner in the evening to celebrate the successful completion of our journey. Overnight in Kathmandu
Day 15: Farewell friend and departure/Fly back home:
Our journey in Nepal comes to an end today! A Volunteer World Nepal representative will drop us off at the airport approximately 3 hours before our scheduled flight. On our way to home, we have plenty of time to plan our next adventure in the wonderful country of Nepal
