Everest Base Camp Trek via Manthali

At an arrival at the international airport we will be picked up and then transferred to the hotel. Check in at the hotel and stay Overnight.

Set off from Kathmandu to Manthali, early in the morning to catch the flight to Lukla. After short flight to Lukla we will trek down to Phakding. We fly from Kathmandu to Lukla a small airstrip high above the Dudh Kosi valley. After meeting our trekking crew and sorting out our gear we then begin the trek by descending to Chaunrikharka and heading up the Dudh Kosi valley to Phakding. Overnight stay will be at the Lodge in Phakding on full board basis.

From Phakding, we cross and re-cross the river on high suspension bridges. Beyond the Monjo lies the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park which was set-up in order to protect and preserve the fragile mountain environment. We then ascend up to Namche and along the way when the weather is clear we catch a first glimpse of Mt Everest in the distance. Namche is the main trading village in the Khumbu and has a busy Saturday market – a meeting place for the Hindu traders from the lowlands and the Tibetan yak caravans that have crossed the glaciated Nangpa La. Overnight will be at the lodge in Namche on full board basis.

Namche is tucked away between two ridges amidst the giant peaks of the Khumbu. It has an abundance of lodges, tea shops and souvenir shops. It is an ideal place to spend a rest day, acclimatizing to the new altitude before heading off towards Gokyo. Options for acclimatization walks include a visit to Khunde Hospital that was set-up by Sir Edmund Hillary. Around an hour walk up to the Everest View Hotel above Namche. From there we can watch the sunset over Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest. There are also good views from the National Park Centre and Museum just above the village. Overnight will be at the lodge in Namche on full board basis.

The trail from Namche climbs gradually with stunning views of Everest, Ama Dablam, and Lhotse. After a pleasant walk to Phunki Tenga, a steep uphill section through rhododendron and pine forests leads to Tengboche. Tengboche is one of the oldest village in the Khumbu region. Mani Rimdu festival, a 19 days long Buddhist festival is celebrated in the Tengboche monastery every autumn (October/ November).

The trail from Tengboche passes through the Deboche and Pangboche village. We cross the Alpine forest, mani walls and cross the suspension bridge hanging over the Imja Khola (river). Stay overnight in Dingboche.

It is our second and the last acclimatization day of the trek, after acclimatizing at an altitude of 3500 meters approx., we again let our body acclimatize to the 4500 meters approx… Altitude. As we will be sleeping overnight at an altitude of around 5000 meters approx. for couple of nights our body needs to be acclimatized before we move forward. We hike to the Nangkartsang view point 5083 meters/ 16677 Ft.

The trail on this day is tougher due to the steep and rocky terrain we will be walking on and also due to the high altitude. After tedious day of walk, we will stay overnight in Lobuche. The trail flattens out and follows the valley on the west side of the Khumbu Glacier to Lobuche. Overnight stay will be at the Lodge in Lobuche.

To reach our next objective that is Kala Patthar the trail continues to follow the valley beside the Khumbu Glacier and offers superb views of the surrounding mountains especially where the path is forced to rise to cross a tributary glacier. Later in the afternoon, when the sun begins to set over the Everest, we make our way to the top of one of the finest viewpoints in the Khumbu, Kala Pattar [5545m]. As the light begins to fade we stroll back to Gorak Shep and have an early night in preparation for our trek to Everest Base Camp the following day. Overnight stay will be at Lodge in Gorak Shep on full board.

For the trek to Everest Base Camp, a very early start is required. It takes several hours on a trail across the Khumbu Glacier which weaves its way along translucent ice pinnacles and past seemingly bottomless crevasses. At Base Camp (5364 meters, 17598 Ft.) there will hopefully be an expedition ‘in residence’ and there are great views up into the Khumbu Icefall where there is often some climbing activity. On the return leg, we can take a higher route to get a spectacular view of the Khumbu icefall and the route to the south Col. We then return to Gorak Shep. It is downhill most of the way today, past Lobuche to Duglha and Pheriche. The Himalayan Rescue Association has trekkers’ aid post here which is interesting to visit.

We continue to follow the river and after crossing it we then climb up through birch and rhododendron forest to Tengboche and its famous monastery. There are magnificent views from here and Kwangde, Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Kantega and Thamserku are just a few of the Himalayan giants which can be seen. From Tengboche we descend to the bridge over the Dudh Kosi at Phunki Tenga, where there are water driven prayer wheels, before making our way back to Namche. Overnight stay will be at Lodge in Namche on full board.

Our final day’s trekking follows the Dudh Kosi back down to Lukla. Overnight stay will be at the Lodge in Lukla.

After completion of our Everest Base Camp trek we will then head to Kathmandu. We will take a short flight back to Manthali and then take about 4hrs drive back to Kathmandu and stay overnight. You can use the free time on this day on your disposal for personal activities.

It is a contingency day in Kathmandu as a precaution to the Lukla Kathmandu sector flight. As the flight to High Mountain regions are highly dependent on weather conditions there might cancellation in flights due to bad weather. So contingency day helps us to ensure we don’t miss the international flight. This day can be used for personal activities, shopping and also some sightseeing around the monument sites of Kathmandu valley.

Our airport representative will help you with checkout procedure and then escort you to the airport for final departure from Nepal for your onward journey.