Everest Base Camp Trek Highlights
- You walk to the lap of the world’s highest peak- Mt. Everest(8848 meters)
Click on the map - You feel enticed with the sight of dying sun spreading its rays over the face of Mount Everest from Kala Patthar.
- You walk past the breathtaking Khumbu Glacier and Khumbu Icefalls.
- You can give yourself a treat by stroll around the busiest Sherpa Town- Namche Bazaar.
- You will get goosebumps with the thrilling flight as well as the heavenly side views the flight offers.
- You join the spiritual tour to the ancient Tengboche monastery which is among the largest of the region.
- You can spend time on the school set by Sir Edmund Hillary in the Khumjung village and inspect the mountaineers preparing for the expeditions
The Lukla to Everest Base Camp trek begins with a short 40 minute early morning flight from Kathmandu to Lukla Airport, which lies at an altitude of 2,860m.
On the first day, trekkers begin their trip with a short decent of 3 to 4 hour to Phakding. After that it is an average of 5 hours walking each day, with a couple of long days of 7 to 8 hours.
Built into this trek is time to acclimatize before trekking to Everest Base Camp (5,364m) and the Everest viewpoint at Kalapatthar, with an altitude of over 5,500m.
The trekking route goes through alpine forests, through villages, and along the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers to a market town with a name that conjures up pictures of red cheeked Sherpa children and generations of mountain expeditions from around the world – Namche Bazaar.
Here it is possible to trek to Khumjung Village to visit the school set up by Sir Edmund Hillary, the first man to successfully summit Mount Everest in 1953.
Of course, no one can climb alone, so the setting up of this school was one of the ways Sir Edmund gave back to the Sherpa community who continue today to be the backbone of any expedition to Everest.
Another highlight of this trek is a visit to Tengboche Monastery. Unfortunately the monastery was extensively damaged by the earthquakes in 2015.
The panoramic views from the monastery area, are, however, still spectacular and include views of Mount Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Thamserku. With all this natural beauty it is easy to see why the biggest monastery in the Khumbu Region was built on this spot.
Both natural and spiritual beauty have always drawn people to this area. Interestingly, the Tibetan and Sherpa name of for Mount Everest is in Chomolungma or Mother Goddess of the Universe.
In more recent times the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has added this area, which is part of Sagarmatha National Park, to its Sacred Himalayan Landscape initiative.
The trail to Base Camp from Gorakshep and back is quite arduous and will take 6 to 7 hours of walking over rocky ground, formed by millennia of glacial debris.
The trail runs alongside the Khumbu Glacier with views of the Khumbu icefall. During the climbing season there maybe is an opportunity to witness expeditions setting up camp in order to attempt to summit Everest. Needless to say, the scenery is breathtaking!
Aside from the Base Camp itself, there is a spectacular close up view of Everest from the highest point of the trek at Kalapatthar. Not for nothing is Kalapatthar called the Everest View Point. Also seen from here are Mount Pumori and Ama Dablam.
This trek comes to an end by returning to Lukla for the short flight back to Kathmandu.
| Days | Itinerary | Altitude | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrival in Kathmandu | 1400 m | |
| Day 2 | Kathmandu to Lukla Flight and Trek to Phakding | 2600 m | 35 min + 3 hr |
| Day 3 | Phakding to Namche | 3440 m | 5 - 6 hr |
| Day 4 | Acclimatization Day in Namche | 3440 m | 4 - 5 hr |
| Day 5 | Namche to Tengboche | 3978 m | 5 - 6 hr |
| Day 6 | Tengboche to Dingboche | 4380 m | 4 - 5 hr |
| Day 7 | Acclimatization Day in Dingboche | 4380 m | 3 - 4 hr |
| Day 8 | Dingboche to Lobuche | 4938 m | 4 - 5 hr |
| Day 9 | Lobuche to Gorakshep | 5160 m | 2 - 3 hr + 4 hr |
| Day 10 | Gorakshep to Pheriche | 4371 m | 4 hr + 4 hr |
| Day 11 | Pheriche to Namche | 3440 m | 6 - 7 hr |
| Day 12 | Namche to Lukla | 2840 m | 7 hr |
| Day 13 | Lukla to Kathmandu | 1300 m | 30 min |
| Day 14 | Departure |
