Trek to Everest Base Camp
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TREK TO EVEREST BASE CAMP Trekking Tour to the Roof of the World Trip Duration: 16 Days (Shorter or longer itineraries available) Highlights • Part of The Great Himalaya Trail • Stand on the slopes of the world’s highest mountain • Climb two peaks over 5000m (Nangkartshang and Kala Patthar) • See the Yeti Scalp at the Tengboche Monastery and meet the monks • Meet the mountaineers at Everest base camp and speak with them about their epic expeditions • Explore glacial landscapes and cross moraine • Experience breathtaking views from Kala Patthar over Everest at sunrise • Stay in the bustling Sherpa village of Namche Bazaar and its famous bakeries • A fully supported and well-organised expedition Trip Summary On this classic teahouse trek into the Solu Khumbu and Sherpa heartland, you’ll ascend the route to the iconic Everest Base Camp. As well as offering trekkers one of the most impressive panoramic mountain views in the world, it is also famous for being the starting point for some of the most influential climbing expeditions. Steeped in rich mountaineering history, it’s a fantastic place to really appreciate the magnitude of what early mountaineers achieved in their hobnailed boots and woollen socks! Throughout the trek you will be constantly awe-struck by the sight of the snow-capped mountains dominating the skyline around you, including the 8000m peaks of Lotse and Nuptse, and, of course, Mt Everest itself. Towering 8848m above you, the views of this wonder of the world from Kala Patthar are absolutely phenomenal; guaranteed to be imprinted on your memory for the rest of your days. The route will also give us the opportunity to explore many different aspects of Nepalese village culture and its scenery. You will visit the largest Buddhist monastery in the Khumbu region at Tyangboche and be able to appreciate the beauty of both its gompa and its setting. The power of nature will be apparent as you walk through the boulder fields left in the wake of the extraordinary Khumbu Glacier. Simply incredible! As always on our treks there is plenty of staff and we can accommodate everyone's trekking pace. We appreciate that in a group there will be many different speeds of walker and we don't ever want you to feel like you are holding up a group or being held up. Having plenty of guides and porters allow for us to change itineraries and pace easily and it is very easy to accommodate every trekker. All our trips are guaranteed to run. Welcome to Nepal, let the adventure begin! 1 Trip Grading – This trip is considered to be demanding. local monastery and make sure you’re well rested and This trek is demanding in nature due to the amount of ready for the challenges ahead! ascent at altitude as well as the mountainous terrain. Day 3 – Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3440m) You will require a good basic level of fitness in order for 5-6 hours trekking you to enjoy and make the most of what is on offer for this trek. The first full day of trekking begins with a walk ascending through beautiful pine forests along the banks IMPORTANT - This tour takes the route back to of the Dudh Koshi River. We will cross the Hillary Kathmandu quite slowly. Along with the planned rest Suspension Bridge, named after the iconic Sir Edmund days and the ascent of Kala Patthar, we can afford to be Hillary, high above the river and adorned liberally with delayed 4-5 days in the case of flight cancellations or colourful prayer flags. We’ll cross into Sagarmatha bad weather. This dramatically increases the chance of a successful trek to Everest Base Camp. Additionally, we only run this trek in the optimal season to try to mitigate the risk of delays due to poor weather conditions. Day 1 – Arrive in Kathmandu Welcome to Kathmandu! A city of riotous charm; it’s the perfect mix of chaos and calm. Lose yourself in its vibrant markets, bustling streets and hidden alleys and discover its plethora of colourful temples and grand pagodas. Kathmandu is a city that will captivate your senses! National Park, passing through Joresale and catching You will be met at the airport by your guide and your first glimpse of the stunning Mount Everest. transferred to your hotel. You’ll have the afternoon free to explore this enthralling city. The group will meet for a We rest for the night in Namche Bazaar, the main welcome dinner in a local restaurant. trading centre for the region, and a town steeped in history of expeditions gone by. Its bakeries are famous for good reason, and this is a great opportunity to indulge in small luxuries. Day 4 – Acclimatisation walk to Everest View Point (3,880m) and Khumjumg (3,780m), return to Namche Bazaar (3,440m) 4-5 hours trekking A steep trail out of Namche will take us up towards the villages of Kunde and then Khumjung. We’ll gain the 400m ascent slowly to aid with acclimatisation and take in the mountain panoramas around us. Much quieter than Namche, these villages have more of an authentic feel; allowing an insight into high-altitude life in the Himalaya. Day 2 – Fly to Lukla (2800m); trek to Phakding (2610m) 3-4 hours trekking We’ll see the Hillary Hospital, founded in 1966 as the second project of the Himalayan Trust, founded by Sir We begin our journey with a breath-taking Himalayan Edmund Hillary himself in 1960. When we reach the flight to Lukla, deep in the Sherpa heartland. No doubt highest point of the day, Khumjung, you can go and visit raring to go, we’ll set off through blooming the only known skull of a yeti in the brightly coloured rhododendrons, magnolia trees and pine forest to gompa. Phakding. Upon reaching Phakding, you can visit the 2 The mountains towering above us from here include Taboche (6542m), Peak 38 (7590m), Cholatse (6440m) and Ama Dablam (6812). From the summit, we’ll retrace our steps back to Dingboche. Comparable to the ascent, this is an easy task as we descend to more oxygen rich air. A trip to the local bakery would be a wonderful reward for your efforts today! Day 8 – Ascend to Lobuche (4940m) 6 hours trekking The trail takes us up through the steep terminal moraine left by the Khumbu Glacier and past huge boulders Day 5 – Trek to Tengboche (3860m) and afternoon visit displaced by the glacier. At the top of the ridge is the to monastery. Lobuche Memorial, a poignant dedication to those who 4-5 hours trekking have perished attempting to make the summit of Everest. We begin on a level trail and walk up via stone steps to reach the Mongla Pass at an altitude of 3975m. From With its prayer flags fluttering in the wind and the awe- here we can look out at views of the iconic Mount Ama inspiring Mount Khumbutse, Mount Lingtren and Dablam, Mount Thamserku and Mount Khumbila, Khumbu Glacier in view, this really is a special place for regarded by the Sherpa as the sacred mountain of the reflection. From here, we descend a little to the often- patron god of the Khumbu region. bustling Lobuche, where we will spend the night. The monastery at Tengboche is the traditional temple to receive a blessing before attempting the summit of Everest, and so it seems fitting that we too should visit it on our journey. Emanating a sense of magic from its colourful interior out into the Himalayan mountains, it is easy to see why this location was chosen. Day 6 – Khumbu Valley and then the Imja Valley to Dingboche (4410m) 6 hours trekking Day 9 - Visit Everest Base Camp and spend the night at We continue today through lush alpine forest. We will Gorak Shep (5164m) come across several small villages on the path, a great 8-10 hours trekking opportunity to see how the local Nepalese live. Passing through the Khumbila Khola Valley and ascending This is it! We will climb to Everest Base Camp today, the towards the ridgeline, soaring mountain views of starting point for past and future iconic expeditions to Taboche, Mount Nuptse, Mount Cholatse and many the top of the world. Walking alongside the Khumbu others can be seen. Glacier across the moraine strewn paths, you will pass the Italian Triangle and hopefully see teams of climbers Day 7 – Climb Nangkartshang Peak (5,080m) for preparing for their summit attempts. acclimatisation and return to Dingboche 5 hours trekking Throughout your journey, you will be surrounded by various snow-capped peaks and the famous 3-peak Today we’ll summit Nangkartshang to allow ourselves to crown of Nuptse, Everest and Lhotse. When we reach acclimatise. The trail is steep and rocky at points, but at our destination, there is no doubt that you will be awe- every turn, the vista becomes more spectacular, struck by the magnitude of the Himalayan giants especially when we can see the pyramid of Makalu towering over us. The experience will be intensified by pointing high into the heavens. Reaching the summit is a the sense of achievement of making it up here. Well great achievement, and we’ll take time to soak in the done! sights from one of the most magnificent viewpoints on our journey. 3 Descending down the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Day 13 - Continue to Lukla (2860m) Glacier, we will make our way down to Gorak Shep, sat 6 hours trekking in the shadow of Kala Patthar, where you can spend the evening comparing photos with your fellow trekkers.