Everest View Trek

The fun begins the moment your plane touches down at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Once you have picked up your baggage, you will be greeted by your representative of Himalayan Planet Adventures and taken to your hotel for a time of rest from your long flight. After getting settled in, your guide will take you to the world headquarters of Himalayan Planet Adventures for an orientation. In the evening, you will join your guide for a welcome dinner which will feature delicious Nepali food along with Nepali dancing in a cultural program.

Today is an exciting day as you begin to experience and appreciate the unique culture of the Kathmandu Valley. This ancient valley dates back thousands of years and was home to several kingdoms before unification in 1769. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the valley, which range from ancient Buddhist and Hindu pilgrimage sites to historic royal palaces where the kings of old ruled in the valley. In the afternoon, the journey will take you to the city of Bhaktapur, known as the City of Devotees because of all of its temples. Bhaktapur was once its own kingdom here in the Kathmandu Valley and features the magnificent 55 Window Royal Palace, known for its amazing woodwork. There are narrow lanes with traditional centers of hand-crafted items, dating back centuries. You will have the option of choosing two of the seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites to see along with the City of Bhaktapur. Your representative at Himalayan Planet Adventures can help you to decide which of these amazing places you will want to visit.

It’s an early morning flight as we make our way eastward over the backbone of the mighty Himalayas to Lukla airport, the gateway to the Everest region. It’s a short 35-minute flight, but one that will have you glued to the plane’s window as you gaze down at the amazing snowcapped peaks below. Upon arrival at the airport in Lukla, we begin a short trek to the village of Phakding. The trail passes through jungles of pine and rhododendron as you look up and see the snowcapped peaks of the region. This is Sherpa country, and you will begin to see their farms rising in terraces on the hillsides. Today will feature a wonderful view of Mt. Kusum-Kangaru (elev. 6,369 m/20,890 ft.) as you cross a suspension bridge over the fast flowing waters of the Thado Koshi River. It is a four-hour trek to Phakding where you will have time to explore the village. It is here we will spend the night.

We are trekking today to what has long been the capital of the Sherpa lands. Namche Bazaar has grown in many ways, yet retain all of its Sherpa charming. The trail climbs uphill today as you make your way to our destination. There are more and more amazing views of the snowcapped peaks, including a wonderful view of Mt. Thamserku (elev. 6,608 m/21,675 ft.) from the village of Benkar. We cross suspension bridges and walk along side of the Dudh-Kosi River. At the village of Monjo, we enter Sagarmatha National Park, the home of Mt. Everest. Namche Bazaar is a colorful village with all of its beautifully painted houses. It is about a 5 – 6 hours trek today. In the evening, spend the night at your guest house where we will enjoy excellent food and a good night’s sleep.

Today we will rest in Namche Bazaar as we allow our bodies to adjust to the thinner mountain air. It is necessary to acclimatize to avoid AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) which can be fatal if ignored. Fortunately, we at Himalayan Planet Adventures know and understand AMS as well as how to prevent it from happening. In allowing our bodies to adjust, we do a little walking as well as sightseeing. We will walk up to the famed Everest View Hotel to get a great view of the mountains including Mt. Everest. There is an opportunity to do some shopping for exclusive Sherpa handicrafts as well as the opportunity to visit the Sherpa Museum to better understand the unique culture of the Sherpa people. In the evening, enjoy a second night at our guest house.

We are in the land of Sir Edmund Hillary, who along with Tenzing Norgay first climbed Mt. Everest in 1953. Hillary, a New Zealander, fell in love with the Khumbu region and built schools and the largest hospital in the area. We climb up to Syangboche to get a really good view of Mt. Everest and the surrounding peaks. We will pass the Khunde Hospital that was founded by Sir Edmund Hillary as we make our way to Khumjung village where we will spend the night. Today’s journey is only 4 – 5 hours, which will give you plenty of time to explore this village. We will visit the local monastery where there is a yeti scalp on display.

The sights to behold today are some of the best as we will have some of the finest views of not only Mt. Everest, but also Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Kwangde peaks. The journey passes through magnificent forests of rhododendron, blue pines, birch and even some magnolia trees. The capstone of the journey will be the large Buddhist monastery at Tengboche, the highest Buddhist monastery in the world! We will find our guest house literally in the shadow of Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Lhotse Shar with many more snowcapped peaks surrounding you in this beautiful place.

Today is an easy walk downhill as we make our way back to Namche Bazaar. We will circle around and see Tyangboche and its amazing monastery from a different angle, and then descend further. We cross over the Dudh Koshi River which races below our suspension bridge and then we return to Namche Bazaar. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

We return today to the village of Lukla. It's downhill most of the way, and we make a good time in our descent from Namche Bazaar. We still enjoy incredible mountain scenery along the way with excellent opportunities to look back at the snowcapped peaks of the Khumbu region. It’s a long walk today, but it’s our final day of walking, taking around 7 – 8 hours to reach Lukla. Here we enjoy a final celebration dinner with our guide and porters before enjoying a good night’s sleep at our guest house.

It is our plan to fly back today to Kathmandu where we can enjoy the day resting or doing additional sightseeing in the Kathmandu Valley. Today you can do some shopping, additional sightseeing or simply just relax at the roof gardens of your hotel.

Himalayan weather can be rather unpredictable in the Everest Region. For this reason, we build in an extra day in case we have a flight delay from Lukla to Kathmandu. If we end up spending an extra day at Lukla, then we will fly back today to Kathmandu. Otherwise, this is a day to explore the valley on your own. Himalayan Planet Adventures can put together a fun day of visiting other UNESCO World Heritage Sites that you missed earlier if you are so inclined. You can also explore the narrow alleyways in and around the old city of Kathmandu with its amazing local temples. One thing you can do is to talk to your friends at Himalayan Planet Adventures about extending your time in Nepal. There are jungle safaris, other mountain villages to see as well as the beautiful Annapurna Mountains rising above Phewa Lake. There is so much to see and do in Nepal, so why not discover all this amazing country has to offer.

Depending upon your flight, there may be a time in the morning to get in some of that last minute shopping. Himalayan Planet Adventures will take you to back to Tribhuvan International Airport where you will catch your flight to your next destination. No matter what, it has been a truly amazing Everest experience with your guides and porters from Himalayan Planet Adventures.