Day 1: Arrival

Welcome to beautiful Nepal! Don’t forget to gaze out your windows on your way in to see the highest mountain in the world. Soon you’ll be getting up-close-and-personal with Everest, but for now, time to experience the busy and exciting capital of Nepal!

Our local guides will arrange transportation from the airport to our beautiful sanctuary of a hotel in the heart of Kathmandu’s tourist district, Thamel. Take time to settle into your room and decompress from a long day of traveling. Once everyone arrives, we’ll all meet for our first group dinner at a delicious traditional Nepalese restaurant close to our hotel. 

Day 2: Cultural Tour

Kathmandu is the cultural center of Nepal, and there are many incredible historical sites and temples. Today, our local tour guides will take us around a few of the highlights.

In the afternoon, we’ll head back to our hotel for a gear check with our guides. Then, venture out onto the vibrant streets of Thamel for dinner before an early bed and the beginning of our trek.

Day 3: Kathmandu to Lukla, Phakding

High point: 9,184 feet

Trekking length: 5 miles

After a short morning flight to Lukla, you’ll be introduced to your Nepalese guides and porters. Kick off your trek with an easy walk through Chaurikharka village and descent towards Dudhkoshi Ghat (2,530m/8,300ft). The trail follows the bank of the Dudhkoshi River until Phakding (2,652m/8,700ft), where we will be staying for the night to acclimatize. Enjoy your free time in Phakding, a popular stopping point.

Day 4: Phakding to Namche Bazaar

High point: 11,283 feet elevation

Trekking Length: 7.5 miles

We’ll have breakfast in Phakding before gearing up for the trek to Namche Bazaar, the biggest sherpa village in Nepal. Our trail takes us first over the Dudhkoshi River via a long suspension bridge, and then through a beautiful pine forest to Monjo, about two hours away. Soon thereafter, we will approach the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park for a brief permit check and then descend to Dudh Kosi River (spotting Mani stones along the way!) en route to Jorsale. Lunch will be served here, and then it’s uphill to Namche. Our path along the riverbank is flanked by two crossings, one of which is the Hillary Suspension Bridge. It’s a tough climb up the hill to our resting place, but you’ll be rewarded in Namche Bazaar with your first glimpse of Everest in its majesty.

Day 5: Namche Bazaar: Rest and Acclimatization Day

At this point, we take a well-deserved break! Today will be spent resting and allowing our bodies to become acclimatized to the lofty altitude. There’s an optional 2 hour hike to Everest View Point, an uphill walk that will help speed acclimatization. Otherwise, spend the day exploring Namche Bazaar. Check out the Sherpa museum for an overview of the Sherpa culture and history of mountaineering. On Saturdays, the Hatt Bazaar is open for trading and an intimate look at the locals’ marketplace. It is part of the larger Namche Bazaar, a shopping hub filled with trekking and mountaineering clothing and equipment.

Day 6: Namche Bazaar to Tengboche

High Point: 12,684 feet elevation

Trekking Length: 6 miles

Breakfast in Namche Bazaar fuels us for another day of trekking towards Everest Base Camp today! Breathtaking views of the Himalayas - Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Kwangde - are some of the highlights not to be missed. A short drop takes us to the riverside, then it’s across the river upwards through the forest pass. Brace your legs for a continual uphill trek at this point, alternating between a gradual grade and some seriously steep ground!

Our destination, Tengboche, is known as one of the most beautiful places in the Everest region. Its views, which include Ama Dablam, are legendary. We’ll stop in on the Tengboche monastery, which is one of the largest in Khumbu. Nourish your spirit with a guided tour of the monastery grounds, followed by chanting and prayer with the resident Buddhist monks.

Day 7: Tengboche to Dingboche

High Point: 14,435 feet

Trekking Length: 7 miles

Our trek today kicks off with a walk through the rhododendron forest to Deboche followed by a bridge over the raging Imja Khol River. We’ll pass the valley wall and then traverse the plains to Pangboche village, the biggest settlement of Sherpas in the region. Enjoy a great opportunity to observe a typical Sherpa village and have lunch with the locals! The intrepid can brave a brief hike to the Pangboche monastery, one of the oldest in the area. Our afternoon trek will be a difficult one, as the landscape gives way to dry, deserted mountains and we hike towards Dingboche.

Day 8: Dingboche: Rest and Acclimatization Day

This is your chance to rest up before the last leg of our adventure! Savor a full day of exploring Dingboche and the surrounding valleys of Chhukung and Imja, the latter of which links with Island Peak, the high passes of Amphu Laptsa, and Makalu Barun National Park. Taking an optional trek to the valleys will pay off in rewarding views, but taking it easy is the most important thing today. You’ll need your rest for the penultimate day of ascent tomorrow.

Day 9: Dingboche to Lobuche

High Point: 16,067 feet

Trekking length: 7.5 miles

From here on forth, the trek will gradually become more and more challenging, due to the higher altitude. We’ll pass Dungla, but not before a tough, steep walk to the top of a high hill. Here are the memorial stupas dedicated to the climbers and trekkers who lost their lives to Everest over the years. The next part of our adventure brings over craggy mountain terrain to Lobuche, a small settlement with amazing views of Mt. Lobuche, Mt. Pumari and the Nuptse. Prepare to snuggle up for a cold night, as we are now almost three miles above sea level and the evenings can be downright chilly!

Day 10: Lobuche to Gorakshep and Everest Base Camp, EBC to Gorekshep

High Point: 17,598 feet

Trekking length: 9 miles

This is it! Our big day kicks off with an initial, relatively easy trek from Lobuche to Gorekshep. The subsequent, straight trail to Everest Base Camp is harder, involving rocky dunes and moraine, formed accumulation of unconsolidated glacial debris. On the way to our destination, we’ll approach the famed Khumbu Glacier and icefall, located on the slopes of Everest. At the Base Camp, you’ll have the chance to meet climbers attempting to scale the mountain’s summit. Break out your cameras for unbelievable views of breathtaking beauty. As the afternoon sun starts to wane, we’ll head back to Gorekshep for some much-needed rest and relaxation after a tough but satisfying day.

Day 11: Gorekshep to Kalapthar and Pheriche

High point: 18,192 feet

Trekking length: 8 miles

We’ll wake before dawn today to trek towards Kalapathar (which means “black rock”) for a fiery, glorious sunrise over Mt. Everest. The day’s first light will illuminate your spectacular view of Nuptse Nup, Changtse and Lhotse.This may be, of the whole journey, your most opportune moment to snap amazing pictures of Everest and its neighboring peaks. Afterwards, it’s back to Gorekshep for breakfast and down in the direction of Pheriche, our nighttime stop. Our pace will be a lot brisker as we descend, and the walking is easier going this way.

Day 12: Pheriche to Namche

Trekking Length: 9 miles

The walk from Pheriche back to Tengboche is mainly downhill, although it does, counterintuitively, require an hour scaling a hill. We’ll be in Namche by late afternoon and off to bed before our last day on the mountain.

Day 13: Namche to Phakding and Lukla

Trekking length: 9.5 miles

After breakfast, we trek toward the Hillary Suspension Bridge and then pass through several local villages. Our arrival in Lukla brings an evening in our last Tea House and, traditionally, a party with your trekking crew: you made it! Thanks to great teamwork and perseverance, you’ve accomplished a physical feat of which others only dream. This is your last night on the mountain, which can be bittersweet.

Day 14: Lukla to Kathmandu

In the morning, we’ll catch a flight back to Kathmandu and check in early at our luxury hotel. Take a hot shower, a long nap, and enjoy a hot cup of tea in the beautiful gardens of the hotel, or take a swim in the pool. Wander around in the evening to find one of the great nearby hole-in-the-wall restaurants for an early dinner and a well-deserved early bedtime.

Day 15: Departure

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel, and then hop on one of our courtesy shuttles back to the airport after you’ve said your goodbyes!