Day 1 – Fly to Lukla & trek to Phakding
Duration: approx. 35-minute flight and 4 hours trekking
Altitude 2,600m
Today you’ll swap the busy streets of Kathmandu for mountain air. Take a short but spectacular flight into the tranquil village of Lukla, perched high in the Himalayas. On this flight, you are allowed 10 Kg of free baggage and 5 kg of hand luggage.
After meeting your Sherpa team, you begin your first walk, following the Dudh Koshi River through small villages and farmland. It’s a gentle introduction to trekking at altitude, with suspension bridges and prayer wheels along the way. You’ll sleep in Phakding, a small village in the valley.
Days 2 & 3 – Trek to Namche Bazaar & acclimatisation
Duration: approx. 7 hours trekking (day 2), 3-4 hours trekking (day 3)
Altitude 3,450m
Today you enter Sagarmatha National Park and start the climb towards Namche Bazaar. Most of the day you’ll be walking uphill with short intervals of flat walking. You cross several long suspension bridges high above the river before the trail turns into a steady uphill push. If the weather’s clear, you may catch your first glimpse of Everest. Your destination is Namche Bazaar – the lively mountain hub of the Everest region. The town is set in a natural amphitheatre of peaks and packed with teahouses, bakeries and traders supplying life high in the Himalayas.
To help your body adjust, you’ll stay another night in Namche. Head out on a 3-4 hour acclimatisation hike up to Syangboche (3,860m). From the viewpoints above town, you’ll see Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam on clear days.
Day 4 – Trek to Tengboche
Duration: approx. 7 hours trekking
Altitude 3,860m
You leave Namche behind on one of the most scenic stretches of the trek. Expect rhododendron forests, Mani walls, chorten, and suspension bridges across the river. The trail contours high above the Dudh Koshi River, with Everest, Lhotse and the perfectly shaped Ama Dablam ahead on clear days. After descending to the river, you begin a steady climb through forest to Tengboche where you’ll spend the night. This small settlement is home to the region’s most important monastery, set in an incredible location with mountains rising all around. The monastery has a residing Rinpoche who blesses pilgrims, mountaineers, and travellers passing through.
Days 5 & 6 – Trek to Dingboche & acclimatisation
Duration: approx. 5 hours trekking (day 5)
Altitude 4,400m
Today the landscape begins to feel bigger and more open as you gain altitude. You’ll stop for lunch in Pangboche, one of the oldest Sherpa villages in the Khumbu, before continuing to the small village of Dingboche. The pointed peak of Ama Dablam dominates the skyline. Dingboche sits in a wide, windswept valley surrounded by stone-walled fields traditionally used for growing crops.
You’ll likely start to notice the altitude more here, which is why we’ve scheduled in a two-night stop to acclimatise. You can take a hike into the Imja Valley towards Chhukung for close-up views of Island Peak, Lhotse and surrounding glaciers. Make sure you take time to rest and allow your body adjust.
Day 7 – Trek to Lobuche
Duration: approx. 6 hours trekking
Altitude 4,900m
From Dingboche, you climb a ridge above the Pheriche Valley, where wide mountain views begin to open up, before continuing across open, high-altitude terrain. As the day goes on, the Khumbu Glacier comes into view for the first time. A vast river of ice flowing down from Everest, the glacier’s shifting, creaking surface shapes one of the most dramatic landscapes of the trek. After crossing the Khumbu Khola near Dughla, you make a steady climb up onto the glacier’s rocky moraines, passing memorials dedicated to climbers and Sherpas who lost their lives on Everest. By afternoon you reach Lobuche, the second-highest village along the route, where you spend the night.
Day 8 – Trek to Gorak Shep & hike to Everest Base Camp
Duration: approx. 6-7 hours trekking
Altitude 5,200m
Today, all of your efforts will be rewarded as you trek the final stretch to Everest Base Camp. You follow the edge of the Khumbu Glacier to Gorak Shep, the last settlement on the trail, before continuing across rocky, high-altitude terrain to Everest Base Camp itself. This is the starting point for expeditions attempting to summit the world’s highest mountain, and standing here at 5,364 metres, surrounded by ice, rock and towering peaks, feels surreal. While you can’t see the summit of Everest from base camp, you’re right beneath the Khumbu Icefall – a dramatic, shifting wall of ice that climbers must pass through on their way up. During climbing season, colourful expedition tents dot the glacier, adding to the atmosphere. It’s not just a photo stop; it’s a place that represents ambition, endurance and the long history of Everest expeditions. Afterwards, you walk back to Gorak Shep, tired but with a serious sense of achievement.
Day 9 – Kala Patthar sunrise & trek to Thukla
Duration: approx. 6 hours trekking
Altitude 4,600m
An early start takes you up Kala Patthar, the best viewpoint of Everest on the trek. As the sun rises, Everest and the surrounding peaks glow in the morning light. After descending, you begin your journey back down the valley to Thukla where you spend the night.
Day 10 – Trek to Pangboche
Duration: approx. 8 hours trekking
Altitude 3,900m
Today you’ll continue your descent, following trails through open valleys with big Himalayan views. Ama Dablam dominates the skyline for much of the day. Mani walls, prayer flags and small Sherpa settlements line the route. Parts of the trail are rocky and you’ll cross the river on stepping stones, adding to the sense of adventure. You’ll spend the night in Pangboche, one of the oldest settlements in the Khumbu. This village is home to an important monastery and a small community living high in the mountains.
Day 11 – Trek to Namche Bazaar
Duration: approx. 7 hours trekking
Altitude 3,450m
Leaving Pangboche, you cross the Imja Khola and walk through forested trails of juniper and fir. After Tengboche, the path drops down to the river at Phunki Tenga before a steady climb back up to Namche Bazaar. It’s a longer day with some dusty sections, but the reward is returning to the lively mountain hub of the Khumbu, with its bakeries, shops and mountain views all around.
Day 12 – Trek to Phakding
Duration: approx. 7 hours trekking
Altitude 2,600m
You leave Namche behind on a steep descent through forest, crossing high suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi River, including the famous Hillary Bridge. The trail passes through small villages and the entrance area of Sagarmatha National Park as you follow the river valley down. With more oxygen in the air, the walking feels noticeably easier today.
Days 13 & 14 – Trek to Lukla & fly to Kathmandu
Duration: approx. 3 hours trekking (day 13)
Altitude 2,800m
Your final trekking day follows the Dudh Koshi upstream through pine and rhododendron forest, crossing a few more suspension bridges along the way. There’s one last uphill stretch before you reach Lukla. Once there, it’s time to relax, explore the small town and celebrate the end of your trek with your guide and porters.
The following morning you leave the mountains the way you arrived – by air – flying back to Kathmandu where the buzz of the city feels a world away from the high Himalayas.
Accommodation
