Experience local culture and enjoy the warm hospitality of the Sherpa people as we stay in family-run teahouses. We begin an 8-day trek through the Dudh Kosi and Khumbu Valleys and climb to the village of Namche Bazaar. We admire some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the Himalayas including Ama Dablam (6856m), Lhotse (8512m) and Mount Everest (8848m).
Itinerary
[+] Detailed Itinerary
Day 1:
Join tour Kathmandu
Arrive Kathmandu. Check into hotel
Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)
Day 2:
In Kathmandu
We start the day with a walking tour, with visits to the lively bazaars and temples of old Kathmandu, accompanied by a Nepali guide. Later, we include a pre-trek briefing when your tour leader will check that everybody is properly equipped for the trek and give you an idea of what to expect on a day-to-day basis.
Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)
Included meals: Breakfast
Day 3:
Fly to Lukla; walk to Phakding
An early morning departure from Kathmandu to Lukla. (Adverse weather conditions and other local factors can cause delays and cancellations. Although seats are booked and confirmed well in advance, it may be necessary to adjust the itinerary to ensure the best use of your time). There are spectacular mountain views all the way taking in Gauri Shankar (7145m), Melungtse (7181m) and Numbur (6955m). We arrive in Lukla and meet our Sherpa crew. Depending on flight arrival time there ma be an opportunity to visit the newly completed Lukla Gompa (monastery) and its attached tanka painting school. We’ll take lunch in Lukla, then descend northwest to the village of Choblung (2700m) in the Dudh Kosi valley. Following the river’s course, we pass through the villages of Ghat and reach the small village of Phakding. About 3 hours walk.
Overnight Teahouse (H)
Included meals: Breakfast
Day 4:
Phakding to Namche Bazaar
We continue along beside the Dudh Kosi through fragrant pine and fir forest catching good views of Kusum Kangru (6369m) and Thamserku (6608m) as we walk. We then walk through the village of Monzo and pass through the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park and descend to cross the Dudh Kosi to the village of Jorsale (2773m). The walk continues along the banks of the river, until we climb to cross the river by a high suspension bridge and begin our first sustained ascent en route to Namche Bazaar. The trail makes a series of wide switchbacks to reach a point from where we get our first magnificent views of Everest through the Dudh Kosi valley to the northeast. Climbing again, the path takes us through pine trees to reach the distinctive horseshoe-shaped bowl containing the village of Namche Bazaar (3440m). About 8 hours walk.
Overnight Teahouse (H)
Day 5:
In Namche Bazaar
Namche Bazaar is a highly important village for the Sherpa people. In the morning we visit the Sherpa Museum and Visitor Centre. This contains an interesting display on Sherpa life and culture, lots of information on the forests, wildlife and plants of the area and an exhibit on the history of climbing in the Khumbu. The afternoon is free for you to make an excursion up the valley beyond Namche towards the village of Thamo or you can relax in the village. About 4 hours walk round trip.
Overnight Teahouse (H)
Day 6:
Namche Bazaar to Deboche
We’ll spend the morning exploring the colourful and lively local market in Namche. Each week, Sherpas from the surrounding villages come to buy food and to socialise. Any food not grown locally, such as rice, corn and some vegetables is brought in by porters from the lowland villages, which can be as much as a 6 to 10 day walk from Namche Bazaar. Leaving the market we ascend out of the village and follow a high, fairly level path above the Dudh Kosi enjoying spectacular mountain views as we go. We then descend to Sanasa and Tashinga where we pass the various ‘shops’ set up by Tibetans selling trinkets. We then descend again through forests of blue pine to reach and cross the Dudh Kosi to Phungki Tenga 3250m. From here we make an initially steep ascent through forest to reach the spectacularly set Thyangboche monastery at 3867m. We then continue for a short distance to nearby Deboche at 3800m. About 7 hours walk plus lots of stops.
Overnight Teahouse (H)
Day 7:
Around Deboche
From Deboche, we can make excursions to either or both of the monasteries at Pangboche and Thyangboche. The gompa at Pangboche (3860m) is reputed to be the oldest in the Khumbu region and is probably 300 years old. The buildings are surrounded by large black juniper trees sacred to the local Buddhist people. The original gompa at Thyangboche was built in 1916 but was destroyed by an earthquake in 1934. Disaster struck again, as the replacement building was burnt to the ground in 1989. The new monastery was finished in 1994 and has a library and cultural centre plus a school which educates about 30 young monks. Both gompas are part of the Nyingmapa or Red Hat sect. The views are magnificent with the peaks of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Taboche to the north and northeast, Thamserku and Kantega to the southeast and Kwangde to the southwest. About 5 hours walk.
Overnight Teahouse (H)
Day 8:
Deboche to Khumjung
We make a last visit to the monastery at Thyangboche this morning, then descend to theDudh Kosi. On quiet mornings, it is possible to see Musk Deer and Himalayan Thar. We’ll ascend again from the river to our overnight stop in Khumjung (3790m); again there are excellent views particularly of Ama Dablam at 6856m. Opportunity to visit the Hillary school, the local gompa or the ‘highest bakery in the world’ nearby. About 4 hours walk.
Overnight Teahouse (H)
Day 9:
Khumjung to Monzo
We’ll take a different route from Khumjung to Namche. We may make an excursion to the Everest View hotel for great mountain views from the terrace or continue to Khunde, perhaps making a short visit to see the Khunde Hospital, built by the Himalayan Trust – a charity established by Sir Edmund Hillary to assist the Sherpa people. From Khunde we climb for a short while to a small pass, enjoying fine views of Thamserku, Kangtega and Ama Dablam. On our descent we will pass the Government yak breeding farm and continue to the now unused small airstrip at Shyangboche at 3720m. From the airport we then make a steep descent south into Namche for lunch. We continue back down to the valley of the Dudh Kosi and on to our night stop at Monzo. About 5 hours walk.
Overnight Teahouse (H)
Day 10:
Monzo to Lukla
We leave the Sagarmatha National Park and continue our descent along the banks of the Dudh Kosi, before making a final ascent to reach the Lukla plateau by mid afternoon. En route we may make an optional excursion to a small monastery above the river near the ghat. About 5 hours walk.
Overnight Teahouse (H)
Day 11:
Fly Lukla to Kathmandu
We say goodbye to our Sherpa Crew and take the morning flight from Lukla to Kathmandu (weather permitting). The afternoon is free in Kathmandu.
Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)
Day 12:
In Kathmandu, Optional tours
The last day is spent in Kathmandu allowing time to explore the fascinating temples and villages within easy reach of the capital and also a day’s leeway should there be a delay with flights from Lukla due to bad weather conditions. You may wish to take an optional visits to the Temple of Pashupatinath on the Bagmati River – the holiest Hindu shrine in Nepal and Bodnath Stupa – the largest in the country and destination of Buddhist pilgrims from all over Nepal. It is possible to make an optional visit to the medieval town of Bhaktapur at the far eastern end of the Kathmandu Valley, a city retaining much medieval character and some notable craft work.
Overnight Standard Hotel (H+)
Included meals: Breakfast
Day 13:
Tour ends Kathmandu
Included meals: Breakfast
