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HIKING TO BASECAMP
Hiking to base camp is a challenging adventure that requires excellent physical fitness. While hiking, backpacking and high elevation experience is helpful, it is not a requirement to participate. We believe that with a positive attitude and the right training, any healthy person can acquire the physical fitness necessary to enjoy this trip.
With the help of our incredible Sherpa team, porters will be supporting our trip and carrying 25 lbs of gear per person. Yes, that's right, you'll be hiking with just your lightweight daypack! But please do not underestimate the difficulty of this adventure. Along with a few strenuous days in the mountains, hiking in a new country and environment can create a more challenging environment.
We'll start with a couple acclimatization days added to the itinerary to allow our bodies to get accustomed to the thinning atmosphere. We'll breakdown this 80 mile trek with 13,700 feet of elevation over the course of 13 days. Depending on the day, we plan to hike between 3-6 miles with around 2,000 feet of elevation per day.
FOOD & ACCOMMODATION
All meals during the trek will be served at the teahouses we stay at along the trail. In Kathmandu we'll have traditional Nepalese dinners at a local restaurants where you can order off the menu.
Food variety is very limited on the trek, with few fresh vegetables and no fruit. We can accommodate vegetarian, vegans and other food allergies, though please note that the variety of foods is limited, so you may end up eating the same meal several nights in a row. If you are concerned about having enough food and nutrients during your trip, we recommend bringing supplemental food like dehydrated meals, protein bars, nuts & dried fruits.
Our lodging includes four nights at a 3-star Kathmandu hotel and fourteen nights in teahouses along the trail. The typical tea house provides all the basic amenities needed for a rustic and comfortable stay in the Himalayas. Most will have with two beds per room and a shared bathroom, located down the hall or occasionally outside, along with hot meals and beverages and the occasional electrical outlet.
The Schedule
Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu
You get yourself to the Kathmandu Airport in Nepal and we’ll arrange your transport from the airport to our hotel.
You'll have a few hours to rest before we meet at 6pm for our first group meal at a Nepalese restaurant.
Elevation: 4,500 feet.
Day 2: Tour Kathmandu
Day two is a buffer day to get adjusted to our new timezone. We'll spend the day touring around Kathmandu and seeing some of it's most important sights. We'll start the day visiting the giant Buddhanath Stupa, one of Asia's largest Buddhist shrines. Then we'll walk through neighborhoods to Pashupatinath Temple, one of the holiest Hindu Temples in entire South Asia. The temple is situated on the bank of the sacred Bagmati River, a tributary of the sacred Ganges. In the afternoon, we'll return back to the hotel where we'll meet one of our guides to brief us about the trek and answer questions. From there we'll spend the evening doing any last minute shopping and packing for our adventure!
Elevation: 4,500 feet.
Day 3: Flight to Lukla
Departing early in the morning we head to the airport for our flight to Lukla, the most renowned mountain airstrip in the world. The quick 40-minute flight offers spectacular views of the Nepalese foothills and the snowy Himalayas. When we arrive in Lukla we'll meet our trekking crew, we organize our gear and set off for a short trek to Phakding to help with our acclimatization.
Hiking: 5.1 miles, 909 ft elevation gain (3 - 4 hours)
Elevation at Phakding: 8,563 feet
Day 4: Trek to Namche Bazaar
Our trek begins along the banks of the Dudh Koshi leading us to the entrance of Sagarmatha National Park. This will be one of our toughest days on the trail, as we gain 4,000 feet of elevation in 6.8 miles. Along the way we'll have plenty of opportunities to stop and catch our breath. .About halfway up the hill, we'll get our first glimpse of Everest.
Hiking: 6.8 miles, 3,986 ft elevation gain (6 - 7 hours)
Elevation at Namche Bazaar: 11,300 feet
Day 5: Acclimitization Day
Today we'll give our bodies time to adjust to the thinning atmosphere before climbing to higher altitudes. When trekking in high elevations, the saying goes - 'climb high, sleep low'. During the day, we'll have the option to hike up the hill behind Namche or visit another lodge for a freshly baked cinnamon roll, spend time photographing, visiting the Tibetan traders, or actually just resting! Although we'll be on our trek, Namche is a bustling trading place with plenty going on.
Hiking 3.4 miles, 1,444 ft elevation gain (2-3 hours)
Elevation at Namche Bazaar: 11,300 feet
Day 6: Trek to Debouche
From Namche Bazaar the trek starts relatively gently around a ridge before descending down into the valley to meet the Dudh Kosi River. From there we climb 1000 feet back up through the rhododendron and pine forestand.
Depending on our pace, we may visit the village and Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Thyangboche.
Hiking: 6.0 miles, 2,881 ft elevation gain (5-6 hours)
Elevation at Debouche: 12,350 ft
Day 7: Trek to Dingboche
From our teahouse in Deboche, we’ll be treated to beautiful views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam. We’ll hiked for about 2 hours to Pangboche Gompa, the oldest monastery in the region, over 300 years old. where we’ll receive blessings for a successful journey. After Pangboche we will hike to Shomare for lunch before continuing up in to the alpine to Dingboche, a developing center with coffee shops and markets build for trekkers.
Hiking: 6.5 miles. 2,287 ft elevation gain (5 - 6 hours)
Elevation at Dingboche: 14,469 feet
Day 8: Acclimatization Day
For our second acclimatization day, we’ll have a slow morning taking in our backyard views of Ama Dablam (22,493 feet). After breakfast we’ll move our bodies up the ridge behind Dingboche to Nangkartshang Peak for even more magnificent views of Ama Dablam as well as three of the world's six highest peaks, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu. Our hike is about four hours so there will also be time to rest in the afternoon.
Hiking: 3.2 miles, 2,208 ft elevation gain (4-5 hours)
Elevation at Dingboche: 14,469 feet
Day 9: Trek to Lobuche
We have a long day ahead, so we’ll get up early and start making our way through the Khumbu Khola valley, where we’ll be rewarded with mountain views in every direction as we continue through Phulung Karpo- the camp site of the first successful Everest Expedition in 1953.
We’ll take the same route as the explorers before us and hike up the steep moraine of the Khumbu Glacier and take in the surrounding peaks of- Khumbutse, Lingtren, Pumori and Mahalangur Himal. We have made it to the Everest region!
Hiking: 4.9 miles, 2,008 ft elevation gain (5-6 hours)
Elevation at Lobuche: 16, 200 feet
Day 10: Hike to Everest Base Camp & Gorekshep
Today's the day we've been working towards! We’ll set off early in the morning to Gorak Shep, the highest settlement in the Khumbu, where we'll drop off our bags at our teahouse before continuing on to Everest Basecamp (EBC).
The challenging trail rewards our efforts with the best views of Mt. Everest and reaches higher elevations than basecamp itself. EBC is marked with piles of stones, dozens of strings of prayer flags, and a few “Everest Base Camp” signs with dates and elevation. After taking in our accomplishments and snapping a ton of photos, we’ll return back to Gorak Shep to watch the sunset dance across the southwest flank of Mt. Everest.
Hiking: 7.3 miles, 1,647 ft elevation gain (7 - 8 hours)
Elevation at Gorak Shep: 17,598 feet
Day 11: Trek to Kala Patthar & Pheriche
We’ll have another long and challenging day in the mountains as we make our way from Gorak Shep to summit Kala Patthar, a beautiful 18,000 ft peak in the Everest region. Depending on weather, we’ll plan to arrive at sunrise to catch the most impressive views of Mt. Everest. The pictures are the best from this viewpoint! From the top of the Kala Patthar, we’ll take in the most picturesque views of Mt. Everest and neighboring Changtse, and Nuptse.
As we leave Kala Patthar, we’ll also say goodbye to our ascent and begin our downhill journey. After a few hours of easy descent, we’ll arrive to the beautiful settlement of Pheriche where we’ll spend the evening.
Hiking: 9.4 miles, 1,480 ft elevation gain (8 -9 hours)
Elevation at Pheriche: 11,286 ft
Day 12: Trek to Debouche
Now that we are no longer worried about acclimatizing, our descent down is much faster than our trek up.
We'll take the trail down to the familiar town Debouche.
Hiking: 5 - 6 hours
Elevation at Deboche: 12,533 feet
Day 13: Trek to Namche Bazaar
After breakfast, we'll continue to retrace our steps back to Namche Bazaar.
Right before we enter the village, we'll stop to take one last, long look back to Lhotse, the tip of Everest. When we finally reach Namche Bazaar, we'll enjoy hot showers and some well deserved rest.
Hiking: 5 - 6 hours
Elevation at Namche Bazaar: 11,130 ft
Day 14: Trek to Phakding
After an slow morning we'll follow the steep steps down Namche hill, along the Dudh Kosi and out of Sagarmatha National Park. Feeling strong with the rich, oxygenate air, we'll make it back to Phakding in time for lunch and some afternoon rest.
Hiking: 3 - 4 hours
Elevation at Phakding: 8,563 feet.
Day 15: Return to Lukla
The last day of our trek will feel like a walk in the park after what we just accomplished. As we head back to Lukla we'll go slow and take in the Buddhist culture and decorations as we walk through the many Sherpa villages.
In Lukla we'll celebrate our last evening in the mountains and say goodbye to our incredible Sherpa and porter team,.
Hiking: 3 - 4 hours
Elevation at Lukla: 9,300 feet
Day 16: Flight to Kathmandu
It's a travel day back to Kathmandu in early afternoon. We'll have some down time at our hotel before a a group dinner in the city where you'll be able to order off the menu.
Elevation at Kathmandu: 4,500 feet
Day 17: Explore Kathmandu
It's best practice to include an extra day in the trip in case of any weather delays. Thankfully this just means more time to explore Kathmandu! Depending on our energy, we'll either stay in the city sightseeing and visiting a few more temples, or make a 40 minute drive to Bhaktapur, one of the three medieval principalities of Kathmandu valley and the best preserved one. Either way, we'll have ample time for last-minute shopping before going out for our Farewell dinner at a upscale restaurant in Kathmandu.
Day 18: Heading home
Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, and you’ll have to go home. A short ride from hotel to airport will kick off the long journey home.
