Challenging Everest Base Camp Trek

7/30/2019 Challenging Everest Base Camp Trek

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Trip Itinerary

EVEREST BASE CAMP & HIGH PASSES 21 DAYS

Highlights

Moderate to challenging Everest Base Camp trekexploring the high passes of the Khumbu.

Ascend Gokyo Ri (5340m) and Kala Pattar (5554m)for magnificent views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse,

Makalu and Cho Oyu.

Accommodation in teahouses.

Detailed itinerary

Day 1 : Arrival in Kathmandu

A representative and driver will meet you at the

airport and escort you to your hotel. At the hotel, you

will be briefed about your daily activities.

Day 2: Sightseeing in Kathmandu Valley

Kathmandu, the historical and cultural heart of

Nepal, has been a popular destination for touristsever since Nepal opened its doors to visitors. The city

presents a wonderful mix of Hinduism, Tibetan

Buddhism and Western influence in the Valley. Patan

and Bhaktapur, its two major neighbouring cities

bear immense historical, cultural and religious

significances. There will be a half day guided tour tothe famous and biggest Hindu shrine of

Pashupatinath, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal

Boudhanath, the 15th century palace of 55 windows

and Swayambhunath. In the evening you will be

briefed about your trip. Overnight at your hotel in

Kathmandu.

Day 3: Flight to Lukla & Trek to Phakding (2656m)

The flight from Kathmandu to Lukla takes 45 minutes.

A hair-raising landing on a steep mountain runway,

brings you to the village of Lukla (2900m). Aftermeeting the crew, you start your trek by heading up

the Dudh Koshi Valley on a well-marked trail to

Phakding. Overnight at teahouse.

Day 4: Trek to Namche (3450m)

From Phakding, you cross and re-cross the river on

high suspension bridges. Beyond Monjo is the

entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park which was

set-up in order to protect and preserve the fragile

mountain environment. You then take a steep hike toNamche. If the weather is clear, you get the first

glimpse of Mt Everest. Namche is the main trading

village in the Khumbu and has a busy Saturday

market - a meeting place for the Hindu traders from

the lowlands and the Tibetan yak caravans that have

crossed the glaciated Nangpa La.

Day 5: Rest day in Namche Bazaar

Namche is tucked away between two ridges amidst

the giant peaks of the Khumbu and has an abundance

of lodges, tea shops and souvenir shops. It is an idealplace to spend a day, acclimatizing to the new

altitude before heading off towards Tengboche. To

acclimatize, you can visit Khunde Hospital set-up by

Sir Edmund Hillary, or take a one hour walk up to the

Everest View Hotel above Namche for the sunset

view of Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest.

There are also good views from the National Park

Centre and Museum just above the town.

Day 6: Trek to Thame (3739m)From Namche the route turns west and the trail is

almost level as you head up the Bhote Koshi Valley,

once a popular trading route into Tibet. Along the

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Trip Itinerary


way you pass many prayer flags and mani stones, all

indicative of the Tibetan Buddhist culture of this

area. After descending to the Bhote Koshi the trailclimbs steeply to Thame. From here there are good

views of the peaks of Teng Kangpoche and Kwangde.

To the north is the Nangpa La, the pass leading to

Tibet. Thame Gompa is situated above the village

overlooking the valley and is the site for the spring

celebrations of the Mani Rimdu festival.

Day 7: Trek to Khumjung (3786m)

You retrace your route down the Bhote Koshi Valley

towards Namche and branch off to follow a quiet trail

to Khumjung. It is a picturesque village which also has

its own gompa at the top end of town. You have

excellent views of Thamserku, Kantega and Ama

Dablam.

Day 8: Trek to Dole (4040m)

Soon after leaving Khumjung the trail climbs to a

large Chorten on top of a ridge. This ridge descends

from Khumbila, a 5734m peak, said to be the abode

of the patron God of the Khumbu region. The trail

descends towards the Dudh Koshi where you stop forlunch near the bridge leading to the village of

Phortse. You then pass through Phortse Tenga and

from there; the trail climbs steeply to Dole, through

rhododendron and birch forest festooned with

hanging mosses and lichens.

Day 9: Trek to Machermo (4410m)

From Dole you climb steadily along the side of the

valley. As the altitude increases, the rhododendron

forests give way to scrub juniper. The trail passes

many summer settlements (yersa), which are usedwhen yaks are taken to these pastures to graze in

summer. Ahead of you are excellent views of Cho

Oyu, while back down the valley are the peaks of

Kantega and Thamserku. This is a short trek and you

will arrive at Machermo in time for lunch.

Day 10: Trek to Gokyo (4750m) Today you head for

the lakes at Gokyo. We follow a very scenic path to

Pangka and then descend slightly, following one of

the melting rivers which flow down the west side of

the Ngozumpa Glacier. You climb a steep rockyincline into the valley by the side of the glacier,

passing the first of the holy lakes. You soon arrive at

the second lake, crossing the path which heads

across the glacier to Cho La - your route to Lobuche

and Everest, later in the trek. The third lake is known

as Dudh Pokhari (Milk Lake) and on its eastern shoreis the settlement of Gokyo. Walking by the side of the

lake, the scenery is magnificent with the summits of

Cho Oyu and Gyachung Kang reflected in its emerald

green waters.

Day 11 : Ascent of Gokyo Ri (5340m), trek to Na (4390m)

Gokyo Ri looms above the village on the northern

edge of the lake. You leave camp just after first light,

following a steep path up the hillside. As you climb,

the summits of Everest, Lhotse and Makalu slowly

come into view and the sight from the summit of

Gokyo Ri itself is one of the finest to be had in the

Everest region - some say it is even better than that

from Kala Pattar. After lunch it is a short walk to the

village of Na, situated at the foot of the Ngozumpa

Glacier.

Day 12: Trek to Phortse (3542m)

Now you descend back along the valley to Phortse, a

village which seems unaffected by the advent of

trekkers. The quiet rhythm of life continues as it has

always done in the village.

Day 13: Trek to Dingboche (4336m)

From Phortse the trail climbs and contours around

the west side of the Imja Khola valley, providing

excellent views of Ama Dablam, the Nuptse-Lhotse

wall and Everest. You enter Pangboche on the high

trail and after lunch visit the monastery which has

relics said to be the skull and hand of a yeti. From

Pangboche we walk through alpine meadows and

pass beneath the towering Ama Dablam to

Dingboche.

Day 14 : Trek to Lobuche (4939m)

After passing the teahouses of Duglha, you climb

higher onto the terminal moraine of the Khumbu

glacier, passing a row of stone monuments built in

memory of Sherpas who have died on

mountaineering expeditions to Mt Everest. From

here the trail drops and follows the west side of thevalley to Lobuche. The sunset on Nuptse from here is

quite spectacular.



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Trip Itinerary


Day 15 - Trek to Gorak Shep (5184m)

Your next stopover is Kala Pattar. The trail at first

follows the valley beside the Khumbu Glacier, andoffers superb views of the surrounding mountains,

especially where the path is forced to rise to cross a

tributary glacier. You stop for lunch at Gorak Shep.

Later in the afternoon, when the sun begins to set

over the Everest peak, you make your way to the top

of one of the finest viewpoints in the Everest region,

Kala Pattar (5554m). As the light begins to fade you

stroll back to Gorak Shep and have an early night in

preparation for your trek to Everest Base Camp the

following day.Day 16: Ascent of Kala Pattar & trek to Everest Base

Camp (5357m)

To reach Everest Base Camp, a very early start is

required. It takes several hours on the trail which

weaves its way through ice pinnacles and past the

crevasses of the Khumbu Glacier. On the return leg,

you can take a higher route to get a spectacular view

of the Khumbu icefall and the route to the South Col.

You return to either Gorak Shep or Lobuche to camp

for the night.

Day 17: Trek to Pangboche (3985m)

Today is downhill most of the way, as you retrace

your steps to Duglha and descend to Pheriche. The

Himalayan Rescue Association has a trekkers aid

post here and it is quite interesting. After lunch you

cross the Khumbu Khola on a wooden suspension

bridge and follow the Imja Khola to the village of

Pangboche.

Day 18: Trek to Namche (3450m)You continue to follow the river and, after crossing it,

climb back up through birch and rhododendron

forest to the famous monastery at Thyangboche. The

views from here are magnificent and Kwangde,

Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam,

Kantega and Thamserku are just a few of the

Himalayan giants to be seen. From Thyangboche you

descend to the bridge over the Dudh Koshi at Phunki

Tenga, where there are water driven prayer wheels,

before making your way back to Namche.

Day 19: Trek to Lukla (2800m)

Your final day's trekking follows the Dudh Koshi back

down to Lukla. This last evening in the mountains isthe ideal opportunity for a farewell party with the

Sherpa guides and porters, where you can sample

some chang, try Sherpa dancing and look back on a

memorable trekking experience.

Day 20: Fly to Kathmandu

After an early breakfast, you will head to the airstrip

for your return journey to Kathmandu. Later, you

have free time to explore. You stay overnight in a

hotel in Kathmandu.

Day 21: Depart Kathmandu

Our representative will take you to the airport for

your flight home.

Summary

This is a moderate to challenging graded trek to

Everest Base Camp. Also included is the opportunity

to trek to the summit of both Gokyo Ri (5340m) and

Kala Pattar (5554m) for magnificent views of Everest,

Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu and Cho Oyu. A visit to

Everest Base Camp will give you the chance to have a

closer look at the spectacular Khumbu Icefall and also

the starting point for summit attempts. Beginners or

inexperienced climbers can take this trek, but this

trek requires one to be moderately fit.

This trek runs during March to May and September

to December.


isit Private Expeditions for More InformationPhone No: +44 (0)121 288 0388Email Id: [email protected]
http://www.privateexpeditions.co/

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Challenging Everest Base Camp Trek