Tour Overview
| Duration | 10 Days / 9 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Nepal — Kathmandu, Lukla, Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Everest View Hotel |
| Price From | $1,195 per person (group of 4+), $1,395 (2-3) |
| Tour Style | Guided Trekking — Everest Region Without Technical Climbing |
| Best Season | March-May, late September-November (clearest Everest views) |
| Max Altitude | Everest View Hotel: 3,880m (12,730 ft) |
| Data Source | Everest trekking market 2026 verified pricing |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Kathmandu — The City of Temples
Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport. Transfer to your hotel in Thamel, Kathmandu’s tourist district. Afternoon: visit Boudhanath Stupa, one of the world’s largest spherical stupas and the holiest Tibetan Buddhist site outside Tibet. The stupa’s giant white dome, with the all-seeing eyes of Buddha painted on the golden spire above, is the spiritual heart of Kathmandu’s Tibetan exile community. Walk clockwise around the stupa (always clockwise — the direction of the sun) with pilgrims spinning prayer wheels. The scent of incense, the sound of monks chanting, and the fluttering of thousands of prayer flags create an atmosphere of profound peace amidst the city’s chaos. Evening: trek briefing with your guide. Overnight in Kathmandu.
Day 2: Fly to Lukla (2,860m) — The Most Exciting Airport in the World
Early morning flight from Kathmandu to Lukla (35 minutes). Lukla’s Tenzing-Hillary Airport is legendary — a single runway sloping uphill at 12% grade, just 527m long, carved into a mountainside at 2,860m. The flight itself is spectacular: the small plane (Twin Otter or Dornier) navigates between the Himalayan foothills, with the peaks of Langtang and, on clear days, the first glimpse of Everest appearing through the cockpit window. Landing at Lukla feels like landing on an aircraft carrier in the sky — the uphill slope slows the plane rapidly. Take a deep breath — you’ve arrived at the gateway to Everest. Begin trekking to Phakding (2,610m), a gentle 3-4 hour walk downhill through pine forests and Sherpa villages, past mani walls and prayer wheels, crossing suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi River. Arrive in Phakding, your first teahouse night in the Khumbu. Overnight in teahouse.
Day 3: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440m) — The Sherpa Capital
The biggest day on the trek: 6-7 hours, climbing approximately 830m. The trail follows the Dudh Koshi (“Milk River” — named for its glacial-turquoise color) upstream through pine forests. Cross the iconic Hillary Suspension Bridge (one of several built by Sir Edmund Hillary’s Himalayan Trust) — the bridge sways 100m above the river gorge, prayer flags whipping in the wind. After crossing, the serious climbing begins: a relentless 2-3 hour ascent to Namche Bazaar. The moment of magic: about 2/3 of the way up, you round a corner and there it is — your first view of Mount Everest (8,848.86m), the highest point on Earth, with Nuptse (7,861m) and Lhotse (8,516m) flanking it. It stops you in your tracks.
Arrive in Namche Bazaar, the largest Sherpa town in the Khumbu region. Namche is built in a natural amphitheater on a mountainside at 3,440m — a bustling town of teahouses, bakeries, gear shops, and even an Irish pub (the world’s highest). The Saturday Market (if your trek coincides) is a centuries-old tradition where traders from Tibet sell carpets, salt, and dried yak meat in exchange for grain and manufactured goods. Visit the Sherpa Museum to learn about Sherpa mountaineering history — the Sherpa people migrated from Tibet’s Kham region approximately 500 years ago, and their legendary high-altitude physiology (larger lung capacity, more efficient oxygen usage, higher hemoglobin levels) makes them the world’s most accomplished high-altitude climbers. Overnight in Namche.
Day 4: Namche Bazaar — Acclimatization Day with Everest Views
Climb to the Everest View Hotel (3,880m) — a luxurious Japanese-built hotel that holds the Guinness World Record for the highest-placed hotel . The 2-hour climb from Namche gains 440m, and the reward is worth every step: from the hotel’s terrace, you have a 360-degree panorama of Everest (8,848m), Lhotse (8,516m, 4th-highest), Nuptse (7,861m), Ama Dablam (6,812m — often called the most beautiful mountain in the world, its distinctive double-summited shape resembling a mother’s outstretched arms protecting her child), and Thamserku (6,623m). This is the closest you can get to Everest without trekking to Base Camp. Descend to Namche for lunch, then visit Khumjung village (3,790m) and its Hillary School, built by Sir Edmund Hillary’s Himalayan Trust in 1961. Hillary dedicated his post-Everest life to the Sherpa people, building 27 schools, 2 hospitals, 12 medical clinics, and numerous bridges and airstrips in the Khumbu. The school’s “Yeti Scalp” — allegedly kept in Khumjung Monastery — is worth the visit, if only for the story. Overnight in Namche.
Day 5: Namche to Tengboche (3,860m) — The Spiritual Heart of Khumbu
Approximately 5-6 hours, with Everest, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam as constant companions. The trail contours along the mountainside high above the Dudh Koshi, then descends steeply to the river at Phunki Tenga (3,250m). Here begins the brutal climb to Tengboche — a lung-busting 600m ascent. But at the top lies Tengboche Monastery, the most important Buddhist monastery in the Khumbu region. Founded in 1916, Tengboche sits at 3,860m on a ridge with a backdrop of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam — arguably the most beautifully situated religious building on Earth. The monastery was destroyed by fire in 1989 and by the 2015 earthquake — it has been rebuilt both times through international donations and community effort. Attend the evening puja (prayer ceremony) — the monks’ low, resonant chanting, the sound of horns and cymbals, and the scent of juniper incense fill the ancient hall while outside, Everest glows pink in the sunset. It’s a spiritual experience regardless of your beliefs. Overnight in Tengboche teahouse.
Day 6-7: Tengboche to Monjo — The Descent
Day 6: dawn at Tengboche — watching the sun touch Everest’s summit first, then cascade down Lhotse, Nuptse, and finally Ama Dablam, is one of trekking’s great moments. Then begin the descent: Tengboche → Namche (5 hours), retracing your steps with a different perspective — you’re now looking forward at the mountains you once climbed toward. Overnight in Namche. Day 7: Namche → Monjo (3-4 hours) or all the way to Lukla if you’re strong. The descent from Namche is a victory lap — the same Hillary Bridge, the same pine forests, but now you’ve seen Everest, and the entire landscape has changed in your eyes. Overnight in Monjo or Lukla.
Day 8: Lukla — The Last Night in the Mountains
Arrive in Lukla by midday. Celebrate completing the trek — Everest beers all around at one of Lukla’s bakeries, trading stories with other trekkers from around the world. Visit the Sir Edmund Hillary statue and the Pasang Lhamu memorial (Pasang Lhamu Sherpa was the first Nepali woman to summit Everest in 1993 — she died on the descent and is honored as a national hero). Overnight in Lukla teahouse.
Day 9-10: Fly to Kathmandu — Farewell Nepal
Early morning flight from Lukla to Kathmandu. The thrill of taking off from Lukla’s downhill runway is matched only by landing there — the plane accelerates downhill and lifts off into the void, the mountains falling away beneath you. Arrive in Kathmandu by mid-morning. Day free: explore Durbar Square (UNESCO), the Monkey Temple (Swayambhunath Stupa), or Pashupatinath Temple (Nepal’s holiest Hindu temple on the Bagmati River, where open-air cremations take place — a powerful, moving experience). Farewell dinner with your guide. Day 10: transfer to airport for departure — with summit views and Sherpa hospitality etched in memory.
Included
- 9 nights: Kathmandu hotel(2) + teahouses on trek(7)
- All meals during trek
- Licensed English-speaking trekking guide + porter
- Kathmandu-Lukla round-trip flights (including airport transfers)
- Sagarmatha National Park entry permit & TIMS card
- Sleeping bag, down jacket rental
- Pulse oximeter & first aid kit
