Tour Overview
| Duration | 14 Days / 13 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Sagarmatha National Park — Everest Region, Nepal |
| Price From | $1,395 per person (twin share, teahouse) |
| Max Elevation | 5,545m — Kalapatthar viewpoint |
| Difficulty | Moderate-Challenging (6-7 hrs trekking/day) |
| Best Season | March — May, September — November |
| Data Source | Himalayan Glacier / TourRadar 2026 verified pricing |
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1: Arrive Kathmandu (1,400m)
Land at Tribhuvan International Airport. The chaos of Kathmandu — honking scooters, prayer flags, incense from street temples — is your first taste of the Himalayas. Transfer to Thamel, the trekker’s hub. Evening: pre-trek briefing with your guide, equipment check. Welcome dinner of dal bhat (the trekker’s fuel — lentils, rice, vegetables, endless refills). Overnight in Kathmandu.
Day 2: Fly to Lukla (2,860m) — Trek to Phakding (2,610m)
The flight to Lukla is an experience in itself — 30 minutes on a twin-prop through the world’s deepest valley, landing on a runway tilted at 12 degrees with a cliff at one end. The airstrip is 527m long (carriers landing on aircraft carriers have 300m, so this is generous). In Lukla, porters load your gear into doko baskets carried by head-strap — the traditional Sherpa method unchanged for centuries. Today’s walk is gentle: 3 hours descending through pine forests and Sherpa villages past mani walls (stone walls carved with Buddhist prayers — always pass on the left) and prayer wheels to Phakding. Overnight in a teahouse.
Day 3: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440m)
The hardest day so far — 6 hours with 800m elevation gain. The trail follows the Dudh Koshi River, crossing it five times on dramatic suspension bridges festooned with prayer flags. At the Hillary Bridge (the highest suspension bridge, named for Sir Edmund), you enter Sagarmatha National Park. The final 2-hour climb to Namche is steep — but the first glimpse of Everest appearing between the ridges is the motivation you need. Namche Bazaar is the Sherpa capital: a horseshoe of lodges, bakeries, and gear shops at 3,440m with views of Kongde Ri. Overnight in Namche.
Day 4: Acclimatization Day — Namche
Rest but not idle — “climb high, sleep low” is the golden rule. Morning hike to the Everest View Hotel (3,880m), one of the highest hotels in the world. The panorama is staggering: Everest (8,848m), Lhotse (8,516m), Nuptse (7,861m), Ama Dablam (6,812m — the “Matterhorn of the Himalayas”). Visit the Sherpa Museum documenting Sherpa mountaineering history and the Khumjung monastery with its alleged Yeti scalp. Afternoon free to explore Namche’s bakeries, Irish pub, and trek shops. Overnight in Namche.
Day 5: Namche to Tengboche (3,860m)
5-hour walk along a high trail with constant mountain views. The path contours the valley wall before descending to the river and climbing steeply through rhododendron forest (blood-red blooms in April). Tengboche Monastery (1916), the spiritual heart of the Khumbu, sits on a ridge with the most perfect mountain amphitheater you’ll ever see — Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam arrayed in a 180-degree arc. Attend the 3pm puja (prayer ceremony) with chanting monks — a deeply moving experience regardless of faith. Overnight in Tengboche.
Day 6: Tengboche to Dingboche (4,410m)
The landscape transforms as you leave the tree line — goodbye rhododendrons, hello alpine scrub and yak pastures. Cross the Imja River and climb steadily through Pangboche to Dingboche, the highest year-round settlement in the Khumbu. The views open to Island Peak (6,189m), Makalu (8,485m — 5th highest), and Lhotse’s formidable south face. Dingboche is known as the “summer valley” — potato and barley fields protected by stone walls. Overnight in Dingboche.
Day 7: Acclimatization Day — Dingboche
Day hike to Nangkartshang Peak (5,083m) — a 3-hour climb that helps your body produce more red blood cells. The 360-degree view from the summit includes Makalu, Lhotse, Cho Oyu (8,188m), and the entire Imja Valley. Return to Dingboche for rest and hydration — garlic soup (believed to help with altitude) is the local specialty. Overnight in Dingboche.
Day 8: Dingboche to Lobuche (4,910m)
The trek grows stark and serious. 5 hours across glacial moraine, past memorial chortens for climbers who died on Everest — Scott Fischer, Babu Chiri Sherpa, and dozens more. Each chorten bears names and dates, a sobering reminder of the mountain’s power. Arrive at Lobuche, a cluster of teahouses in a windswept valley. The temperature drops sharply at night. Overnight in Lobuche.
Day 9: Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5,140m) — Everest Base Camp (5,364m)
The big day. Morning trek 3 hours to Gorak Shep, the last outpost. After a quick lunch, push to Everest Base Camp along the Khumbu Glacier moraine — 2.5 hours each way over moving rock and ice. The glacier creaks and groans beneath you. Base Camp isn’t permanent — it shifts each season on the moving ice — but arriving at the tents of expedition teams, standing where the world’s greatest mountaineers begin their summit bids, is an overwhelming experience. The Khumbu Icefall towers above, a frozen cascade of seracs that climbers must navigate. Photos with the “Everest Base Camp 5364m” sign, then return to Gorak Shep. Overnight in Gorak Shep.
Day 10: Kalapatthar Sunrise — Descend to Pheriche
4am start for Kalapatthar (5,545m) — the best Everest viewpoint in the world. Headlamp ascent in the dark, 2 hours up. Then the sun hits Everest’s summit first, a pyramid of gold against a navy sky, and every mountain around it lights up in sequence — Nuptse, Lhotse, Pumori, the entire Himalayan skyline catching fire. This is why you came. After the descent, breakfast at Gorak Shep, then a long downhill day to Pheriche. Your lungs thank you as oxygen returns. Overnight in Pheriche.
Day 11-13: Descend to Lukla via Namche
Three days descending through increasingly lush landscapes — the air thickens, colors return, appetite improves. In Namche, celebrate with a hot shower and the bakery. The final night in Lukla is a party with your guides and porters. Overnights in Namche, Phakding, Lukla.
Day 14: Fly to Kathmandu — Departure
Morning flight from Lukla to Kathmandu. Day room for shower and rest. Farewell dinner in Thamel. Transfer to airport or onward journey.
Included
- 13 nights teahouse accommodation (twin share)
- Kathmandu-Lukla-Kathmandu flights (with 15kg checked luggage)
- Expert English-speaking trekking guide & porter (1:2 ratio)
- Sagarmatha National Park & TIMS permits
- All meals on trek (breakfast + lunch + dinner)
- Airport transfers & Kathmandu sightseeing
