Everest Base Camp Trek via Jiri

After your arrival at Tribhuwan International Airport in medieval and modernized Kathmandu, you will be warmly greeted by our office representative and transferred to the hotel. After check-in and some refreshments, our senior sherpa guide will come to meet you and give you a brief orientation about Everest Base Camp Trek via Jiri. You can then go for a stroll down the street to get familiar with the neighborhood, have supper and go to bed. This is your first overnight in the valley of temples and cows, probably the most in the world.

The capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu, being the historical and cultural heart of the country, is a popular destination for tourists, trekkers and other types of adventure seekers. The city is a marvelous amalgamation of Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Western cultures and influences. Patan and Bhaktapur are its two major neighboring cities. These two cities, like Kathmandu, have a rich historical, cultural and religious legacy which is reflected in the many temples, monuments, and artifacts that they contain. You will be taken on a half-day guided tour of Kathmandu and Bhaktapur cities. In Kathmandu, you will be visiting Pashupatinath, the most famous and revered Hindu shrine in the country; Boudhanath, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal, Soyambhunath, which contains both Buddhist and Hindu shrines and stands as testimony to the religious harmony that exists in the country; and the 15th-century 55-window palace in Bhaktapur. An orientation session for the trek, which commences the following day, will be organized in the evening.

After breakfast, we begin a scenic drive along the highway via Dhulikhel, Dolalghat, Charikot and Tamakoshi River, exploring the attractive Nepali countryside. Overnight at the local guesthouse.

After having breakfast, we head for Deurali. We begin our trek with a climb to the top of a hillock (2400m). Then the trail drops down to Shivalaya (1800m). After Shivalaya, we will make another climb to Sangbadanda (2150m) and Kosaribas (2500m) and then finally up to Deurali. Overnight at the local guesthouse.

We begin our day by passing through some streams ahead as we reach Likhu Khola Valley. Crossing over the second suspension bridge, we ascend the ridge to settle Kenja. The trail to Lamajura La pass begins from here. Snow clad peaks are visible as we ascend. Some hours of hard climbing takes us to Chimbu. Taking the right trail we continue about 2 hours to get to Sete. Overnight at the local guesthouse.

We take an uphill climb to Lamajura La through forests of pine, magnolia, maple, birch, and rhododendrons. Pass by the villages of Dagchu and Goyem, we reach the highest point between Jiri and Namche Bazaar at Lamajura La pass at 3530 meters covered with prayer flags, which offers a panoramic view of the surrounding green mountains. We descend the pass to Tragdobuk and Junbesi. We spend the afternoon here exploring the most delightful village (Junbesi). Overnight at the local guesthouse in Junbesi.

We cross the stream beyond Junbesi and climb up the forest slope and after an hour’s trek; the mesmerizing views of the Himalayan Mountains appear before our eyes. The visible mountains include Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, Thamserku, Mera Peak, and many other high mountains. This is the first view of Everest on this trek; lower peaks look higher due to being closer than the distant 8,000er mountains. We continue the trail to Salung and descend to Ringmo Khola. We ascend to Ringmo, cross the Trakshindo La pass and after another hour’s descend through conifer and rhododendron forests, and terraced fields, we finally arrive at Nunthala. Overnight at the local guesthouse in Nunthala.

After having breakfast, we will continue the trail going down to the Dudh Koshi River. The trial goes through rice fields, several Sherpa villages, and forests, and we reach Khari Khola. After an hour’s climb from Khari Khola, we will finally arrive at Gumba Danda. Overnight at the local guesthouse.

We start our day with an ascending to Puiyan. The trail goes through Sherpa villages and a forest where we can see monkeys frolicking on the trees, after passing a narrow Gorge for about an hour we will be at Puiyan. We will have lunch at Puiyan, and then descend to Surke. Overnight at the local guest house.

Following the Dudh Koshi River, we will set off for Chheplung from where we head up the valley. We can even visit Sagamartha National Park which is on the way. We continue our journey through upstream along the pleasant rive bank. Overnight at the local guest house.

The trail today goes upstream along the river bank to the junction of Bhote Koshi River and Dudh Koshi River. We will also cross Sir Hillary’s bridge. Then we will ascend to Namche Bazaar. On the way, it gives us a chance for some incredible photographic opportunities as the peaks of Everest (8848m), Lhotse (8511m), Nuptse (7879m), Ama Dablam (6856m) and Taweche (6542m) come into view for the first time of the trip. Overnight at the local guest house.

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 ideal place to spend a day, acclimatizing to the new altitude before heading off towards Syangboche.To acclimatize, you 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. We then go to Khumjung where we visit a school established by Hillary. We begin our hike after enjoying lunch; bypassing the route of Khimde. There are also good views from the National Park Centre and Museum just above the town. After going through our acclimatization drills, we head down to our lodge for some beers & good sleep. Overnight at the local guesthouse in Namche.

After breakfast in Namche, we start our trek towards Tengboche enjoying the superb view of Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and close up view of Thamserku. Our trek follows on the gradual trail with few ups and downs overlooking magnificent view of the great Himalaya. Along the way, we can spot wild lives like pheasant, musk deer, or a herd of Himalayan Thar. The trail goes gradually down up to Kyangjuma. The path eventually reaches Sanasa which is the major trail junction to Gokyo valley and Everest Base Camp. The track then follows through the pine forests and after we cross the prayer flags festooned bridge over Dudh Kosi River, we reach Phunki Tenga, a small settlement with a couple of teahouses and a small army post amidst the alpine woods. After having a relaxed lunch at Phunki Tenga we then have a little tough climb steep up through the pine forests while before we reach Tengboche. Tengboche is a great place for close up views of Ama-Dablam, Nuptse, and Everest and it has the biggest Buddhist Monastery all over in Khumbu region. Overnight stay at the local lodge in Tengboche.

We descend downhill through a forest, cross the Imja Khola and climb steadily to the village of Pangboche. This village is directly opposite Ama Dablam [6,856 m], and has exceptional views of the mountain, with the gompa, mani walls and scattered pine trees in the foreground. A further two hours walk brings us to Pheriche where we bunk out for the night. Stay overnight at the local guesthouse.

Nagarjun is a hill located on the lands of the Chhukung valley directly above Dingboche. After breakfast, we will head to Nagarjun. It may take about 5 hrs to reach Nagarjun. From Nagarjun we can get beautiful views of Lobuche East, Lobuche West, Lobuche peak, Thamserku, Kangtega and Amadablam. We could even see Makalu, the world’s fifth highest mountain. We will then descend back to Pheriche. Overnight at the local guesthouse.

We continue up the wide valley beneath the impressive peaks of Cholatse and Tawache on the left. We then turn right and take a steep climb towards the foot of the Khumbu Glacier. The tea house at Duglha is a good spot to have lunch. The trail zigzags up through the boulders of the glacier’s terminal moraine. At the top of this climb, there are many stone cairns, built as memorials to the many Sherpas who have died while climbing Mt Everest. The path then climbs gently along the glacier, to eventually reach the cluster of houses at Lobuche. We set for a good night’s sleep at the local guesthouse in Lobuche.

Today it’s a long and gritty day. After a hot breakfast at our lodge, we climb through meadows and moraine stones steps to reach Gorakshep, by either climbing to Kala Patthar or continue heading to Everest base camp. We suggest that you make a beeline for the Everest base camp. By the way, from Everest base camp we do not see Mount Everest. However, from Kala Patthar, we get to see the entire south face of Mt. Everest and well-known peaks nearby; this also includes great sights of the skyline of the Tibet plateau. Overnight at the height of (5,364) in our lodge.

After some early morning tea/coffee, we have the option to climb Kalapatthar at (5545m.) and enjoy a spectacular sunrise view. From Kalapatthar you can have a panoramic view of Mt. Everest and many other mountain peaks that include a host of famous ones: Mt. Pumori, Mt. Lingtren, Mt. Khumbetse, Mt. Nuptse, and Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Thamserku, and many more huge peaks. Yaks are normally regarded as four-legged porters in this area due to its tough terrain which would be difficult for human porters. The town of Pheriche is also known as a highly windy town. Hereabouts, you can see the perpendicular walls of Cholatse and Tawache. The Himalayan Rescue Association Aid Post is also located here and foreign volunteer doctors provide medical treatment to trekkers as well as local people in this area. We stay overnight at the local lodge.

We retrace our steps with a Trek back to Namche about 6 hours from Pheriche and do an overnight at the bustling & hustling village town of Namche with full board meals (Breakfast/Dinner/Lunch). We chill out here with some beers and enjoy some relevant comfort. Overnight at the local lodge in Namche.

This is our last day on these lovely mountains that has been home to us all of these days. We continue to backtrack our hike towards Lukla along the Dudh Koshi River which is about 7 hours from Namche and do an overnight at the local guesthouse in Lukla.

Most flights from Lukla to Kathmandu are schedule early morning to avoid the strong winds. It’s a scenic flight from Lukla to Kathmandu for about forty-five minutes. We touch down at Kathmandu and transferred to our hotel. Please note, sometimes the flight can be delayed or canceled in the mountain regions of this type due to inclement weather and other unpredictable reasons beyond our control. Our guests are expected to be patient.

After breakfast and our last day in Kathmandu, our vehicle and escorts will be on standby to drop you to the international airport three hours before our scheduled flight back home. At Glorious Adventure, meeting you has been a great honor and we pray for your Safe journey home and will reflect on the wonderful times we spent together. Bon Voyage!!! We hope to see you again someday…