Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu and trip preparation - 1,300m/4,264 ft.

“Tour & Trek Nepal” representative will receive you as upon your arrival on Tribhuvan International Airport here in Kathmandu. Afterwards, we will drop off at hotel where you can take a shower, get fresh and take a rest. Later on in the evening, we will have a welcome dinner hosted by Tour & Trek Nepal which will introduce us to Nepalese cuisine with typical Nepali cultural programs around.  

We start our tour to several of the most historical and spiritual attractions in Kathmandu. Some of these landmarks are considered World Heritage Sites; including the historic Durbar Square, the sacred Hindu temple of Pashupati Nath, the famous 'Monkey Temple' (Swayambhunath) and Buddhists shrine (BouddhaNath) which is one of the large Stupas in the world. At the noon, there will be a pre-trip discussion where we can meet our trek leader and other team members. Tour and Trek Nepal briefs you regarding your trek as well as provides you opportunity to ask any questions you may have regarding your upcoming adventure. Overnight at Kathmandu. 

Our main tour program starts from today. We fly for Lukla (9,186ft),. The 40-minutes flight is the world’s most beautiful air route with amazing view of hills, mountains, dense forest and valleys. It provides an adventurous moment as the Tenzing/Hillary airport is a steep airstrip that is hanging off the side of a high mountain peaks. We meet the rest of our trekking staff in Lukla and begin trekking to Phakding. After one hour’s gradual descent walk, we reach Cheplung village from where we have a glimpse of Mt. Khumbila (18900 ft.), a sacred mountain which has never been climbed. From Cheplung, we then gradually descend until we reach Phakding, on the way we can have spectacular scenes around and spend the night at Phakding.  

We start our trek after breakfast. Our trekking trail continues alongside the Dudh Koshi river. Trek is pleasant and wonderful with short uphill and downhill’s crossing over the Dudhkosh River and other suspension bridges several times. During the trek, we pass by several villages, gumbas and monasteries. As we enter the Sagarnatha National Park our trekking permits will be checked at Monjo. A descend and a gradual walk brings us to Jorsale, the last village until Namche Bazaar. The walk is enjoyable through the river bed and we reach Hillary Suspension Bridge. Many magnificient mountains like Kwangde Peak, its sister peaks, Kusum Kangaru, Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Tawache, and many other fabulous mountains are viewed closer as we climb uphill to the Namche Bazar. It’s the main gateway to the khumbu region. Overnight: at Namche Bazzar.  

It’s our first scheduled 'acclimatization' day for this trek. We try to explore the Namche Bazaar and its surroundings. Today we hike to Khumjun village hike or Thame or visiting Khunde or Carry out relaxed exploration of Namche Bazaar itself. It’s the tourist hub for the Everest region and has the government offices. We chill around Namche Bazaar and spend the night here.  

From Namche, we start our trek towards Tengboche enjoying 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.The trail goes gradually down up to Kayangjuma. The path eventually reaches Sansa 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 Koshi River, we reach Phunki Thenga, a small settlement with a couple of teahouses and a small army post amidst the alpine woods. After having a relaxed lunch at Phunki Thenga, 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 a biggest Buddhist Monastery all over in Khumbu region. We pay our visit to the monastery the same day at around 3 p.m. to witness the ceremony in the principal and popular monastery of Everest region. Overnight stay at lodge at Tengboche.  

With mountains at its backdrop, the monastery at Tengboche looks more spectacular in the morning. At this juncture, we can take pictures of the monastery and the scenery around and as usual start the day journey. We choose the upper trail for better views on the way to Pangboche village. We pass through several Chortens and Mani walls and small villages.The walk is fairly moderate as we enter the Imja Valley. The valley gradually unfolds as we approach the confluence of the Lobuche River. We descend into the river and begin the last and steepest climb of the day up to Dingboche. On arrival at Dingboche, we witness beautiful array of fields enclosed by stone walls to protect barley, buckwheat and potatoes from the cold winds and grazing animals. Overnight at Dingboche.  

Today we start with a climb to Duglha through the Khumbu Khola valley. The walk along the arid terrace is rewarding with awesome views of mountains on all sides. As we come to a yak herder's place called Dusa, the valley begins to narrow and we continue through Phulung Karpo, the camp site of the first successful Everest Expedition in 1953. Above Phulung Karpo is Chola Lake. As we move on, the majestic view of Mt. Pumori (7138 m/ 23418 ft) comes into view. As the trail descends and curves, Mt. Pumori disappears from view and we come across a roaring stream. After crossing a small wooden bridge, we ascend to Duglha. We can see the tip of Mt Nuptse from here as well as Mt Cholatse, Mt Thamserku, and several other magnificent peaks. After lunch in Dugla, we climb up the steep terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. Passing by through boulder-strewn slopes as we ascend Chupki Lhara, an eerie ridge top with dramatic mountain views. At the top of the ridge, we will find an array of stones with prayer flags used as memorials to Scott Fischer (American mountaineer) and 10 times Everest submitter Babu Chiri Sherpa (a Nepali mountain guide) who perished on a mission to climb Everest. As we pass along a murmuring stream leaving the Khumbu Glacier behind, we now begin to feel a little out of breath due to high altitude. Overnight at Lobuche.