Everest Base Camp Trek 12 Days Via Kala Patthar

Start your adventurous journey today. We will drive you to airport and there will take our wonderful 30 minutes flight flying among awesome snow capped high Himalayas range to Lukla. Once you land, our support team meets you to organise all your gear. A hearty breakfast at a local teahouse awaits you before setting off on your trekking trail which involves going down hill from Lukla by turning gently right and walking round the stone mani walls then crossing the archway gate of the town. 

The trek takes us down gradually towards Phakding and we can expect to be descending for about 2-3 hrs walking down forested pathways across small tributaries past some traditional Sherpa hamlets such as Chheplung and Thado Koshi. You'll have a hot lunch at Ghat around midday, fueling up as you enjoy the amazing views of Kusum Kanguru. In the afternoons, you'll travel through a level terrain where the track has some mild ups and downs. You'll turn left to walk on the banks of the river Dudh Koshi and then climb high into Phakding in a short but easy ascent. In the evening when you're set right back at the lodge, just relax yourself and then dinner will be served to all in the common area about 7:00PM.

Our day begins at 7am after a substantial breakfast, and we head off along the Dudh Koshi River. As we leave Phakding, the trail soon begins a journey through beautiful pine and rhododendron forest, taking us across more of the famous suspension bridges (of course the famous high Hillary Suspension Bridge) and after around 3 hours on a gentle, up-and-down riverside path we reach Toktok and Monjo. We are now entering the Sagarmatha National Park.

Shortly after the national park entrance check post in Jorsalle we will stop for an early afternoon lunch break to prepare ourselves for a steep day to come.

As soon as we set off again after lunch the trail is forced sharp right across the river and we face a sustained two or three hours climb via a steep winding, zigzagging path through the dense forest – gaining in altitude with every step. About half-way up this section the trees provide their first framed glimpse of Everest. We continued climbing, finally coming to a more level walking before turning into Namche Bazaar; from here you checked into your lodge for dinner and the night.

Today you'll enjoy breakfast on the day of acclimatisation at 8:00 AM, followed by an active morning of "climbing high, sleeping low" to allow your body to prepare. Starting out from the lodges, head out of the horseshoe village to the left and tackle an upward hike that's challenging at times for about two hours until you reach Syangboche Airstrip. Continue with a gradual incline to the world renowned Everest View Hotel at 3,880m, enjoy a steaming tea at the terraces with the 'most fantastic view of Everest, Ama Dablam and Lhotse' on offer.

Hike back down for just about an hour in time for a leisurely lunch in a village bakery or your teahouse.

For the remainder of the day it is left to your leisure: wonder through the chaotic back streets of Namche Bazaar, take time out at the Sherpa Culture Museum, rummage in the colorful stalls of the market place and relax at an outdoor table in one of the bustling cafes, meeting up for your well-earned supper of an evening.

After an early 7 o'clock start and a good, solid breakfast, you depart from Namche to proceed along a fairly smooth level trail as it zigzags high above the Imja Khola valley with endless mountain vistas for approximately two hours. It then cuts to the right and makes a rather swift and very abrupt descent through pine forested, dusty tracks for nearly 1.5 hours, until you reach the river bank at Phunki Tenga. Your early lunch will then be enjoyed by the river next to the water powered prayer wheels as you anticipate the arduous afternoon climb.

Post lunch, you cross a simple bridge and the trail straight up goes for 2 to 3 solid hours of relentless ascent all the way through dappled light pine forest, and in shady rhododendron and fir woods, along tight trails winding ever upward testing even the strongest of legs until it breaks out onto an open grassy ridge.

At the summit lies the awe-inspiring Tengboche Monastery below Ama Dablam with the monastery perching proudly. You will be checked into the teahouse and explore the monastery premises before dinner with the temperature falling rapidly.

Start the day with an impressive sunrise view of Ama Dablam, have breakfast around 7.30 AM. After breakfast, leave Tengboche – a descent of about 30 mins through woods of birch and rhododendron to Deboche. Crossing a hanging bridge over a turbulent river Imja Khola, the trail turns to the left and starts a gradual but sustained ascent into alpine zone where the trees grow sparse, then to low scrub and tundra.

For a duration of approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes through old chortens and mani walls you ascend to Somare village with the view of Everest and Nuptse (around 12 noon take your lunch).

After a little rest, the trail is an uphill slog on the wide river valley, then at fork turn right – road split for Pheriche. Take the right path, you'll reach the safe haven, wind protected fields of Dingboche after an hour and a half/2 hours along the crossing of Lobuche River, to lodge for a hot cup of tea, relax and have a warm dinner in Dingboche.

You have your second acclimatization day today, and it starts with breakfast around 8 AM. To aid you in dealing with the altitudes to come, you'll experience a challenging, steep upward walk to Nagarjun Hill (5,050 meters or 16,568 feet, directly to the north of Dingboche). You leave Dingboche, turn to the left and it will be uphill all the way for 2 and half - 3 hours of rocky trails and switch backs.

Challenging although the view from the top is spectacular with Makalu, Lhotse, Cholatse and Ama Dablam's impressive south face.

After the views and photos have been taken, you will turn around and make a steep, 1 – 1 and half hour descent back into Dingboche in time for lunch. The rest of the afternoon is yours to sleep, rehydrate, play cards or just rest in the warmth of the teahouse dining room before a fairly early dinner.

We'll have an early breakfast and then start to climb out of Dingboche, branching off the main trail to the left onto a high trail above the valley floor near Pheriche. We'll traverse this a wide, exposed high alpine ridge for around 2-3 hours with a gentle climb, crossing scrubby ground with terrain views of Taboche and Cholatse, to reach the cluster of buildings called Thukla (Dughla) where we'll have an early lunch around 11.30am. Just after lunch the day becomes significantly harder, with a steep 1-1.5 hour climb up a rocky, boulder-strewn Thukla Pass.

At the top, we'll traverse past the touching array of memorial stones put up to climbers whose lives were claimed by Everest.

Then the trail bears right and continues as a steady, flat-ish rise along lateral glacial moraine for the final 1.5 hours to the remote high altitude village of Lobuche where we'll dine and rest for the night.

This significant day starts at 6am. Departing Lobuche your trail begins following rocky moraines and loose rubble alongside the huge Khumbu Glacier you will traverse in mostly undulations rock and minor ascents and descents for around 3 hours to the dry lake bed settlement of Gorak Shep, where you will check in and grab a light early lunch. Following your lunch collect a day pack with all of your warm layers and water then take a turn off to the right from Gorak Shep onto the glacier moraine ridgeline towards Everest Base Camp (5364m). Expect 2-3 hrs ups and downs on your traverse over unstable ice and rock along moraine ridges. Your reward for reaching Everest Base Camp will be the imposing Khumbu Icefall and will have plenty of time to take those photos. Afterwards expect around 2 hours downhill over the moraine trail as you hike back towards your tea lodge in Gorak Shep where a lovely warm dinner will greet you on arrival.

After an early wake up call, it's time for the demanding, though stunning, ascent. With the cold of the predawn air at around 4:30 a.m., your team will set off the cold trail upwards toward Kala Patthar. Setting out from Gorak Shep left, the climb is directly up steep, unending slopes without any stop at all – you have to go from 2 - 2.5 hours to this highest point covered with rocks and prayer flags before the sun starts kissing the peaks of Mount Everest, Nuptse, Changtse with its gold hues.

You will click your souvenir photographs and climb steeply back to Gorak Shep (1 hour) and on to a hot breakfast; now it is time to pack your bags and walk back down the valley. Walk further for another two hours downhill back to Lobuche, then further down along Thukla Pass. You will have a late lunch in Thukla or Pheriche then after half an hour further turn right to the valley floor to be in Pheriche by late afternoon for your dinners.

A 7:30AM breakfast gets your day started off on a good foot with lots of long walks downhill. The trail takes us down from Pheriche, alongside the river valley, past Somare, across the Imja Khola, then up another short but pretty nice hike of about 20 minutes until we reach the top again at Tengboche.

Once here, take a quick rest at the monastery, and head back right (to start heading down). Here we enter into some really nice, dense rhododendron forest as the trail drops pretty steeply down for anywhere between an hour-and-a-half, sometimes even two-hours. We'll end up coming into Phunki Tenga where we highly recommend getting yourself that hot lunch next to the river.

That's when the fun begins. After that little bit of much needed 'me time' we're now going to do one of my favorite things while trekking. It's the big uphill stretch. Although only lasting for about 1.5 hours total, this will definitely be one of the hardest part of trek. As you get closer towards Namche Bazaar, the trail flattens out onto this super-wide trail which hugs the mountain wall, giving amazing views all around.

On this day, which is your final day, you will have breakfast early in the morning in Namche Bazaar. Today's trek begins at the beginning of the sharp 1.5- 2 hour descent down the renowned Namche hill. You should be very careful while walking on the switch backs and loose stone roads down till the river level using the suspension bridges again.

You will proceed ahead through Jorsalle and Monjo along the Dudh Koshi River and then leaving behind the boundaries of Sagarmatha National Park you will take a rest for lunch at Phakding on the midday.

After lunch you will walk on a trail to the left and start walking further along the gentle ups and downs between two Sherpa settlements (Ghat and Chheplung). In the end, to have a last 1- 2 hour effort uphill will bring you back to Lukla and the archway gate of Lukla will show you that you completed the base camp trek. In the evening you can enjoy the final feast together with a guide and porter.

You will rise early on your last day in order to hop on one of the early morning flights to Lukla airport (provided the weather allows it). Enjoy a swift cup of morning tea or breakfast at your lodge, then a brief stroll back to the airport to take the little twin-otter to Kathmandu. The short 30 minute flight will have you sweeping back over the green hills and alpine crests towards the warm and green dustiness of Kathmandu Valley. Back in Kathmandu, you will meet up with your private transfer to whisk you back to your hotel – time to dive into that hot shower and spend the rest of your day exploring and shopping until your dinner.