Everest High Passes Trek - 15 Days

Your trek begins from Lukla in the Khumbu region. During the peak trekking periods (March, April, May, September, October, and November), flights from Kathmandu to Lukla may be rerouted through Manthali Airport. To catch the early morning Lukla flight, we'll pick you up at your hotel around 12:30 am, initiating a 5-hour drive to Manthali Airport. The subsequent 20-minute flight from Manthali will take you to Lukla.

From December to August (excluding March, April, May, September, October, and November), the flight from Kathmandu to Lukla takes a direct route. After breakfast, we'll take you to Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) for a 40-minute flight to Tenzing Hillary Airport in Lukla.

If you prefer a direct route from Kathmandu to Lukla, even in busy trek seasons, you can book a helicopter, avoiding the Kathmandu-Manthali-Lukla route. The cost is approximately 550 USD per person, provided five individuals share the helicopter costs.

After reaching Lukla, we start the trek past Chaurikharka village to Phakding, where we halt for our first night in the Khumbu region. The crisp and comforting trek day also helps in acclimatization. In your spare time, you are free to explore places in and around Phakding.

Phakding is the starting point for most Everest treks, and it is full of shops, hotels, pools, and restaurants. Moreover, there are a few famous local monasteries here. Among them, we recommend you to visit Rimishung Monastery.

A full day of trek starts from this day. We continue along the northern bank of the Dudh Koshi River, enjoying majestic views. The suspension bridges, embellished beautifully with prayer flags, add excitement to the hike.

After a few hours of the walk, we reach Monjo village, from where the Sagarmatha National Park begins. A challenging climb inside the dense Sagarmatha National Park forest will provide you with the first glimpses of Mt. Everest. Continuing forward through the woods and stone-paved path, you will finally reach Namche Bazaar. We will stay at Namche for the night.

We will spend one day acclimatizing at Namche Bazaar to adjust to the thinning air. However, we will not just be sitting idle today. You can wander through the alleys of Namche while adjusting to the altitude. There are several things that you can do on this day.

You can hike to Sagarmatha National Park and include a hike to Khumjung (3,790m). On the way to Khumjung, you can visit Hillary School and other old monasteries. People believe that Khumjung Monastery houses a yeti-scalp. You can also hike to Khunde. If you love Everest, you can get to Everest View Hotel to catch the stunning views of Everest. A must-not-miss place is the Syangboche Airport (3,780m), one of the highest airports in the world. 

Today's trek will be short and comforting. After a good day acclimatizing, we hike to Thame, home to many famous Sherpa mountaineers- including Apa Sherpa. We walk past Thamo Gumba before reaching Thame.

The tranquil trek provides exceptional views of the Himalayas. As we walk past the ancient Sherpa villages, we get a chance to savor the beauty of the place. Thame is home to one of the oldest monasteries in the Everest region, known as Thame Dechen Chokhorling Monastery. We can explore Thame enjoying the panoramic views of the snow-capped mountains.

We head north to Lungden, passing through dry lands, rocky peaks, stone houses, and walls. The trail moves along the Bhote Koshi River. You might get to spot occasional yaks grazing on the meadows. The path to Lungden is gentle and comfortable. We move ahead through Marlung - a larger village in Thame Valley - to Lungden. We halt at Lungden a day before attempting the strenuous ascend to Renjo La Pass. 

We climb a steep sandy ridge to reach the top of the Renjo La Pass (5,446m). The trail is moderately challenging as we cover a huge elevation. Once we reach the top, the view will compensate for the effort. You will get a fabulous view of peaks above 7000m - including Everest, Lhotse, Chalotse, and Taboche. Surrounded by the sparkling mountains and the fresh breeze of the mountain air, you will almost forget your climb. Walking for about 2 to 3 hours, you reach a small yet beautiful place, Gokyo Village, where we will spend our night.

It is time to acclimatize for one more day. We explore the village of Gokyo as we acclimatize. Gokyo village is full of surprises and mysteries. We hike to Gokyo Ri (5,430m) to see excellent panoramic views of various mountains - including Everest, Lhotse, and Makalu. The scenery is unquestionably stunning. After lunch, we will take you to beautiful turquoise Gokyo lakes and glaciers. We are sure that you will remember the Gokyo region throughout your life. 

After a spectacular day walking around the Gokyo valley and witnessing the turquoise lakes surrounded by a blanket of snow-capped mountains, we move ahead to Thangnak. We walk past a few glaciers and through steep rock trails. Due to the land structure, vegetation is absent. The distinct difference in the landscape will probably surprise you. When you reach Thangnak, you will notice that Thangnak has only a few teahouses, but it serves as a perfect place to spend the night before facing the mighty Cho La Pass.

This day will prove to be one of the most intense days of the entire trek. We hike up a small valley where we witness the beauty of a rocky trail surrounded by spectacular mountains. After walking for a few hours, you get the view of Cho La Pass across a small moraine. Soon you will realize the intense steepness of the trail. The steep path is short, but the elevation makes it difficult to traverse. As you cross the Cho La Pass, you need to take proper care as this pass often gets snowy and icy. After walking for about an hour, you will reach Dzongla, where we will be staying for the night.

The journey from Dzongla to Lobuche offers you more stunning views. With no more glacier crossing and steep uphills, the path should be more pleasant. First, we follow the moraine and then hike down to Chola Lake, bidding farewell to Dongla. 

We continue to follow the wave-like trails to Lobuche. As you move ahead, on one side, you can get glimpses of Everest Base Camp, and on the other side, you will see the Khumbu Glacier with the rubble of ice floating. The path gets appealing as we get close to the foothills of Mount Everest. You can also visit some famous bakeries at Lobuche. Lobuche also provides panoramic views of several snow peaks - including Mount Pumori (7,161m), Mount Lingtren (6,749m), and Mount Nuptse (7,861m). However, Everest hides behind Mount Lhotse.

This is the day you will ascend to Everest Base Camp. We will begin our walk to the Everest Base Camp from Lobuche early morning. You will pass through many glaciers, including the famous Khumbu Glacier. Beyond this glacier, you can see Khumbu Icefall (5,486m). Soon, you will be leaving Army Mountaineers Memorial behind and finally reach Gorak Shep. We leave our belongings at Gorak Shep and ascend to Everest Base Camp.

The final ascent to Everest Base Camp(5,364m) might be challenging due to the increasing altitude involving rocky dunes and moraine and accumulated glacial debris. As you find yourself surrounded by snow-capped mountains and Mount Everest standing right ahead, you might feel overwhelmed by its sparkling beauty. Reaching the Everest Base Camp is a dream come true for many. It is the closest you will get to Everest unless you want to climb it. After immersing ourselves fully in the beauty of the base camp, we walk back to Gorak Shep (5,185m), where we will be spending the night. 

Our journey is not complete without a hike to Kala Patthar(5,555m). Mount Everest hides behind Mount Lhotse, so climb to Kala Patthar to enjoy stunning views of Everest. We start early morning from Gorak Shep to reach Kala Patthar to view the sunrise on Everest and other high peaks. The views from Kala Patthar are other-worldly, providing a 360-degree view of the Himalayan giants. It is also the highest altitude of your trek. 

After enjoying the views from Kala Patthar, we return to Gorak Shep and then further descend to Pheriche (4,250m). The trail to Pheriche should be enjoyable, with forest and meadows by the side.

Through the rhododendron forest, we hike from Pheriche to the hilltop village of Tengboche. The trail is relatively relaxed, with a steady downhill followed by a gentle uphill. We cross the beautiful bridge over Imja Khola on the way. 

As you head into the juniper forests, you might spot high-altitude animals. With the views of vibrantly colored prayer flags and elegant stupas, the tip of Mount Everest, and the backside of Mount Lhotse, you will enjoy the whole experience on the way back to Namche.

Today will be your last day on the trail. First, we leave Namche for Phakding, through mostly downhill trails. You will be passing several small villages, narrow forests, and thrilling suspension bridges. You will pass a small village called Benkar before reaching Phakding. From Phakding, you will continue your trek to Toktok and then to Lukla, where you will be spending your last night in the trek region. You are free to enjoy the niceties Lukla offers. 

After you return to Lukla after completing your EBC trek. It is time to return to Kathmandu. You will fly to Manthali or Kathmandu, depending on the trekking season. Chances are, if your trek is in March, April, May, September, October, or November, you'll fly to Manthali, and we will then drive you to Kathmandu. In the remaining months (December, January, February, June, July, and August), you will probably fly from Lukla to Kathmandu directly.

If you want to fly from Lukla to Kathmandu directly (even in busy seasons), you can team up with four others to book a helicopter, incurring an additional cost of around 550 USD per person.

We hope your journey back to Kathmandu will be a relaxing one. You might be overwhelmed with memories that you created during the trek. Your trek ends in Kathmandu, and you can spend the remaining time exploring the streets of Kathmandu.