Everest Luxury Lodge Trek

Namaste! And welcome to Kathmandu, the colourful capital of Nepal where ornately carved balconies mingle with beautiful shrines and temples. Your adventure begins with a welcome meeting on arrival at the exit gate of Kathmandu airport. Our staff will welcome you and pick you to your accommodated hotel. Please seek our company palmplate to find our staff at the main exit gate of the airport. Rest of the day you can relax at the hotel or short evening walk around local market on your own as per your wish.

A well deserved rest day at cosy of hotel after a long tiring flight. This day, one can move around nearby local market to purchase or hire trekking equipment that is necessary for the trekking like sleeping bags, walking sticks etc, exchange currency as requirement or simply walk around in the local market or Kathmandu Durbar squire nearby with small entrance fee as per your preference on your own. Evening at the hotel lobby there will be pre-trip briefing in which you will be introduced with your trekking guide and explained about your trip in short, instruction for safety etc.

Our early morning flight takes us to Lukla, probably the most famous air strip in the world. Enjoy the flight as the rugged foothills give way to the snowline of the Himalaya. We begin our trek by descending to the raging Dodh Kosi river that is fed from the highest peaks. It is a well-defined trail meandering around potato fields and buckwheat, passing through small villages on the way. We cross (and recross) the Dudh Kosi, hike through peaceful pine forests and terraced fields. Breathtaking views of mountain peaks unfold. Today we also see our first mani walls. These structures are a compilation of individual stones each one inscribed with ‘Om Mani Padme Hum’ - Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus. This is the mantra of Buddhists. The sight of the mountains will spur you on – but take your time and enjoy the day. We will stay at the Everest Summit Lodge where a warm welcome awaits us.

Special Information
Flights going to and from Lukla may be operated out of Ramechhap Airport, in an effort to alleviate congestion at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport by the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal. In such case, any departures affected will need to wake up quite early to drive 130 kilometres (approximately 5-hours) from Kathmandu to Ramechhap Airport. A private vehicle transfers will be provided at no additional cost. Your local leader will give you the most up to date information regarding delays to flights.

We walk to Thachok Danda which lies at 3000m and offers superb views of Kongde Ri, Thamserku and Numbur Himal before we return to the Monjo Lodge.

Just beyond the lodge we enter the Everest National Park. This will probably be the hardest day of the trek, but we will take it slowly – ‘bistari bistari’ – enjoying the scenery as we climb gradually to Namche Bazaar. Crossing two suspension bridges on the way, we zigzag up the Dudh Kosi river to the base of our climb up to the famous Namche Bazaar (3450m). It is a well marked broad trail and our early morning start ensures we walk in the coolest part of the day as we gradually ascend and acclimatise to the increasing altitude. After 3 hours we arrive at the heart of the Khumbu – Namche Bazaar. After lunch there will be time to explore this fascinating town. From Namche the trail to Tashinga follows the classical approach route to Everest. We follow the almost level winding trail for about 2½ hours before leaving the main trail to arrive at the Everest Summit Lodge.

Looking across the valley we can see the path sloping diagonally up towards the famous Tengboche Monastery. This is the religious and cultural centre for the people of the Khumbu. We can see Ama Dablam in the east whilst glimpses of Everest lure us onward. We start today by descending to the small village of Phunki Tenga which is situated beside the Dudh Kosi river. The path of the trail is quite cool as it is heavily forested by rhododendron and pine. Emerging from the forest the trail is relatively gentle and gradual for another 1½ to 2 hours. The setting of the monastery is magical and it is hard to believe that the temple was burnt down a few years ago and rebuilt largely through the efforts of the Sir Edmund Hilary Trust. After lunch and a visit to the monastery and its surroundings we retrace our steps to the Lodge at Tashinga.

This morning we retrace our steps towards Namche Bazaar for about an hour until we take the detour to Khumjung village. The path leads gently up the valley and into Khumjung – the main education centre for the Khumbu. If time permits we can visit the Khumjung Monastery and the Kunde Hospital, Taking the high trail above Namche Bazaar we head north west. The valley ahead is extremely rugged but beautiful and as we walk along the forested track we may spot monal pheasants or small herds of thar. On reaching the small village of Tesho we turn off the main trail and make our way slowly up a closed valley The last half hour of our climb will be breathtaking – literally – but this is where our past few days of walking and acclimatisation helps. On reaching the Everest Summit Lodge the views are awesome and well worth the effort of reaching here!

Half an hour from the lodge we join the old Tibetan Trade Route. The trail is well formed and wide with easy walking all the way to Thame. This village is very original in many aspects and is perhaps one of the prettiest villages in the Khumbu. It has scattered houses, enclosed fields and a backdrop of massive snow and ice peaks. We visit Thame monastery, one of the oldest in the region. Sherpa Tenzing Norgay’s house is situated near the top of the village where he lived with his first wife. In fact, Thame is also the home of more of Nepal’s famous mountaineers Ang Rita Sherpa who has summitted Everest 10 times and Apa Sherpa 15 times. We retrace our steps to our lodge.

Before beginning our descent to Monjo we visit the Laudo Monastery located 15 minutes above Mende. The main temple is only 40 years old and was used until recently as a meditation school for western Buddhist students. The remarkable meditation room is built beneath a huge rock where people go on retreat for 3 years 3 months and 3 days. The friendly custodian will be more than happy to serve butter tea (very much an acquired taste) and explain a little about the monastery. From here we retrace our steps along the same route to Phurte and then take the lower trail for 3 hours to Namche where we stop for lunch before descending to Monjo where we stay overnight.

Our return trek to Lukla takes a slightly different route. Keeping to a high trail above the other side of the Dudh Kosi, we visit the old Gumila Monastery before descending to the main trail. After a lunch break at Thada Kosi which is situated at the base of the Kumsung Kangru Himal we continue for a further hour or so before reaching Lukla where we stay overnight at the Lukla Lodge.

We fly back to Kathmandu with a last chance to glimpse the mighty snowcapped Himalya in the distance. Flights from Lukla are sometimes delayed due to poor flying conditions. We will do everything in our power to minimise any inconvenience but some flexibility may be needed. On arrival back in the Kathmandu valley we spend our final two nights at the Park Village Hotel and Resort located at the foot of the Shivapuri National Park 7km from the centre of downtown Kathmandu. You will have the opportunity to recover from your trek with a sauna, massage, some meditation and yoga or some relaxation by the pool. You may take the opportunity to explore the area around you with its prime forest and abundance of flora and fauna. Twice a day there are complimentary transfers to Thamel for that last minute shopping.

You may wish to continue your relaxation before the return journey to your home country or perhaps embark on a sightseeing tour of Kathmandu, which can be arranged through our Kathmandu office.

We say 'Namaste' for memories that will last a lifetime. There are no activities planned for today and you are able to depart the hotel at any time. Check out time from the hotel is at 12 noon. If you are departing later, you can arrange luggage storage at the hotel. For your final departure, our staff will pick you up from the hotel and transfer to Kathmandu airport approximately 3 hours prior to your international flight time.