Shivalaya – Everest Base Camp Trek

Early morning after breakfast, we will travel to Shivalaya via Araniko Highway. The scenic bus ride will be around 9-10 hours long. We can see eastern Himalayas, including Langtang, Dorjee Lakpa, Ganesh, Lirung on our way. Beautiful but tad tiring bus ride up the valley of Sun Koshi, we will reach Shivalaya after crossing many hills and river. Shivalaya is beutiful river bank small village also known as gateway to Everest. We will spend the night at the local guest house.

After breakfast, we will continue our trek to village of Bhandar. The trail offers lovely scenery of countryside. Lush farms, grazing cattle and warm farmers will greet us on our way up. We will walk past the scenic rhododendron and oak forests. On reaching Shivalaya, we will hike up again to Sangbadanada, continue climbing to Deurali Pass. Then another 1 house further down hill to Bhandar. We can spend the rest of our day exploring this old-style local village and take rest.

We will continue our trek downhill to Likhu Khola, in the morning. After crossing the bridge at 1,570m, the zigzag path will take us to the small village of Kinja at 1,570m. After delicious lunch here, we will continue our walk, steadily passing through lots of terrace fields and small settlements. Admirable views of neighboring villages, terrace farming and landscapes will keep us refreshed throughout the trek. After few hours trek, we will reach Sete, a small Sherpa settlement situated on edge of a mystical rhododendron forest. On reaching Sete, we can visit the beautiful local monastery and spend the night at a local rest house.

We will now continue our trek uphill through the beautiful rhododendron, maple and pine forests. On this 6-7 hours long trek, we will pass through the villages of Dagchu Goyem and Lamjura La Pass (3,520m) from where we can get great view of the Himalayans. After reaching the village of Junbesi, we will explore the surrounding or take a cozy rest at the lodge.

In the morning, we will climb the ridge at 3,080m. Everest will begin to appear from here. From Junbesi, the trial will lead to Phaplu and Salleri. From there we will continue to the Ringmo Khola at 2,650m tailed by a small day’s climb to Ringmo. Ringbo to Namche Bazaar trail was built in 1980s to avoid difficulty of the older route. We will trek along it to Trakshindo Pass (3,071m). After that we will trek down to Nuntala (2,440m) and spend the night at the local guest house.

Early morning, we will continue descend alongside milky DudhKoshi. The trial then continues upward through different Sherpa villages, terraced fields and delightful forests. After we reach Khari Khola we will take a rest and explore the area. The night will be spent in a local guest house.

From KhariKhola, we will climb up the steep hill to Bupsadanda, a small settlement on top of a ridge, in the morning. From there, we will hike up to Bhumsing (2,300m). We will walk past oak and rhododendron forests and if we get lucky, we might have glimpse of Langour Monkeys! We will stop at Puiyan (2,796m) for lunch. After a yum lunch, we will continue a winding trail and then go downhill for some time to reach Surkhe. We can view Lukla airstrip and the town of Lukla from there. We will have dinner and spend the night at local teahouse.

We will continue our trek uphill for an hour, followed by another ridge. We will now leave this tributary valley and hike north towards village of ChauriKharka. After passing this village, this trail also joins Lukla, making it a busy path. After few hours of trek, we will reach and spend the night at Phakding.

In the morning, we will head to Naamche bazaar, celebrated village of Khumbu region. On our way to Naamche, we will cross the winding Dudhkoshi River 5 times on thrilling suspension bridges, covered with colorful Buddhist prayer flags. Then, we will continue your climb, which will bring you to Jorsale. From there, it’s a two and a half hour ascent to Naamche, with two major viewpoints on your way. If you’re lucky, on a clear day, you can relish the hypnotic view of Everest. At Jorsale, you will enter Sagarmatha National park (UNESCO World Heritage Site) where you’ll be required to verify your permits. After 5-6 hours of tough hiking, we’ll reach Naamche Bazaar, chief economic hub of the region, also, gateway to Everest.

Adaptation to harsh geography and high altitude is vital before further continuing the ascent to avoid altitude sickness and other unwelcomed illness. You’ll be taken for a one day hike through the beautiful villages of Khunde and Khumjung. After getting back at Everest view hotel, you can go to look at the giant skull of so called mystical creature “Yeti”, in a monastery in the region. You can also savor at a bakery at world’s highest altitude. On a fairly clear day, you can view breathtaking view of peaks such as Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam among others. The view of mountains from Everest View Hotel, is also commendable. After a nourishing breakfast at hotel, we will endeavor an hour long climb to the Syangboche airstrip (3790m), from where we will steadily ascend towards Khundu. On your way up, you can see century’s old Chorten (stone Buddhist monuments). From there, we will move eastwards to Khumjung, the largest settlement in whole Khumbu region, at the lap of holy peak of Khumbila. After savoring lunch at Khumjung, we will trail a slow climb to Everest View Hotel, from where you can again enjoy the view of Himalayans. Descend to Namche (3540m) is approximately 4/5 hours walk.

After a healthy breakfast at Namche (3,500m) we will hike to Tengboche (3,870m). The estimated distance is 10kms. By now you will be familiar to strong wind and rough terrain. We can see the sight of porters packing the luggage from the yaks. The trail progressively becomes narrower and steep. You will come across numerous monasteries, suspension bridges, waterfalls and rhododendron forests on your way to Tengboche. On reaching Tengboche, you can visit Nepal’s one of the oldest monasteries. Here you can be part of unique and spiritual Buddhist rituals. We will spend the night at a local tea house.

Early morning, after breakfast we will move on to Dinboche (4,410m). The air starts to become thin significantly from here. It’s approximately a 5.5 hour long trek uphill. We head towards our ultimate goal, the Everest base camp. We cross the Imja valley and several Sherpa villages. We will spend the night here in Dingboche, and hike next day to Chukung.

After nourishing breakfast, we will continue our ascent, few hours walk to Chukung (4,760m), from where we can see the beautiful mountains up close and even better. Here, at Chukung, we can go for exploration. The point is to adapt to high climate to avoid Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS). We will hike down the following evening to Dingboche to spend the night.

After a well-deserved rest at Dingboche, we will set on our way up to Lobuche early in the morning, after a healthy breakfast, of course. Here, on our way, we can see largest memorials in the Everest region, for the fallen heroes. By the time we reach Lobuche, it will be late afternoon. We can either relax for tomorrow’s hike or explore the beautiful land.

This challenging trek will take around 8 hours. From here altitude morning sickness may get severe so we have to be extra careful. The trekking distance will be around 15kms. After wholesome breakfast, we will head to Base camp, trekking through the rocky terrain alongside the Khumbu Glacier. Upon reaching their, you will have some time to enjoy the heavenly environment and take photographs. If you are trekking somewhere between March and May, you might get the chance to see all the commercial expeditions trying to reach the summit. After lunch, we will trek downhill to Gorakshep, and spend the night at a local guest house there.

For many, this is the highlight of the whole trip. Optimistically, the day starts with a cloudless sky. We will hike early morning to KalaPathar, from where you will get undoubtedly the best view of Everest and its neighboring peaks. Live the moment and take plenty of photographs to take back home. Later, we will trek down to Pheriche and spend the night there.

We will continue our trek down the Sherpa villages of Khumjung, leaving the mountains in the backdrop. We will walk down to the village of Namche bazaar, epitome of Sherpa culture. We will stay the night at a guest house in Namche.

It is around a 7 hour long walk downhill from Namche to Lukla. On this day, our time at exotic Sagarmatha National Park will come to an end. Following day, we will board a plane to capital. You will bid goodbye to this trek with a memorable walk down to Lukla.

Early morning air trip from Lukla to Kathmandu, back to your hotel. Don’t forget to pick a seat on the right side, to see the insatiable mountains again. We might meet in the evening for a farewell dinner.