The Itinerary
Our plan is to maximise the daylight and move at a sustainable pace that allows adequate acclimatisation to the altitude and recovery between days. Our greatest challenge is the varying terrain, with technical climbs and stairs being very demanding on Jay’s upper body. For most people the downhills are a chance to recover, but for Jay they are both tough on his body, but also a fall hazard. The final hurdle is the weather. The overnight temperatures at this time of the year can fall below -20 degrees Celsius and there’s every chance of heavy snowfall. Below is the draft itinerary, however there’s scope to amend things as we progress and adapt to the terrain and weather.
November 30 – Kathmandu Arrival
10:20PM Arrive KTM
Drive to Thamel. We’ll be greeted at the Kathmandu Airport (KTM) by a local team member who will take us to our hotel in the heart of the city. It’s a late arrival so we will be straight to bed.
Elevation: 1,400 m
Distance: 30min drive to Thamel Accommodation
December 1 – Lukla to Ghat
Early morning flight to Lukla. After arrival the trek begins straight away with an ‘easy’ walk to Ghat. For us, no walking is easy.
Departure Time: TBC
Elevation: 2492m
Distance: 4.6km
December 2 – Ghat to Jorsalle
Today the real trekking begins walking through stunning forests alongside a river named in Nepali as the “milky river” due to its milky colour from the ice melt.
Departure Time: 7AM
Elevation: 2740m
Distance: 7.6 km
December 3 – Jorsalle to Namche
A highlight is crossing the famous “yak bridge”, the highest suspension bridge in the world. The days trek ends at Namche Bazaar.
Departure Time: 7:30AM
Elevation: 3440m
Distance: 4.8 km
December 4 – Time to acclimatise in Namche
Today is all about acclimatizing! After breakfast, we’ll take a short but relatively steep hike up to the Everest View Hotel for a cup of tea.
Departure Time: 9AM
Elevation: 3,445 – 3,880 – 3,445 m
Distance: 4 – 5 km (4-5 hours hike up and back)
December 5 – Namche to Tengboche
On the way to Tengboche we will walk through pine forests and past stupas. There are epic views of some of the Himalaya’s highest peaks. After lunch it’s a switchback trail ending at Tengboche monastery which is the largest and oldest monastery in the Khumbu region.
Departure Time: 7AM
Elevation: 3860m
Distance: 9km
December 6 – Tengboche to Pangboche
Proper alpine hiking with altitude starting to play a significant role.
Departure Time: 8AM
Elevation: 3930m
Distance: 4.5 km
December 7 – Pangboche to Dingboche
The first part of the trail past Pangboche heads downhill to a bridge over the river. Past the bridge the trail follows the cliffside, rolling up and down with whilst gaining elevation all the way up to Dingboche. Which is has stunning views of Ama Dablam and surrounding peaks.
Departure Time: 7:30AM
Elevation: 4410m
Distance: 7.2 km
December 8 – Dingboche to Thukla
Today we will make our way through a spectacular valley surrounded by some of the world’s highest peaks. We will need to cross a rocky section over a river before making your way into Thukla.
Departure Time: 7:30AM
Elevation: 4620m
Distance: 4.8 km
December 9 – Thukla to Lobuche
We will stop at Khagan Chorten, a beautiful cemetery and Buddhist site that remembers those who have lost their lives on Everest.
Departure Time: 7:30AM
Elevation: 4910m
Distance: 3.2 km
December 10 – Lobuche to Gorakshep
Start the day heading upwards with a challenging ascent to the village of Gorak Shep. Views of the magnificent Mount Pumori and Khumbu Glacier.
Departure Time: 7:30AM
Elevation: 5140m
Distance: 4.6 km
December 11 – Gorakshep to Everest Base Camp to Gorakshep
Today we will walk along Khumbu Glacier to Everest Base Camp (5364m) before descending back down to Gorak Shep for the evening.
Departure Time: 7AM
Elevation: 5364m
Distance: 6.6 km
December 12 – Gorakshep to Kala Patthar- Heli to Lukla- Return to Kathmandu
The high altitude and cold temperatures make this early morning one of the toughest parts of our trek but this mornings trek really is worth getting up for. We’ll trek up to the highest point of our journey, Kala Pathar (5555m), for stunning, unobstructed, 360 views of the highest Himalayan peaks in the morning light. Afterwards the helicopter will come to pick us up from the Kala Patthar half way point. After returning to Lukla we will then fly back to Kathmandu.
Departure Time: TBC
Elevation: 5140m – 5555m- 2492m- 1,400m
December 13/14 – Weather days!
December 15 – Depart Kathmandu
