Everest Base Camp

After breakfast you'll take a half day guided city tour to see two of the spectacular sites of Kathmandu; Pashupatinath and Bodhnath. The city is a labyrinth of streets and markets, crowded with exotic produce and a bewildering mix of people. You're likely to see Gurkhas from the area east of Pokhara, Tibetan women in their striped aprons, traders from India, and sadhus - Hindu holy men - perhaps on pilgrimage to one of the many temples and shrines of the valley.

There should be time left in the afternoon to shop for any last-minute items for the trek or simply relax. Your Group Leader will be happy to assist in any way and will meet you on both mornings in Kathmandu to help with any queries. (B)

From Phakding the trail follows the river through stands of pine and oak as far as Jorsale, the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park. Here the track starts to rise and rhododendron, magnolia and giant fir trees predominate. You start up the famous Namche Hill, your first big ascent, where you take a slow, steady pace. It is an excellent place to learn to walk from the masters - the porters. Their ability to climb such hills with enormous loads is all technique, and following them allows you to learn the rhythm that makes each ascent seem effortless. At the top you reach Namche Bazaar, a delightful mountain village and the Sherpa ‘capital’. It is also an important trading centre for the local people. Acclimatisation day here, you will walk in the morning ascending 300 to 400 metres, this is to get your body used to the altitude. You walk to the higher altitude but sleep lower, this will prepare your body for going to the higher altitude the next day. On this walk if the weather is clear you will have spectacular views of Everest, once you reach the 300m you will stop for a well earned cup of tea and then you will make your way back down. There maybe an opportunity to stop at Khumjung where you will get to see the Yeti skull. In the afternoon you will have free time to explore Namche Bazaar.

On leaving Namche the mountain views start to open up and become more dramatic as you approach the holy ground of Thyangboche, with its wonderful gompa (monastery), where the rimpoche (lama re-incarnate) resides. This is the traditional site where expeditions to the mountains receive their blessing from the High Lama. From the trekker’s point of view Thyangboche is the place where one of the best mountain panoramas can be viewed: Kwangde, Nuptse, Lhotse, Kangtega, Ama Dablam and Everest all loom above. The walk up the ridge behind the gompa is definitely worth the effort!

Carrying on from Thyangboche, you pass close to Pangboche whose gompa holds the famous ‘Yeti scalp’. From now on you are really in high altitude country, where agriculture is only barely possible and the lives of the local Sherpa’s are spartan by any standards. You walk on to Dingboche, a picturesque village just under Ama Dablam. Much of the walking in this area is over comparatively gentle gradients, although you proceed at a leisurely pace because of the altitude. You’ve now reached an altitude of 4100m and it’s time for another acclimatisation day.You will walk in the morning ascending to 300 or 400 metres, this is to get your body used to the altitude. In the afternoon you will get to rest. Dingboche is a ‘summer village’, used by Sherpas with homes lower in the valley to look after their herds in the summer months, and it offers outstanding views.

Then comes Lobuche, often reached by walking past frozen rivers where stone houses sit in an icy wilderness of stunning beauty. There are views of the Khumbu Icefall, Pumori and many smaller peaks from ridge tops on the track. From here you make the tough walk to Everest Base Camp at approximately 5367m. During the spring, the main climbing season, you’re likely to see the encampments of expeditions from all over the world, whose common aim is to make successful ascents of the world’s highest mountain. However, in the autumn this area will be deserted, with the only indication of mountaineering activity being the occasional memorial to lives lost on the mountain. Retracing your steps you’ll descend to spend the night at Gorakshep (5160m).

The next day there’s the opportunity to make the steady climb to the lofty summit of Kala Patar (5545m), the rocky outcrop which towers above Everest Base Camp. Most people who are fit and have acclimatised without problems - generally at least half the group - make this ascent. The views from Kala Patar are breathtaking – far better than Base Camp itself; Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse and numerous other peaks are visible. After descending from the peak you continue your descent to Pheriche (4240m), rejoining any members of the group who opted not to climb today. NB: Depending upon prevailing conditions the ascents to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patar may be swapped, i.e. you may climb Kala Patar first, before trekking to Base Camp from Gorakshep.

Finally, the next four days are spent retracing your steps to Lukla. The continuous descent and loss of altitude allow you to do this with surprising ease. Your last evening in this spectacular area is spent in this wonderful village and a party in one of the lodges is not unknown! (Bx11)

NB: See our ‘Walking and Trekking’ leaflet for more information about walking at altitude. Anyone suffering adversely from the effects of altitude will have an assisted descent with a Sherpa guide until they feel more comfortable and wait for the group to rejoin them.