You would be having a tour of the Kathmandu Valley today. You would be visiting the sites that are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites List, starting from the holy temple of Pashupatinath. It is one of the most sacred temples for the Hindu people and is located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. You can sometimes see the cremation ceremony being performed at the banks of the river as well. On the occasion of Maha Shivaratri, the temple sees the visit of thousands of devotees. Next on the tour is the Kathmandu Durbar Square. You would be able to look at intricate carvings and opulent Nepali architecture on old Palaces, temples, deities and statues in the Durbar Square area. The site does well to reflect Nepal’s rich monarchial days of the past. Moving on to the next site, you would be visiting the Swayambhunath temple. Located atop a hill west of the city, Swayambhunath is a sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site. The stupa consists of a dome at the base and a cubical structure painted with the all-knowing peaceful eyes of Buddha looking in four directions. The stupa houses many artifacts inside and the golden tiers above the pentagonal Toran are majestic to look at. And lastly on the tour is a visit to the Bouddhanath Stupa, one of the largest stupas in the world. After the Kathmandu Valley Sightseeing Tour, you would be returning back to your Hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel, breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

An early morning flight to the airport for the Lukla flight will be taken today. The short flight to Lukla is an amazing journey and presents drastic sceneries of mountains and emerald hills. The airfield at Lukla is located at a high elevation and the difference between the two ends of the runway is an exceptional 60 meters only. After landing at Lukla, you would be trekking to Phakding on a trail that is adorned with green forests and verdant woodlands. The view of the holy Kusum Kangraru Mountain also comes into sights while on the trail. With alpine vegetations lining the trails, you would be arriving at Phakding. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Phakding, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Following the ebullient flow of the Dudh Koshi River, you will be ascending through Himalayan pine and cedar trees to the hub of the Khumbu region- the village of Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar is a historic trading point where Nepali and Tibetan traders exchanged salt, dried meat and textiles in ancient times. Besides being a splendid destination to shop for traditional crafts, Namche remains the central trading post in the Khumbu region that attracts Himalayan and lowland merchants. You would be spending two nights at Namche for acclimatization, visiting local markets and spending time with your team. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

This day is especially sectioned for acclimatization. You will be hiking to the Syangboche Airport today (3700m). It is one of the highest located airports in the world. Continuing to climb up to the Everest View Hotel, you would be presented with views of ivory peaks like Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Tawache Himal and much more. On the way back, you could visit the Sherpa Cultural Museum and the Everest Photo Gallery as well. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

A fairly uniform and an easy trail leads to magnificent views of Mount Everest as you descend further deep into the Dudh Koshi Valley at Phungki Thanka. From this point, it ascends to the right flank of the Valley of Dudh Koshi towards the Tengboche Monastery lying at the elevation of 3,860 meters. A spiritual hub of the Khumbu region, the Tengboche Monastery is a perfect destination that enhances the trekking journey. You can also see the view of Ama Dablam Himal from Tengboche and Mount Everest on a clear day. Many surrounding peaks also emerge and the sights are absolutely gorgeous! Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today, you will be descending through a beautiful forest of rhododendrons and pine and would be crossing the Imja Khola to reach the village of Pangboche (3099m). While on the trail, you can enjoy views of mountain peaks like the Ama Dablam and Mount Lhotse. The trail leads through verdant pastures to Dingboche. The Sherpa village of Dingboche is also called the “Summer Valley” and lies in the Chhukung Valley. Situated at an altitude of 4,410 meters, Dingboche has a kilometer of stone wall built using different sizes that covers the entire valley of Imja. These stones are removed in order to plow the soil and end up being piled one over the other, creating kilometers of walls. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Dingboche, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

You would be trekking to Chhukung from Dingboche today. It takes approximately two hours to do and the trail is adorned with views of giant mountain peaks. On the trail, you will likely come across domestic Himalayan animals like yaks, mountain goats and mules grazing on the lush grassland that lines the trail. The rhododendron trees also provide some form of natural shade and their pretty blossoms make the journey pleasant. Chhukung is a lodge village serving trekkers and climbers and lies on the northern slopes of Lhotse and Nuptse Peaks by the Lho Glacier and the Nup Glacier. The Imja Khola flows through the Chhukung Valley and the area was traditionally used as a yak pasture with no permanent settlements, but as Imja Tse gained popularity as a trekking peak and as the Chhukung Valley is a good place for acclimatization, several lodges have been built here. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Chhukung, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Following a uniform trail, you would be hiking to Chhukung Ri today. Chhukung Ri is a rocky peak, similar to Kala Patthar, rising above the village of Chhukung to 5550 meters. It requires no technical climbing skills and the summit of Chhukung RI has astounding views of the Imja Tse (Island peak), Ama Dablam Mountain, the Lhotse face and more. Returning back to Chhukung, you can enjoy the sceneries and the majestic landscape. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Chhukung, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Starting at first light from Chhukung, you would be conquering one of the Highest of Passes today. Carrying plenty of water and some snacks and a packed lunch, you would be moving further into the journey. There are no tea shops on the way, so you would have to carry the water and the food. Enjoying the remoteness of the area, you would be trekking in the midst of natural quintessence. You can choose to go via any of the possible trails- either taking a climb over the hill northwest of Chhukung over the moraine of the Nuptse Glacier or you might want to walk back down the valley to Bibre and follow a high trail above the Niyang Khola. Just ahead of these trails are great views of the Island Peak and jagged rocks of the Amphu Lapcha. Ascending along the east side of the Niyang Khola, you would turn west and walk through the trail entering a wide basin dotted with small frozen lakes. The trail continues to rise above the loose screen reaching the Kongma La Pass. After 5 hours of leaving Chhukung, you would be coming to the Kongma La Pass and upon reaching the top; you can see cairns wrapped in prayer flags marking the Passes. Behind you, you would be able to look at the icy lakes down below, encompassed with the Khumbu Glacier. The final descend is the most difficult stages of the trek today, and climbing the moraines on the far side results on the trail turning north through the Glacier taking you to Lobuche. Overnight stay at Lobuche, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

After a short climb through the meadows, looking down at the Khumbu Glacier makes for an amazing sight. Straight ahead is Kala Patthar, one of the best vantage points to view the entire south face of Mount Everest and many of its surrounding peaks. A couple of hours of walking on the trail results in reaching Gorekshep. From there, you will continue your journey to the Everest Base Camp. There isn’t a lot of elevation gain today, but there still is trekking on trails that go up and down. Combined with the physical exhaustion, it can be a pretty tiring journey. After approximately 3 hours of trekking, you would be arriving at the Everest Base Camp where you can enjoy magnificent views of the Khumbu Glacier and the Icefall, where the Everest expedition began. It is often the final stop on most common treks to Everest Base Camp from Lukla, following what the Dalai Lama dubbed “the steps to heaven”. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Gorekshep, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today starts with a hike up to Kala Patthar. It is one of the best viewpoints where you can witness spectacular views of Mount Everest and a panoramic vista of the surrounding Himalayan peaks. “Kala Patthar” means “Black Rock” in Nepali and it is located on the southern ridges of the Pumori in the Himalayas. Views of Mountain peaks like Nuptse Nup II, Changtse are breath-taking from Kala Patthar and you can also view glimpses of the northern flank and the summit of Lhotse. The world’s highest webcam, the Mount Everest webcam, is also located here. Then, trekking back to Gorekshep, you would have your hot breakfast and then descend down to Dzongla. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Starting the day, you would be climbing to Chola pass today. Crossing over the Pass, you would be descending down to Thangna. Chola Pass is a summit pass connecting the village of Dzongla to the eastern village of Thangna. The edge of the glacier can be pretty unstable at times, and you need crampons on top of the slippery glaciers. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

You would be trekking to the Gokyo lakes on this day. Crossing over the Ngozumpa Glacier (a large glacier in the Himalaya 36 kilometers in length), you would be passing the village of Gokyo that stands by the third lake and has the backdrop of the Cho Oyu mountain, setting an amazing sight for the eyes! The view from this juncture is simply out-of-this-world. After lunch, you may want to explore around the Dudh Pokhari Lake. The Gokyo lakes are oligotrophic lakes and are the world’s highest located freshwater lake systems comprising of six main lakes, of which Lake Thonak is the largest. The sapphire waters of the lakes are amazing to witness. The Gokyo lakes are considered sacred by both Hindu and Buddhist people and hundreds of pilgrims take a holy bath in the lakes during the celebration of the Janai Purnima festival, which usually falls in the month of August. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

A steep climb early in the morning takes you up to the Gokyo RI. There are stunning views of the Gokyo valley, the Ngozumpa Glacier and a panoramic view of the whole Khumbu Himalayas from Gokyo RI. Views of peaks like Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, Cho Oyu and Gychung Kang can be seen. This day is also sanctioned for acclimatization. At the base of Gokyo RI, there is a small hamlet of few stone houses and that is one of the highest located settlements in the world. In the afternoon, you would be trekking back to the camp. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

The crossing of the Renjo la Pass will be exciting today, as well as challenging as you will descend into the remote northern Valley where access is restricted. As you move further, the landscape becomes progressively like the Tibetan Valleys that lie beyond the border. There is a chance that you might encounter Tibetan traders descending from the Nangpa La Pass, the one that leads through the Himalayas from Tibet. They also have caravans of wooly yaks laden with goods with them. Overnight stay at the guesthouse in Lunden, breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

After taking breakfast today, you will be trekking down to Thame for more views of amazing peaks. You may meet Tibetan traders encampment along the way for pictures of a rare lifestyle. About 150 meters above Thame, there is the Thame Monastery. Peaceful in its serene environment, the monastery is a picturesque site situated among many homes of the monks. It is perched on the side of the hill, overlooking the valley. This is also the site of the spring celebration of the Mani Rimdu festival, held about in the middle of May each year. Overnight stay at the guesthouse, breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

You will continue your trek to Namche Bazaar today, following a flat and uniform trail that descends down to the first resting place from Thamo. Namche Bazaar is a famous rendezvous point for Tibetan and Nepali traders where they used to exchange salt and dried meat back in the old days. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Namche, breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

Today, the trekking trail continues towards the Dudh Koshi River to the small mountain airstrip at Lukla from where you will catch your return flight back to Kathmandu tomorrow. Overnight stay at the guesthouse in Lukla, Breakfast, lunch and dinner included.

You will take a plane back to Kathmandu today. The flight journey lasts for 30 minutes and offers amazing views of the land terrain and of the mountains from the airplane window. Overnight stay at the hotel in Kathmandu.

Today is marked as a leisure day and you may spend the day resting or exploring the city, either one is fine to do. Overnight stay at the hotel, Breakfast included.

Approximately three hours before your scheduled flight, one of Escape Himalaya’s representatives will drop you off at the airport from where you will depart.