| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 63 | 36 | |
| Feb | 70 | 37 | |
| Mar | 77 | 48 | |
| Apr | 81 | 52 | |
| May | 82 | 61 | |
| Jun | 82 | 66 | |
| Jul | 82 | 68 | |
| Aug | 81 | 68 | |
| Sep | 79 | 66 | |
| Oct | 77 | 54 | |
| Nov | 70 | 46 | |
| Dec | 66 | 37 |
For a moment I couldn't take it in -- Everest filled the sky above me, yet still appeared impossibly remote, its summit hidden in shreds of mist nearly a mile above me.
The mountain feels steep and stiff beneath our hiking boots, testing our physical conditioning and our resolve. Mount Everest is both seductive and unforgiving. The colossal snow-covered peaks and dark, seemingly bottomless crevasses that surround us are constant reminders of the astounding vastness, the sheer and inconceivable scope of this mountain. Eight days into the adventure the mountain's scale has become almost incomprehensible, and each step we take seems so insignificant in comparison to Everest's majesty. Slowly but steadily, we've ascended thousands of feet. We can recall with clarity the thrill of crossing the Imja Khol River suspension bridge, its wild waters rushing beneath us. And we'll never forget the stunning beauty of the rhododendron forest, as we hiked along its colorful paths just last week.
At a rough but obvious trail, where the terminal moraine meets the rubble-covered Khumbu Glacier, we head to Loboje. A windswept collection of huts, tucked in a narrow meadow between the glacier and the Loboje Peak, this is our campsite. Here, with an awesome view of Lhotse ridge, we are beginning to understand why the Sherpas call Everest "Chomulungma", Mother Goddess of the Earth.
Pasang Temba Sherpa is one of Mount Everest's most sought-after professional trekking guides, averaging about four trips a year since 1985. His trekking experience includes Chola La High Pass, Kala Pathhar, the avalanche-prone Thorong La High Pass, as well as remote routes in both Nepal and India.
After you clear customs and immigration at the airport, our A&K representative takes you to Dwarika's Hotel, one of the city's most famous landmarks. Nepal has won two UNESCO World Heritage Awards: one for the medieval city of Bhaktapur, and the other for this magnificent hotel. Its centuries-old woodwork was salvaged from a variety of local buildings that had been earmarked for destruction, and today inspires a new generation of Nepalese artists in this medium. Showered and refreshed, gather with your team for an afternoon tour of Nepal’s capital city, a major trade center since medieval times with no fewer than eight UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Led by an experienced local guide, explore the city's twisting streets, stopping at Durbar Square and Taleju Temple, restored by King Mahendra Malla in 1562. The gate to the Hanuman Dhoka Durbar, the old Royal Palace, is guarded by a statue of Hanuman, the monkey god, wrapped in a red cloak. We stop at the House of the Living Goddess, home to Kumari Devi, considered a living god by the Nepalese. After visiting the 12th-century wooden temple of Kasthamandap, said to have been carved from a single tree, explore the bazaar and walk through the labyrinthine back streets of the old city. Conclude your exploration at Swayambhunath, a 2,500-year-old Buddhist site known as the “monkey temple” for its resident (and revered) colony of monkeys. The four sides of this ancient structure are painted with the compassionate eyes and eyebrows of Buddha.
Dwarika’s Hotel DAfter breakfast, the city tour continues, with visits to Pashupati, the most sacred of all Hindu temples in Nepal, and Bodhnath, possibly the world’s largest Buddhist stupa (a funerary monument in the shape of a dome or pyramid).
Drive outside the city to Bhaktapur, recipient of Nepal’s other UNESCO Heritage Award. After lunch at a local restaurant, enjoy a tour of this ancient royal city. Follow your guide along 17th-century cobbled pavements walled with ornate architecture to see the Lion Gate, the Picture Gallery, the Golden Gate and the Palace of Fifty-five Windows.
Return to the hotel in the late afternoon to freshen up before heading out for dinner in a local restaurant.
Dwarika's Hotel B L DHaving gained a firm grounding in the area’s history and geography, leave the city for the trek up into the mighty Himalaya. Board an early-morning Twin Otter flight to Lukla, your trailhead for the expedition ahead. Perhaps the most famous high-altitude airstrip in the world, Lukla was originally built by Sir Edmund Hillary’s Himalayan Trust as an emergency evacuation runway for casualties brought to the Trust’s hospital at nearby Kunde. During the flight, watch as rugged foothills give way to the snowline and then to soaring peaks. Depending on the visibility, you might catch a glimpse of Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu — the world’s third-, fourth- and fifth-highest mountains.
At Lukla, meet your Sherpas and, after a cup of tea (the traditional and frequent greeting in the mountains), take your first steps along the trail that the Dalai Lama called "the steps to heaven." Surprisingly, this high-altitude trek begins by descending to the river at Phakding. Your accommodation for the night is Joe's Garden.
Approx. trekking time: 3 to 4 hours
Joe's Garden B L DSet off after breakfast along the bank of the Dudh Kosi (Milk River) as it tumbles down, white with glacial suspension, from the high Gokyo Lakes. Pass through the Ghat Village and cross the river on a suspension bridge. Leaving the villages of Chumao and Monjo behind, enter the Sagramatha National Park at Jorsale. After crossing the Dudh Kosi again, the trail climbs half way to Namche Bazaar, where a gap in the trees offers your first sight of Everest. If the weather is clear, the top of the southwest face is visible behind the long Lhotse-Nuptse Ridge.
Surrounded by an amphitheater of peaks — Thamserku (21,811 ft.), Kwangde Ri (20,298 ft.) and Khumbila (18,724 ft.) — Namche is the largest and most prosperous town in the Khumbu region. Its renowned bazaar, held every Saturday, sells everything from livestock and vegetables to traditional crafts such as hand-woven aprons and Tibetan boots.
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hours
Panorama Lodge B L DAfter two days of hiking, rest for a day in Namche, adjusting to the altitude and soaking up the beauty of the surroundings. The secret of safe acclimatization is to "climb high, sleep low," so, if you have the energy, you may climb the hill behind Namche to the airstrip at Syangboche. Otherwise, relax and explore this bustling town, stopping at the intriguing museum behind the police station or relaxing with a fresh cinnamon roll and magnificent views.
Panorama Lodge B L DReturn to the hiking trail this morning and traverse west, enjoying a camera-defying view of Kwangde Ri and the waterfalls that cascade off the mountain's flanks. Staying high up on the bank of the Bhote Khose, walk through a rhododendron forest in full May bloom, then cross the river, looking back down the valley for beautiful views of Thamserku and Kusum Kangru (20,895 ft). Continue to ascend through more forest to pasture lands in front of Thame (the birthplace of Tenzing Norgay, the Sherpa who made the first ascent of Everest with Hillary in 1953). If you’re not ready to stop by the time the expedition reaches camp, take the hour-long climb to a nearby cliff-side monastery.
Approx. trekking time: 5 to 6 hours
Thame Valley View Lodge B L DToday's hike takes the team back down into the valley, via the hillside nunnery of Thamo, then along a high trail that bypasses Namche and drops into Khumjung, one of the most beautiful villages in Khumbu. Hilary's Himalayan Trust has a school here as well as a medical post (for locals and trekkers) in nearby Khunde.
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hours.
Hidden Village B L DThis morning’s climb rewards you with spectacular views of Ama Dablam (21,965 ft.), Kantega (22,240 ft.), Everest (29,028 ft.) and Lhotse (27,890 ft.). Keeping a lookout for pheasant in the undergrowth, cross the Dudh Khosi at Phunki Thanga and climb all afternoon through rhododendron forest to the saddle at the top of the hill. Suddenly, there in front of us is Tengboche, the main monastery of the Khumbu area. The views from here are unforgettable.
Approx. trekking time: 5 to 6 hrs.
Gomba Lodge B L DThe trail descends down from Tengboche, winding through the rhododendron forest to Deboche and crossing a bridge over the raging Imja Khol River. A gradual climb takes you to the village of Lower Pangoche in the heart of the Khumbu, with spectacular views across to Ama Dablam.
This afternoon, follow a path that hugs the valley wall, then crosses a wide plain to a split in the valley. The Imja Tse Valley breaks right to the village of Pheriche where we overnight.
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hrs.
Himalaya Hotel B L DSometimes travelers can see much more by standing still. This is especially true in the mountains when a day off is rest for the body and exercise for the mind. But if you just can't sit still, there are two options. The shorter option is to attend the lecture on Acute Mountain Sickness at the Himalayan Rescue Association medical post in the afternoon where and western doctors conduct excellent seminars on Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS) on most afternoons. The longer option is to trek up the Imja Tse valley towards Island Peak for outstanding views of Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Cho Polu. After reaching the trekker terminus of Chukung, we return back down the valley.
Himalaya Hotel B L DNow we are right up among the high peaks and closing in on our goal: Everest base camp, the setting-off point for all the ascents of the world's tallest mountain. We take the flat trail through Phulangkarpo Pasteur and upto Dughla, breathing in the views of Tawoche and Cholatse.
After a brief rest, we tackle the steep ascent to the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. The top of the climb is marked by a series of stone monuments to commemorate some of the climbers who did not survive their expeditions in the area. A rough but obvious trail cuts across left, away from the glacier, to our Eco-resort at Loboje, a windswept collection of huts hunkered down in a narrow meadow between the glacier and the Loboje Peak (20,196 ft.). Above the huts looms the famous Lhotse Ridge.
Approx. trekking time: 5 to 6 hrs.
Eco-resort B L DAn early start takes the team along a rough path beside the Khumbu Glacier to the tea shacks at Gorak Shep. From there, climb for approximately two hours, surrounded by a crown of peaks including Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Changtse and Ama Dablam. Stop at the top of Kala Patthar, a minor peak festooned with prayer-flags that offers one of the best views of Everest (the peak cannot be seen from the base camp). Having paused to savor this magnificent spectacle, drop down a series of steep switchbacks to Gorak Shep, a former lakebed covered with sand.
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hours.
Himalaya Lodge B L DToday is the culmination of your journey — the day you reach Everest base camp. Soon after departing Gorak Shep, leave the moraines behind and follow the streams of the glacier. Directly before you is the great Khumbu Icefall, a slow tumble of ice boulders spilling out from the Khumbu Glacier. Not far from the foot of the icefall lie the moraine islands of Everest base camp, final staging area for many an assault on the peak, and the goal of your expedition. These moments near the top of the earth are not to be rushed. As the day slips along, retrace your steps down the glacial streams and return, tired but triumphant, to Loboje to overnight.
Approx. trekking time: 7 to 8 hours.
Eco-Resort B L DHeading down now, the going is easier and the pace faster. Descending via Pheriche to Pangboche.
Approx. trekking time: 5 to 6 hours.
Om Kailash Lodge B L DThis morning we climb to upper Pangboche, where the oldest monastery of Khumbu is located. We’ll keep on high trail following the west bank of Imza Khola, you can see Tengboche monastery on the left side and Imza Khola on the right. Continue descending through Phortse and further through a forest to the banks of the Dudh Kosi. From the crossing point, climb to Chorten and look back across the valley to the villages of Phortse and Tengboche, and the mountains beyond. From there, turn south off the main trail to Khunde and Khumjung, contouring past the Everest View Hotel. The route then leads down the hill to Namche and more cinnamon rolls.
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hours.
Panorama Lodge B L DHead back towards the trailhead at Lukla, bidding farewell to this incredible setting, the villages and the people of the Khumbu hills and valleys. Make your final climb into Lukla.
Approx. trekking time: 6 to 7 hours
Namaste Lodge or North Face Resort B L DThe flight out offers a final opportunity for an aerial view of these mighty mountains. Sometimes the flights in and out of Lukla are delayed due to unfavorable conditions either in fog-bound Kathmandu or windy Lukla. If this happens, we will do everything in our power to minimize the inconvenience.
Back once again in the historic and comforting cocoon of Dwarika’s Hotel, check in and freshen up before being driven to Patan, an ancient city (founded in AD 250) known for its arts and architecture.
After a delicious lunch at Patan Museum's Café, we tour the museum, housed in a beautifully resorted and renovated former Malla residential palace. The collection spans much of Nepal’s cultural history, primarily exhibiting metalwork sculptures for Hindu and Buddhist deities. After the museum, explore the rest of the city, stopping at Durbar Square, the Royal Baths, Mahaboudha, Krishna Mandir and Hiranya Verna Mahabihar (the Golden Temple).
That night the team celebrates a successful expedition and says its farewells over dinner at Dwarika’s Krishnarpan Restaurant.
Dwarika’s Hotel B L DAfter breakfast, transfer to the airport for your homebound flight.
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