Your holiday starts at the hotel in Kathmandu. A single Kathmandu Airport group transfer is provided. The hotel is located in the central tourist district of Thamel and, depending on your arrival time, there is the opportunity to explore the immediate vicinity of the hotel and get acclimatised to this bustling city. Alternatively, you may prefer to recover from your journey by relaxing at the hotel. Your guide will take dinner with you and will provide an informal briefing about the days ahead.

After a 4am pick up from the Kathmandu hotel, we drive 5 hours to Ramechhap where we check in for a late morning, 20 minute flight to Lukla. (Outside of the peak trekking season, flights to Lukla may operate directly from Kathmandu). Landing at Lukla, on the narrow, sloping runway in the heart of the mountains, is a spectacular way to reach the Khumbu. Here, we meet our trekking crew and set off on the first stage of our trek which leads down to the river, then northwards through a number of villages to our lodge in Phakding (2610m).

A very pleasant walk by the river through pine forest leads to a short climb to escape a narrow gorge section. We pass the entrance to the Khumbu National Park where details of our permits are recorded and then drop down again to the river which we cross on a suspension bridge. We continue up the wooded valley on a good trail and cross the river again before reaching a confluence of rivers, one coming down from Thame and the other from the Khumbu. We make a final crossing here on a spectacular high suspension bridge and then begin an hour and half long ascent to Namche Bazaar (3440m) on a wide switch-back trail. This is the sting in the tail of today’s otherwise quite gentle ascent, and one of the steepest of the trek. Just over halfway up this last hill to Namche, we gain our first views of Everest. On arrival in the Sherpa capital, we check into one of the town’s many lodges. Namche has changed tremendously since trekking first became popular in Nepal. The Sherpa people are very adept at working out what visitors need. Many of the Sherpas that own lodges, cafes and shops in the town have visited cities in the USA and Europe and have brought back all sorts of concepts. Today you can find in Namche, German bakeries, Italian coffee, British pubs, pool halls, and hot tubs.

Namche Bazaar is tucked away between two ridges amongst the giant peaks of the Khumbu. An ancient market place where goods from as far away as Tibet were and still are traded, Namche today boasts an abundance of lodges, cafes, bars and souvenir shops. It is a great place to spend an acclimatisation day before going higher. The guide will be keen to take everyone on an acclimatisation walk, whether this involves going as high as the village of Khumjung (3780m) above Namche, or just to the Everest View Hotel. Either of these options provides superb views of Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest. We spend a second night at our lodge in Namche Bazaar.

A relatively easy day of trekking, although at this altitude it will still feel tough on the uphill section to Thyangboche at the end of the day. The trail today is spectacular in terms of scenery. The main trail out of Namche heads in a northwesterly direction climbing steeply out of the town to a ridge crest where a wonderful view of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam is revealed. Our trail now follows a contour high above the river with occasional short climbs as we cross a series of ridges. At the end of this contour trail is the tiny settlement of Kangjuma where various items of local art and craft, jewelry and even yak bells are laid out to entice passing trekkers to buy a souvenir of their visit. From Kangjuma the trail descends to a bridge across the Imja River at Phunki. Beyond the river, we climb a long ridge to Thyangboche (3860m), the location of one of Nepal’s finest monasteries. We have the chance to look around the monastery and the visitor centre there. This is a popular place to overnight as it not only affords a good view of the Everest/Lhotse massif but is also the classic viewpoint for Ama Dablam. However, water is scarce here and the lodges are often crowded so we may opt to continue for a further 20 minutes, descending to a lodge beside the river at Deboche.

After breakfast at the lodge, we trek for a couple of hours to the village of Pangboche, where there is the oldest monastery in the Khumbu. An hour beyond Pangboche, there is a good lunch stop at the small Sherpa hamlet of Shomare and then it is a further 3 hours walking, gaining height very gradually, to Dingboche (4410m) at the entrance to the Khumbu Valley. We overnight in one of the relaxing lodges in this small and picturesque Sherpa village.

In accordance with our careful program of acclimatisation we will spend 2 nights at this altitude before moving further up the Khumbu Valley. To further our fitness and state of acclimatisation we will have a day hike to Chukkung (4730m) in the upper part of the Imja Valley and directly below the tremendous 3000 metre south face of Lhotse. This is a high and wild corner of the Khumbu, visited by relatively few trekkers and the views here of ice flutings and soaring, serrated mountain ridges are sensational. After a most scenic lunch stop, we retrace our steps to Dingboche to spend a second night in the Dingboche lodge. There are fantastic views towards Tibet and of Island Peak and Ama Dablam.

Today is effectively another day of acclimatisation as we make our approach to Everest Basecamp. After a leisurely breakfast, our route takes us up the Khumbu Valley on a high trail beneath Pokalde Peak (5806m) and climbs only very gradually for little more than 2 hours to the tiny settlement and lodge at Dugla (4620m) which will be our home for the night. From here, we have the option to hike up the hillside above our lodge and contour around above the glacial lake of Chola Tso at an elevation of 4800 metres. This is the well-used trail leading to the Cho La (5330m) and the summer yak grazing area of Dzonglha and we can choose just how far we want to go. There is a fantastic and ever-changing panorama across the lake to the Chola Glacier and the spectacular peak of Cholatse (6335m). We return to spend the night in Dughla.

Another short day as we ascend the Khumbu Valley, starting out with an uphill section to the Thokla Pass (4830m), where we find the memorial to those Sherpas who have died on Mount Everest. Here, the trail starts to level out and we follow the lateral moraine on the west side of the Khumbu Glacier to our lodge in Lobuche (4910m) which we reach well before lunch. The collection of lodges at Lobuche occupies a rocky, streamside location surrounded by towering peaks including Pumori (7161m), Nuptse (7861m) and Lhotse (8516m).

Heading north, we follow a trail through the ablation valley at the side of the Khumbu Glacier. We cross the rubble of a tributary glacier and get our first views of the Khumbu Glacier stretching away down valley and up towards the area of basecamp. After around 5 kilometres walking, we pass the island of sparse grasses at the place known as Gorak Shep (5140m), once a summer yak pasture in the middle of nowhere and now home to some of the highest lodges in Nepal. It's just another 3 kilometres or so to Everest Basecamp (5364m), walking at first on the moraine crest and finally on the Khumbu Glacier itself. We will spend some time at this inspirational spot, close beneath the stupendous Khumbu Icefall, before retracing our steps to Gorak Shep and our lodge. The lodges at Gorak Shep are quite basic but they do have heated dining rooms and offer a degree of comfort. For anyone with energy to spare, there's the option in the late afternoon to hike to the top of the prominent Kala Patar (5550m) for the sunset views.

The views from Kala Patar are just as impressive in the early morning and the 3 kilometre round trip to the top (with 410 metres of ascent) will take around 2 to 3 hours for those who are up for the pre-dawn start. Then after breakfast at the lodge we will make the long and quite gradual descent of the Khumbu Valley via Lobuche and Pheriche (4240m). Overlooked by striking peaks including the very impressive Ama Dablam, we continue our walk-out as far as Pangboche (3940m) where we check in at our lodge.

Leaving Pangboche we follow an excellent trail that contours the hillside and leaves the main Everest Trail far below it. On this trail we have great views across to Thyangboche Monastery beneath the towering face of Kang Taiga. After a couple of hours walking, we pass through the less often visited and still quite traditional village of Phortse (3810m) at the mouth of the Gokyo Valley. From here we make a long descent to the Dudh Kosi River and, crossing this on a simple bridge, begin the steady 400 metre climb on a switch-back trail up to the Mon La (3900m). From here we descend to rejoin the main Everest Trail and continue to Namche Bazaar (3400m) which we reach after 4 or 5 hours. The Sherpa capital is a great place in which to celebrate our trekking achievements and after checking in at our lodge there will be plenty of time for sightseeing and souvenir buying in the afternoon. Overnight in Namche.

This is the final day of our Everest trekking experience, as we descend, steeply at first, to the trail beside the Dudh Kosi. We cross the river a couple of times on bridges and after 2 hours reach the village of Monjo. Continuing our trek and descending more gradually, the valley becomes more enclosed as we pass Phakding. After a stop for lunch, we continue on the river's true left bank to Chopling (2660m) where we begin the final climb of the trip (the sting in the tail) with a 45 minute steady ascent up to the airstrip at Lukla. Arriving at this bustling airstrip settlement, we check in at our lodge and have some free time. In the evening we will no doubt have a party to celebrate the end of a great trek and to say goodbye to our trek crew.

After saying goodbye to our Sherpa crew, we board the flight to Ramechhap and from there transfer by road to Kathmandu. (Outside of the peak trekking season, flights may operate directly back to Kathmandu). Arriving late afternoon, the rest of the day is free for sightseeing or shopping amongst the streets and bazaars of the Nepalese capital.

This is an important contingency day in case of delays to the flights from Lukla. If we have experienced no delays this is another opportunity for independent exploration amongst the colourful streets and temples of Kathmandu. In the evening there will be a final dinner in the company of the tour guide and the opportunity to look back on an incredible Everest adventure.

Your holiday ends after breakfast. A single Kathmandu Airport group transfer is provided. To extend your holiday in Nepal, why not pre-book a day's sightseeing tour in the Kathmandu Valley, or a multi-day excursion to the wildlife reserve at Chitwan. Contact our office for details.