Khumbu (Everest) Region Adventure Treks (17 Nights / 18 Days)

Welcome to Discover Asia Travel - Everest Region Adventure Trekking! Sagarmatha National Park in Solu-Khumbu District is commonly known as "Khumbu" or "Everest Region". It is the home of the Sherpa people and the legendary Yeti. The Khumbu region features unique natural and cultural landscapes and the unsurpassed Sherpa-Nepali hospitality. Visitors are also blessed with magnificent views of the towering peaks of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse Shar, Tamserku, Kwangde, Khumbi-ila, Kangteiga, Ama Dablam, Tawoche, Cho Oyu, and Pumori.

A forty five minutes to an hour scenic mountain flight from Kathmandu to Syangboche or Lukla will take place early in the morning. You will be enlightened and energized by the stunning views of the Himalayas from the airplane window! Your trekking staff will greet you at Lukla airport at 9,300 feet. From here you will be guided through Sherpa villages and patches of farmland. This route traces a scenic traditional expedition and trade path along the Dudh Koshi (Milk River). Along the way, you will encounter walls of carved rock slates with Buddhist prayer inscriptions and prayer wheels. You may spin the prayer wheels as you walk along, but always to the left.

Along the Khumbu trek route, you will encounter thousands of different botanical species. If travelling in the fall you may not see many of these plants in blossom, but in all seasons they are attractive enough to catch your attention. In the spring you will see rhododendron, Primulas, Iris and many spring flowers in blossom. At lower altitudes hemlock, rhododendron, birch, fir, juniper, oak and blue-pine grow while scrub and alpine plant communities will be seen higher up. 118 species of birds inhabit in the park. Most commonly seen ones are the Impeyen Pheasant (the national bird of Nepal), blood pheasant, cheer pheasant, jungle crow, red-billed and yellow-billed coughs, snow pigeon, swallows, magpies and kalij. Among rarer species are the Himalayan griffon, Lammergier, snow partridge, and skylark.

From around Namche and onward, we may see the most commonly seen faunas of the Sagarmatha National Park, the Himalayan Tahr, Ghoral, Serow, Musk deer, Weasel, Marten, Himalayan mouse hare, jackals, wolves, and Impeyan Pheasants.

Namche village is the largest Sherpa settlement in the region. We will stop here for one day to explore the Sherpa culture, and to acclimatize for the higher elevation treks. We will visit a Buddhist monastery, and experience the Saturday local market (if we timed to be here during the market) where lowland and highland merchants come together to buy and trade variety of hand made and manufactured goods. The Sherpa Cultural Museum has collections of traditional artifacts and a photographic exhibition reflecting the Sherpa culture.

The natural scenery of the majestic mountains and valleys are the blessed resource for the people of Khumbu, and the tourism industry is the region's main income source. The region has very limited arable land, forest resources and limited growing season. Nevertheless, many local people still do practice potato and seasonal vegetable farming, and raise Yaks as their main live stocks between and in the valleys of these towering peaks.

Discover Asia Travel Co., Ltd. founders and its crew has organized and guided many treks and expeditions to the base of Mt. Everest and its neighboring areas. Thus, we have gained hands-on-experience of this region's mountains, flora, fauna and the cultures. We are proficient in three languages (Nepali, English and Sherpa) and can share with you an in depth experience of our Sherpa and Nepali cultural heritage throughout the trek.

Our shorter camping treks (2 to 7 days) are operated from our resort hotel in Syangboche, where a one way or two way helicopter rides are required. The longer treks (8 to 18 days) are operated from Lukla Airport, and requires fly in and out by domestic flights while the 27 day trek begins in Jiri and end in Lukla.

Our camping treks are luxury outdoor trips with complete field staff, equipment and full board and cost more than teahouse trekking.
Therefore, those of you looking for low budget travel, please check our Low Budget Adventure Trekking pages.

Best Season: October to November and February to May.

Trek Grade: Moderate to strenuous

Departures 2003:
Spring Departures:
March 26-April 12, April 17-May 4, 2003.

Fall Departures:
September 15 - October 2; October 6-23; October 27-November 13, 2003

On the Trek: 14 Days including rest day for acclimatization.
Duration of Trip: 17 Nights / 18 Days Including Pre-Trip Meeting, Kathmandu Tours and to and from travel:,

Trek Cost per Person in US Dollars:

Daily departures from October-June.

Trek Cost Includes:
Two nights accommodation in quality hotel in Kathmandu based on a twin sharing and breakfast basis, a half to full day Kathmandu Valley sightseeing tour, monument and national park entrance fees, all ground transportation within Nepal including to and from start and end points of treks, trekking staff (guides, cooks, kitchen helpers, porters/Yaks/horse), all camping equipment (2 men tents, foam pads, toilet tent, cooking utensils, dining tent, tables and chairs), all meals during the trek, Nepalese staff insurance, transfers to and from airport to hotel, and welcome & farewell dinners in Kathmandu.

Trek Cost Does Not Include:
Visa fees, international and domestic airfares (Kathmandu-Lukla/Roundtrip airfare US$182 per person), airport departure tax, lunch and dinner while in Kathmandu, personal clothing, personal insurance, alcoholic beverages, telephone, laundry, special permit fees for restricted areas, charges for delays caused by situations beyond our control such as bad weather, natural disasters, civil unrest, and emergencies.

Package Prices:
All tour package prices are per person in US Dollars. The package prices are subject to change should there be major changes in government tax policies and major changes in US Dollar exchange rates.

Itinerary #18DCAMPINGTREK:

Day 01
arrive Kathmandu, transfer to hotel, itinerary briefing, and Nepali dinner with or without folk cultural show or at leisure.

Day 02
Kathmandu Valley Tour. Featuring: Four world heritage site (Pashupatinath Temple-Bouddha Stupa-Patan and Kathmandu Durbar Squares):

Day 03
Kathmandu-Lukla flight & trek.
Early wake up, have breakfast, check out from the hotel and depart to Kathmandu airport for a flight to Lukla. This 45 minute scenic flight will take to the most busy Himalayan airport at 9,300 ft. above sea level.
Our trekking crew will greet us at the airport. Then, meet and introduce each other. Once all your luggage is identified and handed over to your Sherpa guides, they will load the men or Yak porters and follow you. Every couple to several people, an assistant guide will be assigned and will trek with you all along trek to assist you.
Today's trek is gradual and easy and no difficult up hills. You will experience small and scattered Sherpa villages along the valley and trekking here is quite scenic. Do not be shy to peek into a teahouse along the way. A teahouse cum lodge is actually a regular home. So, you will see more than just a teahouse atmosphere when you get inside to explore it. People are using their homes for dual purposes at strategic points to generate extra income as well as continue their village style living.

CAUTION: Along the way, you may encounter Yaks (pack animals) carrying loads. Wherever you approach Yaks, stay away from their way and always against the mountain, but never at the edge of the mountain or cliff. Do not make noise or shout, it can frighten the animals and create unpleasant situation. Also, please do not consume any alcoholic beverage or take medication that make you feel unsteady while trekking.

Lunch break at or near Chauri Kharka. Your kitchen crew will have already arrived, and prepared a delicious lunch for you. As you arrive at the lunch spot, you will be served with hot steaming tea, coffee, chocolate, hot lemon and water for filling your bottles and for washing. Then, delicious lunch will be served shortly afterwards.
After lunch, take a little break and begin trekking again. Then, you will arrive in Phakding village, a scenic riverside camp. It is a small Sherpa village with resorts and camping grounds for the trek to and from the Everest Region. Here, your kitchen crew await you with steaming tea, coffee, chocolate, hot water and biscuit snack. Your guides will pitch the tents for you and luggage will be delivered or you will have to pick up from the pile. Around dusk, dinner will be served. At the end of the dinner, the next day's itinerary will be briefed and will continue the same until the end of the trek. Since alcoholic beverage will not be served on the trek. You will have to bring your own boos! Or if you need more go to the nearby resorts where plenty of beer or hard drink will be available. As a caution, please do not drink too much and walk in the dark or drink during the day.

Day 04 Trekking Phakding to Namche Bazaar
Today, it is not the alarm clock, but your Sherpa staff who will wake you up with hot steaming tea, coffee and hot water for washing with greetings "good morning". Once you are ready, breakfast will be served and begin trek around 7.00 AM. We will be trekking along the Dush Koshi river in Zigzag between two cliffs. The trail is scenic, mostly fir, pine, oak and rhododendron forest on both sides of the slope and pass through scattered villages. The trek is easier in the morning part, but gets harder up hill in the afternoon.
Lunch break will be at Jorsale near the Sagarmatha National Park entrance point. If time permits, visit the nearby small monastery.
Otherwise, skip it as you will be visiting bigger monasteries in Namche, Tyangboche and Khumjung at latter part of the trek. After lunch, you cross a suspension bridge over the Dudh Koshi from where you can have a quick peek of Mt. Everest if the weather is clear. From here, the trail is almost straight up hill until you reach Namche Village, and you will begin to feel the thin air. So, walk slowly, taking small breaks and continue until you reach the campsite. Once you reach Namche, the ritual of serving you with hot tea, coffee, chocolate, hot water and biscuit snack will begin. If there is enough daylight left, walk around and explore Namche bazaar on your own or with your guide. It is a unique place and experience to be here. Dinner will be served at the camp.

Day 05 Namche exploration at leisure
Our staff will wake you up the same way they did the first day with hot tea, coffee and hot water. Then, breakfast. After breakfast, your guides will lead you to visit monasteries, personal homes, museums and trek around at ease to explore the Sherpa life styles here and the surrounding environment. Then, lunch break in Namche at your campsite. Dinner will be served at the camp. A local folk cultural show is a possibility here and it depends on the group's desire and availability of the singers and dancers.

Day 06 Trek to Thame Monastery and then to Syangboche Panorama.
We spend the night at Syangboche Panorama Hotel, a spectacular resort, 13,025 ft. above sea level. It is our newest quality tourism establishment in the Everest region. This 22 room hotel is built to provide the most out of a Nepal visit! The architecture and intricate interior design resemble that of a typical Sherpa home. Huge glass windows allow guests to enjoy magnificent views of towering peaks in all directions including Mt. Everest.

Today, we get up early, have breakfast and then begin trek to Thame Monastery on the way to Tibetan near Nagpala pass. This monastery is in fact the oldest in the region and has the complete set of texts concerning the Buddhism text and the religious mask dance performed by the Lamas. Near the monastery is also the Thame villlage with over one thousand people in the valley. Trek to thame is very scenic. You can easily spot mountain goat such as the Himalayan Tahr, Serow, musk and pheasants. Once we reach Theme, we visit the monastery and a couple personal homes if there is enough time.

We will have lunch break in Thame. After lunch, we will trek back the same way for few kilometers and spend the night at Syangboche Panorama Hotel. Dinner will be served at the hotel. A show of Sherpa folk dance is optional, depending on the availability of the people who can sing and dance at the nearby village.

Day 07 Trekking to Tyangboche Monastery
Early morning wake up and breakfast at the hotel. Then, begin trekking with your trek crew. Along the way, briefly visit the famous Everest View Hotel built by a Japanese in the early 70s. You are likely to see Himalayan Tahr, Serow, Musk deer, Impeyan Pheasant, and other wildlife along the way to Tyangboche not to mention the superb views of the towering peaks. After trekking few kilometers down the slope, you will get on the traditional Everest route. The morning trek is rather easy.

Lunch break will be at Phungki Tyanga at the base of Tyangboche by the Dudh Koshi, a scenic place surrounded by forest. Your kitchen crew, the cooks, will rush ahead, cook lunch and wait for your arrival. Hot lemon, tea, coffee, chocolate, and water will be served as you arrive at the lunch spot followed by a delicious lunch.
Take a short break after lunch. Then, trek up hill through the fir, pine, juniper, rhododendron and high altitude scrub forest until you reach Tyangboche Monastery compound. As you arrive Tyangboche campground, your kitchen crew will serve you hot tea, coffee, and chocolate with delicious biscuits. This will be like your English tea break!

Tyangboche Monastery is the biggest monastery in the Everest Region and is surrounded by towering icy peaks. From here, we can see sun set and sun rise over Everest if the weather is clear.

Day 08 Trek to Pheriche:
We get up early, have breakfast and start our trek early so that we reach Pheriche early to attend the lecture seminar given by doctors (at the Himalayan Rescue Association) on high altitude sickness. The trek is very scenic. Along the way, we can see towering peaks and low lying alpine scrub forests including high altitude rhododendrons to junipers. We pass through Pangboche Village. The last Sherpa village settlement in the Everest Region.

Day 09 Trek to Lobuche
Again, an early wake up, breakfast and start our trek. From here on, we will not experience a forest environment, but low lying alpine scrubs. The main attractions are the mighty towering Tawoche, Cholatse, Lobuche Peak, Pumori, Everest, Lhotse Shar, Nuptse, Ama Dablam and other neighboring peaks. These crystal razor edged peaks are the main scenery beyond Pangboche.

Day 10 Trek to Gorakhshep
Today, we get up early again, have breakfast and carry a pack lunch. We mostly trek through boulders and moraine glacier that begins at Everest base camp. The environment here is rugged and adventurous. We camp at Gorakhshep, the last place where locals have set up inns, few hours before Everest base camp.

Day 11 Trek to Kalapathar and then Lobuche:
Today should be the most exciting day for everyone because we trek up the Kalapather Peak 19000 ft. above sea level to have a mirror view of Mt. Everest. To achieve this excitement, we get up 3.00 AM, have hot tea, coffee, snack and begin the trek. We stop at the top for about an hour to enjoy the stunning views of the mountans and Khumbu Glacier Valley. Then, we trek back to our camp, have lunch and trek back to Lobuche.

Day 12 Trek to Tyangboche:
We wake up around 6.00 AM, and begin trek around 8.00 AM The views around Chhukung are spectacular. After breakfast, we trek to Tyangboche monastery.
From today on, we trek back celebrating our achievements of trekking in high places. The entire trek is a celebration because we experience a different landscape at every step we take on these treks.

Day 13 Trek to Namche:
Today, we get up early to catch the sun rise over the towering peaks. From here, we can view Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse Shar, Ama Dablam, Kangteiga, Thamserku, Kwangde, Khumbila, Tawoche and much more.
Then, breakfast and visit the monastery and the head Lama (called Tyanboche Chawi Lama) to receive blessings.

The old murals inside the monastery was destroyed by the 1989 fire. However, all the interior and exterior design and decoration is almost as close as the old one. While at Tyangboche, look around the monastery in the bushes, you will most likely encounter a musk deer or variety of colorful pheasants. Then, we trek back the same way we trekked up.

Today, our lunch will be served at Lhawishasa, nearby the forestry nursery. Then, trek the remaining small up hill. Then, the rest of the trek to Namche is easy. Along the trail here, above or below, you will most likely see wild animals such as Serow, Himalayan Tahr, Musk deer, and colorful pheasants. Stop in a safe spot and look around.

Day 14 Trek to Phakding:
As usual, we get up early, have breakfast and begin the trek. Tody, you will find the trek much easier as it is mostly going down hill. We will have our lunch at Monjowa village, where the Japanese have a vegetable plantation to produce fresh vegetables for its hotel, mentioned earlier.

Day 15 Trek to Lukla Airport:
Trekking back to Lukla is easy and short. Thus, we will get to Lukla early and explore bit of Lukla. Our trekking crew will prepare us a feast today as it is the last day and is the celebration day. You will see off most of your trekking staff here.

Day 16 Lukla to Kathmandu flight:
Early wake up, pack up all the gear and be ready before breakfast is required as flying out of Lukla is done early in the morning. Your trekking crew will help you to transfer everything to the airport. Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be received by our staff, and transferred to your hotel or assisted to connect the next destination.

Day 17
At leisure in Kathmandu to explore the valley on your own.
Help to visit place will be provided upon request.

Day 18
Departure from Kathmandu. We will provide airport transfers and assistance at the airports.