Lobuche with EBC

Upon your arrival at the Tribhuwan International airport a representative from Naata Trek and Tours will be waiting for you at the airport displaying a playcard imprinted with your name. He/she will then transfer you to the designated hotel. In the evening we can enjoy a welcome dinner hosted by Naata Trek and Tours. During the dinner we can enjoy Nepalese cuisine which will introduce us to the country’s food culture.

We will have a pre trip meeting after breakfast where you will be introduced to your Guide. During the meeting you can assure yourself with any queries regarding the trip.
We visit Boudhanath Stupa, one of the biggest Buddhist shrines in the world, where we observe Buddhist monks praying in the monasteries surrounding the stupa. After Boudhanath Stupa we visit Pashupatinath Temple, the most famous Hindu temple in the country, located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. Here we see Hindu holy men (sadhus) meditating, pilgrims bathing and occasionally funeral pyres burning on the ghats. We will also visit Bhaktapur Durbar Square, which is a collection of pagoda and shikhara–style temples grouped around a fifty-five window palace of brick and wood. The attraction of the Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the Lion gate, the Golden gate, the Palace of Fifty-Five Windows, art galleries, the Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla.

We take an early morning flight to Lukla which is where all Everest treks begin. After we land in Luka we meet the rest of the team including our porters and get set for the trek. We walk on a trail that gradually descends to Cheplung village from where we can get a brief view of Mt. Khumbila. It is a sacred mountain that has never been climbed. From here on we gradually descend until Phakding.

After having our breakfast we continue our trail which passes through a pine forest and goes through Benkar valley. We cross Dudh Koshi river and after passing through the village of Chumoa and monjo, we reach the entrance of Everest National Park. The trail then ascends steeply and after ascending for a while we reach Namche Bazaar which is the biggest town of Everest region. We stay the night in Namche Bazaar.

We spend a day more in Namche Bazaar to acclimatize to the high elevation and the thinning air. We take a tour of the town which has everything in its locker like ATMs, internet cafes, restaurants, government offices etc. We also take a tour of Sagarmatha National park and enjoy the views of Mt.Everest Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kongde and many more. We also visit the Hillary School and monastery nearby which houses a yeti scalp. We can also hike to Khumjung village if time permits. We stay the night in Namche bazaar.

We have an early morning breakfast and start the trek with the well known descend to Dudh Koshi River and the equally impressive ascent through rhododendron forests to Tengboche. We can get clear views of Mount Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku while descending to Dudh Koshi River. Once we reach Tengboche we visit Tengboche monastery which happens to be the largest monastery in the Everest region. We stay the night in Tengboche. We stay the night in Tengboche.

Today we descend through a forest of birch, conifers and rhododendrons with the views Mt. Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam to give us company. The trai then dives into Imja River and takes us to Pangboche. We ascend to upper Pangboche where there is Pangboche Monaster. The trail leads us to Imja Valley, Lobuche River and climbs upto Dingboche. We stay the night in Dingboche.

Dingboche is a small Sherpa village with around 200 inhabitants as of 2011 census and is also a usual stop for trekkers and climbers headed to Mt. Everest, Ama Dablam or Imja Tse. There is also a helipad and a internet café (using satellite technology). Just an hour of walk from Dingboche is the Nagarjung Hill from where we can get great views of the Himalayan range. We stay the night in Dingboche.

We continue the trail that leads to the lateral moraine of Khumbu Glacier and pass by stone memorials dedicated to the climbers who have lost their lives doing expeditions. We continue our climb and head towards Lobuche which is situated at the foot of Lobuche peak. We stay the night in Lobuche.

We take the trail to Everest Base Camp through the once vast Gorak Shep Lake. Continuing straight ahead, we come across Indian army mountaineers’ memorials. We have to follow our guide carefully as the trail from here can be misleading. The walk is rather laborious due to the thin air. We walk through rocky dunes, moraines streams and along the Khumbu Glacier up to Everest Base camp. This is the closest you can get to Mount Everest without actually doing expeditions. During the springtime we can see colorful tents of expedition teams against the grey surroundings. The view of the Khumbu Icefall and the surrounding mountain ranges from the base camp is definitely a sight to behold. We return Gorak Shep where we stay the night.

We start our trek to Kala Patthar before dawn in order to catch the astounding views of the first ray of sun shining on Mt. Everest. The trek today is difficult as we have to walk in the dark in cold temperatures but the close up views of Mt. Everest and other peaks from Kala Patthar is every bit worth it. After spending some time in Kala Patthar we descend towards Lobuche which is a small village surrounded by Rocky Mountains and Himalayas. We stay the night in Lobuche.

We leave Lobuche early morning and trek towards Lobuche base camp. We walk for a short while on a comparatively level ground after which the path to the Lobuche Base camp is steeper and rocky. We move forward along the Lobuche Glacier enjoying great views of Ama Dablam, Cholatse, Pokalde, Thamserku, Kantega and other Himalayas at the same time. We rest for a while after reaching the base camp then continue on a rocky moraine path leading to the High camp where we set up our camps, have lunch and rest. We stay the night in High camp in tents.
Pre –climb training: Our expedition guides will train us to submit peaks, climbing techniques and the proper use of climbing gears such as ice axe, climbing boots, crampons, harness, ascender etc. They will also train us to go up and down using ropes which is of great importance. The training that we provide will get us prepared, boost our confidence, improve climbing skills and allow us to fully enjoy the strenuous yet exhilarating experience.

We wake up early before dawn, have breakfast and begin our climb. It is essential that we reach the peak before noon as the strong wind on that altitude can make the summit a really arduous. In context of the climb, we usually will be climbing on rock surfaces for up to 5700 meters after which we climb on ice and use ropes whenever necessary. The use of the rope and its length depends upon the season and the crevasses on the ice. Fixed rope is used most of the times to make the ascent efficient and man rope is only used when deemed necessary. All of the planning of the summit will be done by our expert and we have to follow carefully. From the summit which is at a respectable 6119 meters off the sea level, we get sumptuous views of Mount Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Cholatse, Pumori and many more. We spend some time at the summit celebrating and taking pictures before we trace our steps back to the High camp to stay the night.

We have reserved an extra day in case there are any unintended barriers like flight delays or bad weather for climbing. Setting aside an extra day will ensure the journey is one time even in the case of setbacks. We stay the night in high camp.

After breakfast, we trek downhill from Lobuche High Camp and join the Everest Base Camp route at Lobuche once again. We have lunch at Lobuche and backtrack towards Pheriche. On our way to Pheriche we will be accompanied by great views of Mt. Ama Dabla in a distance. We continue forward towards Pangboche and trek down the hillside flooded by Rhododendrons (if the trek is in spring) and Juniper trees. Once we reach Pangboche we have an option to visit the famous Pangboche Monastery. We stay the night in pangboche.

From Pangboche, we backpedal down to the Imja Khola and up through the forest to Tengboche. We can also visit the Tengboche monastery if we want to. We have lunch at Tengboche and continue further towards a hillside immersed in rhododendron and juniper trees. Next, we cross a bridge over the Dudh Koshi River and follow the trail along the Dudh Koshi gorge and through pine forests before reaching Sansa. We should have a keen eye since we might get a chance to spot snow leopards and colorful pheasants, etc., while passing through the forest. Then we pass by a chorten an reach Namche Bazaar where we stay the night.

Today is the last day of trekking and we return to Lukla which was the starting point of our trek. We have plenty of time today to roam about and appreciate our personal and the team’s achievements of the trek. We can have a few celebratory drinks in the evening as well. We stay the night in Lukla.

We catch the earliest flight to Kathmandu possible and the flight gives us a chance to catch a last glimpse of the mountain ranges. It takes us around 35 minutes to reach Kathmandu. You also have the option to extend the trip by doing tours and jungle safari.

We have an extra day to buy souvenirs or do or see anything that you feel you have missed. We also have taken this day off in case the flight from Lukla to Kathmandu gets cancelled due to bad weather. Tonight Naata Trek and Tours will also organize a THANK YOU farewell dinner program where we can recollect all the fond memories of our trip. We can have a few drinks to lift up the celebration mood as well.

Our trip concludes today and a Naata Trek and Tours representative will escort you to the international airport for your departure