Everest Base Camp Trek – 12 Days

Kathmandu → Lukla → Phakding

Our trek begins before sunrise, with an early transfer to Tribhuwan International Airport for the short domestic flight to Lukla. The 30-minute flight is one of the most talked-about in the trekking world — as the plane banks north, the flat Kathmandu Valley gives way to terraced hillsides and, eventually, the first jagged outlines of the Himalaya. Landing on Lukla's short, sloped runway at Tenzing-Hillary Airport is a memorable start in itself.

After meeting our full trekking crew and sorting our gear, we set off on foot, descending gently through the village of Chheplung before joining the main trail alongside the Dudh Koshi River. Prayer wheels, mani walls, and our first mountain-village teahouses line the path as we make our way to Phakding, a small riverside settlement that marks a gentle, low-altitude introduction to the days ahead.

We settle in for the evening, going over tomorrow's route and letting our bodies adjust to the rhythm of the trail.

Phakding → Monjo → Jorsale → Namche Bazaar

Leaving Phakding, we continue along the Dudh Koshi, crossing several suspension bridges strung with fluttering prayer flags. By mid-morning, we reach Monjo, the official checkpoint into Sagarmatha National Park, where our permits are registered before we continue into protected Himalayan wilderness.

Past Jorsale, the trail tightens along the river gorge and crosses the dramatic Hillary Suspension Bridge, suspended high above the confluence of the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers. From here, the real climb begins — a long, steady, switchbacking ascent through pine forest that tests our legs and lungs alike.

If the skies are clear, we catch our very first glimpse of Everest peeking above the ridgeline partway up this climb. By afternoon, the trail rounds a final bend and Namche Bazaar opens up before us — a horseshoe-shaped town built into the mountainside, and the unofficial capital of the Khumbu.

Namche Bazaar → Everest View Hotel / Khumjung → Namche Bazaar

Rather than resting completely, we spend today climbing higher before returning to sleep at the same altitude — the golden rule of safe acclimatization in the Himalaya. Most mornings, we hike up toward the Everest View Hotel, one of the highest-placed hotels in the world, where clear-day views stretch across Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku.

From here, we can continue on to the Sherpa village of Khumjung, home to a centuries-old monastery and a school originally funded by Sir Edmund Hillary's foundation. The walk back down to Namche gives our bodies useful, gradual altitude exposure without overexertion.

Afternoons in Namche are ours to enjoy — browsing gear shops and bakeries, visiting the Sherpa Culture Museum, or simply sitting with a coffee and watching the town's famous Saturday market rhythm (if our dates align).

Namche Bazaar → Sanasa → Phunki Thenga → Tengboche

We leave Namche along a wide, undulating trail carved into the hillside, with Ama Dablam dominating the skyline ahead of us for much of the day. At Sanasa, a small junction village, the trail briefly splits toward the alternate Gokyo route before we continue on toward Tengboche.

Descending to the river at Phunki Thenga, we cross a final bridge before beginning the steep, forested climb up to Tengboche — a pull that tests our legs after yesterday's rest, but one that rewards us handsomely at the top.

Tengboche Monastery, the largest and most significant Buddhist monastery in the Khumbu, sits at the crest of the hill, framed almost perfectly by Ama Dablam behind it. If timing allows, we're able to quietly sit in on the monks' evening prayer session — one of the most atmospheric moments of the entire trek.

Tengboche → Deboche → Pangboche → Dingboche

From Tengboche, we descend briefly through rhododendron forest into Deboche, passing a small nunnery before crossing the Imja Khola. The trail then climbs to Pangboche, home to one of the oldest monasteries in the Khumbu and our last proper village before the terrain turns distinctly alpine.

Beyond Pangboche, trees disappear almost entirely. The path opens into wide, wind-swept terrain with Ama Dablam now towering close overhead, and our first real sense of high-altitude exposure begins to set in.

By the time we reach Dingboche, we're standing in a broad glacial valley checkered with stone-walled barley and buckwheat fields — a striking, almost lunar contrast to the forested trail of the past few days.

Dingboche → Nangkartshang Peak → Dingboche

Our second and final acclimatization day is spent here in Dingboche, again using the "climb high, sleep low" strategy. Most mornings, we make the steep climb up Nangkartshang Peak, a demanding but hugely rewarding side hike that delivers sweeping views over Makalu, Ama Dablam, and the full Imja Valley below.

This is often the day trekkers first notice the thinning air in earnest — a useful, controlled test before we push higher into the Khumbu's highest villages over the days ahead.

The afternoon is left free for rest, hydration, and a slower pace through Dingboche's small lanes, giving our bodies the recovery time they need before tomorrow's push toward Lobuche.

Dingboche → Thukla → Thukla Pass → Lobuche

We follow a rising trail out of Dingboche toward Thukla, a small collection of teahouses beside the Khumbu Glacier's outflow stream. From here, a short but steep climb leads us up to Thukla Pass, marked by a solemn field of stone memorials built in honor of climbers who lost their lives on Everest and surrounding peaks.

Beyond the pass, the trail flattens and runs alongside the glacier's lateral moraine, with increasingly dramatic close-up views of Nuptse, Pumori, and the Khumbu's high ridgelines.

Lobuche itself is a small, basic settlement, but its position — tucked directly beneath some of the highest terrain on the route — makes it feel like a genuine gateway into the mountains' inner sanctum.

Lobuche → Gorak Shep → Everest Base Camp → Gorak Shep

Today is the day this entire journey has been building toward. We set off early along the rugged, rocky trail bordering the Khumbu Glacier, arriving at Gorak Shep — the last settlement on the route — in time for an early lunch and to drop our overnight bags.

From Gorak Shep, we continue on foot across the shifting terrain of the glacier itself, weaving between boulders and ice formations on the final approach to Everest Base Camp.

Arriving at EBC (5,364 m), we find ourselves surrounded by fluttering prayer flags, expedition memorabilia, and — depending on the season — active climbing camps beneath the towering, fractured ice of the Khumbu Icefall. It's a place with no direct view of Everest's summit, but an atmosphere unlike anywhere else on earth.

We retrace our steps back to Gorak Shep as the light begins to fade, tired but exhilarated.

Gorak Shep → Kala Patthar → Gorak Shep → Pheriche

Long before sunrise, we begin the steep, lung-testing climb up Kala Patthar — a dark, rocky outcrop that stands as the trek's true highpoint. It's a demanding hour or two in the cold and dark, but the payoff is extraordinary: as the sun rises, it lights up Everest's summit directly ahead of us, framed by Nuptse and Lhotse on either side, in what's widely considered the finest close-range mountain view in the entire Khumbu.

After soaking in the moment and capturing photos, we descend back to Gorak Shep for a well-earned breakfast, then begin the long walk down toward Pheriche.

The descent brings a welcome return of oxygen, colour, and comfort — a noticeable shift after two intense days above 5,000 metres.

Pheriche → Pangboche → Tengboche → Namche Bazaar

With the hardest sections of the trek now behind us, today's descent moves quickly. We retrace our route through Pangboche and Tengboche, this time enjoying the rhododendron forest and river crossings with fully acclimatized lungs and a noticeably lighter stride.

The long downhill stretch tests our knees rather than our altitude tolerance, but the familiar scenery — and the sense of a journey coming full circle — makes it an enjoyable day on the trail.

By the time we reach Namche Bazaar for our final night there, hot showers, proper coffee, and a fuller teahouse menu feel like well-deserved luxuries.

Namche Bazaar → Monjo → Phakding → Lukla

Our final trekking day retraces the familiar Dudh Koshi valley trail, passing back through Monjo and Phakding one last time. With the toughest climbs long behind us, the walking feels easy and reflective — a chance to take in views and villages we may have rushed past on the way up.

Arriving back in Lukla by mid-afternoon, we have time to rest and explore the small town before gathering for a celebratory dinner with our full guide and porter team — a fitting close to 11 days on the trail together.

Lukla → Kathmandu

Our final morning begins with an early flight back to Kathmandu, retracing the mountain views that greeted us on Day 1 — though this time, with the full experience of the Khumbu behind us. Once back in the capital, the rest of the day is free to rest, explore Thamel's markets and cafés, or simply reflect on the journey before departure.