Everest Sherpa Trek in Nepal
Trip Introduction
The life of Nepal’s mountain dwellers is vastly different from the one we lead in the valley’s, it is really a life experience to meet the legendary Sherpa people and see the way of life around Mt Everest region and listen to some of their life stories and also interestingly a unique element in Sherpa’s folklore is the Yeti, Abominable Snowman.
We offer an exceptional 8 days trek featuring a wide range of spectacular scenery combined with unique cultural encounters with the Sherpa people who inhabit these high altitude regions. Our journey begins with cultural tours as well as the trek in the Himalaya in a stunning off-beaten track are virtually untouched by the modern word.
The journey begins in the medieval city of Kathmandu, from where a short flight to the beautiful village of Lukla (2800m) will drop us to the heart of the Solu Khumbu region. The trek continues through the lush vegetation of Sagarmatha National Park, with pine forests, rhododendron flowers and an abundance of wildlife, to Namche Bazaar (3,440m). A day of rest is necessary in Namche in order to get acclimatized to higher altitudes. The following days trekking will bring us to the home to the Buddhist Monastery and also reputed by photographers as one of the best places to capture the awesome beauty of Mt. Everest (8,848m) and its neighboring peaks.
The concluding days of this adventure will be spent in the delightful and scenic villages, where we will have the opportunity to interact with the legendary Sherpa people and participate in their astonishing traditional lifestyle. Back down to Lukla from where we will take a short flight back to Kathmandu, enjoying the last views of the awe-inspiring Himalayan range and its people.
Upon your arrival in the Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, you will be greeted by our local representative who will bring you to our hotel, our base for three nights. Everyone will be assigned their room and the rest of the time is free for relax. In the evening, there will be a welcome dinner hosted by us at the Lodge.
Overnight in Chhahari Retreat- Kathmandu
Web: www.chhahari-retreat.com
After breakfast, we set out to explore the palaces, temples and monasteries of Kathmandu valley.
We start driving to Bhaktapur, the drive is approximately about one an half hours. It is one of the three medieval principalities of Kathmandu valley and best the preserved one. Bhaktapur, with its Durbar Square and beautiful temples, intricate wood carving in the balconies and windows and fabulous stone sculptures and clean, brick paved streets give the impression of being an open air museum.
The major attractions of Bhaktapur are the palace of 55 windows, the giant Taleju Bell in front of the palace, the gold gilded gate with beautiful metal works in its semicircular pediment, the royal bath tank inside the palace, 5 storied Naytapola temple, Duttratraya Temple, and Pujarinath complex with Peacock window-the masterpiece woodcarving in Nepal. We walk through the narrow alleys with private houses on both sides, and visit the potter’s square where we learn the traditional methods of pottery making and sneak a peek into the wood carver’s workshop near Duttratraya. After spending a good amount of time at the Bhaktapur we continue drive to our next destination site Boudhanath Stupa.
Today you will have a lunch in a local restaurant with a view of stupa in Boudhanath. After a lunch break, you will do touring around the giant Boudhanath Stupa-Asia’s one of the largest Buddhist shrines. The stupa with 100 m diameter and 40 m height can be spotted from many viewpoints in Kathmandu. There are a number of Buddhist monasteries around and the area is dominantly Tibetan in character and reminds very much of the Barkhor area of Lhasa in Tibet. Spending a good amount of time in Boudhanath stupa, we continue drive to Pashupatinath Temple-one of the holiest Hindu Temples in entire South Asia.
The temple is situated on the bank of sacred Bagmati River, which is a tributary of the sacred Ganges. Admission to the temple is reserved for Hindus only, yet we can have close up view of the temple from the other side of the river. The temple and the surroundings are vibrant with rites and rituals performed by Hindu devotees. We will also have the opportunity to watch the Hindu cremation services in the bank of the river. After spending a good amount of time in Bhaktapur, Boudhanath & Pashupatinath we will return to the hotel late afternoon & check in hotel.
At the noon, there will be a pre-trip discussion where you can meet our Sherpa trek leader and he will brief you regarding your trek & tour as well as provides you opportunity to ask any questions you may have regarding your upcoming adventure. You might shop around the city if you need any gears for the trek during the evening time.
Overnight in Chhahari Retreat- Kathmandu
Web: www.chhahari-retreat.com
After breakfast, we will be escorted to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport for an early morning flight to Lukla (2,800m/9,186ft), a gateway destination from where our trek begins. After an adventurous 40 minute flight above the breathtaking green and white mountains, we reach the Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla. This is one of the most beautiful air routes in the world culminating in a dramatic landing on a hillside surrounded by high mountains peaks. Upon arrival at Lukla, we meet our other crew members and after some packing and arrangements, we start our trek through the prosperous village of Lukla until we reach Phakding. To assist in acclimatization, we only have a short hike today. However, if interested in additional activities we can take a side trip to a nearby monastery.
Overnight in Guest House – Phakding
Walking through a beautiful pine forest, the track leads us along the Dudh Koshi River through many suspension bridges, one of which is the famous Hillary Suspension Bridge. First, we catch wonderful prospect of the glistening Mt. Thamserku (6618 m). Through the settlement of Benkar, Chumoa, Monjo, we come to the check post and entrance to Sagarmatha National Park. We pass through the last village of Jorsale before reaching Namche Bazaar. The trail climbs through the forests and bridges until we reach the confluence of the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers. After a final steep ascent of about two hours we get first sight of Mt. Everest peering over the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge. Upon this juncture, we stop at Topdanda to admire the view. We still need to hike about 1.5 hours to reach Namche Bazaar, a gateway to Mt. Everest and main trading center of this region. Namche Bazaar is the main center of the Everest (Khumbu) region and has government offices, ATMs, Internet cafes, shops, restaurants, a bakery and a colorful market each Friday evening and Saturday.
Overnight in Guest House –Namche Bazaar
Today it’s important to gain a little height to help our bodies’ acclimatize and to see some magnificent views! Health experts recommend us to stay active and moving during the rest day to instead of being idle. Your guide will take you to a wonderful viewpoint to see the ‘rock stars’ of the mountain world spread out before you: Lhotse, Nuptse, Everest, Ama Dablam, Thamserku.They ring the deep valley sides in a magnificent arena. You should also be able to see the monastery at Tengboche and the trails to Everest. We leave the shimmering peaks to visit the Sherpa Cultural museum with its treasure trove of delights and intriguing insights into the lives, homes and loves of the Sherpa people.
Then you will trek down to Namche, after lunch you are free to head down to the Namche market to browse the shops, chat to the locals and maybe pick up a souvenir or two. You may also see the Tibetan traders who make a yearly Journey over the high passes from the Tibetan plateau with their yaks laden with goods to sell at the markets. Late in the afternoon there’s an option to visit Namche Monastery. The Monastery is about 80 years old and has beautiful Thanka painting of Tibetan deities. You are most welcome to burn a butter lamp for your loved ones. or Tourist Visitor Center near headquarter of the Sagarmatha National Park where we can observe an assortment of things related to the first Everest ascenders, Sherpa culture and learn about the various plant and animal life of the Everest region.
Overnight in Guest House – Namche Bazaar
Today's journey starts with a climb up to the famous airstrip at Syangboche. We trek up for about 2 hours and then level off until we reach the Khumjung village. Khumjung which is considered the Sherpa capital (Namche being the business capital). Most of the houses have been recently renovated, they all have good roofs. Khumjung is not the main trekkingroute of this region, but for the Tibetan and Nepali Buddhists, it has been a center of their faith. The Khumjung Valley is considered once to be a lake, water inside whichbroke allowing many Tibetans to reside around the region.This isa very wealthy area of Nepal.
The Khumjung valley surrounded by the snowy peaks of Kondge, Khantega, and Thamserku and the sacred peak Khumbila, hosts a well-known monastery that houses a yeti scalp. We also visit Hillary School which is at the same site. Another set of busy and colorful monasteries, lined with prayer flags and prayer wheels, are braced along the slopes high above this traditional village.
A lot of the local houses seems to be restricted to the guests, but you may have expensive tea or coffee on the terrace.You will be experiencing the Chorten or stupa, mountain memorial, passing through this trail.
Overnight in Guest House – Khumjung
There are many options for our walk today – continuing up the valley towards the Nangpa La, the yak traders’ route; hiking up to a small peak or exploring the monastery and village. Thame is a wonderful high mountain village, with its gentle pastures, rambling alleys, small artists’ community and even a yak farm. The village is overlooked by the 16th century monastery 200m along a rocky ridge. The hike up is definitely worth doing, to touch the ancient Mani stone walls, admire the fragile Thanka and timeless wall paintings. If you wish to climb higher ask your guide to take you up the slopes of Sundur Mountain. If you wish to stay low how about visiting the yak farm or some local homes or heading along the wide valley bottom towards the Tibet border for views of the Nangpa La and Cho Oyo.
Overnight in Guest House – Thame
We return down the valley, most likely taking a slightly different route to that of the ascent some days earlier. Arriving in Namche we’ll have time for a wander round the bazaars and a light lunch before heading down through the pine forests to the valley warmth. Look out for Danfe, our stunning national bird – a very colorful type of pheasant, sometimes found searching for food on the forest floor. Today we come across Sherpa settlements and interact with the friendly Sherpa people. And of course don’t forget to look around and enjoy the views from this new and very different perspective. It quite long walks, after passing Jorsale on the way we reach Monjo and stay overnight.
Overnight in Guest House – Monjo
Our last day trekking, with a bit of a sting in the tail! Regaining the river side we are back and forth across the glacial torrent making our way back past Phakding. From here it’s around a three hour walk to Lukla, with the last hour or regaining 200m+ height – it’s uphill. On the way we’ll have some drink stops and a chance to visit Chaurikharka High School and Kyongma Monastery. On reaching Lukla we could take a quick stop for a congratulatory group photo at the ‘gateway’ arch then we’ll check-in to our lodge for lunch and a rest. We celebrate our success on the trail with a final dinner at lodge.
Overnight in Guest House – Lukla
Today, we fly back to Kathmandu after our long mountain journey. The early morning flight drops us in Kathmandu. We can rest and relax throughout the day at our hotel. If we get interested to take some gifts home from Nepal for friends and relatives, we can visit to some nearby shops or venture out in Thamel for authentic Nepalese goods.
Overnight in Chhahari Retreat- Kathmandu
Web: www.chhahari-retreat.com
Enjoy a free day exploring on your own or join us for an optional city tour. The tour is likely to Feature Kathmandu Durbar Square or the ancient city of Patan and its very nice to go in a local cycle rischwa and explore these beautiful city's. The reminder of the day is at your leisure to shop or relax before your journey home. (Note: Reserve day for return flight from Lukla in case of inclement weather).To celebrate the successful completion of our journey, we will have a farewell dinner at Nepali Restaurant where we can pick our meal from their carefully crafted menu that offer a wide range of choices.
Overnight in Chhahari Retreat- Kathmandu
Web: www.chhahari-retreat.com
Your trip comes to an end today! There is nothing to do but trade emails with travel companions and organize the photos. If you have more time you can do some shopping or sightseeing. A representative from our Trekking team will take you to the airport approximately 3 hours before the scheduled flight.
