First, you fly to Lukla (2,800 m) from Kathmandu (1,300 m), where flying between two huge mountains and then landing on the tiny airfield is an adventure in itself. The trek starts from here, going through some fantastic landscape and sights: fir and rhododendron forests, suspension bridges, yak caravans, Sherpa villages, et al. It’s high altitude trekking all the way, and so acclimatization is crucial. On day two, you’ll reach Namche Bazaar (3,450 m) after spending a night at Phakding (2,600 m). Namche is a really busy town, the most important on the route, and you take a rest day here, when you can explore the picturesque Thame Valley before carrying on to Tengboche (3,860 m). Here, you get to visit the famous Tengboche monastery. You’ll come across series of chortens and rock formations, some with metal name plates, on the trail to Tengboche—they are commemorations to those who perished on Everest. Similar commemorations can be seen in other parts of trail, too.everest
The next day takes you to Dingboche (4,400 m), where you again get a rest day to acclimatize, and you can use the day to make a short excursion to Chhukung Valley. Next day, it’s off to Lobuche (4,900 m), then to Gorakshep (5,150 m), where a short detour takes you to Kala Patthar. Then, on the ninth day, you reach your goal, Everest Base Camp (5,337 m), which is situated on the Khumbu Galcier. On the return trip, you get to spend a night at Pangboche, which has an ancient gompa, and then you continue downward to Namche Bazaar, Phat Timekding, and finally, Lukla. On the fourteenth day of the Everest Base Camp trek, you are back in Kathmandu, having done one of the ‘ten must-to-be-done things in a lifetime’. And, of course, you’ll have come face-to-face with the highest mountain on Earth, Mount Everest (8,848 m), as well as many other equally majestic Himalayan peaks.
