Nepal: Everest in Hillary’s Footsteps

This spectacular 22-day trek basically follows the classic route to Mt. Everest used by the 1953 expedition which successfully placed Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on the summit of the world’s highest mountain. The trek starts from Jiri, a village a few hundred kilometres east of Kathmandu. In the first seven days we cross several river valleys, passing rice paddies, farms and Rai villages of the Solu. Above Lukla we are into the Khumbu region, trekking through alpine forests, stopping in friendly Sherpa villages and visiting Buddhist monasteries. The final leg takes us to the spectacular terrain far above the tree-line and to the base of the world’s highest mountains: Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Mt. Everest. This approach to Everest is especially interesting as it involves walking at altitudes between 6,000ft (1900m) and 18,000ft (5500m) where a great variety of culture, vegetation, natural habitats, and geography is observed. A challenging but very rewarding trip!

Detailed Itinerary

DAY 1: Arrive in Kathmandu and transfer to the Kathmandu Guest House. Day free to relax and get over your jet-lag.

DAY 2: Day free to prepare for the trek.

DAY 3: A difficult but scenic full day’s bus ride up the Sun-Kosi river valley to the town of Jiri, the trail-head of the Everest trek and our first camp.

DAY 4: Short day’s trek to Shivalaya on the banks of the Khimit Khola.

DAY 5: Trek to Bhandar (6,700 ft. ), reached in approximately six hours from Shivalaya.

DAY 6: Descending into one of the many river valleys we will traverse, we cross a steel suspension bridge before reaching the village of Sete (8,400 ft. ).

DAY 7: Passing through rhododendron forests, we climb steeply to Lamjura pass (11,580 ft. ), and descend to the Solu village of Jumbesi.

DAY 8: From Jumbesi we climb a spur between the Jumbesi and Solu rivers and get our first views of Mt. Everest, before reaching the Sherpa settlement of Ringmo. Climbing steeply again to the Takshindo Pass at 10,500 ft. , we cross the pass and descend to a campsite at Takshindo monastery, our camp today.

DAY 9: Descending again through lush forests to the Dudh Kosi valley, we cross another steel suspension bridge which leads to the village of Khari Khola 6,800 ft. Camp is nearby.

DAY 10: Climbing for most of the day, we reach the sixth major ridge on the way to Khumbu - Bupas Ridge at 10,300 ft. Camp at Puiyan.

DAY 11: The trail heads north up the Dudh Kosi valley, passing near the Lukla airfield. We will camp at Phakding by the river. This is the point where you join the rest of the Everest group, who have flown in to Lukla.

DAY 12: Today there is a long, steep climb up to the town of Namche Bazaar (11300ft, 3440m), the main adminstrative and trading centre for the Khumbu region. The climb is, however, made easier by the distractions offered by the magnificent forests of blue pine, fir, juniper and rhododendron and views of Mt. Everest.

DAY 13: Acclimatization day at Namche. This day can be spent relaxing at camp, exploring the tiny shops in the bazaar or on an optional hike to Kunde or Khumjung.

DAY 14: Much of this day’s walk is along a trail with spectacular views of Everest, Lhotse, Kantaiga, and Ama Dablam. Our campsite is at Tengboche (12700ft, 3875m), one of the most impressive locations on earth and site of the region’s most important Buddhist monastery (faithfully rebuilt since the 1989 fire). We will have the opportunity to explore the monastery and see monks at prayer.

DAY 15: The first part of the day is spent walking through lush rhododendron and pine forests. We eventually emerge above the tree-line and continue for the rest of the day up the glacial valley until we reach Dingboche (13950ft, 4252m). En route we see some of the area’s most beautifully carved mani (prayer) stones.

DAY 16: This is the second of our important acclimatization days,and it can be spent in Dingboche relaxing by the village stream enjoying scenic views of Ama Dablam, or on an excursion up the Imja Khola valley to Chukkung to get a mavellous view of the surrounding mountains, especially Lhotse’s massive south wall.

DAY 17: Making sure of proper acclimatization, we cautiously continue up the valley from Dingboche to the tiny settlement of Dughla (15150ft, 4620m), on the terminal moraine of the great Khumbu Glacier.

DAY 18: It is a short but steep climb up to Lobuche (16175ft, 4930m), which is really just a few huts at the foot of giant Lobuche peak. Again the views are spectacular and the sunset on Nuptse, towering directly ahead of Lobuche, is especially impressive.

DAY 19: This will be one of the most difficult yet rewarding days of the trek. Most of this day is spent climbing Mt. Kala Patar, a small peak (by Himalayan standards) at 18200ft, 5545m. The ascent is demanding but the climber gets the most magnificent mountain panorama possible: Everest, the highest point on the planet at 29028ft, 8848m, towers directly ahead and on all sides loom the other giants, Nuptse, Pumori, Chagatse, Lhotse and countless others. If possible we can stay and watch the awe-inspiring sunset on Everest and its neighbours. We make a quick descent to Gorak Shep, a tiny hamlet at 16950ft, 5170m, where we stay the night.

DAY 20: On this day we walk along the Khumbu Glacier and up to Everest Base Camp at 17600ft, 5380m, the closest you can get to Mt. Everest without mountaineering equipment. There is often a team there about to attempt a climb. The view of the Khumbu Icefall from Base Camp is spectacular. We return down to Lobuche for the night.

DAY 21: From Lobuche we take a slightly different route down to Upper Pangboche. Here is the oldest monastery in the region which contains what is said to be the scalp and bones of a Yeti, or abominable snowman!

DAY 22: From Upper Pangboche we descend to join the main trail above Tengboche and continue on down to Khumjung.

DAY 23: From Khumjung we continue our descent via Namche to Jorsale.

DAY 24: An easy day’s walk brings us back to Lukla for our final night in the Khumbu. Although it may have looked primitive the first time through, Lukla will seem quite modern after the isolated villages up the valley.

DAY 25: An early morning flight takes us back to Kathmandu, and gives us a last view of the mountains we have just spent three weeks exploring.

DAYS 26 – 27: Free in Kathmandu to continue exploring the valley and surrounding hill towns.

Day 28: End of program. Fly home. OR start optional trips in India, Burma, Thailand or other exotic areas!

Synopsis

Length: 28 days from Kathmandu.

Begins/Ends in Kathmandu Feb 21 – Mar 20 ’10 Mar 21 – Apr 17 ’10 Apr 18 – May 15 ’10 May 02 – May 29 ’10 Sep 26 – Oct 23 ’10 Oct 24 – Nov 20 ’10

Feb 20 – Mar 19 ’11 Mar 20 – Apr 16 ’11 Apr 17 – May 14 ’11 May 01 – May 28 ’11 Sep 25 – Oct 22 ’11 Oct 23 – Nov 19 ’11

(Trips start two days earlier and end one day later from North America. )

Land cost: $2895us includes flight Lukla/Kathmandu

Airfare to Kathmandu: Apx. $1500 usd

Single supplement: $160 usd

PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS A FULL-SERVICE CAMPING TREK, WITH PRIVATE KITCHEN, FOOD, AND STAFF, COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT OF "TEA HOUSES". IF YOU WANT TO DO THIS SAME TREK STAYING AND EATING IN "TEA-HOUSES", THE COST IS ABOUT 40% LESS THAN FULL-SERVICE, BASED ON A MINIMUM OF 2 PARTICIPANTS DEPARTING ON ANY DATE YOU WISH. PLEASE INQUIRE.

Included in land cost: Airfare Lukla-Kathmandu; 22 days trekking in the Everest region including all meals and major equipment; 5 nights accommodation in Kathmandu; airport transfers for group flights; services of an experienced trip leader, cook, porters, and local guides.

You can also contact Canadian Himalayan Expeditions directly for more information.