Everest Base Camp trek with helicopter return

Welcome to Nepal!

Upon arrival of your flight, you will be picked up at Kathmandu International Airport and taken to your 4 star hotel.

That same evening, around 5 pm you will have a tour briefing with your guide to coordinate all the details, check the equipment and documentation for the trek.

Afterwards, you will celebrate your arrival in Nepal and the beginning of the adventure with a dinner together at the hotel.

As the arrival time depends on the flight schedule, no other activities are planned for this day.

Early in the morning you will take the flight to Lukla, gateway to the Khumbu region and where we will start the trek.

The flight departs from Kathmandu or Manthali. In case of flying from Manthali, a private transfer will take you there, it is a 6 hour drive starting at 2 am.

In just 20 to 25 minutes you will be in Lukla, have breakfast and start the route to Phakding. This first stage runs along the Dudh Koshi River, crossing several suspension bridges and passing through picturesque Sherpa villages. The last stretch is a climb that will take us to Phakding, where we will spend the night in a guesthouse.

We have breakfast and the route begins, as yesterday we continue walking along the Dudh Koshi river, crossing some bridges and passing through some villages. In this first part of the route we will not find big slopes. The second part of the route is different, we enter the Sagarmantha National Park and during the next two and a half hours the difference in altitude increases, but every effort has its reward, and as we gain altitude we begin to have views of the Himalayan range: peaks above 19,700 feet (6,000 m) high and glacial rivers, accompanied by prayer flags and small stone formations. We will have lunch en route and in the afternoon we will reach one of the great villages of the Everest region: Namche Bazaar, where we will stay in a small hotel.

From Kathmandu the altitude gained is already over 6,500 feet (2,000 m). To avoid altitude sickness, we will spend the day in Namche Bazaar, thus avoiding further ascent and giving the body additional time to acclimatize. If you wish, this day you can take a route of just over 3 miles (5 km), passing through Syangboche, a village famous for its views of the highest mountain in the world. Finally, you arrive at the Everest View Hotel, which offers views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam.

In addition, such a short route allows for free time, and Namche Bazaar is the perfect place, as well as its markets and restaurants, or even continue to learn about the local culture with a visit to the Sherpa Museum.

The trek begins with a short climb to the top of Namche Bazaar to take the path that runs halfway up the valley formed by the river Dudh Koshi. All along the route you will find stupas and always in the background you will have as a guide the Everest and the Ama Dablam. The last 3 kilometers of the route are a climb of more than 1,640 feet (500 m), until finally reaching Tengboche. This village is home to the largest monastery in the Everest region, in which every day in the afternoon a ceremony is held open to anyone who wants to join and is especially popular with expeditions, which take the opportunity to ask permission to the mountains to climb to the top.

The day begins with a gentle descent through a forest of conifers and rhododendron. Gradually the road becomes slightly ascending and leads us to the village of Pangboche, famous for its terraced agriculture. We leave the forest behind and the landscape begins to change, much more rocky and with less vegetation. The last part of the route begins, and having always in sight the Ama Dablam, we continue a steady climb to Dingboche,

Again we will spend a day acclimatizing to avoid altitude sickness and will not continue ascending. Only a short hike is planned to Nangkartsang peak, with an altitude of over 16,600 feet (5,000 m). At this altitude, in addition to the views of Ama Dablam, we will also see Lhotse, Makalu or Cho Oyu.

This route will take us just over 5 hours, so you will have free time to visit the village or just enjoy the calm in a tea house.

A good part of today's route climbs up the Khumbu Khola valley. Especially, the kilometer before reaching the Thukla Pass has a steepness that will make us strive, but it will be worth it. The Thukla Pass, well known among experienced mountaineers in this area, is not only a viewpoint with beautiful views. This place is a memorial, composed of hundreds of small formations that honor and remember climbers, Sherpas and adventurers who never returned from their last Himalayan adventure. Like all prayer sites, it is decorated with the characteristic colorful flags that abound throughout Nepal.

After this point the slope is much less steep and in just over 1.25 miles (2 km) we will reach Lobuche, a village that at almost 16400 feet (5,000 m) has a privileged view.

Finally the long awaited day!

We started the trek to Everest Base Camp. Although the route is not very demanding, the altitude and rocky terrain add to the difficulty of this stretch. Finally we arrive, we will have time to see the camp and the expeditions that are preparing to climb to its summit, as well as enjoy the atmosphere of this place.

After a while, we return by the same route until we reach Gorak Shep, where we will spend the night.

Today we will reach the highest altitude of the entire route, the 18,225 feet (5,555 m) summit of Kala Pathhar. This is undoubtedly one of the best places to photograph Everest and the surrounding peaks. We start the descent to Pheriche, where the helicopter will be waiting for us to take us to Lukla.

This is one of the highlights of the tour, and you can be sure that this helicopter flight will exceed your expectations. Fasten your seat belt and enjoy!

Early in the morning, we will take the flight back to Kathmandu. In case direct flights from Lukla to Kathmandu are not operating (very common in the months of March, April, May and October and November), the flight will be to Manthali and from there a private transfer will take you to the hotel in Kathmandu.

After lunch, you will be picked up for a tour of the Kathmandu Valley, where you will visit the main UNESCO heritage sites.

As on the first day, today there are no activities planned, so at the time you indicate, a private transport will pick you up to take you to the international airport. This way, we will put an end to this adventure.