After an early-morning wake-up, our Hobnail vehicle will transport you to one of two places, depending upon if flights from Kathmandu directly to Lukla are allowed (this has changed recently).

Either you’ll be transported back to the Domestic Flights section of the airport where your team and guide will check in for your mountain flight into Lukla OR you’ll be driven several hours to Ramechhap and catch a flight to Lukla from there. Regardless, you’ll get to experience the Lukla airport!

Lukla is spectacular and the landing is an exciting beginning to the trek – one end of the runway is 60m (197 ft) higher than the other. The flight is on a small Dornier/Twin Otter aircraft and the duration is generally around 30-45 minutes from Kathmandu and much shorter from Ramechhap.

In Lukla, meet up with additional Sherpa guides and porters and pick up any last-minute necessities before heading off on the trail toward Phakding. You will follow the Dudh Kosi, the river that flows down from the Himalayas, crossing hanging bridges along the way. Keep an eye out for mani stones, the boulders carved with Buddhist inscriptions. The hike is approximately 4 hours; you will descend gradually to Thado Koshi for about two hours before the first ascent of the trek, which is a gradual uphill to Phakding (another two hours). 

Enjoy a hearty meal after your first day of hiking! 

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

This is a big day of hiking. After a great breakfast, you will head through the pine and cedar forests and along the Dudh Kosi on your way to Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa capital. Stop for lunch in Monzo before attacking the most challenging section of the hike. 

After passing through the ornate entrance of Sagarmatha National Park and UNESCO World Heritage Site, you will walk along the river before climbing up to the iconic Hillary Suspension Bridge. After crossing, expect a long, steep hike up Namche Hill before reaching the village and a well-deserved hot meal. 

Depending on the cloud cover, there is a spot on the climb up Namche Hill where you MAY catch a glimpse of Everest. 

You will end up at around 11,290 ft.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Today will be both challenging and super fun. After an early breakfast, you will climb the steps out of Namche for your acclimatization hike. The trail will eventually level off slightly and, after a couple of hours, you will turn a bend and be treated with what will most likely be your first good view of Big E herself: Mt. Everest. You will never forget this moment!

At about the same time, expect to reach either the Everest View Hotel or another fine tea house, depending on how many people are on the trail. You will then descend into the quaint village of Khumjung, have a hot lunch, and visit the monastery where, among other things, the famous Yeti’s Scalp is displayed. After a wonderful stay in Khumjung, you will hike back over the ridge, past the world’s highest airstrip, and down into Namche for another great meal and a good night’s sleep.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

After a brief climb out of Namche that starts off the same as yesterday, we will hike for 2 to 2.5 hours before stopping at the village of Kyangjuma for tea and snack break before continuing on. The narrow trail eventually widens and flattens out before coming to a steep staircase with some pretty serious cliffs to the right. After a couple of hours, you’ll reach Mong, a lovely (and tiny) little village with incredible scenery. You may even be able to see all the way to Tengboche from here, but if not, no worries; you’ll be there in person on day 15. 

After leaving Mong, it’s a steep downhill to the river before climbing again. In the spring, you’ll be able to see some pretty amazing frozen waterfalls that climbers sometimes use to train for the ice climbing on Everest, and in the fall, you’ll just see some pretty amazing flowing waterfalls instead. Oh darn.

More stairs and a few more hours and you’ll emerge from the forest into the scenic, and often windswept, village of Dole (pronounced DOE-lay), an otherwise nondescript village with incredible views.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

A short walk today. Leaving Dole, the trail is steep in places as it passes through Lhabarma and Luza along the side of the valley, high above the river and through scrub junipers, until you cross the sandy spurs to Machermo. It was here in 1974 that a yeti was reported to have attacked a Sherpa and killed three yaks. Be sure to get CLEAR video if you see one while you’re here.

You should get to Machermo by lunchtime and in the afternoon there is time for an acclimatization walk up onto the ridge behind the lodge for amazing views of Thamserku.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Your day begins by climbing the ridge for an excellent view down the valley to Kangtaiga and Thamserku, and up the valley towards Cho Oyu (26,749 ft). The trail widens as it passes through Pangkha and descends to the riverbank before narrowing again as you make a steep climb onto the terminal moraine of the Ngozumpa Glacier. You’ll pass the first of the five lakes at Gokyo before continuing on the almost level trail past the second lake and on to the third lake and the walled meadows and lodges of Gokyo (15,590 ft). 

You’ll have lunch in Gokyo and in the afternoon you can walk up the hill behind camp for incredible views of the Ngozumpa Glacier. 

Gokyo is a small settlement on the shores of a gorgeous, clear blue lake. Look out for Brahminy Ducks swimming in the lake. Fight the urge, however, to join them for a dip as both Hindus and Buddhists consider these Gokyo lakes sacred.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Get up early for a couple hours’ climb up Gokyo Peak, which has one of the best panoramas in the Khumbu region. It’s a straightforward but steep climb, and it can be tiring due to the altitude. View four 26,500+ foot peaks – Everest (29,029 ft), Cho Oyu (26,749 ft), Lhotse (27,923 ft), and Makalu (27,825 ft) – and spot countless other towering peaks including Gyachung Kang (25,991 ft) to the east of Cho Oyu, Cholatse (21,129 ft), Taweche (21,463 ft), and Kangchung (20,023 ft). There’s also a bird’s eye view of the Gokyo lakes and the huge creaking Ngozumpa Glacier, now cutting halfway across the world and snaking its way down the valley far below. 

You’ll descend back to Gokyo for a late breakfast and then retrace your steps back to the snout of the glacier and continue down the valley back to Machermo. You might be surprised how quickly and easily you’ll handle the return route – that’s acclimatization!

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Today we’ve got something special to share with you. Not many groups stop in Phortse, a traditional village that offers an insight into Sherpa life and culture. Phortse is known as the “Climber’s Village” because most of the Sherpa who accompany Everest climbers come from this village. It truly is an amazing place.

A leisurely start to the day will wind you down the valley to Dole, where you’ll enter the forest to continue the descent to Phortse Bridge. Keep an eye open for musk deer, which are often seen on this section of the trail. 

After stopping for lunch, you will branch off the main trail to Namche, crossing the Dudh Kosi and ascending to the village of Phortse, where few trekkers pass on their Everest trek. Here you’ll be almost completely above the tree line, so the sunsets make for perfect pictures. The dramatic mountain views and peace and quiet of this village make this one of the highlights of the trek. 

Let’s keep it our little secret.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

This morning’s walk will take you across a ridge before descending onto an exposed trail to the Imja Khola. Keep watch for Himalayan tahr, often seen perched precariously on the crags high above the trail.

Join the trail coming from Tengboche via the suspension bridge, then gradually climb to the village of Pangboche, where the peak of Ama Dablam dominates the skyline. Have lunch here and then, if it is open, take the opportunity to see the beautiful monastery that once housed the hand and scalp of a yeti. 

After lunch, follow the trail high above the Imja Khola, passing the tea houses at Orsho before again crossing the Imja Khola and old glacial moraines to a lodge in Dingboche. Here you’ll find a beautiful patchwork of small fields enclosed by stone walls. These walls protect crops of barley and potatoes from the cold winds. 

The scenery is once again spectacular and although Everest will be hidden behind the Lhotse-Nuptse Ridge, the huge peaks that tower above the eastern end of the valley are more than worthy. If the weather’s right, there will be gorgeous sunsets illuminating these peaks – Ama Dablam, the south face of Lhotse to the north, and Island Peak in the center of the valley.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

You will spend the day at Dingboche, continuing to acclimatize. If you’re adapting well to the altitude, you can climb Nangkartshang Peak for great views of Makalu, Lhotse, Cholatse, Taweche, and Ama Dablam. If you’re feeling super energetic, you can climb the 3.5 hours to the top – or you can opt to climb halfway to the peak. Either way, it’s a tough and steep climb but well worth the effort for the amazing views. 

You’ll return to Dingboche for a late lunch, and the rest of the afternoon is free for chilling out and building those red blood cells. You may also be able to catch a showing of the movie “Everest” at a small, bakery house cinema!

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Today, the trail climbs steeply out of Dingboche and past a chorten before ascending the valley gradually to the end of the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. On this section of the trail, you’ll also pass a quaint little yak herder’s cabin built of stacked stone. This spot is absolutely breathtaking; try to be present in the moment and take it all in.

You’ll stop at Thukla for a tea break (or lunch, depending on the time of day) before the steep climb up to Chukpo Lari, a beautiful, yet poignant place where sits a collection of memorials in tribute to the climbers who have died on Everest. Here you’ll find the memorial to American climber Scott Fischer, whose death on the mountain during the 1996 blizzard was detailed in the movie Everest. From this spot – and depending on cloud cover – there is a beautiful panorama of the peaks lying on the Nepal-Tibet border. 

The trail then eases off as you follow the valley to Lobuche, a tiny hamlet with a few tea houses where you’ll stay the night. In the late afternoon, you’ll have the option to walk up onto the lateral moraine of the Khumbu glacier for an incredible sunset over Nuptse. It’s definitely worth the effort if you’re feeling good!

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

It’s EBC day!

Today is a challenging but exciting day as you leave very early, following the Khumbu Glacier northwards to Gorak Shep (16,950 ft). The rocky trail undulates up and down the moraine with some short steep sections. It will take you about three hours to reach Gorak Shep, where you will drop your heavy stuff in your room, grab lunch, and head out again. From here to Base Camp and back there are no lodges, so fill your water bottles and take some snacks for the push to EBC. (Be sure to bring yourself a congratulatory Snickers bar, a time-honored tradition once reaching EBC!)

You’ll start by walking across the sandy flat at Gorak Shep to climb onto the lateral moraine of the Khumbu glacier. The trail ascends the side of the glacier for a couple of hours before finally descending onto the rocky glacial moraine itself. The trail winds up and down through fascinating ice seracs to the area known as Everest Base Camp. The climbing season on Everest is in the spring, when you may see in the distance some of the expedition teams as they prepare to climb the mountain. 

You’ll have a fantastic view of the Khumbu Ice Fall and can appreciate just how difficult it is for the climbers to negotiate a route through these huge blocks of ice. Nuptse towers above us and Pumori rears up behind us. After a celebration and quick photo stop by the Base Camp landmark — there may be a huge boulder or a pile of rocks — you’ll retrace your steps back to Gorak Shep.

Celebrate the pinnacle of your trek with a wonderful, steaming-hot meal followed by a deep snuggle into that comfy sleeping bag! Relax, YOU DID IT, and it’s all downhill from here!

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

After an especially early wake-up and hot cup of tea, you will ascend the small peak of Kala Patthar (“black rock”) at 18,520 feet for the most magnificent view of the Khumbu glacier and an incredible view of the sun rising over the world’s highest mountain. This hike is optional and you can choose to skip it and sleep in but if you can manage to drag yourself out of your sleeping bag for this steep, two-hour climb to the summit, you’ll be glad you did, as the effort is more than worth it. Seeing the sun rise over Mt. Everest? Yes, please!

After sunrise, you’ll head back down to Gorak Shep, and meet the late sleepers for a hot breakfast. You’ll then leave Gorek Shep, descending past Lobuche to Pheriche (14,340 ft). By this point, you should begin to notice that you feel stronger and the trekking is easier because of the ever-increasing oxygen density combined with your superhuman acclimatization.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

This morning, you’ll continue your descent along the Imja Khola Valley, which you’ll follow down to Pangboche, with superb views looking back to the great ridge of Lhotse-Nuptse. Pangboche, at 13,074 ft, is the highest permanent settlement on the approach to Everest. 

Dropping down to the rushing Imja Khola, you’ll then walk through rhododendron forests to Tengboche. From here, you’ll enjoy a fantastic panorama of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam. You’ll stay here for the night and visit the famous monastery. If the weather is clear, you can take in both a fantastic sunset AND an equally amazing sunrise.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Still enjoying all those extra red blood cells and more oxygen, you’ll descend through the forest to the river at Phunki Tenga. After crossing a suspension bridge, you then will climb up to Kyanjuma and spy its great views of Ama Dablam. From here, an easy trail contours around the hillsides back to Namche Bazaar. Time for an amazing lunch! 

After lunch, you’ll descend to the river – again, crossing the Hillary Suspension Bridge – and retrace your steps back to Monzo.

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Enjoy this last day of trekking in the Khumbu! 

Today, the trail meanders through the farmland of the lower Everest Region, back through Phakding (remember staying here on Day 2?), and on into Lukla. After a well-deserved hot shower (if you’re lucky enough to get one before the hot water runs out!), you’ll enjoy your evening meal with your teammates, hand out tips (we’ll give you guidance on this) and thanks to your Sherpa staff, and cut a rug with a celebratory dance party!

Meals included: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner

You will be at the Lukla airport bright and early to be ready for the first available flight back to Kathmandu. Depending on when you arrive back, the day is yours for relaxing, sightseeing, or shopping – after an incredible hot shower and nap first!

Meals included: Breakfast

No trip to Nepal would be complete without a tour of the amazing city of Kathmandu. Today’s that day!

 You’ll have a full day of touring the landmarks that make this capital city so special. Your tour guide speaks English so you won’t miss a thing as you are transported around Kathmandu in a private vehicle. All entrance fees are included so just enjoy it all.

After your long (but exciting) day, you may want to do nothing but drink an Everest Beer on the patio – but it’s your last few hours in Nepal so make the most of it! Use the points of interest in the Hobnail app to discover places to explore, shop, and enjoy Nepali cuisine – maybe even get a post-trek massage! Most of all, enjoy this amazing city!

Meals included: Breakfast

We hate to see you go! 

Hobnail staff will transport you to the airport and send you on your way with all of their best wishes and blessings. Take time on the long flights to write down your thoughts and experiences from the trek; you’ll be glad you did.