Everest Teahouse Trek

Namaste! Welcome to Nepal. Please meet at our Kathmandu office listed in the 'Joining point instructions' section of the Essential Trip Information the day prior to departure at 5 pm for a pre-departure meeting. At this meeting, the leader will reconfirm the flight times from Kathmandu to Lukla which are usually around 6.15 am. This will require you to meet the leader 4.45 am at your hotel on day 1. If you arrive after 5 pm on the day prior to departure, please contact us for a briefing on: +977 9801123617.

Fly (approximately 45 min) to Lukla (2840 m), the gateway of Everest region. If the weather is good, the views of the Himalayas from the small plane are spectacular! After a short safety briefing, we gear up and commence our trek. Today is a fairly gentle introduction, following the milk-white Dudh Kosi River approximately three-hours to the small village of Phakding (2610m).

ALTERNATIVE ITINERARY DUE TO FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS:
Weather conditions in the Himalayas can change rapidly, which frequently results in the need for changes to be made to our intended itineraries. Flights throughout Nepal, particularly in high mountain areas, can be delayed or cancelled due to poor weather conditions. Flights between Kathmandu and Lukla are particularly prone to these delays which has the potential to vary the itinerary of all departures in the Everest region. Our contingency plans in case of bad weather preventing the fixed wing aircraft flight from Kathmandu to Lukla are as follows:

Day 1: We will attempt to board our booked fixed wing flight as per the itinerary. If this flight is cancelled but helicopters are available and permitted to fly to Lukla we will use our best endeavours to charter a helicopter to transport you. Travellers will need to use their emergency fund to cover the cost of this chartered helicopter. The exact cost will depend on how many travellers are in your group and could be up to USD 500. If we reach Lukla on Day 1 by either fixed wing aircraft or helicopter we will then continue on our trek, with adjustments made depending on arrival time and weather conditions.

Day 2: If no flights (either plane or helicopter) are possible on the morning of Day 2, then we will follow an a trekking itinerary that includes Sundarijal, Chisapani, Nagarkot & Bhaktapur. A scenic Everest mountain flight will be included on Day 5, weather permitting.

We also advise allowing a few extra days in Kathmandu at the end of your trip should your return flights from Lukla be delayed due to weather conditions.

We trek to Namche - the trek up to the half-way point Jorsale is relatively undemanding, crossing Dudh Koshi river several times. The later half involves walking right down to the river banks for a while before the challenging uphill climb all the way to the administrative headquarters and biggest settlement of the Everest region (approx. 6hrs, 9 kms). Weather permitting, the first view of Everest is possible an hour or so from the approach point to Namche.

We sleep overnight in Namche (3440m)

Fortify yourself with a good breakfast for the steep 1.5hr climb for an unobstructed close-up view of Everest (weather dependent!) and the surrounding peaks. Return via the now-derelict Syangboche airstrip past Namche Bazaar mostly downhill to the tiny settlement of Monjo (approx. 4 hrs) (2840m).

Retrace the route from your earlier part of your trek to Lukla (approx. 4 hrs) (2840m)

This morning we take a short early morning flight back to Kathmandu (approx 45 minutes) where our trip concludes. You will be transferred back to central Kathmandu and dropped off at your hotel, but no accommodation is included tonight.