Everest Sacred Gokyo Lakes & Renjo La Lodge Pass Trek
Nepal Himalaya Trek

Day 1 – Arrive Kathmandu 1340m (4395′) | Transfer Kathmandu Guest House
Welcome to Nepal! You will be met at Tribhuvan International Airport by a representative from Kamzang Journeys & Khumbu Adventures (our partners in Kathmandu, Lhakpa and Nuru Sherpa). Look for a sign with your name on it as you leave the arrival area. We strongly suggest purchasing a NTC (Nepal Telecom) SIM card (e-SIM or regular SIM) as you leave the airport, often useful for data in the mountain regions of Nepal. We will transfer you to the Kathmandu Guest House (or see Great Stays tab for luxury, boutique, and other hotel options in the Kathmandu Valley) where your room has been booked for you. Drink plenty of water to hydrate after your flight, and enjoy your first evening in Kathmandu …

We’ll need your travel medical insurance, a photo of your passport and Nepali visa; please have them ready to give to Lhakpa or Nuru. And please ask if you need your gear checked, or have shopping or sightseeing questions!

Thamel is a myriad of shops of all imaginable varieties, bakeries, cafes, restaurants, bars, hotels, spas, climbing walls, colorful banners and signs, and eccentrically clad backpackers. Enjoy dinner at Roadhouse Cafe, New Orleans, Yin & Yang, Third Eye, or one of Thamel’s other restaurants … (B)

Day 2 – Kathmandu (& Helicopter Lukla Tomorrow)
Enjoy a free day exploring Kathmandu’s many World Heritage sites or embark on a tour of the beautiful Kathmandu valley, surrounded by Himalayan snow peaks (See Kathmandu Valley Tours for optional tours with a qualified guide, car, and entrance fees included). Or just relax at the hotel, visit the spa, have a massage, wander Kathmandu’s fascinating streets, pop into neighborhood Hindu temples and Newari-styled courtyards, join in on koras of the Buddhist temples. (B)

OR
Day 2 – Drive Mulkot (Ramechhap) 475m | Transfer Raj Riverside Resort or Kwality Beach Resort
You have an option to either spend your extra day in Kathmandu, or to drive to Mulkot (Ramechhap) and spend the night in a hotel before your flight to Lukla tomorrow. During the peak season in Nepal, there are essentially no Lukla flights permitted out of the Kathmandu Domestic Airport. The flights are instead operating out of Manthali Airport in Ramechhap, a 4 – 5 hour drive from Kathmandu. We will transport you by private vehicle to your hotel in Mulkot (about 35 km from the Manthali Airport) on the iconic Sun Khosi River. The hotels have a pool (as you’re now at 475 meters, so generally quite hot) and descent restaurants. You will fly early the next morning to Lukla to begin your Everest trek, either with your guide or meeting your guide in Lukla. (B)
Distance Driving: 95 km

Cafe Caravan & Dolpo Gallery
Dolpo Artist Tenzin Norbu creates wonderful Dolpo paintings, the prints (and some originals) are available from our Cafe Caravan at Boudhanath Stupa, housed in one of Boudha’s original historic buildings, decorated in a bright, Tibetan style and overlooking the magnificent stupa!

Massage in Kathmandu (Ramji of Relieving Hands)
Ramji is a blind masseur trained by Seeing Hands in Kathmandu, who now offers wonderful at home (or hotel) massages, with his own massage table and oil. He is truly a master masseur, a real healer and VERY highly recommended. His prices are extremely reasonable. Let us know if you want help to arrange a massage.
Relieving Hands by Ramji

Sightseeing in Kathmandu
Nuru Wangdi Sherpa (Khumbu Adventures & Café Caravan) has his Kathmandu guide license and a large SUV vehicle, and can arrange any sightseeing you might want to do in Kathmandu and the Kathmandu valley. He is often available for guiding your excursions as well.
Mobile & WhatsApp: +977 9803633783

Kathmandu | World Heritage Sightseeing Tours – Pashupatinath, Boudhanath, Durbar Square & Swayambunath
Kathmandu is filled with World Heritage sites and sacred destinations, crowded with traditional neighborhoods and colorful festivals. Spend a few days exploring Nepal’s exotic capital and the history-laden Kathmandu valley. We can arrange sightseeing guides and vehicles as required. See Kathmandu Heritage & Happenings for more details.

We recommend beginning with Pashupatinath in the early morning and moving on to Boudhanath mid-morning. Hindu Pashupatinath on the sacred Bagmati river and its sacred temple complex is one of Nepal’s most important sites, a powerful cremation site, and Nepal’s most important Hindu temple. Here, monkeys run up and down the steps of the burning ghats, and trident-bearing saddhus draped in burnt-orange and saffron sit serenely meditating when they’re not posing for photos-for-rupees. Local guides can explain the significance of the complicated ceremonies. Please be respectful when taking photos.

Boudhanath, in the midst of traditional monasteries (gonpas in Tibetan) and hung with long strings of multi-colored prayer flags, attracts Sherpas, Tibetans, and tourists alike for daily circumambulations (koras) of the iconic stupa. The striking Buddha eyes of Boudhanath Stupa watch over a lively and colorful Tibetan community and attract pilgrims from all over the Himalayan Buddhist realm. There are wonderful spots for lunch at Boudhanath (Roadhouse Cafe has wood-oven pizzas and a breathtaking view of the stupa and colorful Nepals circling it), and it’s a good place to learn the technique of thanka painting and purchase a thanka (Buddhist mural). See also Bhaktapur for more options for shopping for thankas.

Wander through the many temples, pagodas, courtyards, and the museum at Kathmandu Durbar Square, a timeless gathering spot and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Kathmandu Durbar Square, including the old royal palace, is Kathmandu’s ‘Palace Square’, a showcase for the world-renowned artisans and craftsmen of Kathmandu and a synthesis of Hindu and Buddhist palaces, temples, stupas, and statues. The Malla and Shah kings ruled over the Kathmandu Valley during the centuries of the building of the layers of this Durbar Square. Along with their opulent palaces, the square surrounds numerous courtyards and temples, all works of art with intricate and often erotic carvings. Kathmandu Durbar Square is known as Hanuman Dhoka Durbar Square, a name derived from a statue of Hanuman, the monkey devotee of Lord Ram, at the entrance of the palace. The social, religious and urban focal point of the city, Durbar Square is often the site of festivals, marriages, and other ceremonies such as Teej. Some important structures are Hanuman Dhoka Palace, Kumari Ghar (Abode of the Living Goddess), Taleju Temple, built between the 12th and 18th centuries, the 17th century stone inscription set into the wall of the palace with writings in 15 languages.

In the evening (take the interesting back streets from Durbar Square) climb the many steps to the gilded Swayambhunath stupa (known as the monkey temple) which rises from the Kathmandu valley floor at 1420 meters and is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Nepal. Swayambunath, the ‘self-created’  stupa, was founded over 2000 years ago at a time when the Kathmandu valley was filled by a large lake, with a single lotus in the center. Mythology says that Manjusri, a bodhisattva, drained the lake with one cut of his sword and the lotus flower was transformed into the stupa. From its commanding views of Kathmandu, circumambulate Swayambunath’s white-washed stupa, painted with distinctive Buddha eyes, the complex a unique synthesis of Buddhism and Hinduism. Another interesting time to visit Swayambunath is in the mornings when Nepalis visit the temple dedicated to the God of Smallpox with colorful offerings for the goddess.

Stop to photograph reflections in Kathmandu’s many pokharis or ponds, including the beautiful Rani Pokhari (queen’s bath) near New Road, and the Naga Pokhari (pond of the snake gods of the underworld) just beyond the palace gates. The many bathing ghats, square enclosures with steps leading down to water spouts, often decorated with naga heads, are also interesting and colorful gathering spots.

Day 3 – Fly Lukla 2850m/9350′. Trek Monjo 2835m/9300′
Nuru Sherpa will transfer you to the domestic airport. Just after sunrise, you embark on a spectacular 25-minute flight over the Kathmandu valley and along snow-capped Himalayan peaks to the renowned Hillary Norgay Airport in Lukla. You will have time to organize your duffel bag for the porter(s) and then enjoy a hearty breakfast at Paradise Lodge on the other side of the airstrip before you start trekking into the incredible Everest region!

Leaving the bustling village of Lukla, packed with colorful shops, restaurants, bars and still a bit of Sherpa character (as well as dzobkios or dzos, a mix of yak and cow) you being to trek north, with snow-capped Karyolung peak in the distance. The quaint, checkered and green village of Chaunrikharka, with its many whitewashed chortens and a Hillary school, sits in the valley just below the trail. The trail takes you above a rhododendron-choked forest, over the school and gonpa (monastery), and past the checkered fields of barley, spinach, and potatoes of the village. You are trekking along the Dudh Kosi (river) on a centuries-old trading trail from Nepal to Tibet. It is well-traveled by stout, heavily loaded Nepali porters and used to be used by Tibetan traders (Khampas, most distinguishable by the length of red or black tassel wrapped around their heads) conducting business between the weekly markets of Lukla and Namche with Chinese and Tibetan goods brought over the 5700m Nangpa La (pass) from Tibet. The pass, and customs, have been closed for about a decade over trade issues between Nepal and China, sadly. The Khumbu has now lost a bit of its unique character without the border trade from Tibetan, and these lively Tibetan traders. 

Half an hour out of Lukla you will reach the idyllic hamlet of Chheplung. Up valley rises the sacred peak of Khumbila, a black triangle that dominates the valley. From the small hamlet of Thado Kosi, while crossing the metal bridge, you will have your first view of the three statues peaks of Kusum Khangkaru to the east. Half an hour of lovely trekking over cobbled trails brings you to Ghat and the best-maintained cluster of mani stones and prayer flags in the Khumbu. The local lama, owner of the Lama Lodge in Ghat, is responsible for this magical setting. The inscriptions on the carved mani rocks is either ‘Om Mani Padme Hung’ (‘Hail to the jewel in the lotus”, the mantra for the next lifetime) or ‘Om Ma A Hung Baja Guru Padma Side Hung’ (the mantra to Guru Rimpoche to remove obstacles).

Once at Phakding, a lively village a half hour’s walk from Ghat, you will stop for lunch at Ang Sani and Jangbu’s Shangri La Lodge. Their son, Nawang, has just opened a stylish cafe with great cappuccinos from an Italian coffee maker!

Hiking by the small tea-houses servicing the locals and workers in Phakding, cross a long suspension bridge over the Dudh Kosi, past the new lodges and trek above the river, climbing through evergreen forests to reach the first lodge of Benkar. Look up to the protruding rocks for Himalayan thar, and some of the rocks that we pass are almost remelted granites or migmatypes, rocks similar to gneiss but with more swirls. Continuing over a small bridge, you continue through larger Benkar, the first village to attend the Monjo school. Another suspension bridge, several small tea houses serving local fare, and another climb, and you reach Chumoa, with apple and peach trees that bloom in the springtime. One more small bridge and a last climb on uneven stone steps to reach Monjo, where you will stop at the wonderful Kailash Lodge, run by Yangti Sherpa, for the night. Many of the cottages with views also have hot showers.

Monjo is a small Sherpa village tucked away in the forests high above the Dudh Kosi where Kim taught English years ago, only the newer part of the village visible from the trail. There is a newly reconstructed monastery above the school, and above that a steep drop-off and good view of tomorrow’s hike. (6 hrs) (B, L, D) 
Distance:13km

TRAVEL NOTE | Lukla flights are presently being run out of the Ramechhap Airport, about a 6-hour drive from Kathmandu (150 km). Options are to drive at night and catch the early morning flight to Lukla, or to stay a night in a basic to mid-range hotel in Ramechhap. Another option (which we recommend) is to book a shared helicopter from Kathmandu to Lukla and/or Lukla to Kathmandu, an additional $325 each way (5 passengers per helicopter).

Day 4 – Trek Namche Bazaar 3465m/11,365′ | Sunset Everest Views!
After a short walk past the school with Khumbila Peak (or Khumbu Yul La) looming majestically ahead, you enter the gateway to the Sagarmatha National Park. Descending steeply on a stony trail to the river, you cross a long suspension bridge to reach the hamlet of Jorsale, and then cross one more long bridge before taking the high trail up the stone steps and through the forest, trekking above the lower trail that follows the sandy riverside trail, the shores peppered with large, rounded river rocks. You have to trek for another 45 minutes to reach the long, iconic suspension bridge.

Bring your five-colored Tibetan prayer flags to hang on the bridge over the confluence of the Dudh Kosi (‘milk river’) and the Bhote Kosi (‘river from Tibet’) and send prayers out into the Everest region! The steep hour and a half climb to Namche on a dusty, rocky, switch-backing trail is broken halfway up the hill by your first view of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse. Local women sell delicious oranges at this resting point, which you will share with other trekkers. Another 45 minutes of climbing, mostly off the main trail amongst the evergreens, and you arrive at the old trading village of Namche Bazaar, now a thriving trekking metropolis. Have a short tour of the shopping and bakeries in Namche before heading up steep stone steps to our guest house, Natang and Pemba’s idyllic Moonlight Lodge, scenically situated at the top of Namche (and with great showers!)

Namche Bazaar, once called Nauje and now the most prosperous trading village on the old trade route with Tibet sits in an amphitheater surrounded by mountains. From Namche you have perfect views of Kongde Ri in front of us, Kangtega, Thamserku and Kusum Khangkuru to the east and Khumbila to the back. Down-valley the hills and valleys along the route from Solu to Khumbu from Jiri sit shrouded in hazy shades of steely-grey and blues. For some peak-spotting at sunset, hike up ten minutes just past the National Park headquarters. For a higher viewpoint, climb steeply to any of several viewpoints an hour plus walk straight up the ridge (above the huge mani stone at the top of the steps). Continue just past Syangboche airstrip, worth the effort for the panoramic views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Thamserku, Kantega, Kusum Khangkuru, Tarboche and Ama Dablam. (3½ hrs) (B, L, D)
Distance: 5.5km

Day 5 – Namche Bazaar (Acclimatization Day) | Everest Viewpoint Hike, Sagarmatha Next Cultural Center. Sunrise & Sunset Panoramas, Museums, Cultural Centers & Namche Monastery  
If it’s the Saturday Market (which starts on Thursday or Friday), spend the morning exploring the bustling market, a feast of colors, smells, and colorfully clad Sherpa women up from their villages for the weekly event. It’s as much a social gathering as the produce, meat, and essential goods market, so the atmosphere is spirited and lively, a great photographic opportunity. The Tibetans used to encamp in the center of town in a muddy bazaar (potato fields in the summer) touting their goods from China.

We recommend a fabulous hike for Everest and Himalayan views from about an hour above the lodge, with a beautiful cultural loop to return back to Namche. Climbing steeply, switchback straight up the ridge from right above the huge mani stone at the top of Namche’s stone steps. Continuing just past Syangboche Airstrip, turn right and hike up to one of several viewpoints. The hike is definitely worth the effort for the panoramic views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Thamserku, Kantega, Kusum Khangkuru, Tarboche and Ama Dablam! Satiated, you will visit the incredible Sagarmatha Next center (see below) and hike back to Namche via the lovely hamlet of Zarok, the Kumbila mural, the Guru Rimpoche mural and arrive back at Moonlight Lodge taking the route just above town, in time for lunch. For some peak-spotting at sunset (or sunrise tomorrow morning), hike up 15 minutes from the lodge, and take a right at the sign to the Museum and National Park headquarters. (4 hrs) (B, L, D) 

SAGARMATHA NEXT | This innovative center, finished in 2021, is situated just below the Everest viewpoints, definitely a must-visit when in the Khumbu. There is a wonderful short introductory video, an art gallery, an outdoor sculpture gallery, a shop, a café, an information center and an interactive Everest climb experience.

“Sagarmatha Next strives to promote sustainable tourism in the Khumbu region. Our aim is to change the perception around waste and provide support to the local stakeholders of the region, by bringing innovative and sustainable solutions for solid waste management. All profits generated will be reinvested in improving the waste management in the Khumbu region. Being home to the world’s highest mountain, the Khumbu region receives an ever-growing flow of visitors from across the globe. While this has brought socio-economic development in the area, it has also put a lot of pressure on biodiversity and the region delicate ecosystem during the last few decades.

Stepping into the Visitors Centre, you will be transported into a world-class museum: with new technology and great storytelling. We need a new way to interpret the world around us; a world where we are not thrusted with opinions but allowed to interpret and decide for ourselves. Sagarmatha National Park attracts visitors from all over the world and it is the ideal place to start a new movement. A movement where we understand the importance of local, a movement where we are aware of our actions, a movement where we know our environmental footprint, a movement where we are conscious and take every action in a mindful manner. At the Visitors Centre, you will find information about Sagarmatha National Park and the Khumbu region including history, geography, culture, climbing and trekking, Flora & Fauna, as well as the environmental challenges that we are facing and possible solutions.”

Day 6 – Trek Khunde 3855m/12,638′ (Khunde Guest House) | Afternoon Hike Hillary Memorial & Gong Ri 4050m
Your Sherpa guie will lead a scenic and cultural high trek to the twin ‘green’ valleys of Khunde and Khumjung, with more breathtaking Everest views en route, finishing the hike in Khunde at Doma Tseri’s Khunde Guest House. Taking advantage of the crisp morning light, hike up to the large mani stone, turning right around the rock and switchbacking up the hill, stopping at the prayer flag-covered rock along the way. You’ll head for the Sherpa villages of Khunde and Khumjung, passing through the airstrip at Syangboche en route. On the ridge above the airstrip, climb gradually on tundra to a large, whitewashed chorten to the left of the yak-breeding center. From here, climb briefly on stone steps to a small hill topped with chulung (memorial chortens) for fabulous views of Kumbila, Taboche, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kangtega, Kusum Khangkuru, Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse (we might have done a similar viewpoint hike yesterday morning, but there are lots of options). Continuing to the left of the yak breeding center, hike through a magical landscape of protruding rocks, ancient, weather-worn mani stones, whitewashed chortens and rhododendrons. You may spot Himalayan thar grazing on the hillsides, and possibly iridescent danphe and chortling chukars. Finally, a small climb and descent on more stone steps to reach the entrance (kane) chorten of Khunde. Having cleansed ourselves, you’ll hike past an ancient, long mani wall, past a newly reconstructed white-washed stupa with Buddha eyes, and past the small, beautiful Khunde Mani Lhakang, and afterwards past the Hillary Hospital where Lhakpa’s uncle Dr Kami Sherpa is the head doctor, to your lodge for the night. 

The adjoining villages of Khumjung and Khunde are some of the original villages of the Khumbu region, both about 600 years old and wonderful examples of local Sherpa architecture with their winding stone walls, yak paddocks, potato patches and wood and slate houses. Perhaps you will run into your guide’s Sherpa friends who might invite you in for some salt-butter tea, climbing up a wooden ladder over the straw-lined manger to get into the main house on the first floor. Both villages sit below Khumbila, the sacred Sherpa peak surrounded by lhaso (shrines to mountain deities), above a famous rock mural of Guru Rimpoche. The views of Ama Dablam from this valley are breathtaking, and very close!

At Khunde Guest House, enjoy a delicious Sherpa lunch in the sunroom, including their famous Sherpa chili sauce. The lodge has expansive mountain views from the warm, glass-windowed dining room. After dropping extra gear in our lodge rooms, head out for a great hike up to the Hillary Memorial and possibly a bit further to Gong Ri viewpoint, and then return to the lodge via the Khunde Monastery, happily tired and ready for a home-cooked Sherpa meal back in the dining room for sunset.

HILLARY MEMORIAL & GONG RI AFTERNOON HIKE | The side trip to Hillary Memorial (4050m), land the prayer-flag covered peak just above, locally referred to as Gong Ri, is a relatively easy hike (approximately 45-minutes) along a gradually ascending trail through a hillside lightly wooded with fir and juniper above Khunde Monastery. Just before reaching the monastery, take the intersecting trail heading left to a scenic ridge with a nearly 360-degree view of Himalayan peaks. The dramatic ridge top setting was dedicated as a memorial to Edmund Hillary’s wife, Louise, and his 16-year-old daughter, Belinda, who died tragically in a plane crash just outside of Kathmandu in 1975. The plane was heading to Phaplu Airstrip. Just above the memorial chortens to Louise and Belinda Hillary is a chorten built by local Khunde inhabitants to honor Sir Edmund Hillary. Turn left at the ridge for a lovely viewpoint rest stop, and right to reach the Hillary Memorials and continue up to Gong Ri, about 100m higher.

Views from the memorial include Everest, Lhotse, Nupte, Tabuche, Ama Dablam, Kangtega, Thamserku, Kusum Kangkaru, Kwongde and Pharchamo, as well as the twin villages of Khunde and Khumjung just below Khunde Gompa, Shyangboche, Namche and Monjo down the valley, and Tengboche and Pangboche to the north. From the ridge, look to the west to the Thame valley leading to the Nangpa La, once an important Tibetan trade route. The narrow valley before the Thame valley is rumored to be the home of several yetis. Returning, we can stop at Khunde Monastery for a visit; the gonpa monks often perform afternoon pujas, otherworldly as the afternoon clouds fill the Himalayan valley … (4+ hrs) (B, L, D)
Distance: 5.4km

RETURN TO NAMCHE HIKE | IF returning to Namche for any reason, you can descend from the memorial along the same trail, or head straight down the ridge towards Shyangboche, cutting back towards Khunde to meet the main trail back to Namche as well as the trail leading west towards Thame. You can bushwhack your way directly down to Namche but it takes some work, and the trails are only for woodcutters or musk deer. On the plus side, you’ll encounter the many colorful Danphe en route!

LOW ROUTE TO KYANGJUMA | If someone opts to spend the night in Namche instead of Khunde, you’ll take this route for the first 2 hours). Stay high, contouring around several hillsides far above the Dudh Kosi and stopping for views of Everest and Lhotse at the two whitewashed chortens. (The first chorten is a newer memorial to Tenzin Norgay). Two hours after leaving Namche we reach Tashi and Lhakpa’s Ama Dablam Lodge in Kyangjuma, perched dramatically on a steep hillside overlooking the peak of the same name. They have a delicious bakery if you want to pick up a treat! Continuing along the main trail through a lovely rhododendron forest, we take a sharp left at the intersecting trail leading to Gokyo and ascend the steep trail up to the bridge which intersects the old trail from Khumjung. 

Day 6 (Alternative Trek Day Option) – Namche Bazaar | Day Hike Khumjung 3800m/12,465′ & Khunde 3855m/12,638′ (Optional Hillary Memorial Hike)
Your Sherpa guide will lead a scenic and cultural day hike through the twin ‘green’ valleys of Khunde and Khumjung valley, with fabulous Everest views en route, finishing the hike at Doma Tseri’s Khunde Guest House. Taking advantage of the crisp morning light, you’ll hike up to the large mani stone, turning right around the rock and switchbacking up the hill, stopping at the prayer flag-covered rock along the way. You head for the Sherpa villages of Khunde and Khumjung, passing through the airstrip at Syangboche en route. On the ridge above the airstrip, climb gradually on tundra to a large, whitewashed chorten to the left of the yak-breeding center. From here, you climb briefly on stone steps to a small hill topped with chulung (memorial chortens) for fabulous views of Kumbila, Taboche, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kangtega, Kusum Khangkuru, Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse. We trek down to the Khumjung gate through a rocky, open hillside of rhododendrons, along a magical trail of rhododendrons, and may spot Himalayan tahr grazing on the hillsides, and possibly iridescent danphe and chortling chukars. Once past the entrance (kane) chortens, having cleansed ourselves, hike past an ancient, long mani wall, past a newly reconstructed white-washed stupa with Buddha eyes, and past the small, beautiful Khunde Mani Lhakang, and afterwards past the Hillary Hospital where Lhakpa’s uncle Dr Kami Sherpa is the head doctor, to your lodge for the night.

The adjoining villages of Khumjung and Khunde are some of the original villages of the Khumbu region, both about 600 years old and wonderful examples of local Sherpa architecture with their winding stone walls, yak paddocks, potato patches and wood and slate houses. Perhaps you will run into Sherpa friends who will invite us in for some salt-butter tea, climbing up a wooden ladder over the straw-lined manger to get into the main house on the first floor. Both villages sit below Khumbila, the sacred Sherpa peak surrounded by lhaso (shrines to mountain deities), above a famous rock mural of Guru Rimpoche. The views of Ama Dablam from this valley are breathtaking, and very close! Along the flanks of sacred Khumbila, we pass ‘chu lung’, or memorial chortens, and ‘lhaso’, or sqaure chortens with sticks and prayer flags, edifices constructed for the local gods of the Khumbu. You will also see ‘kar sur’, which are square edifices for the gods in the middle of local fields. ‘Lhasa’ are the smaller edifices in front of Sherpa houses and lodges, ‘gods’  houses’ where incense is burned in offering every morning. Descending into Khumjung (the Green Valley), you’ll see the long, beautiful mani wall and the Khumjung Secondary School, below, established by Hillary in the 70s. You will contour through ancient rock walls through the lower half of the village to Khumjung Gompa, one of the oldest in the Khumbu (approximately 500 years) and home to the only existing Yeti scalp on the planet.

At Khunde Guest House, enjoy a delicious Sherpa lunch in the sunroom, including their famous Sherpa chili sauce. The lodge has expansive mountain views from the warm, glass-windowed dining room.

OPTIONAL HILLARY MEMORIAL & GONG RI AFTERNOON HIKE | The side trip to Hillary Memorial (4050m), land the prayer-flag covered peak just above, locally referred to as Gong Ri, is a relatively easy hike (approximately 45-minutes) along a gradually ascending trail through a hillside lightly wooded with fir and juniper above Khunde Monastery. Just before reaching the monastery, take the intersecting trail heading left to a scenic ridge with a nearly 360-degree view of Himalayan peaks. The dramatic ridge top setting was dedicated as a memorial to Edmund Hillary’s wife, Louise, and his 16-year-old daughter, Belinda, who died tragically in a plane crash just outside of Kathmandu in 1975. The plane was heading to Phaplu Airstrip. Just above the memorial chortens to Louise and Belinda Hillary is a chorten built by local Khunde inhabitants to honor Sir Edmund Hillary. Turn left at the ridge for a lovely viewpoint rest stop, and right to reach the Hillary Memorials and continue up to Gong Ri, about 100m higher.

Views from the memorial include Everest, Lhotse, Nupte, Tabuche, Ama Dablam, Kangtega, Thamserku, Kusum Kangkaru, Kwongde and Pharchamo, as well as the twin villages of Khunde and Khumjung just below Khunde Gompa, Shyangboche, Namche and Monjo down the valley, and Tengboche and Pangboche to the north. From the ridge, look to the west to the Thame valley leading to the Nangpa La, once an important Tibetan trade route. The narrow valley before the Thame valley is rumored to be the home of several yetis. Returning, we can stop at Khunde Monastery for a visit; the gonpa monks often perform afternoon pujas, otherworldly as the afternoon clouds fill the Himalayan valley …

When returning to Namche, you can descend from the memorial along the same trail, or head straight down the ridge towards Shyangboche, cutting back towards Khunde to meet the main trail back to Namche as well as the trail leading west towards Thame. You can bushwhack your way directly down to Namche but it takes some work, and the trails are only for woodcutters or musk deer. On the plus side, you’ll encounter colorful Danphe en route! (6-7 hrs) (B, L, D)
Distance: 10km

Day 7 – Trek Phortse 3780m/12,398′
Leaving Khunde (or Namche), trek down through the walled villages to the end of the plateau, Ama Dablam looming majestically (and photographically) ahead. Taking the left fork, your trail intersects the trail from Namche at a metal bridge which spans a gap in the trail. From here you climb up stone steps, and stop for a rest at the top of the steps. Along the way you are likely to see wildlife such as Himalayan thar and the spectacularly hued danphe, Nepal’s national bird.

Continuing to climb gradually for another hour or so, you reach Mong La, where you will stop for a scenic lunch at Boudha Lodge, perched spectacularly on this (nearly) 4000 meter ridge pass. Across the valley sits Tengboche Gompa, backed by Thamserku and Kusum Kangaru, its gilded rooftops glittering in the afternoon sun.

You have a steep descent through pine and rhododendron forests on a sandy, switchbacking trail, with stone steps hugging the cliff side on the lower half, to Phortse Tenga. Just past the lodges and ancient, mossy mani walls, hiking through woods of birch, cross the river on a steel bridge and start the short but steep climb up to Phortse, one of the oldest villages of the Khumbu region. Keep your eyes open and cameras out as there are many musk deer, danphe and blood pheasants hiding in the rhododendron forests bordering the trail and the village. The danphe dig for potatoes in the lower fields of the village in the mornings and evenings, near the ancient chorten at the end of the fields.

You’ll stay at Phortse Guest House, which has a wonderful dining room, great views and good electricity. The lodge is run by a lovely Sherpa couple, Ba Nuru and his wife Pasang. Ba Nuru is a many-time Everest climber and one of the main participants in the Phortse Climbing School, founded by Conrad Anchor and his wife. The new Climbing Center, medical post and climbing wall are right in back of the lodge. (5 hrs)
Distance: 8.2km

Day 8 – Trek Dole 4050m/13,284′
Leaving Khunde, we trek down through the walled villages to the end of the plateau, Ama Dablam looming majestically (and photographically) ahead. Along the flanks of sacred Khumbila, we pass ‘chu lung’, or memorial chortens, and ‘lhaso’, or sqaure chortens with sticks and prayer flags, edifices constructed for the local gods of the Khumbu. We will also see ‘kar sur’, which are square edifices for the gods in the middle of local fields. ‘Lhasa’ are the smaller edifices in front of Sherpa houses and lodges, ‘gods’  houses’ where incense is burned in offering every morning.

Taking the left fork, our trail intersects the trail from Namche at a metal bridge that spans a gap in the trail. From here we climb up stone steps and stop for a rest at the top of the steps. Along the way, we are likely to see wildlife such as Himalayan Thar and the spectacularly hued danphe, Nepal’s national bird. Continuing to climb gradually for another hour or so, we reach Mong La, where we will stop for a scenic lunch at Boudha Lodge, perched spectacularly on this (nearly) 4000m ridge pass. Across the valley sits Tengboche Gompa, backed by Thamserku and Kusum Kangaru, its gilded rooftops glittering in the afternoon sun.

We have a steep descent through pine and rhododendron forests on a sandy, switchbacking trail, with stone steps hugging the cliffside on the lower half, to Phortse Tenga. Tenga means riverside, so after descending you immediately ascend again on the higher trail at the intersection of Phortse and the Gokyo valley. The route is beautiful, past frozen waterfalls, up cathedral-like stone staircases, through old rhododendron and Himalayan Birch forests, across small rivers, and past tiny Sherpa hamlets. The forest is home to several musk deer, shy creatures which peer out at us through the tangle of rhododendron.

You arrive at the summer settlement of Dole a few hours later, having had your first view of the 8000 meter Cho Oyu, and will stay for the night at the lovely Yeti Inn (ask the owner about the name). Dole translates as ‘plenty of stones’, and anyone who has extra energy can cross the stony stream bed and ascend either of the neighboring ridges for some good Himalayan views. Dole is a cold spot as the sun drops below the ridge at 2:30, but it comes up early in the morning to make up for the often chilly evening. Sit around the warm lodge stove and enjoy a cozy Himalayan evening. Please always tell your guide of your afternoon plans if you prefer to hike alone. (6 hrs) (B, L, D)
Distance: 9.59km

Day 9 – Trek Macherma 4430m/14,530′
Continue to trek up the incredibly beautiful Gokyo valley on tundra-like terrain, with well-worn trails cutting paths in the hard-packed earth. You will gain elevation as you trek along the trail high above the valley floor, Cho Oyu looming in front of us at the border of Nepal and Tibet for the later part of the walk. You hike pas small Sherpa herding huts en route, the first a singular lodge above local Sherpa huts. After a few more hours of trekking, you arrive at the charming yak herding settlement of Luza, one of the many seasonal settlements of the Khunde and Khumjung inhabitants. The next one is Macherma, which you reach 45 minutes later, having climbed steeply out of Dole to a set of prayer flags marking the end of the settlement, and ascending and descending once again to Macherma. Macherma is the name of a local female goddess, who we hope will bless your stay here!

You stay at the luxurious Tibetan-styled Namgyal Lodge, and enjoy some good Sherpa cooking around the warm dining room stove. Try the ‘thukpa’, traditional, warming, and delicious. Namgyal is half Sherpa and half Tibetan and plays the ‘damyin’, or Tibetan guitar. Again, anyone wanting an afternoon hike for acclimatization and views, perhaps visiting with the resident yaks, is free to climb up the ridges on either side of Macherma. (4 hrs) (B, L, D)
Distance: 5.13km

Day 10 – Trek Gokyo 4790m/15,711′
Another sublime trekking day as you head towards Gokyo, which sits just below 4800 meters, and the sublimely beautiful valley of the Gokyo Lakes. Another climb to start the day as you hike up to the Tibetan prayer flags (lung-ta in Tibetan) and cairns on the ridge and then descend gently with Fanga, a single lodge across the river from the seasonal village of Nha across the river. Past Fanga where the trail narrows, you descend and then climb again on stone steps on an often icy trail, with frozen waterfalls to our left. You soon reach the confluence of the Dudh Kosi coming from the Gokyo valley and the stream coming from the Nzozumba Glacier and cross this river on a small metal bridge.

Finally, you have reached the idyllic Gokyo valley and the small first lake, now partially filled with algae, surrounded by sculptural cairns just ahead. Ruddy Shelducks float on the far end of this lake as well as the next two lakes up the valley. In the Gokyo valley, the character of the trekking changes abruptly. The opaque powder blue lakes are often on the verge of freezing over, and sometimes perform a Himalayan symphony of expanding and retracting ice. You have entered the grassy ablation valley running beside the Ngozumpa Glacier.

Continue trekking on a rocky, winding trail for half an hour to the second lake and soon after have your first sight of Gokyo, the ever-expanding seasonal ‘trekking village’ (once just a kharka), built beside the third, and biggest lake. In this grassy ablation valley running beside the Ngozumpa Glacier, the character of the trekking changes abruptly. The opaque powder-blue lakes are often on the verge of freezing over, and sometimes perform a Himalayan symphony of expanding and retracting ice. Gokyo has become something of a Himalayan resort without the crowd – at least in terms of the comfortable lodges with sunrooms, unbeatable views, excellent food, and warm stoves. A more spectacular setting is difficult to imagine, and your guesthouse, the Cho Oyu View Lodge, perfectly situated on the lake-side, is a little piece of heaven. Dali Sherpa, our host, is a good friend, and with her two kids, Tenzin and Ang Tashi, has now expanded and improved their little lakeside lodge.

LODGE OPTION | Stay at Gokyo Eco Lodge or Thanka Inn (most rooms have attached bathrooms, WiFi) for an extra $25 per person per night. (4 hrs)

Day 11 – Gokyo | Climb Gokyo Ri 5360m/17,580′
We’ve scheduled two full days at this lake-side Himalayan paradise, enjoy your time by the lake and climb up Gokyo Ri with your Sherpa guide on the first day here if you’re feeling acclimatized. (B, L, D)

GOKYO RI CLIMB | A morning climb to Gokyo Ri (Peak) (5360m) for wonderful Everest and Himalayan peak views and spectacular views of the Gokyo Lakes, Ngozumba Glacier, the glacial valley. The Himalayan peak panorama includes Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Pumori, Cholatse, Tarboche, Thamserku, Gyachen Kang + more. The views are fantastic in the morning, the middle of the day or for sunset, but don’t forget to bring a torch if you opt for a ‘sunset on Everest’ views, which in our opinion is better than the sunrise view when the sun rises behind the Himalayan peaks. To the west is the Renjo La (4515m) pass, tomorrow’s goal, and the gateway to the Thame Valley and the Nangpa La, which the Tibetans cross with their yaks en route to Namche. (B, L, D)
Distance: 3.47km (3½ hrs)

Day 12 – Gokyo | Gokyo Valley Scoundrel’s View Day Hike 
Another day in the wonderful Gokyo Lakes region, with lots to do in this incredibly scenic valley. If you didn’t get up Gokyo Ri yesterday you’ll have another chance to get to the top and enjoy the views today. Or opt to just grab a chair, sit by the lake and relax. You ARE on vacation, and it’s an amazing location on the shores of the Himalayan Gokyo Lake! (B, L, D)

FIFTH LAKE & SCOUNDREL’S VIEW HIKE | A beautiful day hike heading north up the Gokyo valley, past the glacial Fourth Lake (Thanak Tsho), heading towards the Fifth Lake (Ngozumba Tsho) and the snowy massif of Cho Oyu on the border of Tibet. There are several trails that snake up this valley, one emerging on the ridge overlooking the Ngozumpa Glacier, another passing right next to the eerily deserted fourth lake with its white, stony beach. All trails have views of Everest and the Himalayan range, so the hike is never dull! The unobstructed view of Everest from Scoundrel’s Point (4995m) is a great reward for the walk, about a 13 km round trip journey from Gokyo and about 2½ hours from Gokyo. (5-6 hrs r/t)

GOKYO LAKE KORA | An hour+ Buddhist ‘kora’ hike around Gokyo Lake, passing the beach and Buddhist and Hindu ‘temples’ on the opposite side, stopping at the sandy beach across from the lodges, watching the Ruddy Shelducks and other birdlife. (1½ hrs)

SUNSET MORAINE VIEWS | Don’t miss a quick hike up the moraine ridge in the back of the village for glorious sunset colors on Cho Oyu, the skies turning golden and pink down the valley towards Cholatse, Tarboche and Thamserku. (½ hr)

Day 13 – Trek Lungden 4375m | Cross Renjo La Pass 5415m/17,760′
Another early Himalayan start as you head west of Gokyo lake (taking the upper trail) towards the Renjo La pass. The trail switchbacks very steeply up a sandy ridge, crosses an often-frozen stream, and continues along finally skirting the dramatic rock face below the pass to the top, a climb of over four hours, with Makalu and Everest looming ever larger on the horizon. The trail has recently been improved to accommodate yaks, and the views from the top are some of the best in all of the Himalayas, with a long and impressive panorama of 7000 + 8000-meter peaks, Gokyo Lake below, and colorful prayer flags sending out prayers in at the windy summit.

After some lunch and photos on top of the Renjo La, you’ll begin the even steeper descent (trekking poles recommended, and possible micro-spikes) down large stone slab steps, often icy, to the lake below. Continuing past several small yak kharkas, the twin Renjo Lakes and an old lake bed with intertwined streams sparkling in the sun, you reach a small, sandy kharka surrounded by old rock walls. From here you begin a steep descent to the season settlement of Lungden in the Thame valley. You stay at the newly renovated Renjo Support Lodge, owned by Ngawang Sangay and his wife Pasi (often Pasi’s sister Sani is also working at the lodge). Ngawang Sangay divides his time between Nepal and Japan, is from Khumjung but runs the lodge in the small, walled, and seasonal hamlet of Lungden. Again, the views are wonderful from the lodge so don’t be lured inside all afternoon by the warm stove. You have trekked down to one of the few still-traditional Sherpa valleys of the otherwise well-trekked Khumbu region. (8 hrs) (B, L, D)
Distance: 11.6km,

Day 14 – Trek Thame 3805m/12,480′
Today’s Himalayan hike is a step back in time as we pass by many old, walled Sherpa villages, seasonal settlements of the Thame and Thamo villagers. We will probably also share the trail with Tibetan yak caravans, Khampas trading en route to and from Namche and Tibet with the villagers. Cross an icy stream, jumping from stone to stone before crossing the last section on a small wooden bridge, and follow a high trail above the Bhote Kosi through Marulung (4210m). Just past Marlung, you cross an intersecting stream on a Bailey Bridge; from the climb just afterward we take the higher trail and trek through the top of the traditional Sherpa village of Tarnga, where Sherpa folklore tells of a yeti massacre. Sherpas from throughout the Thame valley own land for growing potatoes in Tarnga, once a seasonal settlement that only grew barley. Above to the left is the triangular, snow-covered Langmuche Ri (6344m).

Just before reaching Thame Thang, you have the option to make a short detour to the small Nyimgmapa Kerok Gompa (Kyarong Sang-Naag Choling Gompa, 3870m), with an intimate courtyard and a new museum. When you reach Thame Thang, hike past a series of chortens and mani walls, and through the Sherpa village to reach Lhakpa’s sister Serki and her husband Pasang’s modest Sherpa house. Their daughter Mingma Choki, who attended Khumjung School now studies in Kathmandu. Mingma’s older sister Pasang Lhamu, finished her schooling at Khumjung and college (+2) in Kathmandu, and in 2022 was applying to universities. And she now works at our Cafe Caravan in Boudha! Their cousin Sonam Chhuten, used to attend Thame School (where she walked 2 hours each way every day from Mende) but now boards at Khumjung School. The Kamzang Fund has sponsored these three lovely girls for their educations for many years, as well as their other cousin Zangmu, also from Thame.

Trekking past the new stupa, you have a small ridge to climb before looking down on the scenic and traditional village of Thame. Thame is an old village of snaking rock walls, yak paddocks, and traditional slate-roofed Sherpa houses. Thame Gompa, perched up to the north of the village, is one of the oldest in the Khumbu, and one of the gompas that celebrates the Dunche festival in the summertime. You stay the night at Lhakpa’s uncle Doctor Kami (of Khunde Hospital) and his wife Dawa Dolma’s Valley View Lodge, with the best tongba (fermented millet beer, served in a bamboo container with a long straw and hot water) in the Khumbu. The lovely cook’s lively daughter is named Chandika, and was 10 years old studying at Thame School in 2021, and The Kamzang Fund now sponsors Bipana Rai, age 12 and in class 3 in 2021, who used to stay with Sonam Chhuten’s family. 

Take the afternoon to climb to Thame Gonpa, one of the oldest in the Khumbu, and wander around the walled village. Lhakpa’s niece and our yak driver Mingma’s daughter Doma Tenzing teaches at the Thame School, and was also aided in finishing her college degree in Kathmandu by The Kamzang Fund. She is now married and living along tomorrow’s trail to Namche. Kunga Palmo, her sister Doma Rigzin’s 5-year-old daughter, also attends kingergarten (2021) in Thame.

To the west of Thame near the Tashi Labsta La (5755m) which leads to the Rolwaling Valley is Papchermo Ri (6273m), and Sundar Peak (5360m) is just to the north of Thame, a day-climb. (4 hrs) (B, L, D)
Distance: 11.4km

Day 15 – Trek Namche | via Khari Ani Gompa + Lawudo Gompa 3900m/12,792′
Back to Namche, the Moonlight lodge, hot showers, good food and cold beers after a beautiful walk from Thame back to Namche. Leaving Thame, you pass Mingma’s house (another yak man, Lhakpa’s cousin, Doma Tenzing’s father) and their newly reconstructed house gompa and prayer wheel. You might stop in at Lhakpa’s younger sister, Pelhamo’s house (where Lhakpa grew up) in the lower end of the village for a cup of tea if she is not in Mende, the family’s winter home. Continuing to descend past ancient, carved mani walls, we cross the deep ravine on a Bailey bridge and gaze up at the wonderful murals of Guru Rimpoche and other Buddhist figures on a rock face high over the Bhote Kosi. You will trek through lovely Samde, which has small shrines to mountain deities in the middle of their fields, and then stop for a visit to the beautifully reconstructed Khari Nunnery (ani gompa), which houses lovely nuns originally from Tibet.

KHARI GOMPA | “In 1959, as the Chinese Cultural Revolution raged through Tibet destroying Buddhist monasteries and artifacts and killing thousands of monks and nuns, Khari Rinpoche Lobsang Tsultrim and some of his students fled Tibet. He and his followers crossed over the treacherous Nangpa La (pass) into Nepal and found refuge in the foothills of the Himalayas near Mount Everest. They settled in the village of Thamo. In 1962 some Thamo villagers offered land and in 3 days built a monastery for the nuns and their Lama on the hillside above the village. This became Khari Gonpa, a small Tibetan Buddhist nunnery. By 2002 the prayer hall (lhakang) at the nunnery was too small to accommodate the nuns and local community of Sherpas and Tibetans, and it was in serious disrepair. At that time, His Holiness the Dalai Lama requested the 3rd Khari Rinpoche Tenzin Yonten to design and build a new prayer hall in the same location as the original one. Today the magnificent new lhakang is finished.” – Tara Foundation USA

After a visit to the nunnery, you’ll pass through the scenic village of Thamo where the Nepal army used to have a customs post to control the Tibetan trade over the Nangpa La. The pass is now, sadly, closed to Tibetan traders. An option to visit Lawudo Gompa below, in which case you miss seeing the ani gompa.

LAWUDO GOMPA SIDE TRIP | You can make a side trip to Lawudo Gompa (3900m), affiliated with the renowned Kopan Gompa in Kathmandu, tucked away above Thamo and Mende villages. Take an alternative (and rarely used by trekkers) trail which climbs steeply to the small gompa where Guru Rimpoche meditated in a small cave en route to Tibet. The monk or ani (nun) staying in this magical retreat will inevitably treat you to tea while you take in the spectacular views from the gompa steps. Khumbila, the sacred Sherpa peak, looms overhead, prayer flags from the gompa providing the perfect Himalayan foreground. The local monk, Nawang Chhuldim, assured Kim that this was one of the most beautiful spots in the Khumbu when Kim first happened upon this isolated gompa, high above the main trail. The cave the famous Rimpoche used has been turned into a tiny cave chapel, and there is an eclectic in-house library.

From Mende, drop steeply to the main trail and trek for an hour and a half to Namche, contouring high above the river on an undulating trail, passing two large chortens and ending at the Tibetan puja spot, adorned with thousands of lung-ta (prayer flags), and soon the Namche helipad where we’ll have great views down to the amphitheater of Namche. (4-6 hrs) (B, L, D)
Distance: 10.3km

Day 16 – Trek Lukla 2850m/9348′
Leaving Namche along the same trail that you hiked up over a week ago, trek down the steep hill past the Everest viewpoint to the prayer flag-covered suspension bridge, continue on an hour along the lower trail to Jorsale where we cross the river yet again on a suspension bridge. Jorsale is the home of Phuru Diki, one of the girls that the Kamzang Fund has sponsored since class 3. After finishing nursing school (university) in Kathmandu, Phura Diki headed to Sydney to continue her studies, working on furthering her nursing education!

After one last steep hill to the National Park gate, we reach the welcome sight of Monjo, green with apple trees and checkered fields. We might run into Dali, the mother of Dawa Yangi and Nimalee, two Monjo sisters that the Kamzang Fund sponsored since class 3 as well. Dawa Yangi has finished her tourism degree in Kathmandu, and also has city and trekking guide licenses, while Nimalee was working at one the high-end lodges in the Khumbu and is now married with a daughter. We’ll stop for lunch 1½ hours away at Shangri La in Phakding, and finish the trek back at Dawa Phuti and Ang Pasang’s Eco Paradise Lodge in Lukla, where the adventurous can try some of Dawa’s famous Sherpa tongba. This cozy dining room is one the nicest in the Everest region, so it’s always an added treat to return there after the trek.

Ang Pasang works closely with the airport, so we are in good hands for our flight out the next morning. We will give out tips and have a party for the Kamzang Journeys staff in the evening! (7-7½ hrs) (B, L, D)
Distance: 18.2km

Optional Helicopter Lukla 2850m/9348′ (Optional Helicopter Trip)
You’ve already trekked this section of trail, and it’s a long, undulating hiking day from Namche to Lukla. Why not consider sharing a helicopter back to Lukla and relaxing for the rest of the day at Paradise Lodge, enjoying a cappuccino at one of Lukla’s many cafes, doing some craft shop or gallery browsing? Or if you feel like a short hike, you can do a beautiful Chaunrikharka loop.

+ Price of helicopter is approximately $600, so seat dependent on number of passengers.

Extra Day – Trek Chhuserma | The Beyul 2660m/8725′
If you’d like to break up the last long day from Namche back down to Lukla, consider adding an extra day, stopping at the wonderful boutique Beyul Lodge in Chhuserma, a small village across the river from the main trail. This lodge is a unique, traditional yet modern retreat, a jewel in the Everest region run by the lovely Nima Sherpa!

Leaving Namche along the same trail that you hiked up over a week ago, you’ll trek down the steep hill past the Everest viewpoint to the prayer flag covered suspension bridge, continue on an hour to Jorsale where you cross the river yet again on a suspension bridge. Jorsale is the home of Phuru Diki, one of the girls the Kamzang Fund has sponsored since class 3 (she finished nursing school in Kathmandu and is now studying nursing in Sydney). After one last steep hill to the National Park gate, you reach the welcome sight of Monjo. You might run into Dali, the mother of Dawa Yangi and Nimalee, two Monjo sisters that the Kamzang Fund has sponsored for school. Dawa Yangi is now finished with her degree in Hotel Management & Tourism in Kathmandu and is working at Cafe Caravan and as a Kathmandu city tour guide, while Nimalee is married with a young daughter, living in Pangboche.

It’s another hour and a half back to Phakding, where you cross the bridge over the river and hiking along the opposite side of the river, well away from other trekkers. Your destination is Nima’s charming Beyul & Hermitage Lodge where you will enjoy Himalayan views on their terrace, sit around the stove with the welcoming family, eat an organic meal from their own garden and enjoy true peace. This is a unique lodge and a chance to get to know Sherpa culture with some Western amenities! (5 hrs)

+ The Beyul | Extra $50 per person/per night

Day 17 – Fly Kathmandu | Transfer Kathmandu Guest House
Bags packed and ready to go before the sun rises as you fly early morning out of Lukla, heading to Kathmandu. And taking off from the Hillary Airstrip is just as exciting as landing! Flights out of Lukla are sometimes delayed by bad weather, so we suggest booking an extra day in Kathmandu in case of cancellations. In Kathmandu, back at the Kathmandu Guest House, hot showers await, and grubby clothes can be dropped at the laundry. In the evening head out to dinner at one of Thamel’s many restaurants and celebrate your epic trek through the Everest region! (B)

TRAVEL NOTE | We strongly recommend scheduling an extra day in Kathmandu in case of flight delays or cancellations out of Lukla or Ramechhap.

Day 18 – Trip Ends | Transfer TIA
Transfer to the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) for your flight home. Namaste & Tashi Delek!

Not Enough of Nepal?
We highly suggest taking advantage of your trip to Nepal, adding on excursions into the Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, Bandipur, Gorkha, the Annapurna Foothills, and Chitwan and Bardia National Park. Enjoy heritage tours, mountain biking, Kathmandu valley hiking, Himalayan panoramas (and a hike down) from the Chandragiri Cable Car, whitewater rafting, yoga and meditation courses, Nepali cooking classes, Buddhist or Hindu retreats, and much more. There are many wonderful, boutique, luxury, and heritage lodges in the Kathmandu Valley, and many options for world heritage sightseeing tours, bicycle trips, hikes, and craft-cuisine tours. Nepal boasts world-class restaurants, chic cafes, timeless alleyways to wander through, countless Hindu and Buddhist festivals, and lots of great shopping.

Don’t miss an Everest sightseeing flight or epic helicopter tour, sightseeing trips to Bhaktapur, Patan, and Panauti (Kathmandu Valley’s other historic and/or capital cities), a weekend at Shivapuri Heights Resort or Dwarikas in Kathmandu, a night at the Fort Hotel in Nagarkot for sunrise and sunset Himalayan panoramas, a spa and wellness getaway at the ultra-luxurious Dwarikas Dhulikhel Resort and visits to ancient temple and monastery complexes such as Namo Buddha, Changu Narayan, and Dakshinkali. Spend a night at The Old Inn in Bandipur or Three Mountain Lodge en route to Pokhara, or The Famous Farm in Nuwakot, and get to know Nepal’s Newar heritage.

Enjoy a luxury 3-6 day trek in the Annapurna Foothills, staying in the wonderful Ker & Downey luxury lodges. Relax in heritage style at Temple Tree Resort in Pokhara for some pampering at the spa and infinity pool, try out paragliding, zip-lining, and enjoy a morning of boating on the lake and the hike to Shanti Stupa. Once refreshed, drive to Chitwan National Park, spending 2 or 3 nights at Maruni Sanctuary Resort or Tiger Tops Tharu Lodge for wildlife and bird spotting, river trips, and safaris in style. Tiger Tops also owns Karnali Lodge at Bardia National Park, reached by flight from Kathmandu, and there are nearby archeological sights to visit nearby.

Namaste!

Nepal Modules
Nepal & Kathmandu Modules | Customize Your Trip!

2024 Dates
5 – 22 Nov

2025 Dates
6 – 23 April
2 – 19 Nov

+ Private Treks Available Spring, Autumn & Early Winter!

2024 Trek Price
Everest Gokyo Lakes & Renjo La Lodge Trek (18 Days)
$3180
$2580 (B&B)

Everest Gokyo Lakes & Renjo La Lodge Trek (15 Days)
$2880
$2380 (B&B)

2025 Trek Price
Everest Gokyo Lakes & Renjo La Lodge Trek (18 Days)
$3280
$2680 (B&B)

Everest Gokyo Lakes & Renjo La Lodge Trek (15 Days)
$2980
$2480 (B&B)

+ Includes Lodges, All Meals & Unlimited Hot Drinks
+ B&B Only Price Options
+ Sherpa Guide 

Kathmandu Guest House Single & Double Upgrades 
+ Deluxe Upgrade Kathmandu Guest House (3 Nights) – $135
+ Suite Upgrade Kathmandu Guest House (3 Nights) – $225

Kathmandu Guest House | Extra Nights Room Price
Includes Breakfast & Taxes

Standard Single – $55
Standard Double – $65
Deluxe Single – $100
Deluxe Double – $110
Suite Single – $130
Suite Double – $140

Hotel & Lodge Upgrades
+ Single Upgrade Lodges – $200, $225 + $250
+ Chhuserma | The Beyul Extra Trekking Day – $150

Everest Region Helicopter Prices
+ Helicopter Kathmandu – Lukla (and Lukla – Kathmandu) ($325 Per Person. Shared Helicopter 5 Pax)
+ Helicopter Namche – Lukla (+$750 Per Helicopter. Max 5 Pax)
+ Helicopter Tengboche or Pangboche-Lukla (+$1050 Per Helicopter. Max 5 Pax)
+ Helicopter Lobuche – Lukla (+$1500 Per Helicopter – Max 3 Pax)

Custom Treks
Private Departures Available | Choose Your Own Dates!

Includes

• Kathmandu Guest House (or Upgraded Boutique & Luxury Hotel)
• Kathmandu Lukla Kathmandu Fights
• Sagarmatha National Park Permits
• Local Expertise & 20+ Years of Experience in the Everest Region
• Local Khumbu & Kathmandu Support
• Options for Helicopter Flights
• Rescue Service (Cost Not Included)
• Oxygen Saturation Meter
• Airport Transfers
• Kamzang Lodge Trekking
  Meals & hot drinks from lodge menu, French Press coffee, filtered drinking water, double rooms at our Kamzang-approved Sherpa lodges, small medical kit & O2 monitor, Sherpa guide & porter(s), local support in the Khumbu with our network of Sherpa friends, office support in Kathmandu, local knowledge & 20+ years of experience in the Everest region!

Excludes

• International Flights
• Nepal Visa
• Trip Cancellation or Travel Medical Insurance
• Rescue Service Cost
• Helicopter Shuttle
• Meals in Kathmandu
• Equipment Rental
• Beer, Wine, Bottled Drinks + Bottled Water + Toilet Paper
• Bakery Items & Packaged Snacks
• Showers, Laundry & Battery Charging
• Hot Water Bottles or Boiled Drinking Water (To Fill Water Bottles)
• Tips

Tips & Extra Cash
Allow approx $250 – $350 for meals (while not on trek), drinks + extras (see ‘excluded items’) on trek and tips. We recommend $250 per trekker as tips for the staff.

TripAdvisor Reviews!

Trekker Highlights & Reviews
Travelers’ Comments

Trek Highlights

• The Gokyo Lakes + Gokyo Valley Trek
• Gokyo Ri Peak
• Renjo La Pass
• Everest, Lhotse + Nuptse Mountain Views
• Ama Dablam Base Camp + Sunset Views
• Tengboche, Pangboche, Namche Bazaar + Khumjung Monasteries
• Sherpa Tibetan Buddhist Culture
• Cozy Sherpa Lodges
• Namche Bazaar + Saturday Market
• Rhododendron Season in the Spring
• Himalayan Wildlife
• The Best of Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya!

Trekkers’ Comments
Kamzang Journeys is the best in the Everest region! Some of the most spectacular landscapes in the Nepalese Himalayas. A window on the traditional villages of Sherpas and the “gompas” (monasteries), their Buddhist culture of mountains as well their summits and sacred valleys. The Everest area is a very spiritual and colorful place. We flew to Lukla, at the base of Himalayan peaks, where I spent a little more than three weeks hiking around the world’s highest mountains. Namche, a wonderful mountain perched village, Chuckung, where for the first time I reached the summit of a mountain at more than 5000 meters, Gorak Shep, at the base of Mount Everest where I climbed Kala Patthar (5600m), the Cho La and Renjo La and much more! Thanks to Kim and the entire Kamzang Journeys team for allowing me to discover this wonderful place!
– Adam D, Everest High Passes Trek 2015
Watch the Video!
Everest High Passes Trek | Adam D on Vimeo

Awesome guide, perfect arrangements and detailed advice! We loved our trek to Everest base camp, thanks a lot to Kamzang Journeys!
– Karen + Wang (USA), Private EBC Trek 2019

Viney was my private guide to trek to Everest base camp in October 2013.  I felt very secure with him the entire time.  He was always attentive to my wellbeing from the time we started in x (kim pls fill in) where we ended up slogging through rainfall and mud due to the cyclone left over from India, all the way through to the end of our trip in Lukla.  I could count on him without a doubt every day of the entire 3 weeks we spent together.  Thanks to Viney for an excellent trek!
– Lori C (USA), Private Everest High Passes Trek 2014

Tashi was the perfect guide for me. I was going solo, and looking mostly for solitude; Tashi’s temperament was the perfect match for mine. When he had something to say, it seemed eerily to come right when I was about to ask him a question about the very thing he started to speak about! He has a real passion for the natural world he lives in and for the Sherpa people and their traditions, too. I ended up falling ill with something and here again Tashi was the perfect guide – helpful but not smothering or overly-solicitous. I will be back, and with my family and I’m certain to request that Tashi accompanies us when we return.
– Nick A-H (UK), Private Everest Base Camp Trek 2014

Tsering Sherpa is marvelous, extremely responsible, serious, devoted, very thoughtful, discreet and very pleasant to trek with. He is very helpful, well travelled, speaks good English, is well-mannered and has a good experience as a mountaineer and a climber.  He is very powerful, strong and quick, and smiles a lot! He seems to know everybody on the trail, is active in his community and is respected by other Sherpas. On trek he was a good counsellor on food, and of course respectful of tradition and of the Tibetan Buddhist faith. With him we felt very secure as he knows the trail and all the short cuts.
– Nan + Odette (France), Private Everest Base Camp Trek 2014

Viney was my private guide to trek to Everest base camp in October 2013.  I felt very secure with him the entire time.  He was always attentive to my wellbeing from the time we started in x (kim pls fill in) where we ended up slogging through rainfall and mud due to the cyclone left over from India, all the way through to the end of our trip in Lukla.  I could count on him without a doubt every day of the entire 3 weeks we spent together.  Thanks to Viney for an excellent trek!
– Lori C (USA), Private Everest High Passes Trek 2014

Last May I spent almost three weeks hiking with Mingma in the Khumbu region of Nepal and we explored the Gokyo lakes, Gokyo valley and we climbed Gokyo Ri. Mingma is an experienced mountain-guide, knows all the summits in the region, the Sherpas and routes.  He is responsive of the challenges, strong and kind, but he is very calm in case of difficult situations. While we walked together, he was attentive and he always tried to accommodate my phyisical condition and my spiritual eagerness. We spent wonderful time together and I immensely enjoyed every moment of the trek. I am planning to walk with him again in 2015!
– Kati K (Hungary), Private Gokyo Lakes Trek 2014

Kim and her colleagues at Khumbu Adventures arranged a solo trek for me at very short notice in November 2013 – and did it even whilst most of them were leading another trek in Mustang! They made the complex easy. From a wonderful guide to helping me arrange evacuation when I got sick, I was always in knowledeable, kind, efficient hands. I recommend Kamzang Journeys without reservation and I’ll be using them when I return to Nepal in September 2014!
– Nick A (UK), Private Everest Trek 2013

Kim Bannister Photo Gallery | Trip + Trek Photos
Kim Bannister Photography

Travel Reading | Enhance Your Trip!
Travel Books

Sherpa Books
Stories & Customs of the Sherpas – Frances Klatzel
Gaiety of Spirit – Frances Klatzel

Online Articles + Documentaries on Everest Region
Everest High Passes Trek – Adam D on Vimeo

Glacier Works – David Breshear’s Interactive Site

Everest by Drone | National Geographic Adventure

Battle of the Himalayas: The Fight to Film Everest – BBC Four Documentary

1953: First Footsteps – Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzin Norgay – National Geographic

Sherpas | The True Heroes of Mount Everest – Film Adventure

Glory or Death | Climbing Mount Everest – True Sports (YouTube)

On Mount Everest, Sherpa Guides Bear the Brunt of the Danger – NPR

Lakes Expanding Dangerously in Everest Glacier – BBC

Rivers of Ice – Vanishing Glaciers – BBC

Everest – National Geographic Adventure

Climbing Everest Then & Now – National Geographic Adventure

Everest Revealed: Photos by Renan Ozturk – National Geographic Adventure

Flying a Drone at Everest – Himalayan Aerials

The Everest Avalanche 2014 – YouTube

Living Through the Himalayan Thaw – Himalayan Times

Nepal Quake Caused Minimal Damage to Everest Trails – Reuters

Nepal Before & After the Earthquake – New York Times

Jan Morris: No One Else Needs to Climb Everest – New Statesman

Airport Near Everest is its own Perilous Adventure – New York Times

Sherpa – They Die, We Go Home – New York Times

On Mount Everest – Surviving and Earthquake & an Avalanche – New York Times Lens Blog

Climate Model Suggests Glaciers Could Nearly Disappear – New York Times

Forty Years of Everest – YouTube

Nepal Drains Dangerous Everest Lake – BBC

The Epic of Everest – BBC Four

Sherpaland Gets a Makeover – Nepali Times

On Thin Ice in the Khumbu – Nepali Times

Taking the Pulse of Ngozumba – BBC 

Former Miss Nepal an Everest Helicopter Pilot | ABC News

Yaks in the Everest Region | YouTube (Kamzang Journeys)

Tips & Extra Cash
Allow approx $2-350 for meals (while not on trek), drinks + extras (see ‘excluded items’) on trek + tips. We recommend $200 – $250 per trekker thrown into the tips pool for the staff.