Everest Explorer

Grade 1 2 3 4 5
Grade 4 – Demanding
These treks require participants to be in excellent health. They take you into the high Himalaya, altitudes ranging from 9,000ft / 2,800m to often in excess of 16,500ft / 5,000m. Trails venture into sparsely populated or uninhabited high-mountain wilderness, and are often ill defined, occasionally on glacial moraines. Average walking is 6 - 9 hours a day.

Click here for a full explanation of Trip Difficulty Grading

×
Trek Difficulty Grading

Our treks vary from easy hikes in the foothills to challenging climbing adventures in the high Himalaya. More often than not, we use trails that have since ancient times been the only link between villages, settlements, and their inhabitants. The trails may take you through a well-inhabited area with many villages and tea-shops, or through a mountain wilderness without a single permanent settlement for days, but one thing is certain: there'll be lots of ups and downs as we walk from one Himalayan valley to another. Treks are graded on the basis of altitude, trails, walking hours per day, and length of trek.

Grade 1 – Easy
Treks in the foothills staying below 6,500ft / 2,000m. Trails are relatively gentle & wide, and average walking is 3 - 4 hours a day.
Grade 2 – Moderate
Treks in the foothills and the middle-hills going up to 10,000ft / 3,000m. Trails are mostly gentle and wide, but at times may involve more difficult stretches like a steep stone staircase. Average walking is 5 - 6 hours a day.
Grade 3 – Challenging
Fairly demanding treks, usually in the high Himalaya, going up to 13,000ft / 4,000m. Trails can be ill defined, narrow, steep, and rocky, and will usually take you into uninhabited or sparsely inhabited areas. Average walking is 6 - 7 hours a day.
Grade 4 – Demanding
These treks require participants to be in excellent health. They take you into the high Himalaya, altitudes ranging from 9,000ft / 2,800m to often in excess of 16,500ft / 5,000m. Trails venture into sparsely populated or uninhabited high-mountain wilderness, and are often ill defined, occasionally on glacial moraines. Average walking is 6 - 9 hours a day.
Note on altitudes
The altitude definitions indicate elevations through the major part of the trek. Treks usually involve side-trips into elevations exceeding the altitude ranges defined for their grades. Grade 3 and grade 4 trek itineraries are designed to allow proper acclimatization, with acclimatization days when we take side trips to higher elevations where necessary.

 

view from renjo la pass
22 days – The ultimate Everest trek to the Base Camp & Gokyo
  • 19 days demanding trekking in the high Himalaya (maximum elevation 5,643m / 18,514′)
  • Spectacular views of five of the world’s ten highest peaks
  • See Everest from the two famed vantage points of Gokyo and Kala Patthar
  • Plentiful cultural encounters with the legendary Sherpa inhabitants
This is the ultimate trek to explore the high-mountain area around the Khumbu Himal, a challenging and rewarding adventure; the highlight is the traverse of the 5,420m / 17,780′ Cho La pass, crossing from Lobuche to the Gokyo valley. Starting at Lukla, we trek up the beautiful Dudh Kosi valley to Namche Bazaar, the administrative and commercial hub of the Khumbu region. After a day acclimatizing, we detour through the less-visited settlements of Thame and Khumjung to Tengboche monastery. Up the Imja Khola valley at Dingboche, we have another day for acclimatization. We then head northward to climb steeply up a terminal moraine the Khumbu glacier to Lobuche; here on the trails on glacial moraines are ill-defined, marked by stone cairns.  Based at the hamlet of Gorakshep, we trek to the Everest Base Camp and take a pre-dawn climb of Kala Patthar – a ridge of the 7,165m / 23,500′ Pumori – for the classic panorama of the highest summits on earth including Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu, and Makalu. On the return, we turn west at Lobuche trekking past high summer pastures to Dzonglha. Crossing the usually snow-covered pass isn’t particularly difficult, and atop it, we are greeted with fresh mountain views. We trek across the Ngozumpa Glacier, at 24km / 15mi the longest in Nepal and descend into the Gokyo valley. Staying by the turquoise blue waters of the lake, we spend a day exploring the surrounding area and climb the Gokyo Ri (5,350m / 17,550′). Many will prefer the view from here to the one from Kala Patthar a few days ago. We then descend along the lateral moraine of the Ngozumpa Glacier to lodge near its snout at Dole. Following the Dudh Kosi valley, we trek through alpine meadows past the cliff-side village of Phortse back to Namche Bazaar. Our 3-week adventure ends at Lukla with a flight back to Kathmandu.Everest Explorer is a worthy contender for the caption of the ultimate Everest trek.

Trip Itinerarymap_exl

Day 1  Arrive Kathmandu. Orientation.
Day 2 Morning flight to Lukla  (2,800m / 9,180′). Trek along the banks of the Dudh Kosi to Phakding (3,420m / 11,220′).
Days 3-4  Leave the Dudh Kosi valley to climb to Namche Bazaar (3,420m / 11,220′). Extra day for acclimatization: witness the Saturday Haat bazaar, excursion to Shyangboche (3,790m / 12,430′).
Days 5-7  Trek to Tengboche (3,860m / 12,660′) via Thame (3,750m / 12,300′) and Khumjung (3,780m / 12,400′).
Days 8-9  Trek to Dingboche (4,360m / 14,300′). Extra day for acclimatization: hikeup the Imja Khola valley to Chhukung (4,730m / 15,510′).
Days 10-12  Trek to Lobuche (4,930m / 16,170′) and continue along moraines of the Khumbu Glacier to Gorakshep (5,160m / 16,930′) and Everest Base Camp (5,340m / 17,520′). Early morning climb Kala Patthar (5,643m / 18,514′), backtrack to Lobuche.
Day 13  Trek westward to Dzonglha (4,830m / 15,840′).
Day 14  Trek across the Cho La (5,420m / 17,780′) to Gokyo (4,750m / 15,580′).
Day 15  Day excursion to Gokyo Ri (5,350m / 17,550′).
Days 16-18  Trek south to Dole (4,090m / 13,420′) and meet the main trail at Phortse (3,865m / 12,677′). Retrace our steps to Namche Bazaar.
Days 19-20  Descend to the Dudh Kosi valley to finish trek at Lukla.
Day 21  Morning flight to Kathmandu. Rest of day at leisure.
Day 22  Depart for onward destination.

Dates and Pricing

Sep 21 - Oct 12
Oct 19 - Nov 9
Nov 16 - Dec 7

Mar 8 - Mar 29, 2017
Apr 5 - Apr 26

  Standard Hotels
2 - 5 personsUS$ 1,465
6 - 12 personsUS$ 1,368
Single room supplement US$ 145
Airfare Kathmandu - Lukla - KathmanduUS$ 322
Cost Information
×
Cost Information

The trip cost quoted is the cost per person, and includes:

  • Hotels: Accommodations in Kathmandu and Pokhara on twin / triple room-sharing basis with breakfast.
  • Tours: Sightseeing tours indicated with a certified English-speaking guide.
  • Transfers: All land transfers by car (Toyota Corolla or similar) or van (Toyota Hiace or similar).
  • Trekking: Room-sharing accommodation in local lodges, all meals, services of trek crew (guide, sherpa(s), and porter(s) to carry all luggage & equipment), applicable trekking / ACAP permit / National Park entry fees.
  • Permits, Fees, & Taxes: All applicable permits, entry fees, and taxes.
  • Trek leader: We provide a trek leader on groups of six or more. A tour leader can be provided upon request for smaller groups, upon additional cost.

Not included in the cost are:

  • Meals other than indicated.
  • Flights: All internal flights are extra. Internal airfares indicated are subject to change without notice.
  • Personal clothing & equipment (upon confirmation you’ll receive a clothing & necessity checklist of items we recommend you bring, items you can hire / purchase locally are indicated).
  • Personal expenses, bottled / alcoholic beverages, and tips to crew.
  • Insurance: We strongly recommend that all trip participants be covered by their own personal insurance that also covers emergency evacuation.
  • Other unforeseeable expenses that may arise due to factors beyond our control, like bad weather or flight cancellations.
  • Nepal visa fee.

 
  Standard Hotels
KathmanduNirvana Garden Hotel
Request a Booking
Suggested Trips
everest-panorama-2-1600x800

Everest Endeavor

view from renjo la pass

Annapurna Explorer

Annapurna Sanctuary

Annapurna Sanctuary

Around Annapurna

Around Annapurna

jumla-village-1920x960

The Dolpo Experience

phoksundo-kanjiroba-1920x960

Journey to Dolpo