A trek in the Everest region is now considered to be one of the best journeys in the world, combining a strenuous trek with extremely rewarding cultural and ecological experiences. To make your journey exclusive, we take you to the little visited Ranjo-La Pass, which lies at 5390m. We go off the beaten track for about 3 days on this 9 days trek, and it is worth every minute, where you experience authentic Sherpa Culture, relatively untouched by the hustle of tourism in the main circuit. We stay in Sherpa homes in Thamo and Phortse, both stunning villages of world recorder Sherpa climber. The route lies in the highest wildlife reserve in the world, the Sagarmatha National Park. It covers an area of 1,148 sq. km. of Himalayan ecological zone. The park altitudes range from 2,845m at Monju to the top of the world, UNESCO listed the park as a World Heritage Site in 1979 for its unique natural, cultural and landscape characteristics. A trek in this region takes one to the foothills of the mightiest of the mountains in the world. Enroute, one traverses through rhododendron and pine forests, rivers, Sherpa villages and Buddhist Monasteries from temperate to snow line regions.
The Himalayas are best seen on this trek as one traces the main route through the Khumbu region from the Sherpa town of Namche Bazaar. Trekkers get a close view of the world's greatest mountains, Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Thamserku, Tawache and others.
Detailed Itinerary
Day01: Arrival in Kathmandu, Hotel transfer
Day02: Visit Kathmandu valley, prepare for final departure
Day03: Kathmandu – Lukla – Monjo. Early morning flight to Lukla from where we start our trek. After breakfast, we trek 2-3 hours to reach the village of Monjo. Overnight in Monjo
Day04: Monjo –Thamo. After breakfast we trek to Thamo via Namche Bazaar. The trek will be around 5 hours with stopover in Namche Bazaar. Thamo is also for acclimatization
Day05: Thamo – Thame. This day is meant for acclimatization and hence we do not embark on any serious trekking. Instead we go to a slightly lower altitude of Thame, the birthplace of Tenzing Norgay, the first man on Everest. We conduct some sightseeing of the monastery there and generally rest.
Day06: Thame – Lungden (4300m). Today we start our serious high altitude trekking. We walk for about 4 hours through a stunning landscape on an old trade route to Tibet to the village of Lungden. This village has only one lodge and very aptly called the Renjo La Support Lodge
Day07: The High Pass: Lungden – Renjo-La (5390m) – Gokyo (4400m). The big day starts real early and it is a long day, as we have to walk about 5 hours to reach the pass, going slow because of the high altitude. After a brief stopover to enjoy the stunning beauty of the Everest Range and take photographs, we start on a remarkably difficult downhill journey for about 3 hours to reach the village of Gokyo walk along the stunning and beautiful Dudh Kunda (milk lake).
Day08: Gokyo Ri (5483m) and Return. Unlike the Kalapatthar hill from Lobuche, the foot of Gokyo Ri lies five minutes away from the stream the feeds the Gokyo Lake. After two to three hours "huff and puff" you reach the summit not to be disappointed for your effort at all, as the views from here are well worth the effort you put in. Everest (8848m), showing more of it's northern flank than from Kalapatthar, with Makalu (8475m) further to the east and Cho Oyu (8153m) towards the north make a mesmerizing view to watch. Return back to Gokyo Ri after spending a wonderful break at the summit.
Day09: Gokyo – Phortse. It takes four to five hours of walking to reach the very beautiful village of Phortse, for our second home stay component in Sherpa houses. This village has over 23 Everest summiteers, and you meet a lot of them right there in the village. The village is famous for its tolerance and conservation of wildlife, so sights of deer and pheasants is common here.
Day10: Phortse – NamcheBazaar. We now start our return from the Everest Region to trek about 3 hours to reach Namche Bazaar through Khumjung, a lovely village with excellent bakeries and restaurants
Day11: Namche - Phakding.
Day12: Phakding – Lukla.
Day13: Lukla – Kathmandu. Early morning, fly from Lukla to Katmandu on a twin Otter. Upon arrival, meet and transfer to the hotel.
Day14: Sightseeing in Kathmandu
Day15: Departure
Cost Include
• 4 nights Hotel accommodation in Kathmandu,
• Round trip airfare between LUKLA -Kathmandu
• All surface transfer
• National Park entry permit
• Trekking permit,
• Accommodation in lodges during the trek,
• Food: three meals a day,
• A guide & required number of porter(s)
• Insurance and security for local staff
Cost Exclude
• Personal expenses
• Meals in Kathmandu
• Monuments entry fee in Kathmandu
• Insurance
• Essential equipment.
• Tip for trekking staff
• All alcoholic drinks
• Emergency evacuation by Helicopter, Alternative transportation in case of heavy rain, landslide, strike, road blockade etc
