Trekking Routes: Solu-Khumbu & the Everest Region Treks

Lukla to Everest Base Camp & Kala Pattar: Days 7-15

Day 7: Tengboche to Pheriche Tengboche to Pangboche: 2 hours; Pangboche to Pheriche: 2 hours. Elevation Gain: 1,221 ft. (372m). Descend a steep trail through a damp rhododendron forest to the village of Deboche, which has two lodges, a long mani wall (a wall of stones that has had prayers carved onto it), and a nunnery. Continue descending through the rhododendrons until you cross the Imja Khola (12,400 ft.; 3,780m). Across the river you have an excellent view of Ama Dablam as you begin climbing past chortens (small stupa-like shrines) and mani walls. Remember to always keep mani walls and chortens on your right side as you pass them. It is considered disrespectful to have your left side to one of these structures. At a fork in the trail, keep to the right to reach lower Pangboche (12,800 ft.; 3,901m). The left fork climbs to Pangboche Monastery and upper Pangboche village, which once claimed to have the partial remains of a yeti. Unfortunately, in 1991, these relics were stolen from the monastery and were never recovered. Upper Pangboche is the more interesting section of the village and is surrounded by large cedar trees. If you decide to stay the night, try the Pangboche Gompa Lodge or, in lower Pangboche, the Ama Dablang Lodge or the Shiri Dewa Lodge. On the far side of the lower village, cross a stream and ascend through terraced fields, eventually climbing above the treeline. The trail proceeds up a gentle slope and passes the small village of Somare, where there are some teahouses. Beyond Somare, the trail flattens a bit and passes a lodge at Orsho. Beyond Orsho there is a fork in the trail. The right fork leads to Dingboche, but you should take the left fork. Climb a ridge before descending to the wooden bridge that crosses the stream flowing from Khumbu Glacier. Pheriche (13,900 ft.; 4,237m) is about 10 minutes beyond the stream. There are many small lodges in Pheriche. There is also a Trekkers' Aid Post staffed by Western physicians and sponsored by the Himalayan Rescue Association. If you have not yet familiarized yourself with the symptoms of altitude sickness, it is a good idea to stop by this post and learn more about this potentially fatal illness. Day 8: Pheriche: Acclimatization Day It is necessary to spend a day in Pheriche acclimatizing. Try to take a day hike up to a higher elevation and then return to Pheriche for the night. If you hike to a higher altitude from here, you are likely to be rewarded with amazing views of the peaks. Day 9: Pheriche to Lobuje Pheriche to Dughla: 2 hours; Dughla to Lobuje: 2 hours. Elevation Gain: 2,370 ft. (692m). From Pheriche head up the valley to Phulong Karpo, a grassy pasture used for grazing yaks in the summer. The mound of rocks in front of you is the terminal moraine of Khumbu Glacier. The trail climbs up and over the moraine and down to a stream that flows from beneath the glacier. Cross the stream and ascend to Dughla (15,100 ft.; 4,602m), which has several lodges. Not far beyond Dughla there is a collection of memorials to Sherpas and climbers who have died scaling nearby peaks. At this point the trail descends a little and then levels off and continues up the valley to Lobuje (16,170 ft.; 4,929m), which most people agree is an absolute dump. Lobuje is very crowded during the prime trekking seasons, so it is a good idea to arrive as early as possible. Although there are several lodges here (the National Park Lodge is the best), they are always crowded, and food is expensive. Nights are very cold, contributing to the general atmosphere of misery that hangs over this spot. The altitude makes it difficult for most people to sleep, and a lack of toilet facilities results in an inordinate number of people coming down with gastrointestinal problems in the upper reaches of this trek. Day 10: Lobuje to Gorak Shep & Kala Pattar Lobuje to Gorak Shep: 2 1/2 & hours; Gorak Shep to Kala Pattar: 1 1/2 & hours; Gorak Shep to Everest base camp and back: 6 hours; Gorak Shep to Lobuje: 2 hours. Elevation Gain: 2,020 ft. (616m) to Kala Pattar. The final destination of most trekkers following this route is not Everest Base Camp, but rather a small peak called Kala Pattar (Black Rock). Kala Patter rises above the collection of huts at Gorak Shep (17,000 ft.; 5,182m) and provides an unforget-table panorama dominated by the south face of Mount Everest. There are a few sim-ple lodges at Gorak Shep, but they are so utterly basic that you're better off doing a day hike to the summit of Kala Pattar from Lobuje. This will also allow you to avoid spending a night almost 1,000 feet (305m) higher than Lobuje. However, if the weather isn't clear when you reach Gorak Shep, you'll probably want to spend the night and climb Kala Pattar in the early morning, when the peaks are more likely to be visible. If you do plan to make it a day trip from Lobuje, start as early as possible. To reach Gorak Shep and Kala Pattar, continue up the valley from Lobuje along a level path with Khumbu Glacier to your right. The trail climbs a moraine, from which there is a view of Gorak Shep (a sandy, flat area with a frozen lake) and Kala Pattar. Descend the moraine to the sandy flats, and skirt the lake to reach the few huts at Gorak Shep. If you're spending the night in Gorak Shep, you probably won't want to do much more than sit around for the afternoon; it's very likely that you'll be feeling the effects of the elevation at this point. From Gorak Shep, it is about a 1 1/2 -hour steep climb to the top of * Kala Pattar (18,190 ft.; 5,544m). At the top you have not only a stunning view of Everest, but a 360-degree panorama of peaks including Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Kantenga, Thamserku, Tawetse, Pumo Ri, and Changtse. Once you've taken in the view, hustle back down to Lobuje and be thankful that you'll soon be getting back to where the air is a bit thicker. From Gorak Shep, the route to Everest base camp follows the Khumbu Glacier. It's a 3-hour hike up and another 3 hours back, and once you get there, there isn't much to see other than a lot of tents and a lot of garbage. Mount Everest is not visible from base camp, so unless you absolutely must see this famous spot, your time and energy are better spent climbing Kala Pattar, from where there is a superb view of Everest's south face. If you plan to hike to Everest Base Camp or if bad weather or lack of energy forces you to spend the night in Gorak Shep, add a day to this itinerary. Day 11: Lobuje to Pangboche Lobuje to Dingboche: 4 hours; Dingboche to Chhukung and back: 5 1/2 & hours; Dingboche to Pangboche: 2 hours. Elevation Loss: 3,370 ft. (1,027m). Rather than retrace your steps from Lobuje down, you can take an alternate route that follows a high trail down the east side of the valley to Dingboche (14,432 ft.; 4,400m). The Dingboche trail leaves the main trail at the bridge below Dughla and climbs up the hill to the north side of the valley. There are a couple of lodges in Dingboche; try the Snow Lion Lodge. If you have a day to spare, it's worthwhile to continue up the valley of the Imja Khola to the yak pastures at Chhukung (15,525 ft.; 4,732m). Several lodges operate here during the main trekking seasons. Explorations in this valley will give you close-up views of Ama Dablam from the north, providing a much different perspective than from elsewhere on this trek. There are also good views of other peaks, including Cholatse, Taboche, Kongde, and Numbur. This is the route taken by expeditions headed for Island Peak, one of Nepal's most popular trekking peaks. From Dingboche, descend steadily to cross the Khumbu Khola on a wooden bridge. From there, climb steeply to meet the Pangboche-Pheriche trail. This trail soon brings you into upper Pangboche, which makes a good stopping point for the night (see Day 7 for lodge recommendations in this area). Day 12: Pangboche to Namche Bazaar Pangboche to Phortse: 2 hours; Phortse to Phortse Tenga: 1 hour; Phortse Tenga to Namche Bazaar: 3 1/2 & hours. Pangboche to Tengboche: 2 hours; Tengboche to Namche Bazaar: 4 hours. Via Phortse: Elevation Gain: 1250 ft. (381m). Elevation Loss: 2,750 ft. (838m). Via Tengboche: Elevation Gain: 1,419 ft. (432m). Elevation Loss: 2,919 ft. (890m). From upper Pangboche, you can return to Namche Bazaar either by way of Phortse or by way of Tengboche. To return via Phortse, climb up out of the village, contouring across the steep, south-facing valley wall to the village of Phortse. From Phortse, descend to the Dudh Kosi and then climb a little bit to Phortse Tenga. Here you meet the trail to Gokyo. Turn south and climb to the Mon La (a 13,000 ft [3,965m] pass), and continue to Namche Bazaar. To return via Tengboche, descend from upper Pangboche to the Imja Khola, cross the river, and climb through Deboche to the monastery and lodges at Tengboche. From here, descend to Phunki Tenga, cross the Dudh Kosi, and climb steeply to meet the trail from Gokyo. Days 13-14: Namche Bazaar to Lukla Elevation Gain: 800 ft. (244m). Elevation Loss: 2,900 ft. (844m). Though it is possible to hike from * Namche Bazaar to Lukla in 1 long day, the journey is better split into 2 short days. Phakding makes a good stopping point on the day you leave Namche Bazaar. The next day, you can reach Lukla by lunchtime. Remember: You need to reconfirm your return plane reservation to Kathmandu before 4pm the day before departing. Day 15: Lukla to Kathmandu Be aware that several days of bad weather can cause a human logjam of trekkers waiting to catch flights out. Planes don't fly if there are too many clouds, because, as they say, the clouds in Nepal have rocks in them. Waiting in Lukla for a flight is not a pleasant pastime. There is little to do but sit around hoping that your name will be called. Many people spend their time drinking beer or local home brew. The combination of alcohol and elevation often leads to violent outbursts from people who absolutely must be on the next flight out. If you are trekking in the Everest region and intend to fly out of Lukla, be sure to give yourself a buffer by allowing at least a week between flying out of Lukla and departing from Kathmandu. This will give you time to hike out if necessary. There are also airstrips at Tumlingtar, about 4 days from Kharte, and Phaphlu, 4 hours south of Ringmo. You may be able to get a flight out of either of these places, though whether it will get you back to Kathmandu faster than if you walked all the way back to Jiri and caught the bus is questionable. You can be back in Kathmandu on Day 15 if: You are very lucky and have a confirmed return ticket out of Lukla, you arrive early enough the previous day to reconfirm your ticket, and good weather prevails. Unfortunately, even people with reconfirmed tickets sometimes get bumped from flights. Instead of flying out, you can hike from Lukla back to Jiri in 6 days. A description of the route from Lukla to Jiri is provided below.

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