Advanced Everest Base Camp Trek - 21 Days

Upon your arrival at the Tribhuvan intl. airport our representative welcomes you and assists to transfer in your hotel in Kathmandu. After time to get refreshed, we meet and brief your upcoming trek with us. Evening we host welcome dinner at one of the typical Nepalese restaurant with local music and ethnic dance. O/N Kathmandu.

Today you will visit several cultural heritages places of Kathmandu, such as Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, Bouddhanath. After breakfast we move on riding to Kathmandu Durbar square, Durbar Square is one of the most curious attractions in Nepal. Pashupatinath is one of the most significant Hindu temples of Lord Shiva in the world, located on the banks of the Bagmati River in the eastern part of the Kathmandu. Bouddhanath is one of the holiest Buddhist sites in Kathmandu and the largest stupa in the world and for today we will conclude the trip.

You have options to arrive Lhasa; you can join the trip in Kathmandu and fly to Lhasa or arrive Lhasa from Chengdu, Beijing, Shanghai, Xian or any Chinese Cities. (Please see option detail on ‘general information’ section)You will be met at Gonggar Airport by your Tibetan guide. After immigration formalities take a 1.5-hour drive along 93 km road leading to Lhasa lying at an altitude of 3660 meters. It’s advisable to rest and take it easy for the remainder of the day due to Lhasa’s altitude.

Foremost, your tour begins with a visit to SERA MONASTERY. An experienced tour guide also working as an interpreter escorts you to this preserved monastery of white-washed walls and golden roofs. The equally adventurous and exciting tempo builds up while touring NORBULINGKA, the summer palace of the Dalai Lama. JOKHANG TEMPLE is another important sacred site which unravels more deep-seated mysteries of Tibetan Buddhism. Visit to the BHARKHOR Markets can be quite a change from other visits as you roam around the city savouring every tiny detail from stall hawkers coaxing their clients to purchase their goods to exhibition of Tibetan culture, custom and tradition. Eventually, the tour for the day concludes as you return to the comforts of your hotel.

Like the previous day, you experience invaluable insights during your visits to Potala Palace and Drepung Monastery. This 17th century Potala Palace offers an awesome view of the entire city and also has private quarters of the Dalai Lama, numerous grand state rooms and chapels. Ancient history has it that Drepung Monastery which was built in the 14th century used to shelter around 10,000 monks but as now there has been quite a declination resulting in only a few hundreds. Tibetans’ respect and belief are immensely knotted with this monastery.

You get an entire day free for acclimatization. After proper rest, you can either indulge in sightseeing, shop or do whatever you fancy. You also get an option of undertaking an additional tour to places such as the Tibetan Medical Centre, Ganden Monastery and Tsurphu Monastery. But this will incur extra costs.

Driving about 250 km via the direct route, you will arrive Shigatse, the second-largest city in Tibet. In Shigatse, you can roam around the local bustling market and visit Tashilhunpo Monastery, one of the largest functioning monasteries in Tibet. At the end of the day, you make an overnight stay at the best available hotel.

You will transverse along the Friendship Highway through the small town of Lhatse and Gyamtso La pass at 5220m. The route gets more vibrant and exhilarating as it follows glacier-carved environment descending plains, sacred monasteries and pristine camps of nomadic herders. This awe-inspiring drive along 244 km trail finally leads to Shegar. Hotel Quomolongma (the Everest Hotel) provides you with pleasurable overnight accommodation. Shegar has a small hospital with a few doctors. Your Sherpa support crew (trek guide, cooking team etc) will meet you here and accompany throughout your trip.

Basking in the enchanting vistas of Shishapangma, Cho Oyu, Menlungtse and Gauri Shankar, you will head southwards crossing Pang La pass at 5150m. Having driven 68 km, you eventually reach Rongbuk at 5000m and thereon, a spectacular sight of Mount Everest becomes visible. Your support crew will cook delicious three-course meals, hot soups and prepare comfortable camping site with Mt. Everest gleaming right before you.

It is a 9 km walk along the dirt road to the base of Mt. Everest where you will spend 2 days wandering around the base camp prior to heading up Everest Climbing route.

Two days at base camp to acclimatize and explore around.

Two days at base camp to acclimatize and explore around.

Trekking the surreally sculpted Rongbuk Glacier you walk away from Everest Base Camp to Camp I for two and half hours or more. Camp I lies amidst moraine hills under picturesque yellow-orange granite cliffs. In the beginning, the trekking route skirts the east side of the Rongbuk Glacier and opens into a flat area at 5270m. On the Southwest, Pumori at 7145 m nestled next to Kala Pattar comes into the picture. After arriving at Camp I, you may wish to explore snout of the East Rongbuk Glacier lying just 20 minutes away from the camp.

The trail overlooks glacier-topped mountain as it rolls from gravel mounds, mud plain to rocky moraine. Lying directly across from Far East Rongbuk glacier, Interim Camp can prove very beneficial for further acclimatization and supper vantage point prior to trekking up to Camp II.

A rest day for preparation to climb higher up or you may wish to explore around.

It is about three and a half hours or more to ascend from Interim Camp to Camp II. You will approach Camp II at 5970 meters as you near the south side of the glacier at the eastern end of the Changtse Glacier junction lying below a huge cliff. Along the trail to Camp II, you get to capture huge seracs rising up to 50 feet above the surface of the glacier and endless array of mountain scenery.

From Camp II you continue trekking back to Base Camp, a long day trek down to comfortable lower altitude.

You have to take a 215 km drive from Base Camp to Nyalam along Friendship Highway transversing past Pang La pass. On the way, you can halt at Tingri for lunch. Further away amidst the stunning view of Everest, Cho Oyu and other mountain peaks, you accelerate past Lalung La pass at 5124m and Shung La passes at 5200m. The trail further commands far-reaching views of enchanting Shishapangma, Menlungtse and Gauri Shankar enchant as you leave behind arid Tibetan Plateau. The route then progresses towards pristine and fortified town of Nyalam where you can find suitable accommodation at a hotel.

Heading away from Nyalam, drive for one hour to the lush and verdant vegetation of Zhangmu at 2300 meter. Few kilometres drive follows Friendship Bridge along Bhote Koshi River to Immigration Control in Kodari where you bade goodbye to your Tibetan guide and handle re-entry formalities to return to Kathmandu. After 5 hours of driving for 123 km, you finally arrive in Kathmandu.

Free morning, after breakfast, if you having enough time, you may explore main downtown of Kathmandu Thamel, a shopping paradise. On-time transfer to the airport and our trip ends here.