Everest Base Camp Heli Trek

At Tribhuvan International Airport, our team will welcome you and assist you in checking into the hotel on your arrival day. We use a private vehicle to pick you up from the airport. You meet our manager with the rest of the group members in the evening, during which our manager briefly details the program.

You have an extra day in Kathmandu to prepare for the trek and visit a few tourist sites. After breakfast at the hotel, you can say hello to your tour guide and driver in your hotel lobby. On the tour, you will visit monuments like Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath Temple, Boudhnath Stupa, and Patan Durbar Square. You have a small meeting with the trek guide in the late afternoon. There will be a brief briefing about the trek and then the final packing.

To reach the starting point of the trek, you take an early morning flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. The flight is very scenic and enjoyable, with aerial views of lush green hills and snow-capped mountains. It is a short scenic mountain flight, 25-30 minutes.

After reaching Lukla, you meet your porters and get a refreshment time at a tea house. From Lukla, the trail descends to Phakding village. Phakding is our first night stop in the mountains. The route goes along a forested path. You will walk through lovely settlement villages such as Chaurikharka, Cheplung, Thade Koshi and Ghat to reach Phakding and the Dudh Koshi Rivier. You can see a superb view of Kusum Kangaru Peak from Thade Koshi village during the walk.

Our next stop is the famous Sherpa town called Namche Bazaar. You start the walk after the hot breakfast at Phakding village. You walk upstream of the Dudh Koshi River and cross this river five times through suspension bridges. You get a magnificent view of Mount Thamserku (6,608 m) while reaching Banker Village. The trail continues going gradually to Manjo village, where the Sagarmatha National Park office is, to buy the permit to enter the world's highest national park. 

You stop at Jorsalle village for lunch, the last village before Namche bazaar. After lunch, you walk along the Dudh Koshi River to get to the bottom of Namche Hill. Then you ascend uphill and go through the highest suspension bridge called "Hillary Suspension Bridge". On ascending through deep pine and rhododendron forests, you may see a glimpse of Mount Everest, the top of the world, if you are lucky with the weather. In the afternoon, you reach Namche Bazaar, known as the Gateway to Mount Everest, where you deserve a good rest after the hike. 

The rest day in Namche Bazaar means exploring the village and spending more time with locals. Today, after breakfast at the guest house, you hike to reach the Nepal Army Camp, the best site to see Mount Everest, Mount Ama Dablam and its surrounding peaks with greenery. This site offers incredible views of high mountains.

Then you hike to Syangboche Airstrip and ascend a few hundred meters to reach the Everest View Hotel, the highest hotel in the world. Both places offer stunning views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Pumori, Mt. Nuptse, etc. You take a tea break at Everest View Hotel, then descend a different way to Namche Bazaar for lunch. After lunch, you have a free afternoon to explore Namche Bazaar. 

The trail to Tengboche village gradually ascends, offering sensational views of the snow-capped Himalayan giants. The trekking route is awe-inspiring. First, you reach the Army camp nearby, and then the trail goes primarily flat and gradual to Kenjuma village, a small village with a couple of tea houses. The trail to Kanjuma offers incredible views of Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, Mount Ama Dablam and its surrounding peaks. Mount Ama Dablam is Lady Peak because Ama is Mother, which is our language. Mount Ama Dablam is the most beautiful peak in the Everest region.

The trail descends to Punki Thagna through pine and silver birch forests. In the Sherpa language, Thagna means resting place. You have a lunch break at Punki Thagna before ascending to Tengboche Hill, where Tengboche Monastery is located. After lunch, it takes around 2 hours to reach Tengboche monastery through pine and rhododendron forests. 

Fact: This village is home to the biggest monastery in the Khumbu region, the Tengboche monastery.

After the sunrise view and hot breakfast at the tea house, you descend to the Imja River through deep rhododendron forests and substantial mani walls. The trail onwards is entirely of mountain scenery, so bear your heart. You reach Pangboche village, from which you can see the close view of Mount Ama Dablam. Then, the trail gradually ascends to Dingboche via Somare village. You have your lunch at Somara Village. Dingboche is a beautiful village with grasslands and yaks herding. 

Fact: This village is also known as the Summer Valley.

The acclimatization day in Dingboche is perfect for taking a break to adjust your body to thin air and elevation. You will already be over the tree line and entering the alpine zone. Today, after breakfast, you hike Nagarjun Peak at 5,050 meters. The hike is important for everyone and offers tremendous views of mountains and surroundings. 

Today, the trail gradually ascends towards Dhugla (4,620 m). You have a tea break at Dhugla before climbing to the memorial top. Memorial top is also known as Dhugla Pass. It takes one hour to reach Memorial Top from Dhugla, which is pretty tough because of the elevation. After you reach the top, you see the hundreds of memorial monuments. These monuments are made on behalf of those people who have lost their lives in the Mount Everest expedition. Then, the trail joins a higher route that leads through the moraine of Khumbu Glacier. 

The trail then goes through the valley to Lobuche, which is an hour more. Lobuche is a small village with 6-7 tea houses. The village offers a close-range view of Mount Nutpse, Mount Pumori, Mount Lingtren, and Mount Khumbutse. 

Today, you will finally reach Everest Base Camp. The day begins with an early morning breakfast. You follow the gradual trail before Lobuje passes. The trail climbs steeply to the pass and then passes through the ice pinnacles and crevasses of the Khumbu Glacier to reach Gorak Shep.

You check in at the tea house at Gorak Shep and prepare yourself for hiking to Mount Everest Base Cam. After a quick lunch and prepared with water and chocolate energy bars, you follow your lead guide to reach your destination. The trail from Gorak Shep is like rocky paths and steep over the Khumbu Glacier to the Mount Everest base camp. The Everest base camp is marked with colourful prayer flags, and you can see mountaineers & their tents during the peak climbing season. After spending some time in Everest Base Camp taking pictures and videos, you return to Gorak Shep for a good night sleeping in the highest inn in the world. 

Before you move back to Kathmandu by helicopter, you hike to the famous viewpoint - Kala Pathar. Kala Pathar is the highest point of the trek. You hike Kalapathar early in the morning for a sunrise view of Mount Everest, the surrounding peaks, and Khumbu Glacier. The first part is more gradual than the last part. You begin ascending following a rugged, sloppy route and gradually reach the half point, then the trail steeply climbs to the top. As you reach the top, you will be rewarded with heartwarming views of mountains and a gorgeous sunrise. The top of Kala Patthar offers a heavenly mountain panorama above the clouds. 

After exploring the views, you trek down to Gorak Shep, have breakfast and pack your belongings. Then, you walk up to the helipad for a thrilling helicopter ride to Kathmandu. The ride will add stunning aerial views of the Himalayas. Not many trekkers get to behold the aerial beauty of the Everest region. You have a free afternoon in Kathmandu to relax and go shopping.

The Everest Base Camp trek with helicopter return ends on this day. Our airport team will drop you off with all your luggage and bid you our last goodbye.