Day Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu. Transfer to hotel.

Flying into Kathmandu, you'll have views over the valley, the Himalaya, and the terraced fields below. After completing customs, a representative will be waiting to greet you outside the airport and to guide you through the initial culture shock of Kathmandu’s narrow, winding streets to your hotel.

Once you've settled in, head out and explore the city. Kathmandu Durbar Square is a great place to start your exploration, where you'll walk through narrow alleyways teeming with small shops, ancient temples, and local restaurants. If you want to stretch your legs, Swayambhunath, the white stupa rising above the valley, is the perfect spot to catch the sunset over the valley.

In the evening, the tourist hub of Thamel is a good place to grab your first meal, with a variety of restaurants to chose from offering both Western and local Nepali dishes.
Overnight: Kathmandu

Day Day 2: Explore Kathmandu: Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath, and Patan Durbar Square

After breakfast at your hotel, you'll be picked up by an English-speaking guide for a full-day tour of the Kathmandu Valley, visiting three sacred sites: Swayambhunath, Pashupatinath, and Patan Durbar Square.

This day fits quite a bit in—helpful for maximizing your time in Kathmandu—but doesn't overload you with too many sites. You can spend as much time as you like at each temple (this is a private tour just for you), although most people tend to spend an hour. For lunch, you'll stop at one of our recommended local restaurants.

Return to your hotel in Kathmandu in the late afternoon and meet your trekking guide who will go over details for tomorrow's adventure.

Tour length: 7-8 hours (including transfers)
Overnight: Kathmandu
Meals included: Breakfast

Day Day 3: Fly Kathmandu to Lukla and trek to Phakding 2,550m.

After breakfast, you'll fly to Lukla (30 minutes) and land on a steep mountain runway, which brings you to the start of your trek. Try to get a window seat on the left-hand side of the plane and keep your camera close: the flight takes you between mountains and through valleys, with great views of the Himalaya on clear days.

You'll then trek a short distance today through local villages where you'll likely encounter fellow trekkers, locals, and yaks with their tinkling bells. (Having an easy first day is intentional, allowing you time to get used to the higher elevation.)

Continue through the Dudh Koshi Valley on a well-marked trail and stay overnight in Phakding.

Trekking time: 3-4 hours (4.7 miles / 7.5 km)
Overnight: Phakding
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 4: Phakding to Namche Bazaar 3,445m.

After breakfast in Phakding, you'll start a steady and steep incline towards Namche. This is a challenging day as you'll start to feel the altitude. The route also consists of a number of high suspension bridges over the Dudh Kosi River that you need to cross.

Just beyond the village of Monjo is the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park, which was set-up in order to protect and preserve the fragile mountain environment (your guide will cover your permit fees here). The trail gets steeper along the way, and if the weather is clear, you will get the first glimpses of Mount Everest.

When you arrive at Namche, settle into your accommodations and explore the town. Namche is a great place to stock up on supplies as there are numerous small shops selling snacks and trekking gear, as well as restaurants and bars. If here on a weekend, check out the Saturday market—a meeting place for the Hindu traders from the lowlands and the Tibetan yak caravans that have crossed the glaciated Nangpa La.

Trekking time: 4-6 hours (4.6 miles / 7.4 km)
Overnight: Namche Bazaar
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 5: Rest day in Namche Bazaar for acclimatization. Explore around.

Today is a rest day so take time to relax and sleep in. Namche is tucked away between two ridges amid the giant peaks of the Khumbu and has an abundance of lodges, tea shops, and souvenir markets. It is an ideal place to spend a day acclimatizing to the higher altitude.

To speed up the acclimatization process, you can also head to the Khunde Hospital set-up by Sir Edmund Hillary, or take a highly-recommended one-hour walk up to the Everest View Hotel above Namche for views of notable peaks like Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse, and Everest. There are also good views from the Sherpa Culture Museum just above the town.
Overnight: Namche Bazaar
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 6: Trek from Namche to Phortse (11,483 feet / 3,500 m)

This morning after breakfast in Namche, you'll take one final loop in town before heading up a nice, easy trail that overlooks the snow-capped peaks of Shanas the small settlement of Mong. You'll ascend Mongla Hill on the left-hand side and then head down until you reach the Sherpa village Phortse Thanga.

Trekking time: 5-6 hours (3.5 miles / 5.7 km)
Overnight: Phortse
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 7: Trek from Phortse Thanga to Dole (13,248 feet / 4,038 m)

Today, after breakfast in Phortse Thankga, you'll follow a challenging uphill path through forests of flowering rhododendrons and emerge to a perfect view of Cho-Oyu. From here, the trail becomes a relatively easy afternoon walk to Dole—your stopping point—a small village adorned with a handful of teahouses, which used to be a yak pasture. It might not look too far on the map, but there's quite a bit of altitude gain so take today slow.

Trekking time: 2-3 hours (1.9 miles / 3.1 km)
Overnight: Dole
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 8: Trek from Dole to Machhermo (14,665 feet / 4,470 m)

Machhermo to Gokyo Lake 4,800m. Overnight in lodge.

After breakfast in Dole, you'll begin a short and pleasant hike that allows time for savoring and enjoying the views. This is also a chance to acclimatize to the high elevations, so force yourself to take it extra slow. The trek starts with a climb over Dole via a scenic ridge. You'll then cross yak pastures and tiny villages of stones huts until you reach Luza. Follow the trail along with a valley high over the river, crossing sandy spurs and pastures bordered with a chorten and prayer flags to get to Machhermo by midday, with enough time to visit the Himalayan Rescue Association and get some well-needed rest.

Trekking time: 5-6 hours (3.3 miles / 5.3 km)
Overnight: Machhermo
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 9: Trek from Machhermo to Gokyo (15,748 feet / 4,800 m)

After breakfast, you'll start the day with fantastic views of the valley as you make your way to Kangtega and the northern part of Cho Oyu. It's another relatively short climbing day with steep trails making up for fewer hours. The landscape changes significantly and you'll likely encounter snowy trails, boulders, and ice along the river.

You'll first descend towards the river bank and then begin the climb towards the terminal moraine of the Ngozumpa Glacier through a valley formed by melting ice. The valley eventually broadens as the trail passes through a narrower section as it comes to Dudh Pokhari, with prayer flags on its eastern shore. Take a break to appreciate the view before trekking another hour or so to the village of Gokyo, located on the edge of the third lake.

Trekking time: 5-6hours (4.2 miles / 6.8 km)
Overnight: Gokyo
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 10: Acclimatization day in Gokyo (Optional Day Hike)

Since you'll be spending two nights in Gokyo, today is a designated a rest day in order to help with altitude acclimatization.

Gokyo Ri Hike (2-3 hours, round-trip)
In the morning, depending on the weather, follow the steep trail up the hill that rises above the northern shore of the lake to the Gokyo Ri viewpoint (especially pretty at sunrise). The summit is marked by large cairns and prayer flags. From the top, Gokyo's turquoise lake in the distance offers a picturesque view.

Day hike to the other lakes (5-6 hours, round-trip)
For those who will have energy, an excursion to the fourth and fifth lake is also possible and recommended, although this is a long day hike.
Overnight: Gokyo
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 11: Trek from Gokyo to Lungden (14,370 feet / 4,380 m) via Renjo La Pass

After breakfast in Gokyo, you'll trek to Lungden via Renjo La Pass where you will have plenty of magnificent mountain views even if access to the pass is tricky and quite steep. At the top, there is a stunning panorama of Tengi Ragi Tau, Rolwaling Himal, and the small Rermo Pokhari Lake to the west, and Gyachung Kang, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and the Gokyo lakes to the east.

Via the Dudh Pokhari lakes, you'll descend pleasantly through a meadow towards the Bhote Khosi valley and continue trekking along the river. Along the route, look for yak caravans coming down from Tibet en route to Lungden.

Accommodation: Teahouse
Overnight: Lungden
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 12: Trek from Lungden to Thame (12,959 feet / 3,950 m)

After breakfast in Lunden, you'll start the trek to the village of Thame where you'll visit the historic Thame monastery and experience spiritual Buddhist practices. Spend the night getting to know Sherpa culture and enjoy some much-needed rest before the downhill trek to Monjo.

Accommodation: Teahouse
Overnight: Thame
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 13: Trek from Thame to Monjo (9,301 feet / 2835 m)

Today, after breakfast in Thame, you'll begin the trek to Monjo. If there's time, pay a visit to the two small villages of Kunde and Khumjung, which are just a short distance off the main trail. Khumjung has a beautiful monastery to check out and Kunde has a small hospital run by Sir Edmund Hillary’s Himalayan Trust.

The walk then heads past the Everest View Hotel and the Shyangboche airstrip before dropping into Namche where you have lunch. In the afternoon, you'll descend steeply and then walk along the river bank back to Jorsale where you leave the national park before continuing on to your lodge at Monjo for your overnight.

Trekking time: 5-6 hours
Overnight: Monjo
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 14: Trek from Monjo to Lukla (9,186 feet / 2,800 m)

After breakfast in Monjo, begin the final day of the trek as you head along the Dudh Kosi river to Lukla. You'll first walk from Monjo to Ghat and stop for lunch before continuing to make your way through villages like Chumoa, Benkar, Phakding, and Chuthawa, eventually reaching the Pasang Lhamu Memorial Gate signifying the end of the trek. Though most of the route is an easy downhill slope, the last section of trail before arriving takes you uphill—a fitting way to finish.

With Lukla's handful of shops, bars, and cafes—and even a faux Starbucks!—there are plenty of things to occupy your time as you reflect on your experience.

Trekking time: 5-7 hours
Overnight: Lukla
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day Day 15: Fly from Lukla to Kathmandu

After breakfast in Lukla, you'll take an early morning flight back to Kathmandu.

Upon arrival, you'll be transferred to your hotel and will be able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening at your leisure. Explore Kathmandu's streets on foot, bicycle, or rickshaw, perhaps shopping for souvenirs or seeing anything you may have missed at the beginning of your trip.

Other ideas include rewarding your muscles after the trek with a massage service at Seeing Hands (services are offered from the visually impaired), or the more upscale Kinjalla Spa. You can also take an early evening yoga class at Pranamaya Yoga, with two locations in Thamel and Patan.

In the evening, choose from a selection of Nepali, French, Vietnamese, and Middle Eastern dishes in Kathmandu.

Flight time: 30 minutes
Overnight: Kathmandu
Meals included: Breakfast

Day Day 16: Depart Kathmandu

It's time to say farewell to Nepal. Enjoy your last moments in Kathmandu with breakfast in a café, a final stroll through the narrow alleys and temples, and some final souvenir shopping. A driver will be waiting for you at your hotel to take you to the airport for your return flight home. It's best to be at the airport at least two hours prior to departure.
Meals included: Breakfast