Teahouse Trek in the Himalayas

Your Itinerary          

1: Arrival at Kathmandu, transfer to our hotel.
Your arriving flight will be met our guide team, who will transfer you to your hotel. To accommodate a widely varied flight schedule, we have no group activities planned just a chance to relax and get used to being in the Himalayas.
Meals: none

2: Half Day Sightseeing, Pashupatinath, Boudhanath.
After breakfast we will head out to explore some of Kathmandu's unique temples and religious sites, plus stroll through the markets a bit. We will visit Pashupatinath on the banks of the Bagmati Rive and the Boudhanath , two important sites for the Hindus and Buddhist. Then gather in the evening for a welcome dinner.
Meals: B, D

3: Flight to Lukla ( 2,743 m) ( 3-4hrs).
On arrival at Lukla, check in at the Summit Lodge, Lukla. After an early lunch, take a walk up Bom Danda (app. 3000m) to its village, an ideal way to acclimatize and prepare for the days ahead. Walking along, you get very good views of Lukla and its airfield. Return to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
Meals: B, L, D

4: Trek to Monjo (2850m) (5-6 hrs).
An early start after breakfast is planned to avoid the rush of trekkers and porters arriving from Kathmandu. Passing by lovely Sherpa settlements, along gentle undulating trails and enjoying the marvelous scenery of the Dudh Kosi valley, we arrive at the village of Phakding (8700'/2652m). After a break for lunch, we continue on for approximately three more hours to Monjo. The sounds of plodding porters with transistor radios stuck to their ears, the cacophony of ma yriad languages, strange sounding birds, the sight of porters, loads aside, resting outside tea houses, weather-beaten, windblown trekkers winding their way back to Lukla, prayer flag a-flutter, the brightly painted tea houses and of course the dramatic scenery are memories to treasure of this first day on the trail.
Meals: B, L, D

5: DAY Excursion to Thachok Danda (3,000 mts/ 5-6 hrs).
Today, to assist acclimatization, your Sherpa guide will take you on a day's hike to Thakchok Danda, which lies a little above 9842'/3000m. From this vantage point the views of Kongde Ri, Thamserku and Numbur Himal are quite stupendous. The total excursion will take about 6 hours.
Meals: B, L, D

6: Trek to Namche Bazar (3400 mts 3/4 hrs).
This will be one of the harder days physically on your trek so take it slowly. The path itself is full of interesting sights. Not least of these will be your first view of Everest as you get higher up the trail. From the lodge it is 15 minutes to the Everest National Park boundary and already the scenery is vastly impressive, with deep gorges, bare vertical rock faces, pine forests on some steep slopes and wispy waterfalls. Cross the tremendously impressive suspension bridge, spanning a deep chasm. The path then zig-zags up through the forest where trees pack themselves in between giant boulders and cliffs. If you are lucky, you may well see small herds of thar, a small deer-like animal. Eventually you pull into Namche Bazaar, its Sherpa houses built one above the other on the steep sides of a sloping mountain bowl. The narrow streets at its center are a mixture of cyber cafes, souvenir shops and places where you can rent/buy any piece of equipment under the sun. Namche is a bustling place and the hub of everything that goes on in the Everest region. All expeditions pass through here on their way to the peaks, and there is a huge cross section of nationalities staying in lodges or camping. In the afternoon trek to the view point for a panoramic view of the mountains ranging from Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and more,
Meals: B, L, D

7: Trek to Tashinga (3,450 m) (3-4 hrs).
In the morning you have time to take in the sights and visit the museum, later we take the trail to Tashinga, following the classical approach route to Everest. Keeping to the almost level, winding trail for about 2 1/2 hours, we make a slight detour off the main trail to arrive at the lodge within the next 15 minutes.
Meals: B, L, D

8: Day excursion to Tengboche Monastery (3,873 m) (5 -6hrs).
Across the valley from the lodge, one can see the trail sloping diagonally up towards the famous monastery of Tengboche. The day begins with a descent to the small hamlet of Phunki Tenga, beside the Dudh Kosi. From here we cross a suspension bridge before beginning a steep ascent for about an hour. This part of the trek is quite heavily forested by rhododendron and pine, so it is well shaded and cool. Once out of the forest, the trail becomes gentle and gradual for another 1.5 hours, all the way up to the monastery. The setting of Tengboche is magical and it is incredible to think that the temple was burned down a few years ago and re-built largely through the efforts of the Sir Edmund Hillary Trust. After lunch explorations of the monastery and its surroundings.
Meals: B, L, D

9: Trek to Mende (12,263 ft / 3,840 m( (6 hrs).
Leaving Tashinga. retrace the trail to Namche Bazar for about an hour to detour off the main trail, taking the trail leading to Khumjung village (3770 mts). The path leads gently up the shallow valley and into Khumjung, the education center of Khumbu. Time permitting, visit the Khumjung monastery and Kunde hospital. Taking the high trail above Namche Bazar, bypass Syangboche airport and head north west. The valley ahead is extremely rugged but beautiful and as one wanders along the forest track, you might chance upon monal pheasants or small herds of thar. At the small village of Tesho, turn off the main trail and make your way slowly up a closed valley. The last half hour climb to Mende, is short, steep and guaranteed to take your breath away. This is where the past few days of hiking into shape will be appreciated ! Once at the lodge, however, the awesome views and commanding location will make the extra effort of getting there well worth while. <
Meals: B, L, D

10: Day excursion to Thame (3,801m) ( 5-6 hrs).
Half an hour down from the Mende Lodge, the trail connects with the old Tibetan trading trail. The path is well formed, wide and mostly easy walking all the way to the village of Thame. Thame is very original in many aspects and perhaps one of the prettiest villages in the Khumbu. It has a scattering of houses, stone-fenced fields and a backdrop of massive snow and icy summits. Visit the Thame monastery, one of the oldest in the region. Sherpa Tenzing Norgay's house, where he lived with his first wife, is situated near the top end of the village. Thame is, in fact, home to two of Nepal's most famous mountaineers: Ang Rita Sherpa who summited Everest eleven times and Apa Sherpa, who outdid his fellow climber by making it 18 times to the top of Everest!
Meals: B, L, D

11: Return trek to Monjo (5-6 hrs).
Before beginning the descent down to Monjo visit the Laudo monastery 15 minutes above Mende. The main temple is only 40 years old and was used until recently as a meditation school for western Buddhists students. It has a remarkable meditation room built underneath a huge rock, where people go on retreat for 3 years /3 months/3days. The most friendly caretaker in the whole of Khumbu will be more than happy to serve butter tea and explain a little about the monastery. Retrace along the same route to Phurte and from here take the lower trail to Namche. After three hours of easy walking we arrive at Namche Bazar for lunch. The rest of the trail is an easy descent to Monjo.
Meals: B, L, D

12: Trek via GUMILA Monastery to LUKLA (5-6hrs).
The return trek to Lukla follows a slightly different route so as to avoid walking through Phakding again. Keeping to a trail high above, on the other side of the Dudh Kosi, we visit the old Gumila monastery before descending down to the main trail. After a short lunch break at Thada Kosi, at the base of the Kusum Kangru Himal we continue for a further two hours or so before we reach Lukla.
Meals: B, L, D

13: Fly to Kathmandu .
Today we leave the mountains behind and fly back to Kathmandu. Please note that flights into Lukla are sometimes delayed due to weather conditions either in fog-bound Kathmandu or windy Lukla; be reassured that our staff in Lukla and in Kathmandu will be doing everything possible to minimize the inconvenience caused if this happens. Your patience in the trying circumstances, which can occur, will be greatly appreciated. Your final day of leisure in Kathmandu does of course provide a valuable cushion against missing your flight home, should the Lukla flight be delayed. On arrival in Kathmandu you will be met and transferred to the Hotel.
Meals: B, D

14: leisure in Kathmandu .
Time today to relax and reflect on your experiences and to complete any sightseeing and or last-minute shopping for gifts for your house sitter.
Meals: B

15: Transfer to airport for departure.
We will transfer you to the airport for your flights to more adventure.
Meals: B