Everest Basecamp Trek for Women

Early morning drive to Ramechap, which is about 6-7 hours away from Kathmandu. Because of air traffic congestion at Kathmandu airport, Lukla flights are operated from Ramechap airport during the peak season time.

A memorable 15-minute mountain flight from Ramechap to Lukla, spectacular aerial view of snowcapped peaks ranges. Lukla
has the most amazing Short Take Off and Landing (STOL) airstrip in Nepal and is quite a dramatic place. Lunch will be served at Lukla or en route to Phakding, depending upon the arrival time. You will have time to wander around, while the Sherpa
crew sort and divide the baggage on the Ghopkyo (mixed breed of yak and normal cow, as the yak cannot survive below 3000m/9843ft) some loads are carried by porters. Trek to Phakding is mostly a gradual uphill walk with a pleasant view of Kusum-Kangru (6369m/20895ft), going over a suspension bridge and climbing to Ghat from where 1.5 hrs of walking will take us to Phakding for the overnight stay in a lodge at Phakding near the banks of Dudh Koshi river.

5- 6 hrs trek. Overnight in lodge
From Phakding, trek along the bank of Dudh Koshi crossing it and re-crossing it later via suspension bridges. We pass through Benkar village with a magnificent view of Thermasarkhu 6608m. It is a busy trail filled with trekkers, porter and
Ghopkyos (cross between cow and a yak) leading to Monjo (2835m/9301ft), a small Sherpa settlement. Moving ahead
we come to the entrance of Everest National Park at Jorsalle
(3096m/11296ft); the last place with shops till we reach
Namche Bazaar. It’s a 2 hour’s uphill walk along a winding
trail to the famed Namche Bazaar with its colorful houses
located in a natural U-shaped amphitheatre. The trek offers
magnificent views of Kwangde, Kusum Kangru, EverestNuptse wall, Lhotse and a close view of Taweche.

We halt for a day at Namche Bazaar for rest and acclimatization. You can go on a short day hike to the nearby Sherpa villages of Khumjung and Kunde to view Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. Or take a short walk to the Everest
National Park office, perched atop a magnificent spot overlooking Namche Bazaar and breathtaking views of the surrounding snowcapped giants and deep valleys. A nearby museum provides interesting information regarding the Himalayas.

For those interested, we can organize a tree plantation at
Namche Bazaar. We have been following this from last couple
years, planting rhododendron saplings to help save the
endangered musk deer of the area.

5 hrs trek. Overnight in lodge
The walk is fairly easy for the first half then a 20 minutes climb to the top ridge of Namche Bazaar from where the trail proceeds with magnificent views of the giant snow peaks of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thermasharkhu and
Kwangde-ri peak till we reach Phungitenga (3250m/10663ft) a small Sherpa settlement with beautiful prayer wheels
propelled by water. Silver fir blue pines, rhododendron and some few magnolia and birch trees cover the area. From there a winding trail through the pleasant shaded woods takes us to Thyangboche, the beautiful spot offers an eyeful of Himalayan beauties—Mt. Ama Dablam, considered the most beautiful mountain, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse and Lhotse Shar.

5- 6 hrs trek. Overnight in lodge
The trail descends through a beautiful forest of birch, fir, juniper and rhododendron to Deboche (3650m/11975ft) with magnificent view of Mt Ama Dablam, Mt Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse. Along the way we’ll see religious motifs painted and carved on rock faces, Buddhist stupas, prayer wheels and flags. The trail goes past a long mani prayer wall, then over a bridge above the narrow gorge of Imja-Tse river and up a gradual walk to Pangboche (3900m12795ft). From here we push on to scenic Shomare for lunch. No more trees at this altitude but stunning views of Ama Dablam, Nuptse and Lhotse. Later we’ll
wall through the beautiful Imjatse valley, from where the Island Peak (6189m/20,305ft), Nepal’s most popular trekking peak, comes to view. The trek ends at Dingboche (4358m/14298ft), an authentic mountain settlement with beautiful patchwork of field enclosed by stone walls.

Rest and acclimatization. Optional hike. Overnight in lodge
Today’s a day of rest. You can hike eastwards to Chhukhung (4730m/14800ft) that lies within the Imjatse valley for better
acclimatization which takes about 3-4 hrs from Dingboche. The trek is gradual but you will feel the thin air as the altitude gains slowly while approaching. At Chhukhung, there are about five teahouses overlooking the superb view of snowcapped peaks and glaciers of Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Imja glacier. Chhukhung is the last settlement in eastern Khumbu region.

Today walk is to start with is easy and gradual until we reach the base of Thugla Pass. After crossing Thugla River, actually a big stream that comes directly from Khumbu glacier, starts the steep uphill climb to large memorial site dedicated to many mountaineers who lost their lives in the area. There are many famous names written on dozens of small memorials
decorated with buddhist prayer flags. We will stick to the left side of the ridge and follow the path near flat path all the way up to Lobuche. After the memorial Khumbu Glacier is no more than few hundred meters away to the right. To see it we just need to make short climb to the ridge on the right side. It will be a short trek day but again give a lot of time to acclimatize.

2 hrs trek to Gorakshep & continue to Everest Base Camp & Khumbu Icefall. Overnight in lodge
The first hour of walk involves a gradual ascent at the end of the grassy field then a short climb of about 20 minutes. Continue along the side of the Khumbu Glacier, which is straight forward at first, but later the path becomes rocky and an awkward climb across the moraine. This is compensated by the fabulous mountain setting as the path gets closer to the world’s highest mountain. The sugar loaf dome of Pumori lies directly ahead and to our right, on the opposite side of the glacier, Nuptse rises in a sheer spire. Just behind it, remaining elusive to the last moment is the Mt Everest. Gorakshep is another small cluster of teashops, directly above is Kalapatthar 5545m/18192ft. After a break here at Gorakshep we’ll continue towards Everest Base Camp and the Khumbu Icefall. Treading upon the icefall can be quite tricky, trails change every year due to glacial movements, so pay special heed and follow the lead Sherpa. The walk can be quite strenuous due to thin air, rocky dunes, moraines and streams till you reach the base camp but it’s worth it. The base camp is a lively place during the high expedition season.

4-5 hr trek to Pheriche. Overnight in lodge
Early morning hike to Kalapatthar, a small rocky peak on the southwest ridge of Mt.Pumori, which is a popular peak for expedition groups to acclimatize and to perform practice climbs before attempting higher summits. View from here is beyond imagination, Everest seems just a stone’s throw away between Nuptse and Lhotse while other snowcapped giants dominate the surrounding view. The Everest Base Camp is also visible from here on the Khumbu Glacier.

After a wonderful time here we’ll descend back to Gorakshep and continue our journey to Pheriche. It’s a downhill walk most of the way after reaching Thugla where the Dingboche trails branches off and our route descends further down to the flat Pheriche valley. Afternoons can be very windy here and an hour’s walk will take us to Pheriche for the overnight stop.

6-7 hrs trek. Overnight in lodge
From Pheriche a short walk brings you to a bridge then it is downhill all the way, with few ups along the way. At the end of it lies a bridge from where the trail heads back to the woodlands and vegetation with an hour-long uphill walk to Namche for the overnight stop.

7-8 hrs trek. Overnight in lodge
You can walk at your own leisurely pace enjoying the lush green scenery and the amazing view of the surrounding mountains. Apart from a few short uphill stretches, the only long climb will be from a place called Choplung just before reaching Lukla (40 minutes). At Lukla, we’ll have a merry dinner party at night with the whole Sherpa crew and porters.

15 minutes flight, 6-7 hours drive. Overnight in hotel
The flight back to Ramechap offers another chance to enjoy the aerial view of the Himalayas. Upon landing at Ramechap airport, start the scenic drive to Kathmandu with a lunch break in between at a local restaurants before reaching Kathmandu. Flights are usually scheduled in the morning due to high winds in the afternoon; sometime flights can be delayed due to weather or some other reason. Upon reaching Kathmandu, our staff will arrange your hotel transfer and escort you there. Upon reaching Kathmandu please inform our staff if you would like to go for a guided tour of the city or take the early morning mountain flight to view the mountains tomorrow.

Free day in Kathmandu. This day is also kept for Buffer day if the flight Lukla to Kathmandu get cancelled. You can also depart Kathmandu by the evening flight of this day.