Khumbu Panorama Trekking

After breakfast, we drive to Swayambhunath. Located on a lovely little hill, Swayambhunath Stupa is one of the fascinating architectural jewels of the country. This Buddhist shrine is said to have been built around 250 b.c. The main feature of the Stupa, the white dome, is identified with the spotless, pure jewel of Nirvana and is crowned by a thirteen-tiered golden spire of conical shape. On the cube at the spire’s base is a pair of the Buddha’s all-seeing eyes, painted on all four sides. The Stupa stands on a typically stylized lotus mandala base, believed to have surfaced (self-originated) years ago from the lake that initially filled the Kathmandu Valley.

From the hilltop, one can enjoy a panorama of Kathmandu and the rest of the Valley. A long stairway reaches the Stupa up the wooded hillside and past statues of the Buddha. But watch out for the monkeys! At the top, you’ll see devotees making rounds of the Stupa, spinning the praying wheels as they go around and around.

Another significant thing to be seen here is a magnificent two-tiered golden temple of Harati, the grandmother deity of children and smallpox, believed to be an Ogress until later converted into Buddhist and to be a great caretaker of the children. The Dewa Dharma Monastery is next to the temple, noted for a bronze icon of Buddha and traditional Tibetan paintings, destroyed by the 2015 earthquake and reconstructed.

The huge gold-plated Vajra, set on the Dharma Dhatu mandala at the side of the Stupa, the priestly symbol of Vajrayana Buddhism, is worth a close look.

Then we head on to Patan, located at a distance of 7 kilometres, once an independent Buddhist city-state and a rival of Kathmandu, separated by the Bagmati River. Patan is also known as Lalitpur, literally the city of the Arts. The old centre has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Patan boasts a multitude of temples and wonders of art in and around its Durbar Square (Palace Square). First, we’ll visit the Royal Palace, which occupies one side of the square, where works of art in every piece of wood, stone, and metal are on exhibition in the open air. We also visit the temple of Krishna, the temple of Jagat Narayan, the Golden Temple and the Temple of Thousand Buddhas, among other sites.

Around the end of the tour, you’ll also visit the Museum of Patan, located inside the medieval palace, which is a must for anyone interested in Asian Art, the history of Nepal, curatorial science, or religion. It is a world-class museum that displays the traditional sacred art of Nepal in an illustrious architectural setting. Its home is an old residential part of Patan Durbar, one of the royal palaces of the Malla kings of the Kathmandu Valley. The gilded door and window face one of the most beautiful squares in the country.

The museum also exhibits a long span of Nepal’s cultural history and some rare objects. For example, Buddhism and Hinduism are explained in detail in extensive labels within the living traditions and context.

In the evening, we visit Basantapur, or the Kathmandu Durbar Square, the old palace complex that exhibits a multitude of temples and palaces. The main attractions are the Gaddi Baithak Durbar (a Palace constructed in the Rana style in 1908), Basantapur Durbar (the main building of the old royal palace), Kumari Chowk (the residence of the Living Goddess) and Kumari Bahal, where the family of Kumari resides.

Some two hundred years ago, a Western visitor wrote that there were more temples than houses and more idols than people in the city. Indeed, Kathmandu boasts one of the largest assemblages of magnificent historical monuments and shrines ever built. Duly recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Kathmandu Durbar Square lies in the city’s heart. Locally, it is also called Hanuman Dhoka Palace Square. The fascinating part of this Palace complex is the towering Nine Storey Palace, overlooking the beautiful cityscape and the vast Basantapur Square. In 1768 A.D., King Prithivi Narayan Shah built a mansion to commemorate his conquest of the Valley, known for intricately carved wooden doors, roof struts and massive lattice windows full of mythical figures.

Finalize the tour and exit through Ason Bazaar, an old city centre and market, where one can see and experience a bit of what the Nepalese use in their daily life. Drive to the Hotel.

A 30-minute flight and a 3 hours trek.

Early in the morning, at 07:30 hour, we drive to Tribhuvan International Airport to board a flight to Lukla. It is an exhilarating mountain flight of 40 minutes. During the journey, we can enjoy exceptional views of the Himalayas and most of the villages and valleys. Upon arrival at Lukla, you’ll meet the porters and Sherpa staff to help you with your gear and escort you ahead. After a short tour of Lukla village, you’ll set out on a trek of about 3 hours to Phakdingma, where you’ll lodge for the night.

A pleasant walk on the first day passes through several villages of Sherpa people with a view of Kongde Peak and DudhKoshi River valley. Phakdingma is a lovely place for an overnight stop set on the bank of the Dudh Kunda River.

Today’s trek goes through the villages of Toktok and Jor Salle and on to Namche. The entire route is picturesque and full of nature. The surrounding hills are covered with dense forest, and beyond them are mountaintops capped with snow. After a lunch stop in Jor Salle, we continue to Namche Bazaar. Along the trail, you ascend to a vantage point called Topdanda, near Namche Bazaar. From there, if weather permits, we can glimpse Mt. Everest, the Tengboche Valley, and its famed monastery. Half an hour further trek, we will reach Namche Bazaar, the “capital of the Khumbu valley”.

Namche Bazaar, surrounded by beautiful mountains from all directions, is the commercial centre of the Khumbu region. If we arrive on a Friday, we can view the weekly bazaar the next day, when local people converge from the surrounding area. In the Khumbu Valley, it is forbidden to kill any animals. Therefore, people from lower valleys come on Saturdays to sell meat and everyday supplies and the local people and hotel/lodge operator from around buy.

Namche Bazaar, encased in a beautiful mountain landscape, is an excellent place to rest for a day to acclimate your body. Then, depending on your choice, your guide will take you to visit the monastery of Namche, the Sagarmatha National Park Museum and Sherpa House Museums or other attractions.

After breakfast, two and a half hours of beautiful walk to Thamo. The trail is the main entry route to Tibet through Nangpa La, which passes nearby Mount Cho Oyu 8,012m, first summated in 1954. The Nangpa-la, one of the world-famous high passes, was the only trade route between the Sherpa and the Tibetan people. This trade route traces the important history of the Sherpa people, who had migrated from Tibet to Nepal via the Nangpa La. Many Tibetans and Sherpas crossed this pass for centuries to be a part of the open market in Tibet and Namche Bazaar and further down to Solu. Unfortunately, this trade facility between Nepal and Tibet has been closed since around 2010.

Stop for our lunch at Thamo, the village of late Ang Rita Sherpa, the World record holder of 10 times Everest Summits without the use of bottled oxygen. A further two hours walk from Thamo, and we reach Thame, the village of Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the first Everest Summiteer, and Apa Sherpa, who holds a record of summiting Mt. Everest 21 times. Thame is one of the ancient villages of the Sherpa people.

After breakfast, we retrace the trail back to Thamo and Jarok, near Namche and climb gradually to Shyangboche Airport, a short landing field for the Pilatus Porter plane. The Dudhkoshi Valley, KongdeHimal, Khumbila, Thamserku and Kusum Kanguru are some of the best scenes from here.

We further continue and cross a beautiful ridge and enter Khumjung village, where we stop for a hearty lunch. Then, time permitting, visit its monastery in the centre of the village.

After lunch, the trek starts with magnificent views of Ama Dablam and Thamserku in the afternoon. Next, the trail exits east and begins a direct climb, to Mongla, through a narrow gully on the cliff, bringing us above a barren hill with fantastic panoramas toward Tengboche and Everest. A hilltop called Mongla, with some houses, is a small resting place on a hill ridge with exceptional views of Phortse village, Tengboche monastery and lower Valley, and the summits of the Khantega. Thamserku, Ama Dablam and Tawoche etc.

A 5-hour trek.

The first part of the trail makes a direct descent to PhortseTenga, where we meet the river that follows Gokyo Valley. We cross the river and traverse a sparse forest line to Phortse village. The area from the river to Pangboche is less frequented by locals and trekkers, providing a peaceful sanctuary to the wildlife and birds, and we may enjoy seeing some of them during our trek. The Phortse village is one of the typical Sherpa villages of the Khumbu region and offers an excellent panorama containing Mount Amadablam, Kangthega, Thamserku and Kusum Kanguru and Tengboche Monastery.

We stop for tea, see around the village, and continue the trek to Tengboche via Pangboche village. The trail gradually traverses to Pangboche, an ancient village with a Monastery. At Pangboche, we’ll disburse a visit to the village and 400 years old monastery, the oldest in the region. The views of Everest, Ama Dablam and Chhukung Valley are awe-inspiring, sheer and expansive. We stop here for lunch and continue the trek toward Tengboche.

After 30 minutes down from Pangboche, you cross the river and traverse to Dibuche, a convent surrounded by a primitive forest. Then it is on to Tengboche, a beautiful place with a monastery with a 360-degree panorama including Everest and imposing Amadablam, Tawoche, Khumbila, Kwangde, and Kangthega.

From the meadow at Tengboche, there are beautiful views of Nuptse-Lhotse, the tip of Everest and the giant Mt. Amadablam. Tengboche is one of the religious centres of the Khumbu Valley. The monastery burned down in 1989 and was rebuilt to its original shape. Thanks to the generous contributions from the local community, trekkers and the Himalayan Trust. Here, every October/November, according to the Buddhist lunar calendar, is celebrated as one of the most spectacular and important religious festivals, the Mani Rimdu Mask Dance Festival.

From Tengboche, the trail goes down to Pungi Tenga, which lies at the confluence of the DudhKoshi River and the river that flows from Gokyo. Finally, after two hours of gentle climbing, you arrive at Sanasa, below the Khumjung village, where you will make your lunch stop, or you may continue further thirty-five minutes to Namche.

From Sanasa, the trail traverses through a lovely level trail to the west till Namche Bazaar with superbly beautiful views of DudhKoshi River Valley, the Kongde mountains, Kusum Kanguru, Amadabalm, Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse etc.

From Namche, the trail directly drops to the DudhKoshi River. We are getting back again to “European” altitudes as we descend towards the entrance to Everest National Park at Jor Salle, a pleasant place to spend a night after several days in altitude.

From Jor Salle, the trail mostly follows the river. Then, we retrace through some small Sherpa villages and arrive at Lukla. At Lukla, we spend our last night in the Khumbu Valley. This evening is the occasion to enjoy a farewell party with your Sherpa friends who have accompanied you. They depart separately on a two days trek and one-day bus ride to Kathmandu or stay at Lukla to continue another trek back to Everest Base Camp!

Early morning, after breakfast, we walk to the Airport for check-in formalities and fly back to Kathmandu. Finally, arrive at Kathmandu airport, where a vehicle will wait for our arrival and get transferred to your hotel. The rest of the day is free for you to rest and relax, or if you wish, you could stroll around the high street of Kathmandu or spend time doing things of your choice, or you can also go shopping for your friends and family as a souvenir from Nepal. Overnight stay in the hotel.

After breakfast, we set off to Pashupatinath temple, considered one of the holiest Hindu shrines. Pashupati has remained the presiding deity of all Hindu Nepalese royalty. The precinct occupies an area of 281 hectares. The main temple, displaying a golden tiled roof, is off-limits to non-Hindus. To view the main temple and one of its few main gates, you’ll have to cross the river and climb steps to the terrace lying opposite. Along the way, you may cross Hindu sadhus and Santas on a pilgrimage. These ghats (cremation group) along the Bagmati River are where the bodies of recently deceased Hindus of the Valley get cremated.

The trip takes us to Bhaktapur. Bhaktapur, located about 15 kilometres east of Kathmandu, is the third major city in the Valley. Bhaktapur, or Bhadgaon, literally “the City of Devotees”, is a living museum. There is the 55-windowedRoyal Palace, the temple of Taleju, the palace of the Kumari, the temple of Pashupati, the main square of Tanmadhi Tole, Nyatapola (the temple of the Five Pagoda Roofs, the tallest such in all of Nepal), the temple of Akash Bhairab (the second most important temple of Badhgaon). We will also visit the square of DhaHateya and the squares of the Potters. UNESCO recognizes Bhaktapur as a World Heritage Site. Finalize the tour and drive back to Kathmandu to visit the Boudha Nath Stupa.

Boudhanath stupa lies in the centre of Kathmandu and is one of the largest Buddhist stupas in the World. The base of the Stupa is composed of three successive mandalas, geometrical representations of the cosmos. The base itself represents the element earth, the dome on top of it symbolizes water, the cube represents fire, and the pinnacle represents air. Finally, the culminating flame symbolizes ether. This great Stupa is much like Swayambhunath except for its pinnacle. Also, it is much bigger and lies on the valley floor. This Stupa is said to have been built in the 5th century A.D. The site attracts the highest numbers of Buddhist pilgrims from all over the Himalayan region and the World.

Finalize the visit. The guide and driver will put you back to your hotel or any part of the city that you may wish. The trip is over. In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner in one of the best local restaurants in Kathmandu.

Have breakfast and have some relaxing free time for yourself. Our office representative and vehicle will arrive at your hotel to escort you to the Airport at the indicated time. Drive to Kathmandu international airport (TIA), and you will go through the immigration formalities and departure.