Everest Base Camp Trek (budget friendly)

▪ Thrilling 30–35 min mountain flight to Tenzing–Hillary Airport, Lukla — sit LEFT for Everest views ▪ Meet the trekking crew; your guide registers permits and the Everest Trek Card at the checkpoint below Lukla ▪ Gentle walk through Sherpa villages, pine forest and prayer wheels to Phakding, beside the Dudh Koshi river ▪ Peak season (Apr 1–May 15, Oct 1–Nov 15): flights leave from Ramechhap — our office schedules the early jeep transfer for you ▪ From today, lunch, dinner and drinks are ordered and paid directly at the teahouse — your guide points you to the best-value menu

▪ Enter Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo — permits checked; your guide handles all the paperwork ▪ Cross the famous high Hillary Suspension Bridge hung with prayer flags ▪ First glimpse of Mount Everest from Top Danda on clear mornings — look for the summit crest beyond the Nuptse–Lhotse wall ▪ Tough 600 m switchback climb into Namche Bazaar — the vibrant Sherpa capital: bakeries, cafés, gear shops, the last reliable ATM

▪ Acclimatization hike to Everest View Hotel (3,880 m) for panoramas of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam ▪ Optional loop via Khumjung village (3,780 m) — Hillary school and the monastery's famous 'yeti scalp' ▪ Visit the Sagarmatha National Park museum; your guide can point you to the HRA altitude talk in season ▪ Light day by design — hydrate, snack, rest and let your blood adapt; early night

▪ Undulating trail with constant mountain views, then a long descent to the river at Phunki Tenga ▪ Steady 1.5 hr forest climb to Tengboche — the largest monastery in the Khumbu and its spiritual heart ▪ Attend the afternoon puja (prayer ceremony) if schedules allow — an unforgettable experience ▪ Watch for Himalayan tahr and danphe (Nepal's national bird) in the rhododendron forest

▪ Pass Pangboche (3,980 m) with the Khumbu's oldest gompa; the trail then climbs above the treeline ▪ Enter the wide Imja valley — Ama Dablam's rock wall on your left, Taboche and Cholatse ahead ▪ You cross 4,000 m: your guide sets a slower pace — walk at conversation speed, drink often ▪ Dingboche is a beautiful stone-walled village of potato fields — 'all summer' at 4,410 m

▪ Acclimatization hike up Nangkartshang (Nagarjun) Hill ≈ 5,080 m — a first taste of 5,000 m with views of Island Peak, Makalu and Lhotse ▪ Gentler option: stroll to Chhukung Valley (4,730 m) or rest with a coffee and a book ▪ Do not skip this day — it is the quiet engine of a safe, successful EBC push ▪ The HRA clinic in nearby Pheriche runs altitude lectures most afternoons in season — your guide knows the schedule

▪ Gradual climb to Thukla Pass (4,830 m) — the moving field of memorial chortens for climbers, including Scott Fischer ▪ First close look at Pumori and the grey rubble of the Khumbu Glacier ▪ The landscape turns to stark high-altitude desert — beautiful, harsh and very quiet ▪ Lodges are basic and cold up here: sleeping bag, layers and the communal dining stove are your friends

▪ Follow the Khumbu Glacier moraine to Gorakshep, the last village; carry only a light daypack — leave the main bag at the lodge (or with your porter if you added one) ▪ THE DAY: stand at Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) at the foot of the infamous Khumbu Icefall — tented expedition city appears Apr–May ▪ Note: EBC itself has no view of the summit — tomorrow's Kala Patthar sunrise is the viewpoint ▪ Return to Gorakshep for the highest dal bhat of your life — on your own tab, and worth every rupee ▪ Sleeping at 5,140 m: expect a rough night; poor sleep at this altitude is completely normal

▪ Pre-dawn start under headlamps; 1.5–2 hr climb of Kala Patthar — the true summit of the whole trek ▪ Sunrise ignites Everest's summit plus Pumori, Changtse, Nuptse and Lhotse — 360° Himalayan theatre and the trip's best photos ▪ Breakfast back in Gorakshep, then descend fast into thicker air with your guide ▪ Lunch at Lobuche or Thukla, night in Pheriche — oxygen feels richer with every hour down

▪ Retrace via Pangboche and Tengboche — same trail, new eyes, easy breathing ▪ Now acclimatized, the climbs feel like speed bumps; forests and birds return ▪ Celebrate in Namche: hot shower, espresso and the famous apple pie (your own treat) ▪ Catch up on Wi-Fi and swap photos with the friends you made along the way

▪ Long, knee-friendly descent — trekking poles earn their keep today ▪ Cross the Hillary bridge again and follow the Dudh Koshi upstream ▪ Final short climb back into Lukla; your guide reconfirms tomorrow's flights with the airline ▪ Farewell celebration with the crew — a good moment to hand over tips for the team

▪ Morning flight back to Kathmandu, weather permitting — the buffer day protects your connection ▪ Hot shower, laundry, massage and souvenir shopping in Thamel ▪ Farewell dinner hosted by Hiking Friends Travel Nepal — momos, thali and stories ▪ Receive your achievement certificate — you earned it

▪ Our team transfers you to Tribhuvan International Airport for your onward journey ▪ Book afternoon or evening international flights today — never an early morning one ▪ If Lukla weather shifted your schedule, our office helps re-arrange everything ▪ Depart with a certificate, a full camera and a lifetime of Himalayan memories