Twelve nights for walkers who want the Everest trail at its most comfortable. After two nights at Dwarika's in Kathmandu, we fly to Lukla and walk 3–7 hours a day between Yeti Mountain Home lodges and two simple nights in Khumjung, with a day hike to Tengboche and no night above about 3,800 m.
This is the Everest trek for people who want the mountain without the base camp. We go no higher than Hotel Everest View at 3,880 m and Tengboche at 3,867 m, and sleep no higher than about 3,800 m, yet the route shows Everest (8,849 m), Lhotse and Ama Dablam from the ridge above Namche, from Khumjung and from Tengboche Monastery. Sleeping height rises slowly, with two nights in Namche Bazaar at 3,440 m before going higher, in line with the rule of 300–500 m a day above 3,000 m. Walking days are 3–7 hours with a licensed guide and porters.
Comfort comes from Yeti Mountain Home, a small group of lodges in the Khumbu that offer the best lodge-to-lodge standard on the Everest trail. We use them in Phakding, Namche, Thame, Monjo and Lukla. Khumjung has no Yeti Mountain Home, so the two nights there are in the best simple lodge in the village, and we say so plainly. Kathmandu bookends the trek at Dwarika's Hotel, with a spare night at the end because Lukla flights are often delayed by weather.
Highlights
Why this route works
Flying into Lukla's Tenzing-Hillary Airport at 2,860 m
Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam from Hotel Everest View at 3,880 m
Two nights in Thame, the quiet Sherpa village on the old Tibet trade route
A day hike to Tengboche Monastery at 3,867 m
Namche Bazaar's Saturday market and Sherpa culture museum
Day by day
The journey
Day01
Arrive in Kathmandu
Overnight: Kathmandu≈ 3 km · 15 minMeals: Dinner
We meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport and drive about 15 minutes to Dwarika's Hotel in Battisputali. The rest of the day is for recovery: the pool, a wander through the courtyards of carved Newari woodwork, an early dinner. Your trekking guide meets you in the evening to check boots, layers and the kit list, and to take passport copies for the Sagarmatha National Park entry and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee, which we pay on your behalf. Drink plenty of water from today on.
Day02
Kathmandu and trek preparation
Overnight: KathmanduMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
A morning with a private guide at Boudhanath, the great stupa of the Tibetan quarter, where you will see the same prayer flags and carved mani stones that line the Khumbu trail. Then Pashupatinath on the Bagmati. The afternoon is free for last-minute gear in Thamel and repacking: porters carry one duffel of about 10–12 kg per person, and Lukla flights limit checked baggage. In peak months the flight may leave from Ramechhap instead of Kathmandu, so we confirm tonight whether a very early start is needed.
The flight to Lukla takes about 35 minutes from Kathmandu and lands on a short sloping runway at 2,860 m. In peak seasons many Lukla flights operate from Manthali airport in Ramechhap instead, a drive of about 4–5 hours from Kathmandu that starts in the small hours; check current status before you travel. From Lukla we walk about 3 hours, mostly downhill, along the Dudh Koshi to Phakding at 2,610 m. Tonight is at the Yeti Mountain Home in Phakding, a gentle first night lower than Lukla.
The big day of the walk in: about 6 hours, crossing the river several times on suspension bridges, past Monjo (2,835 m) and the national park checkpoint, where your guide shows the permits. After lunch by the river comes the steady climb of about 600 m to Namche, crossing the high bridge over the Dudh Koshi, with a first view of Everest from a bend halfway up if the sky is clear. Walk slowly and drink often. Namche Bazaar sits in a horseshoe of houses at 3,440 m; we spend two nights at its Yeti Mountain Home.
Today follows the rule of climbing high and sleeping low. We walk up above Namche past the Syangboche airstrip to Hotel Everest View at 3,880 m, where tea on the terrace comes with Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam in one line on a clear morning. Then down to Khumjung at 3,790 m, a wide Sherpa village with the school started by Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust and a monastery that keeps what is said to be a yeti scalp. Back to Namche for the night, about 5 hours of walking in all.
Day06
Namche to Thame
Overnight: ThameMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
West of Namche the trail leaves the Everest crowds behind. We walk about 4 hours up the Bhote Koshi valley, the old trade route to Tibet over the Nangpa La, through Thamo and past mani walls and chortens to Thame at about 3,800 m. This is the highest night of the trip, about 360 m above Namche and well within a safe gain for one day. Tonight is at the Yeti Mountain Home in Thame. Tenzing Norgay grew up in this village, and many well-known Everest summiteers come from here.
Day07
A day in Thame
Overnight: ThameMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
A rest day at height that is not idle. In the morning we climb about 45 minutes to Thame Gompa, a monastery built against the cliff above the village, where a Mani Rimdu festival is held in spring; check current status before you travel if you want to time a visit for it. The rest of the day is for short walks up the valley, reading by the stove and letting your body settle at 3,800 m. Your guide checks oxygen saturation and symptoms each morning and evening.
We walk back east through Thamo and above Namche, then take the high path to Khumjung, about 5–6 hours in all. Khumjung at 3,790 m has no Yeti Mountain Home, so tonight and tomorrow we stay in the best simple lodge in the village: clean rooms, basic bathrooms and a warm dining room around a stove. It is not luxury, and we tell you so before you book. The reward is the setting below the sacred peak of Khumbila, with Ama Dablam rising to the east.
A long day of about 7 hours. We walk past Kyangjuma, drop to the Dudh Koshi at Phunki Tenga and climb about 600 m through rhododendron and fir to Tengboche at 3,867 m, the largest monastery in the Khumbu and the home of the Mani Rimdu festival each autumn. If timing allows, sit in on the monks' prayers; Everest and Ama Dablam stand above the monastery on a clear day. Then the same path back to Khumjung, with a climb of about 300 m from the river to finish the day.
Day10
Down to Monjo
Overnight: MonjoMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
We descend for about 4–5 hours: through Namche, where you can stop for coffee and the Sherpa culture museum, then down the long switchbacks to the Dudh Koshi and out through the park checkpoint to Monjo at 2,835 m. Losing nearly 1,000 m in a day brings thicker air, warmer nights and better sleep. Tonight is at the Yeti Mountain Home in Monjo, a quiet village of potato fields and stone walls, with a last view up the valley towards Thamserku.
Day11
Monjo to Lukla
Overnight: LuklaMeals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
The last walking day, about 4–5 hours back along the Dudh Koshi through Phakding, with a final climb of about 250 m into Lukla. Tonight is at the Yeti Mountain Home in Lukla, a short walk from the airstrip, which makes tomorrow's early flight easy. The last evening on the trail is a good time to thank the porters and guides, who have carried and steered you for nine days; we hand over tips this evening, and your guide confirms the flight time and baggage limits.
Day12
Fly back to Kathmandu
Overnight: KathmanduMeals: Breakfast, Dinner
Lukla flights go in the morning, weather permitting; if they do not, we wait at the lodge or, where possible, transfer by helicopter at extra cost. In peak seasons the flight may land at Ramechhap, followed by a drive of 4–5 hours to Kathmandu; check current status before you travel. Back at Dwarika's Hotel, the afternoon is for a long shower, a massage and laundry. Dinner tonight is Krishnarpan, the hotel's Nepali tasting menu, a fair reward after nine days on foot.
Day13
Depart Kathmandu
Overnight: Departure≈ 3 km · 15 minMeals: Breakfast
Breakfast and the 15-minute drive to Tribhuvan International Airport. The spare night in Kathmandu is there because Lukla flights depend entirely on visibility, and a day's delay can happen in any season. If the trek ran to plan, use the morning for Patan's Durbar Square and museum, about 30 minutes away. We recommend an international departure in the afternoon or later, and travel insurance that covers trekking to 4,000 m and helicopter evacuation.
Sagarmatha National Park entry is NPR 3,000 for foreigners plus a Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee of NPR 2,000; check current status before you travel.
Since April 2023 foreign trekkers in most national parks must walk with a licensed guide; check current status before you travel.
Above 3,000 m we raise sleeping height by no more than 300–500 m a day and never go higher with symptoms of altitude sickness.
Lukla flights are often delayed by weather; keep your international departure flexible.
Nights in Thame and Khumjung fall well below freezing outside summer; bring a good down jacket and warm layers for the evenings.
Expect 3–7 hours a day on rocky trail with long climbs; regular hill walking for two months beforehand helps.
Yaks and porters have right of way; always step to the mountain side of the trail.
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
Do I need trekking experience for this Everest walk?
No, but you need to be fit. Days run 3–7 hours on rocky paths, with climbs of up to 600 m, and you sleep between 2,610 m and about 3,800 m. If you can walk 15 km on hills on consecutive days, you will manage. Two months of regular hill walks or stair climbing beforehand makes a real difference. Porters carry your bags.
Will we see Mount Everest on this trek?
Yes, on clear days. Everest is first glimpsed on the climb to Namche, then seen well from the ridge above Namche, from Hotel Everest View at 3,880 m, from near Khumjung and from Tengboche. Mornings from October to December give the clearest views; spring brings more afternoon cloud. This route does not go to Everest Base Camp.
What are Yeti Mountain Home lodges like?
They are the most comfortable lodge-to-lodge option on the Everest trail: a small group of lodges in Lukla, Phakding, Monjo, Namche, Kongde and Thame, with better rooms and food than standard teahouses. Walls are thin, power can be limited and nights are cold at height, so think good mountain lodge, not city hotel. We use them for seven of the nine trek nights.
Why do we not stay at Kongde?
Because of its height. The Yeti Mountain Home at Kongde stands high on a ridge above the Bhote Koshi, well above our 3,800 m sleeping limit on this route, and is usually reached by helicopter. It suits travellers who are already acclimatised. Here we keep the highest night to Thame at about 3,800 m so the trek stays comfortable for first-timers.
What is the Lukla flight like, and what about Ramechhap?
The flight takes about 35 minutes from Kathmandu to a short, sloping runway at 2,860 m and runs only in good visibility. In peak seasons many Lukla flights operate from Manthali airport in Ramechhap, 4–5 hours by road from Kathmandu, which means a pre-dawn drive. Arrangements change each season, so check current status before you travel.
How do you manage altitude sickness?
By going up slowly. Above 3,000 m we raise sleeping height by no more than 300–500 m a day and spend two nights in Namche before going higher. Your guide checks oxygen saturation and symptoms each morning and evening. Mild headache is common; if symptoms worsen, we descend. Never go higher with symptoms of AMS, and discuss acetazolamide with your doctor before travel.
What permits and fees are needed for the Everest region?
Two: Sagarmatha National Park entry, NPR 3,000 for foreigners, and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee, NPR 2,000. Since April 2023 foreign trekkers in most national parks must also walk with a licensed guide. We arrange and include all of these in the price; check current status before you travel, as fees and rules change.
When is the best time for this Everest trek?
October and November for clear skies and stable weather, then March and April, when rhododendrons flower below Namche and days are warmer, though afternoon cloud builds. December can be very clear but cold. From June to September the monsoon brings rain, leeches lower down and frequent Lukla flight cancellations, so we do not run this route then.
Can we return from Lukla by helicopter?
Yes, at extra cost. A helicopter from Lukla or Namche to Kathmandu takes about 45–60 minutes and can sometimes fly when planes cannot, though it is still bound by weather. Many guests book one if Lukla flights are delayed by more than a day. We can also add a helicopter flight towards Kala Patthar for close views of Everest on the way out.
Everest Lodge to Lodge: Namche and Thame12 nights · from ₹4,90,000 per personCheck dates and price
