Nepal
Join us on the worlds highest mountain, Everest at 8850 meters in Nepal. This is our fully guided and sherpa supported via the South side Hillary/Tenzing route. This expedition is acheivable to those who have minus 40 experience and we will help you prepare over a year including assistance with gear and training. This expedition will take a year of planning so bookings need to be in on time. Check out our website blog on our last guided expedition to Everest. www.everestsa2006.co.za.
Area : Nepal
Altitude : 8850m
Duration : 80 days
Grade : 8
Contact us for more details.
Here is a sample itinerary of how the expedition will run:
Day 1:
Outbound flight departures.
Day 2:
Arrive Kathmandu.
We are met at the airport and taken to the Hyatt Hotel. This is an excellent hotel positioned well away from the bustle of the city centre and its friendly people do their best to make us feel at home. It has extensive gardens and a swimming pool.
Day 3:
At leisure in Kathmandu.
While the leader attends a formal briefing in the Ministry of Tourism, you will be able to explore this fascinating city. As those who have been there before will know, it is a wonderful mixture of crowded bazaars, temples and shrines, in a blend of ancient, colonial and modern architecture
Day 4:
Fly Kathmandu to Lukla.
We will make an early morning start for the Twin Otter flight to Lukla, the gateway to the
Khumbu. This is an exciting flight, which should give a glimpse of Everest in the distance. In
Lukla, we will meet our camp staff and porters and set off straightaway for our first night's
stop at Phakding. Situated on the banks of the Dudh Kosi, which drains the whole of the Khumbu
region, this small hamlet is on the main trade route through the area and there are a number
of clean, well-built lodges where we can spend the night.
Day 5:
Trek to Namche Bazaar.
We will continue up the banks of the Dudh Kosi, crossing it twice by small suspension bridges before reaching the village of Monjo where we will enter the Khumbu National Park. We will then cross the confluence of the Dudh Kosi and the Bhote Kosi on a high suspension bridge and climb steeply for about two hours to reach Namche Bazaar. This is a prosperous trading town and the capital of the Khumbu region. Many Tibetans cross the nearby border to trade their wares and the local market is a fascinating spectacle. This is a good place to buy genuine Tibetan artefacts. Just across the valley to the east stand the peaks of Thamserku and Kangtega, both very impressive mountains.
Day 6:
At leisure in Namche Bazaar.
We will spend a day in Namche Bazaar resting and allowing our bodies to become acclimatised to
the altitude of 3,450m (11,300ft).
Day 7:
Trek to Thyangboche.
From Namche, the well worn Everest trail contours around the side of the valley high above the Dudh Kosi. As we follow the path, we will get our first really good views of the great peaks of the Khumbu: Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam. Passing by several villages and numerous tea shops, we will cross the Dudh Kosi river and make a steep climb to Thyangboche, home of an impressive and newly rebuilt monastery.
Day 8:
Trek to Dingboche.
Shaded by rhododendron trees, the path leads gradually down to the river once again to another airy suspension bridge. An hour's walking from here, will bring us to Pangboche, an excellent viewpoint for Ama Dablam. Contouring up the valley side, we will re-cross the river and turn up the Imja valley to reach the picturesque farming village of Dingboche.
Day 9-13:
Acclimatisation.
This is an important phase of the expedition. We will be based in Dingboche, which is a good location for acclimatisation We will go out with the aim of walking some of the nearby hills in order to slowly increase our exposure to altitude. However, the aim will not be on strenuous exercise and you will be encouraged to follow the regime that you have previously found most suitable, in order to give you maximum acclimatisation before arrive in base camp.
While in Dingboche, we can attend a seminar about high altitude acclimatisation at the hospital in nearby Pheriche, run by the Himalayan Rescue Association. The walk over to Pheriche and back will also serve as good acclimatisation training and so make the walk doubly worthwhile.
Day 14:
Trek to Lobuje.
We will retrace our steps back to Pheriche before continuing up the trail towards base camp. We will eventually reach Dugla situated below the snout of the Khumbu Glacier, which will be a convenient place for lunch. After lunch, the trail starts steeply to climb up beside the glacier moraine. After a couple of hours the track eventually leads to a small cluster of tea houses pleasantly situated at Lobuje.
Day 15:
Trek to Everest base camp.
Contouring along the valleyside and looking down on the Khumbu Glacier, we will follow a
reasonable trail to Gorak Shep. This was the site of the base camp in 1953 and now consists
of a few small tea houses which, undoubtedly, will become a welcome 'bolt hole' during the
expedition. Leaving Gorak Shep, the trail leads on to the moraine of the Khumbu Glacier and
becomes quite vague, weaving between mounds of rubble and eventually reaching base camp near
the foot of the Khumbu Icefall. This will be our home for the next six weeks.
Day 16-18:
Rest and preparation.
Day 19-64:
Ascent of Mt Everest.
Day 65:
Withdraw to base camp.
All team members will return to base camp and assist with packing expedition stores and cleaning the base camp area.
Day 66-68:
Return trek to Namche Bazaar via Dingboche and Thyangboche.
Day 69:
Trek to Lukla.
Day 70:
Fly Lukla to Kathmandu.
We will return to the welcome haven of the Hyatt Hotel
Day 72:
At leisure in Kathmandu.
Day 72-77 :
Homebound flight departures.