Pokalde Peak Climb with Everest Base Camp Trek - 18 Days

Upon your arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport, one of the representatives of the Himalayan trekkers will welcome you and transfer you to your designated hotel. After you get your needed rest, we will have a short discussion session regarding your Pokalde Peak Climb with Everest Base Camp Trek. Then, we head out for a short stroll around the Thamel market. 

After breakfast, (OPt) we head out from your hotel to Boudhanath Stupa and explore this biggest stupa in the country at its fullest. As soon as we enter the Boudha gate, we can feel the ease and peace in its surroundings. It is one of the most loved places in the city by both the locals and foreigners. The big white dome with big Buddha eyes in all directions sits in the middle of the giant mandala. 

From Boudhanath, we will drive to Pashupatinath Temple which is one of the four most important Hindu sites in the world. Non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the main temple that is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Other than the main temple, every part is open to everyone. But you can get a view of the main temple from the opposite bank of the holy Bagmati River. You might also get to witness the open-air cremation on the bank of the river. 

After sightseeing these two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, we can visit Patan Durbar Square which also falls on this list if only time permits. If not then we return to Thamel for trip preparations. You can buy or rent the trekking and climbing equipment and grab some of your favorite snacks and chocolate bars as you will not find them once you are in the Everest Region.

We will transfer to the airport early in the morning for the scenic flight to one of the most dangerous airports in the world named Tenzing Hillary Airport in Lukla (2800 M). We get to enjoy the 35 minutes of thrilling flight along with the amazing aerial views of the Himalayas, deep valleys, and diverse landscape.  

We will meet your porters in Lukla and after a short break, we will commence the 3 hours trek towards Phakding. The walk will be easy and will offer you some of the most tranquil views of majestic picturesque mountains. You will be lost in the appeal and pureness of the surrounding nature. After a few hours of walking, we will make a halt for the night at Phakding. 

On crossing the Dudh-Kosi River, we will begin our walk of the day. After treading for a few hours, we will reach the beautiful village of Monjo. Situated in the Valley of Dudh Kosi River, it represents the humble lifestyle of the natives there. After the completion of your formalities at the Sagarmatha National Park’s office, we will resume our journey ahead to reach the village of Jorsale where we will halt for the lunch. 

Then, making our way through the prosperous pine forest, we will cross Hillary’s suspension bridge. After 4 hour's walk from the village, we will reach the famed Namche Bazaar. The entire trail offers a magnificent view of the Kwande peak and also Kusum Kanguru & Mt. Everest. We will get to enjoy some breathtaking views of some of the renowned peaks like Lhotse, Nuptse, and Taweche from certain places on this trail.

Once in the town of Namche Bazaar, we will check in at our lodge and rest for a bit from the long day ascent. In the evening, you can make a stroll around the town and enjoy the landscape and Himalayan views on a clear weather day. 

The day will be dedicated solely to relaxation and acclimatization before you move onto the higher altitudes. Namche Bazar is a perfect stop for relaxation; the town of the Sherpas will offer you an array of opportunities for sightseeing and collecting souvenirs. 

It is a trading hub with traders from Tibet and various parts of the country selling their products. Also, the place is dotted with many cafes, cake shops, souvenir shops, etc. Thus, you can spend a happening time in Namche Bazaar.

For the acclimatization hike, we will climb to the Khumjung Village where we will visit the Khumjung Monastery which houses a skull of a so-called Yeti, and the Hillary School. We will also visit the Khunde Village and get a glimpse of the lifestyle there. From these villages, we can make a short ascent to the Syangboche airstrip and visit the renowned Everest View Hotel which is the highest located hotel in the world. The hotel is surrounded by high peaks such as Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhoste, Thamserku, Kusum Kangaru, and many others. Then, we return to Namche for the night. 

Post breakfast, we will start your journey towards Tengboche, a mesmerizing Khumjung village having the largest gompa (gumba). The breathtaking trail is in continues from above Dudh Kosi. From here onwards, the stunning view of the mountains like Mt Everest, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, and Lhotse in the Khumbu region can be observed. 

We will then trek through settlements that reflect the culture of the place and small tea shops that look like a place on the pages of fables. Next, we will make a halt at Phunki Tenga for lunch. After lunch and relaxation, we will walk towards a steep climb of 3 hours to Tengboche. After further climbing, we will finally reach Tengboche where you can witness gorgeous views of the Himalayas.

We will start your day with breakfast and then descend towards the Imja River and slowly climb towards the beautiful village of Pangboche. A tributary of Dudh Kosi River, Imja Khola gets its water from Imja Glacier. After we reach the lovely mountain village, we can see the magnificent Ama Dablam standing majestically in front of Pangboche and enjoy an exceptional view of the mountains. 

We will move ahead, a couple of hours' walk from the village, and, finally, find ourselves in the Pheriche village. This is where we will halt for an overnight stay and sink ourselves in the beauty of nature.

On this day, we will cross a green wide valley overlooked by the extraordinary peaks of Cholatse and Tawache. When we turn right, we will move towards a steep climb to reach the foot of the Khumbu Glacier. The quaint teahouse at Duglha will be an amazing stop for lunch. Then, continue on a zigzag trail that will take us through the glacier's terminal moraine. 

When we reach the top of our climb, we will find many stone cairns which have been constructed as memorials to the brave Sherpas who died while climbing to conquer the mighty Mt Everest. The path ascends along the glacier and you will notice many little houses at Lobuche. The entire trail will be covered in approximately 4-5 hours.

Today is the day to reach the Everest Base Camp that you have been waiting for since the beginning of your trip. We start every early in the morning to cover a long trail that will stretch over 8 hours. We will first come across Gorakshep where we will leave our luggage and belongings at the lodge where we will be staying and move forward to the Everest Base Camp. 

We will traverse through ice pinnacles and get past the openings of the picturesque Khumbu Glacier. Once we are at the base camp of Everest, we will enjoy our success by clicking some photos and videos for memory. 

On the return, you may opt for another route to witness some of the extravagant views of Khumbu icefall and the entire road to the South Col. We get back to Gorakshep for the night. 

We rise early in the morning to off for Kala Patthar on the tenth day of the journey. Kala Patthar (5545m) is a well-known location recognized for its breathtaking 360-degree panoramic vista of the surrounding snow-capped mountains. It gives a clear sight of Mt. Everest, Changtse, and Nuptse. In fact, it offers a better view of Mount Everest than the base camp. So, many trekkers opt for the hike to Kalapatthar. 

From Gorak Shep, our climb goes via ascent along the cold and stony trails. After a 3–4 hour ascent, we reach Kalapattar, where we will rest for a while enjoying the best vista of the Himalayas before descending to Lobuche for the night.

Finally, today is the day when we will start to go toward Pokalde Peak. After a brief breakfast, we will depart from Lobuche for Pokalde Base Camp early in the morning. As we climb higher, our steps will become increasingly difficult. After a couple of hours of leaving Lobuche, we come across one of the well-known mountain passes, Kongma La Pass at 5545 meters which offers stunning mountain views. 

From the pass, the pathways get a little rocky and the ascent becomes very steep. Finally, after almost six hours of walking, we arrive at Pokalde Base Camp. We will rest at the tent prepared by the Himalayan Trekkers camping team and spend the night. 

Today we trek forward to High Camp. The distance between the Base Camp and the High Camp is not so long and it will take around 4 hours to reach. We will have to move slowly because of the rocky, sloping terrain. As we gently rise, we can see the stunning backdrop of Mt. Nuptse (7,861 m), Mt. Lhotse (8,414 m), and Mt. Makalu (8,463 m). 

We finally arrive at the high camp after a 4-5 hour hike. The Pokalde peaks are visible from the high camp as a jagged edge that is somewhat obscured by the enormous Mt. Nuptse. We will spend the rest of the acclimatizing and learning the skills from the expert. 

The 13th day will start quite early in the morning. We will be done with your breakfast by 3 a.m. and immediately start our today’s trek. Today is the D-day to make our summit to the 5806 meters top of Pokalde Peak. We will climb a rocky pass and chase a picturesque snow ridge after leaving behind the uneven pinnacles. 

While following the ridge, we will come across a climb that may be tough for amateurs that will comprise damaged rocks, uneven trails, and snow to reach the summit ridge. Finally, all our hard work will pay off when we ultimately reach the summit. 

Once reaching the summit, we will be enclosed by picture-perfect snow pinnacles of some of the earth’s highest mountains such as Makalu (8,481 m), and Mt. Pumori (7,165 m), and Mt. Ama Dablam (6,856 m). A beguiling view that will be forever etched in your heart, embrace the miracles of nature, and spend some time with yourself in the midst of magical nature.

Furthermore, the trial will offer you ample opportunities to satisfy the photographer in you. After spending some time photographing or exploring, we will retrace your trail to the base camp and then to Chhukung for the night. 

As our goal of making it to the top of Pokalde Peak becomes successful, we start descending back. Today, we return to Tengboche after breakfast stretching about 5-6 hours. We will be fortunate enough to have amazing views on your trail through the alpine valley. We will cross the Khumbu Khola and ascend a steep trail to reach the top of a small ridge where you can enjoy beautiful views of Kangtega, Amadablam, and Imja valley.

After walking away from the Sherpa towns of Pheriche and Pangboche, we will steadily make our way through a mesmerizing forest of rhododendron, juniper as well as fir and with a gradual climb through the forest to reach Tengboche. During the spring season, you can totally feel the beauty of the magical rhododendron flowers. 

On this day, we will start our journey to Dudh Koshi and cross a bridge, then pass through lush pine trees and ultimately reach Thasinga. Still, we will get to see the Thamserku and Kangtega. Next, the trail continues above the valley and moves through nature’s beauty Sanasa. At Kyangjuma, we will eventually reach Namche from Tengboche. You can also opt. to trek more to make it to Monjo if you feel like you can make it.  If not then, we will spend an overnight here at Namche. 

We leave Namche or Monjo and make our way back to Lukla. The trail will lead us through a steep rocky trail in the terrain and cross several suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi River. The bridges serve as a pass-through for beautiful rhododendron and pine forest, dreamlike Sherpa villages, and finally take us the trails to arrive at Lukla. The entire trail stretches over 6-7 hours by walk.

With the final breakfast at the Everest Region on this visit, we bid goodbye to the Himalayas and board an early flight from Lukla. Once in Kathmandu, you will get the whole afternoon to relax, explore the locality and collect souvenirs for your home.

As the trip to Pokalde Peak Climb with Everest Base Camp Trek has become successful, we shall escort you to the airport for your scheduled flight back to your home country. 

Itinerary Note: An extra day or two is a subject to be added as a contingency day in case the peak summit is unsuccessful due to bad weather. This might add a day or two to your itinerary.