Salleri to Everest Base Camp Trek

Today we trek to Takshindo, We start our foothill journey after a hot breakfast. It goes through the countryside road, which is wide and, after our entire hike today, is easy and comfortable. The view of Numpur Himal is awesome, and the local scenarios accompany it. The trekkers, who fly to Phaplu from Kathmandu for 25 minutes, also have the same route for trekking. We cross small streams and hilly gorges. From Fera, we walk through the jungle of pine until we get to Ringmo. We walk for another 2 hours to reach Taksindo. We enjoy the first-day trek and take a rest. Overnight at the lodge.

From the hill of Takshindo, the picturesque scenarios of Salleri can be explored. The monasteries in the village represent a mystical touch of Tibetan Buddhism. From another ridge, the views of Lukla, and Nunthala Valley astound us. Then we descend through the pine and oak forest, pass the Nunthala village, and continue our trek down, cross the Dudhkoshi River, and get up to Jubing. After about 2 hours of ascending, we reach Kharikhola. It will take about an overnight at the lodge.

We have a pass or two, a dense forest, and an uphill trek in this section of the trail. Initially, the trek passes through the settlement of Bupsa, after the view of Khumbila Mountain, and explores the forest mostly dominated by monkeys before we reach Kharte. Further on the trail, we have an uphill climb to the Khari La Pass (3145 m). We have views of Gyanchung Kang and Khubila Mountain from this pass. We shall carefully descend on a rather slippery trail on the way to Puiyan after crossing a small stream. We may further ascend through the ups and downs and cross another Chutok La Pass (2945 m), traverse through the Dudh Koshi canyon, and end this section of the trek at Surke. 

Puiyan or Surke to Phakding The trek past this section of our trail shall be mostly alpine vegetation, though we shall have ups and downs in the trail. We continue beside the river through forests as we pass the route leading to Lukla airport and continue to settle in Chheplung, where we meet the main trail to Everest that comes down from Lukla. We have more trekkers from this point onwards as we move along the trail with the view of snow-clad mountains, gompas, and prayer wheels and interact with the trekkers and locals we meet on the way. After the settlement of Dukhdinma, we continue straight on to the stoppage place of Phakding. Overnight in Phakding. 

The trek for this section of our trail begins with a traverse through pine forest and a short climb to skip a narrow gorge before we cross a small stream and reach the settlement of Monjo, the gateway to Sagarmatha National Park. After obtaining the permit and getting the necessary information from the office of the national park, we head for the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar. Beginning with a slight climb to Jorsale, the trail passes a waterfall. We cross the river again and continue along the trail, gaining height, reaching the last bridge of the day, one of the highest on the trail, and reaching the confluence of the Dudh Koshi River and Imja River. Further on, we have a one-and-a-half-hour steep climb to the lively and vibrant settlement of Namche Bazaar (3440 m). All day, we pass villages interspersed with magnificent forests—rhododendrons, magnolia trees, and giant firs. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

The trek for this section of our trail begins with a traverse through pine forest and a short climb to skip a narrow gorge before we cross a small stream and reach the settlement of Monjo, the gateway to Sagarmatha National Park. After obtaining the permit and getting the necessary information from the office of the national park, we head for the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar. Beginning with a slight climb to Jorsale, the trail passes a waterfall. We cross the river again and continue along the trail, gaining height steadily, reaching the last bridge of the day, one of the highest of the trail, and reaching the confluence of the Dudh Koshi River and Imja River. Further on, we have a one-and-a-half-hour steep climb to the lively and vibrant settlement of Namche Bazaar (3440 m). All day, we pass villages interspersed with magnificent forests—rhododendrons, magnolia trees, and giant firs. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

The trail is relatively flat and easy in the earlier trek, with the view of the tallest Everest and other mountains, including Ama Dablam, Lhotse Sar, Taboche, Kang Taiga, and others, besides the wild lives of pheasants, musk deer, and Himalayan Thar in the forests as we are led up to the Kyangjuma. On the winding path that leads us ahead, we descend deep into the valley of Dudh Koshi at the settlement of Phunke Tenga, intermittently through the stone steps and bridge over the torrential river. This settlement has a couple of teahouses and an army post surrounded by forests. Moving ahead on the trail, we have a tough climb through the pine forests before reaching Tengboche. A settlement with the largest Buddhist monastery in the Khumbu region and a marvelous view of several mountains is a cultural hotspot in the region. Overnight in Tengboche.

We begin this section of the trek with a short, steep, and muddy descent to Deboche through a forest of birches, conifers, and rhododendrons. Marvelous views of the mountains, including Ama Dablam, Everest, Lhotse, and Nuptse, are visible from Deboche. After this picturesque scenario, we move past the long prayer Mani walls to the narrow bridge over the Imja River and along the trail to the settlement of Somare, where we have a close-up view of Ama Dablam Mountain. We move further along the Imja River through a short walk on a relatively flat section before we branch off towards Dingboche from the trail leading to Pheriche. Then the route enters alpine meadows above the tree line before reaching Dingboche at 4240 m. This settlement of Dingboche is a beautiful and small village with houses made of stone walls, the cultivation of barley, buckwheat, and potatoes, occupational animal husbandry, and the celebration of cultural and traditional values. Overnight in Dingboche. 

The trek on this section starts with passing the prayer stupa along the gradual path and view of the mountains including Mt. Tawache, Ama Dablam, Kongma Tse, and Nuptse, besides overlooking the beautiful Pheriche village. Crossing the wooden bridge at Thugla and marveling at the view of Pumori we trek the steep landscape to the terminal moraine of the Khumbu glacier. Atop the ridge of Chupki Lhara, we find the array of stones with prayer flags to remember the mountaineers deceased on a mission to climb Everest. We further move along into the vicinity of Everest with the view of several great peaks right in front of us while the Khumbu glacier remains hidden due to the lateral moraine. Overnight in Lobuche.

This is an important day in the entire itinerary where we shall have the breathtaking view of Everest from the Kala Patthar and reach the lap of Everest at the Everest Base Camp, before which we ascend to the Gorak Shep. We start with the trek past the Italian Research Centre and along the Khumbu Glacier and climb steeply up to the top of the Gorak Shep through the stream of Changri Glacier, where we have the view of Kalapatthar. We proceed towards Everest Base Camp along the new mountain route. The feeling of being close to the tallest mountain on the planet is euphoric. We then return from the lap of the tallest mountain and have an overnight stay at Gorak Shep. Overnight in Gorak Shep. 

The next day,, we start early and ascend to the Kala Patthar to have a breathtaking view of sunrise over the snowcapped mountains. Preparation for ascending to the Kala Patthar requires preparation the previous day. We have a steady ascent to the summit of the Kala Patthar with several stoppages in between to catch our breath and take scenic pictures. We further ascent to the rocky outcrop near the summit marked by prayer flags, for an unbelievable Himalayan panorama. After capturing the moments we descend to the Gorak Shep and gradually descend to the settlement of Pheriche. Overnight in Pheriche.

After breakfast, we begin a long walk down to Namche Bazaar via Pangboche and Phunki Tenga. The views of the Himalayas and forest are wonderful. Overnight at the lodge.

Namche Bazaar to Lukla. 5-6 hours. From Namche bazaar, we continue to trek down to Lukla, the last trekking day of the trip. With the view of the waterfall and Sherpa villages, we cross the Phakding and reach Lukla. Overnight at the lodge.

After finishing the Salleri to Everest Base Camp Trek, we fly back to Manthali and then drive to Kathmandu. Overnight in Kathmandu.