Thursday, February 26, 2015

Tyangboche monastery and Everest view trekking

Tengboche Monastery at the height of 3800m is the largest Buddhist monastery in the Khumbu region. It was recently rebuilt at great expense after being destroyed by a fire. The tip of Mount Everest is visible to the left, and Ama Dablam stands to the right.

Itinerary Details:

Day 1 - Fly Kathmandu / Lukla and start trek to Phakding.
From Kathmandu (Domestic Airport) you will fly to Lukla which takes around 45 min. The plane passes over the fertile middle hills, with their scattered villages and terraced fields, with an amazing panorama of the high Himalaya as a backdrop. After reaching Lukla, stop to have tea or coffee and start the trek to Phakding, a place 3 hours from Lukla. This place would be your first night stop.




Day 2 - Phakding to Namche Bazaar
From Phakding we trek to Namche Bazaar, which was once a small village but since grown in size to accommodate the influx of trekkers, and now is the unofficial capital of the Sherpas. It was once an important trading centre on the route from Tibet to Nepal but has now been largely given over to catering for the needs of trekkers. For acclimatization, we suggest you to spend 2 nights in or around Namche.


Day 3 - Namche Bazaar (Rest)
We take a rest at Namche Bazaar to acclimatize, which gives the opportunity to explore some of the less developed and more traditional villages in the area. Easier options for passing the acclimatization day can be found by visiting the twin Sherpa villages of Khumjung and Khunde, which are about a 2 hour walk above Namche. While in Khunde, visit the hospital, which was established and funded by Sir Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust. Khumjung monastery is interesting as being the store place of one of the alleged Yeti scalps that are to be found in the region. Having lunch in Everest view hotel and enjoy with gorgeous view of Mt. Everest and Amadablam is other attractions having one day free in Namche Bazaar.

Day 4 - Namche/Tengboche
Moving on from Namche Bazaar the trail follows the valley of the Imja Khola with some spectacular views of the mountains including Thamserku, Kangtega and Amadablam and dominating the skyline ahead, Everest and Lhotse. The most common night stop after Namche is at the top of a steep climb from the Imja Khola, at Tengboche. This is the site of one of the most significant Buddhist Monastery in Solukhumbu Region and a visit is well recommended.

Day 5 - Tengboche/ Khumjung
On this day we trek from Tengboche to Khumjung "the sister city" of Kunde.

Day 6 - Khumjung/ Phakding
From Khumjung we trek back to Phakding, our previous 2nd day trekking place.

Day 7 - Phakding/ Lukla
Trek from Phakding to Lukla, situated high above the river on shelf, Lukla is another classic paradox in determining altitude because the runway is on a slope and there is a difference of almost 60 meters between the lower and upper ends of the runway.

Day 8 - Lukla to Kathmandu
From Lukla we fly back to Kathmandu.