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: Acclimatization.
This is an important phase of the expedition. We will be based in Dingboche, which is a good location for acclimatization. The team leader will organize daily outings to the adjacent hills with the aim of providing a gradual and beneficial program of acclimatization. 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 acclimatization before arriving in base camp.
While in Dingboche, we can attend a seminar about high altitude acclimatization at the hospital in nearby Pheriche, run by the Himalayan Rescue Association. The walk over to Pheriche and back will also serve as good acclimatization 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 (they normally keep a plentiful supply of San Miguel!). 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 19-57: Ascent of Mt Everest.
Day 58: 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 59 - 61: Return trek to Namche Bazaar via Dingboche and Thyangboche.
Day 62: Namche Bazaar to Lukla.
Day 63: Fly Lukla to Kathmandu.
We will return to the welcome haven of the Hotel.
Day 64: Celebrations in Kathmandu.
Day 65: Final Departure.
PLEASE NOTE: The above itinerary is not a fixed program but is intended to give an indication of the likely events during the expedition. Please note that because of climbing Everest, it will be necessary to have a flexible plan to take the best advantage of situations as they present themselves. Any changes to the itinerary will be made with a view to maximizing the benefit to the team members and of ensuring their eventual success on the mountain.
