Himalayan Monastery Trek

Day 1 - Arrival Kathmandu

Namaste! Welcome to Nepal! We’ll be at Tribhuvan International Airport to greet you once you’re through customs and have your bags – we can’t wait to finally meet you in person! You may be a bit tired from a long day (or two!) of travelling, so we’ll get you right to your hotel to freshen up. Join us for some easy yoga to make you feel grounded after your journey in the afternoon if you’re interested. We’ll have an early-ish dinner tonight since you may want to get to bed early. In case your flight arrives after dinner, we’ll pick you up from the airport and make sure you have something good to eat before you go to bed!  

Day 2 – Kathmandu Sightseeing, Trek Prep and Welcome Dinner

We’ll start the day with a morning stroll to Swayambunath, also known as the Monkey Temple. Bring your trekking pack, water and camera! Kathmandu sits at an elevation of 4,593’, so for most of us, this will be a nice chance to get used to a bit of elevation while walking and chatting. Be prepared for a climb, as there are 365 stairs leading up to the temple from the main entrance. After exploring, we’ll return to the hotel, drop our packs and freshen up for lunch. Your first full day in Kathmandu can be a bit overwhelming, so after lunch, we’ll take a rest and then all are welcome to join me for some yoga or you can use this time to explore the surrounding area on your own. We’ll have our official welcome dinner tonight, now that everyone is here and a bit rested!  

Day 3 – Flight to Lukla and Trek to Phakding

The big day is here! Buckle up for a breathtaking flight from Kathmandu to Lukla! Once we arrive, we’ll meet up with our porters and start the trek to Phakding. The hike from Lukla to Phakding isn’t very long – 4.66 miles and we actually decrease in elevation. Don’t be fooled though! We’re still at a relatively high altitude – Lukla sits at 9100 ft and Phakding is at 8563 ft – and there are quite a few ups and downs on the trail. We’ll have lunch once we arrive at the Namaste Lodge and spend the afternoon relaxing and stretching with some yoga in the afternoon. We will plan on an early dinner and bedtime so that we can get an early start the next day! 

Day 4 – Trek Phakding to Namche Bazaar

Good morning! We’ll have an early breakfast before hitting the trail today. We like to get an early start to give us the best chance of avoiding rain that sometimes moves into the mountains in the afternoon. Today is a really fun, challenging day as we climb just over 3000 vertical feet to Namche Bazaar, which sits at 11,290’. We officially enter Sagarmatha National Park in Monjo, and soon after the real climb begins. We’ll take our time – slow and steady always wins this race! – and have a chance to glimpse Everest for the first time. We will make it to Namche Bazaar in time for a late lunch (our total walking time is about 6 hours – we’ll snack on the way!) and then can spend the afternoon taking it easy. We encourage you to take your down time seriously here! It’s important to rest your body so that you feel plenty strong for the rest of the trek.  Tomorrow is an acclimatization day!

Day 5 – Acclimatize in Namche Bazaar

We’ll meet for a leisurely breakfast before our acclimatization hike. Get ready for lots of pretty views – definitely bring your camera for today’s hike! We’ll climb high and then head back down to our lodge for lunch before taking the afternoon to explore the village of Namche. We can do some easy restorative yoga this afternoon and then have an early dinner so that we can get on the trail again first thing tomorrow morning. 

Day 6 – Trek to Tengboche

Today we walk from Namche Bazaar to the village of Tengboche. We climb about 1500 feet today, although there’s a big downhill portion before we hit the huge uphill portion! Again, we’ll snack on the trail and get to Tengboche in time for lunch. This village is exceptionally beautiful and is home to Tengboche Monastery, the largest gompa in the Khumbu region. After lunch, we’ll have a chance to visit the monastery where we can observe the monks chanting. Layer up – it can be very chilly inside the monastery! 

Day 7 – Back to Monjo

Today is a long day, as we descend through Namche Bazaar to Monjo. We’ll take our time though and stop to have lunch.  Afterwards we'll continue to Monjo to spend the night.

Day 8 – Return to Lukla 

A relatively steep uphill greets us first thing today, but we’ll take it slowly. As it turns out, the downhill parts are a bit tricky also! We’ll have lunch once we arrive in tropical Phakding – it’s amazing how much warmer it is there!  Afterwards, we'll hike the final leg to Lukla.

Day 9 -  Flight to Kathmandu - Patan - Farewell Dinner

We catch an early morning flight from Lukla to Kathmandu. One last chance to glimpse at the beautiful mountains that we’ve called home for the past couple of weeks as we fly amongst the clouds back to Kathmandu. We will stay in Lalitpur tonight so that you can see a different part of the Kathmandu Valley. We’ll spend the afternoon exploring Patan Durbar Square. Tonight we have our farewell dinner where we’ll celebrate all that we’ve accomplished and the friendships that have been built. 

Day 10 – Departure Kathmandu

Today we all go our separate ways…for now! Time to start planning our next great adventure!