Overview
Namche Bazaar was once a sleepy little Sherpa village where nothing much happened. But then, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay climbed Mt. Everest in 1953 and from that point on, visitors started to come to the region. Namche Bazaar went from a tiny little village to a small city, with all sorts of amenities as well as great mountain views.
Today you will find all kinds of hotels, banks, ATM machines, bakeries, restaurants and local gift shops. It is the capital of the Sherpa people who call eastern Nepal their home. In the old days, this was where you could barter for yak cheese and butter. You will still find that here, along with a lot more.
There are no roads to Namche Bazaar. Everything comes by yak and donkey trains or by air. Still, it has to come straight from Lukla airport by yak and donkey before you arrive at Namche Bazaar.
Namche Bazaar is a fun place to visit. They speak relatively good English here, and enjoy visitors. It is also a place to where most everyone spends two nights, because of the need to acclimatize to avoid altitude sickness. From nearby, you will have a great overlook of Mt. Everest, the world’s tallest mountain along with a number of beautiful, snow-covered 8,000+ mountain peaks.
The area is steeped in traditional Tibetan Buddhism, and there are monasteries everywhere. On the trail to Namche Bazaar are rhododendron forests, the fast flowing Dudh Koshi River, suspension bridges, waterfalls and more.
This adventure features two full days of sightseeing in the Kathmandu Valley plus a full day in Namche Bazaar. Lots of time to explore and to enjoy the full Nepal experience.
This is an ideal short trek for those who want to combine culture along with great views of Mt. Everest. The trip is nine days, with only three days of trekking. So if your time is short, and you want to experience the region and beauty of Mt. Everest, this is a perfect trip for you.
Itinerary
You arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport where a representative of Vertical Expedition will greet you and take you to your Three Star Hotel by private car. You will enjoy a welcome drink as well as an evening orientation about your trip as well as equipment check. Spend the night in the hotel.
There is plenty to see and do in the Kathmandu Valley, and with our private vehicle and your own personal guide, you will spend the day seeing the highlights of the Valley. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, plus a chance to see local culture, taste local foods and to immerse yourself in the local culture.
After breakfast, we will take a domestic flight to Lukla where we begin our trek in the Everest region. It is just a 45 minute flight, and what a flight it is! We literally follow the backbone of the Himalayas eastward. On the flight you will see not only Mt. Everest, but also the peaks of Kanchenjunga III, Mt. Lhotse IV, and Makalu V. Each of these peaks is over 8,000 meters, literally forming the roof of the world. We land in Lukla village where we begin our trek. There are no roads to Lukla, so this village is only accessible by air or a seven day trek from Jiri village. We will be heading toward Phakding village. We actually go downhill from Lukla as we travel through the rugged foothills of the Everest region. Trekking time is around three hours and we will stay in a local lodge at Phakding.
Our walk begins early in the morning. It is a fairly easy trek, even starting out rather level as we follow the Dudh Koshi River. The land will start to move uphill gradually as we make our way toward the main district city of Namche Bazaar. We will cross the Hillary suspension bridge, and until we finally come to the steepest part of today’s trek that leads us to Namche Bazaar. There are plenty of views of the high mountains along the way, as well as becoming immersed in the local Buddhist culture of the Sherpa people. We will check into a local guesthouse for the night.
It is important to spend a day acclimatizing to the higher elevation as altitude sickness can be quite serious. The day will not be spent just lying around (unless you want to), but we will hike to Everest Viewpoint for a magnificent view of Mt. Everest. From here, you will see the spectacular peaks of Everest, Amadablam, Nuptse and many more. It is only a two hour hike to Everest Viewpoint and we will spend a few hours there enjoying the view as well as having lunch. We will return to Namche Bazaar where you can spend the afternoon exploring the village. There is a lot to see here. We will spend the night in our local guest house.
Today is the last day of trekking as we make our way back to Lukla in order to catch a flight back to Kathmandu tomorrow morning. It is a 6 to 7 hour trek as we make our way back to Lukla, following for much of the way the Dudh Koshi River. We will spend the night in a local lodge.
We will fly early morning to Kathmandu where you will have a free day to explore the city, do some shopping or just plain relax. We check into our Three Star Hotel upon our return.
Today is day to finish up touring the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. It easily takes two days and today visit around Bhaktapur and Changu Narayan.
All good things must come to an end, and your trip to Nepal is no exception. Before leaving, why not talk to your representative at Vertical Expedition about returning to Nepal for your next holiday. The vast majority of people make a return trip to Nepal because they are impressed by not only the beauty, but also the local people. Vertical Expedition offers trips into neighboring Tibet, Bhutan and India. Be sure to discuss your interests and plans with them today.
Trip Information
- All airport/hotel transfers
- Accommodations at Three Star Hotels in kathmandu
- Only basic lodges while in the Everest region.
- A full day guided tour of the Kathmandu Valley with an English speaking guide and all entrance fees.
- An experienced English speaking guide on the trek that is government licensed and trained. There will be an assistant leader (1 assistant leader for every six trekkers), plus Sherpas and porters (2 trekkers = 1 porter). This includes insurance, salaries, flight, equipment, food and lodging for all staff on your trek.
- Sleeping bag, Vertical Expedition T-Shirt, Duffle Bag and trekking maps. (Sleeping bags & duffle bags are to be returned after the trip completion.)
- All necessary paperwork and permits (TIMS, Sagarmatha National Park permit)
- A farewell dinner along with one cultural show.
- A comprehensive medical kit.
- All government and local taxes.
- Nepal Visa fee ( bring USD cash and four (4) passport size photographs)
- International Airfare to/from Kathmandu
- Excess Baggage charges
- Personal clothing and gear
- Lunch and Evening meals in Kathmandu (and also in case of early return from mountain than the scheduled itinerary.)
- Travel insurance that covers emergency evacuation.
- Personal expenses (phone calls, laundry, bar bill, battery recharge, extra porters, bottled or boiled water, hot showers in mountains, etc.)
- Cost raise by cancellation, landslide, weather conditions, political instability, and illness will not be our responsibility since these factors are above and beyond our control.
- Tips for guides, drivers, Sherpas and porters.
Extras
FAQS
What will be the crew and group size during this trek?
For this trip, there will be a Trek Leader and Sherpa Porters for carrying luggage (2 trekkers = 1 porter). This arrangement ensures that if anyone in the group is sick, the trip can still go ahead as planned. However, Vertical Expedition can run this trek for the group of any size. Generally, the maximum number of trekkers that the company has found optimum is 12.
Where will I be staying during this trip?
All accommodations for the Short Trek to Namche Bazaar Lodge are on twin-sharing basis with inclusive costs and are chosen based on standard hygiene and standard of food, services, locations, etc. There will be two styles of accommodations during this trek. We will spend four nights at a Three-Star Hotel in Kathmandu. During the trek, we will spend four nights at standard tea houses or lodges with unheated rooms with wooden beds and foam mattresses. We can provide you with attached bath in some major towns; however, tea houses and lodges in some places have only shared washing and toilet facilities. We share a room with someone else of the same sex of our group if you are a solo traveler. If you prefer a single room, you may indicate your preferences and obtain a single room for an additional fee. Please understand that single rooms are not always possible at tea houses and mountain lodges. We will do our best to try and make the appropriate arrangements.
What will be the meals arrangement during this trip?
During this trek, you can enjoy the typical Nepali food along with different ethnic cuisines as well as all types of international cuisine (Tibetan, Continental, Italian, Indian, etc.) with items from pizza to chips to apple pie. You can even enjoy hot chocolates, a variety of breads, drinks and snacks. Breakfast of a day will be served from the tea house or lodge where we spend the night. Lunch will be served on the way to our destination with dinner served where we are spending the night. During your stay in Kathmandu, a farewell dinner along with breakfasts will be served.
