Everest Three Passes Trek

 It is a busy day with the jam-packed schedule. We will visit four UNESCO listed World Heritage Sites of Kathmandu namely, Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath temple, Boudhanath stupa and Swoyambhunath stupa.

Kathmandu Durbar Square: It is a historical site of the country which covers five acres of land at the center of Kathmandu. The entire site is divided into two parts—inner and outer. The inner part consists of Hanuman Dhoka Palace which is one of the prime sites to visit. The statue of Hanuman (monkey god) is placed in front of the main entrance of the Palace. King Pratap Malla erected a statue of Hanuman here in the 17th century with the belief that the god will keep all evils outside the palace. He also built Sundari and Mohan Chowk on the north of the palace.

According to stone scriptures, Kathmandu Durbar Square was the administrative center for Lichhavi Kings. They built palaces and temples here in the 3rd century but no remains of it are found yet. The major developments of the site took place in the time of Ratna Malla in 1484. He turned the existing palaces into Royal Palace. Since then many temples and palaces were built here by different Malla and Shah Kings.

There are many things to observe in the outer part of the area such as Kasthamandap, Shiva-Parvati temple, Kumari Ghar and many more. Kasthamandap enshrines Gorakhnath (Lord Shiva in the form of cow protecting god). King Laxmi Narasingha Malla built it in the 16th century by using woods of a single tree. It was built in Pagoda style. This temple was completely destroyed by the quake of 25th April 2015. The name Kathmandu was derived from this very temple—Kasthamandap.

Kumari Ghar (house) is another major attraction of this place as the living goddess—Kumari lives here. This house is also severely damaged by the quake and is in the reconstruction process. Kumari is regarded as a living form of Taleju Bhawani (Durga).

There are many other things to see here. It is truly a historical site with the cultural outlook of Nepal. It is a center of Newar culture.

Pashupatinath temple: Pashupatinath is located on the east from Kathmandu Durbar Square. It is a sacred site for Hindu where Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Linga. The Linga is a stone of around three and a half feet cylindrical black colored stone where the face of Lord Shiva is carved in four sides. There are temples of many other god and goddess in this area.

Bouddhanath Stupa: Bouddhanath stupa is one of the largest stupas of South Asia. It is built in octagonal mandala structure. The entire stupa is surrounded by the brick wall. The color of the stupa is completely white. A dome-like structure is made on the octagonal base where people walk in clockwise direction reciting mantras.

The prayer wheels, butter lamps and prayer flags in the site are really pleasant. There are more than 50 monasteries in Bouddhanath area dedicated to Lord Buddha. The site gives the glimpse of Tibet so it is also regarded as mini Tibet. It is said that the stupa was built by Lichhavi King called Shiva Dev in 590 AD but it is not proved it.

Swoyambhunath stupa: Like Bouddhanath Swoyambhunath is also regarded as the prime site for Buddhist. It is a place where hundred thousand people around the world visit every year. The site is located on the west from Kathmandu. Swoyambhunath is situated at a hillock. It is a dome-shaped structure with the eyes of Buddha in all four directions at top of the dome. Swoyambhunath is also known as Monkey Temple because a lot of monkeys live here.

‘Self-Existing’ is the meaning of Swoyambhu. It is said that this stupa used to be here even then when this entire valley was logged with water forming a huge lake. Later Manjushree arrived here and saw a beautiful lotus with many petals. Manjushree was moved by the lotus and he determined to settle village in this place. He cut the gorge at Chovar making the passage for water flow. Since then people started living here.

Here ends our Kathmandu sightseeing today and we get back to the hotel. It is also a day for trek preparation. We will introduce you to our trekking guide who will be with you for next nine days. Overnight in a hotel.

 Definitively the morning is good today as you will fly to Lukla enjoying the scenic beauty of mountains. The harmonious mountain will capture your heart. It is around 30-minute flight from Kathmandu. There are lots of monasteries in Lukla and if interested you can visit there. We begin our trail on foot from here and it ends at Phakding for today. The team of porter guide will join you from here. The way to Phakding is so beautiful that you will remember it for rest of your life. Hills, green lush vegetation, and streams will surely mesmerize you. We will put off at Phakding at night. 

 We follow the route of Dudh (Milk) Koshi River to arrive at Namche Bazaar. Crossing pine, fir and rhododendron forests we arrive at Monjo. The entrance to Sagarmatha National Park is Monjo. Furthermore, after walking for few more hours we reach Namche Bazaar where we put off tonight. Namche is a big market of Khumbu region. People of the different ethnic group especially, Sherpa inhabit here. 

 Acclimatization means adjusting body temperature with increasing altitude in order to avoid altitude sickness. Altitude sickness can be severe so we take rest in some places. But, at the same time, we also enjoy the day. Today we visit Khumjung. The monastery at this place lures many tourists as there you see the skull of Yeti. It takes three hours to reach here. We get back to Namche and spend the night in the same tea house where we did put off earlier.

 It is comparatively easy trail today. We proceed after breakfast. We walk along Bhote Koshi River. Following few ups and down we finally arrive at Thame where we put off tonight. 

 Thame to Marlung is the comparatively short walk. Enjoying the view of mountains we reach Nagpa Valley where there is located Marlung. We will spend the night in a tea house at Marulung.

 Today’s walk is truly mesmerizing. It is a kind of walk in the ocean of mountains. You are surrounded by several mountains and the view is awe-inspiring. The more you walk the more you love it. After few hours of walk, we finally arrive at Lungden where we will spend today’s night. 

 It is an interesting and uphill walk. The vistas of mountains will capture your heart. We finally, arrive at Renjo La Pass. It is at an altitude of 5,420 meters from sea level. From the peak of the pass, we will observe Nangpa Valley which appears beautiful. Mount Everest and Makalu tower in front of us. We further move ahead to arrive at Gokyo where we put off at night.

 It is acclimatization day today but we will hike to Gokyo Ri. Gokyo Valley is truly one of the best valleys of the world where you will completely lose yourself. Its beauty is mesmerizing and heart capturing. We can climb Gokyo Peak too, if interested. We will spend the night at Gokyo.

 Amid beautiful mountains, we cross Gokyo village. The view of Gokyo Valley from Ngozumba is so beautiful that you will remember it throughout your life. We arrive at Ngozumba glacier and from there Thaknak is a few hours away. Here we put off at night. 

 In order to reach Cho La, we wake up early in the morning so that bad weather may not disturb our trail. We follow narrow glacier to arrive at the main glacier. You get the beautiful view of Cho La Pass from here. You get the view of Baruntse, Ama Dablam, and many other peaks from the pass. The walk here is very careful as there are crevasses. After few hours of walk, we arrive at Dzongla where we will spend the night. 

 It is comparatively a long walk today and we beign it early in the morning. We come across mountains and some picturesque view. The view of Tawache and Cholaste on the way will please you. You halt at Lobuche at night.

 You will realize your dream today. We will walk towards Everest Base Camp. It is a place where mountaineers prepare themselves before summiting the peak—Mt. Everest—the highest Peak of the world—8,848m. In the noon we descend towards Gorakshep where we will halt at night. 

 In order to enjoy the sunrise, we walk early in the morning towards Kalapatthar. We need to be very careful as the walk is steep. Located below Mount Pumori, Kalapatthar is a black rock where mountain surrounds you at 360 degrees. We walk towards Lobuche where we will arrive at noon and here we will spend our night.

this is also one of the challenging days for you, we will cross the Kongma la and trek down to the Chhukung village which is situated at 4,730 m high u will enjoy this day.  

 It is around five to six hours walk approximately. We leave Everest behind us and walk towards Tengboche. It is popular for the monastery. The largest monastery of Khumbu region is located here. You will visit this monastery where you get chance to see the skull of Yeti. We will spend the night at Tengboche. 

 It is descended walk today. We move above Dudh Koshi River. The path to Namche is encircled by the other Himalayas. We see different types of birds and animals on the way. Danfe (national bird of Nepal) is common in the area. We will also see Himalayan that en route. We will spend the night at Namche Bazaar.

 It is a long walk today. But the scenic beauty and wonderful landscapes will make your trip exciting. You will enjoy Lukla bazaar and buy things as a souvenir for your friends and families. Overnight in Lukla. 

 Today we catch the flight to Kathmandu. It is a beautiful scenic flight of around half an hour. In Kathmandu, you will get some time to roam around Thamel where you can buy gifts for your friends and family. Today Regulus will offer you farewell dinner. 

 Your trekking ends here today. We will drop you at the Airport three hours earlier to schedule flight. We are thankful to you as you gave us an opportunity to serve. See you soon!