Dates: April 11-26, 2025
Team members have two primary options for travel for this adventure. Ultimately we will all arrive in Kathmandu on April 12th and depart from Kathmandu on April 25th. However, some team members will choose to travel directly to Kathmandu and others will prefer to travel into Delhi first, visit the Taj Mahal, and then fly on to Kathmandu on a separate flight ticket. Both options are explained below:
- Travel directly to Kathmandu–Team members choosing this option will arrange their flights in and out of Kathmandu (arriving April 12th and departing afternoon/evening April 25th). This option is in many ways more convenient that flying through Delhi in that it allows the trip to be a couple of days shorter than routing through Delhi. The problem with this option is it can be quite a lot more expensive to arrange flights into and out of Kathmandu than it is to arrange them into Delhi and then on to Kathmandu on a separate ticket. There are not as many airlines flying to Kathmandu these days as in years passed, so flight costs alone from the States to Kathmandu could be as much as $1,000 or more expensive this way. However, if the price difference is not an impediment for you, your days away are more limited, or if you have no interest in visiting the Taj Mahal; this is the option to choose.
- Travel to Delhi, visit the Taj Mahal, and then fly on to Kathmandu on a separate ticket–Team members choosing this option will arrive in Delhi on April 10th. They will then stay two nights in a hotel in Delhi near the airport and travel on to Kathmandu on the morning of April 12th. On April 11th, we will take a day trip to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. We charge an additional $700/person for those choosing this option, which covers two nights in a Delhi hotel, the day trip to the Taj Mahal, all food while in India, and the round trip flight from Delhi to Kathmandu. Those choosing this option will also need to acquire an Indian tourist visa in the weeks leading up to the trip (~$50). We recommend those who are not pressed for time to choose this option. Visiting the Taj Mahal is a once in a lifetime opportunity and it also allows team members another couple of days to adjust to the time change before beginning our trek.
If you choose option 2, we will include the extra $700 in your billing schedule and we will handle all of the details of booking the hotels, roundtrip flights to and from Delhi to Kathmandu, and the trip to Agra. We are happy to help you arrange your flights regardless of which option you choose.
Cost: $3,550 (Not including flights to either Kathmandu or Delhi)
- A non-refundable $710 deposit (20%) is required at the time of registration to secure your spot on the team. Please read our Trip Cancellation and Refund policy before registering for your adventure.
- $1,420 (40%) is due before September 1st, 2024
- $2,130 (60%) is due before November 1st, 2025
- $2,840 (80%) is due before January 1st, 2025
- $3,550 (100%) is due before March 1st, 2025
What is included:
- One night hotel in Kathmandu before the trek and one night hotel in Kathmandu after the trek.
- Ground travel and round-trip flights from Kathmandu to Lukla.
- 11 nights accommodation in tea houses along the trek. Tea houses offer modest dorm like accommodations. Each room will have two or three simple beds with a pillow and a thick blanket. Some team members will choose to use the bedding provided at lower elevations, but team members will need to bring a sleeping bag (15 degree sleeping bag is probably ideal, though some will choose to bring a 0 degree or 30 degree bag depending upon your comfort level) to supplement the provided bedding as we get higher into the Himalayas. Night time temperatures in the higher tea houses may be below freezing at night.
- All food throughout our time in Nepal. We will eat breakfast, lunch, and dinners each night in the tea houses that mark the trail. There are several food options at the tea houses. We encourage team members to bring a small supply of snacks for the trail, but you will definitely not go hungry on this trip and there is no need to bring huge supplies of food.
- Trekking permits and TIMS card. We will take care of all arrangements for the permits required to enter the Everest region.
- We will be utilizing the services of porters to carry a majority of our gear. This is a great way for us to invest in the local economy and you will enjoy the trip quite a lot more if you are not carrying heavy each day. We will employ one porter for every two trekkers. Each porter will carry up to 40lbs (20lbs/trekker). Discipletrek will cover the cost of the porters, but not the tips.
What is NOT included:
- You are required to purchase your own international flights to either Kathmandu or Delhi. We are happy to help you to arrange your flights.
- You are required to bring your own trekking gear (sleeping bag, day pack, clothes, trekking poles, hiking shoes/boots, etc.). We will provide an extensive and detailed packing/gear list for all of our participants. It is possible to do this particular trek with very little gear and a small trekking pack. We will discuss this at length as the trip approaches.
- Team members are responsible for bringing some cash to tip our porters. Tips are at the discretion of the team member, but we typically recommend each team member bring around $200 to split between our guide and porters.
- We will cover the cost of all food and one drink per meal. If you would like more drinks (cokes, tea, other beverages are all a couple of dollars in the tea houses), you will need to pay for that. The tea houses will only take Nepali Rupees and we will give you time to change some cash over before the start of the trek. A budget of $10/day is more than enough to get a couple of extra cokes or snacks along the trail.
- If you choose to fly in and out of Delhi and visit the Taj Mahal, you must secure an Indian tourist visa in the weeks before the trip. We will walk you through this process, but you should expect it to cost around $50.
- Each team member must secure a Nepal tourist visa upon arrival in the country. Please bring $30 in cash with you to pay for the visa.
- Cash summary–Required expenses ($200 for tips, $30 for Nepali visa) + daily snack budget & money for souvenirs. Most team members will probably bring between $300 and $500, but you are only required to spend around $230.
Trek Difficulty: Very Difficult
Trekking to Everest Base Camp is among the most difficult treks that we offer. We will be spending 12 days and 11 nights covering considerable trail mileage at significant elevation. The trek will begin near 9,300ft in Lukla and will top out over 18,519ft at the summit of Kala Patthar. This is quite a long time to spend at such elevations and it should not be underestimated.
We expect all members of our team to take the season of preparation seriously and devote themselves to a minimum of 3 months of physical training that should include a mix of smaller training hikes, strength work, and significant cardiovascular exercise.
In addition to physical fitness, this trek will require significant mental toughness and fortitude. We are venturing into one of the most remote and unforgiving regions of the world. It is not for the faint of heart.
Itinerary:
Day 0/1 (Apr 10/11)
Depart USA for Kathmandu in time to arrive on April 12th. If you are joining us for the Taj Mahal portion of the trip, you will leave the States on either April 8th or 9th to arrive in Delhi on April 10th. We will spend April 11th on the day trip to the Taj Mahal, and then join the rest of the team in Kathmandu on April 12th.
Day 2 (Apr 12th)
Arrive in Kathmandu and overnight in hotel.
Day 3 (Apr 13th)
Depending upon our flight options. We will either fly directly from Kathmandu to Lukla, or we will leave our hotel around 2:00AM to make the drive to Ramechhap to catch our flight to Lukla. We would obviously prefer to fly directly from Kathmandu, but the Nepali government has been going back and forth about whether or not to allow the flight from Kathmandu or only from Ramechaap. It is a bit of a long story, but if the flight from Kathmandu is available, we will take it. If it is not, we will drive to Ramechaap to catch the flight. Either way, the flight is very short, but it will absolutely be one that you will never forget. Upon arriving in Lukla (9,320ft), we will begin our trek to the village of Phakding (8,560ft)
Day 4 (Apr 14th)
On our first full day of trekking we will be heading up to Namche Bazaar (11,290ft). The trek begins with a walk ascending beautiful pine forests along the banks of Dudh Koshi river. You’ll cross the Hillary Suspension Bridge and have a chance to see a bit of wildlife along the trail. The climb up to Namche Bazaar will be your first real test of the adventure, and you can expect to be pretty exhausted by the end of this day. If the weather is clear, you will get your first glimpse of Everest from Namche Bazaar.
Day 5 (Apr 15th)
Today is our acclimatization day. We will spend the day hiking around Namche and getting a bit of rest. We will be following the “hike high, sleep low” philosophy by taking a day hike up to Everest View Hotel (12,730ft) and then descending back into Namche to sleep. With clear weather, the views from the hotel are stunning. You will will be able to see Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Ama Dablam.
Day 6 (Apr 16th)
On this day we will climb to the village of Tengboche (12,664ft). The trail up to Tengboche will pass through beautiful rhododendron forests with lesser Himalayan peaks soaring in the distance. There is a lot of up and down on this day. Though it won’t be an incredibly long day of trekking, it is a pretty good climb up to Tengboche. From this point on, we will absolutely be feeling the elevation. We will finish this day by visiting the Tengboche Monastery, one of the most famous monasteries in all of Nepal.
Day 7 (Apr 17th)
Leaving Tengboche the trail descends for the first couple of miles and then begins a steady climb past the iconic peak Ama Dablam across an incredible suspension bridge and finally to the village of Dingboche (14,459ft). As we near Dingboche, we ascend out of the forrest, the terrain opens up, and you really begin to get a sense of the Himalayas. This is a short, but pretty challenging day on trail, and we will all be very grateful for the rest day awaiting us at Dingboche.
Day 8 (Apr 18th)
This is our second built in acclimatization/rest day. We will take a day hike in the morning to take in otherworldly views of Ama Dablam, Makalu, and Lhotse. We will be back in our tea house by midday and enjoy a nice rest. We will need it. The next couple of days on trail will be very challenging.
Day 9 (Apr 19th)
After a nice rest day, we will begin our journey up to Lobuche (16,105ft). The first half of the day will be spent on steady uphill trail to the village of Thukla where we will stop for lunch. The trail after Thukla is quite steep. It will be very slow going, but the views will be magnificent. A bit before we arrive in Lobuche, we will pass a very sobering monument to the many climbers who have lost their lives attempting to earn the summit of Everest. Lobuche, and all of the settlements further up the mountain, are sparse. We will have passed the point where any vegetation can survive. From here on it is only dirt, rock, ice, and the world’s tallest mountains looming in every direction.
Day 10 (Apr 20th)
We will leave Lobuche in the morning, traverse along a glacial moraine to Gorekshep (16,942ft). After a brief stop in Gorekshep we will travel on to the bustling tent city of Everest Base Camp (17,599ft). Since our trek will coincide with Everest climbing season, EBC will be at maximum population and the tents will spread out over a mile to the base of the Khumbu Ice Fall that represents the beginning stage of an Everest summit attempt. We will spend some time at EBC taking photos before descending back to Gorekshep for the night. If we have time (and energy), we will consider climbing Kala Patthar in the evening for a sunset view of Everest. Most likely, we will rest in Gorekshep and take on Kala Patthar in the early morning hours the next day.
Day 11 (Apr 21st)
Assuming we don’t summit Kala Patthar on Day 10, we will get up well before the sun and make the 2 hour climb up Kala Patthar (18,519ft). Kala Patthar is the highest point on our trek and offers the single best view of Mount Everest. Watching the sunrise (or sunset) from KP will be one of the most memorable moments from an unforgettable adventure. After we descend from KP, we will have a nice warm breakfast in Gorekshep before beginning our journey back down mountain to Pheriche (14,341ft) where we will stop for the night.
Day 12 (Apr 22nd)
Today we will make our way back down the Namche Bazaar. It is a long mostly downhill trek to Namche, but we will all marvel at how different 11,290ft feels on our descent than it did on our climb. Namche Bazaar is a place of relative comfort on the mountain, so we will celebrate a bit once we are back in Namche.
Day 13 (Apr 23rd)
Today we will make our way back to Lukla and prepare for our flight back to Kathmandu. This is not a particularly difficult day of trekking, but it is long. The final stretch to Lukla is uphill, but it will not be near as tough as the previous day and you will be feeling refreshed to be back in lower elevations.
Day 14 (Apr 24th)
We will begin the day with a short flight from Lukla to either Kathmandu or Ramechhap. If we end up flying to Ramechaap which isn’t our preference, but may be our only option, we will have a pretty lengthy drive back to Kathmandu. We will all be glad for a warm shower, nice bed, and celebratory meal back in Kathmandu.
Day 15 (May 25th)
Those who have done the Taj Mahal will travel back to Delhi and then on to the States. Those who didn’t, will begin their journey home directly from Kathmandu.
Day 16 (May 26th)
Arrive back in the States