Your trekking guide will brief you about the upcoming days and help you prepare all necessities in the morning. The rest of the day is yours to enjoy at leisure. We recommend you visit some of Kathmandu's best attractions such as Durbar Square, Buddha Stupa or the Monkey Temple.

Our journey begins with an early morning drive on the newly constructed B.P. Highway. The first half of the drive, with its numerous hairpin turns and views of paddy fields dotted with small rural houses along the Sunkoshi River, is an adventure in itself – a wonderful insight into what's to come.

After lunch at Ghurmi (500m / 1640 ft), we cross the Sunkoshi River and gradually climb the snaking mountain highway. The terrain changes dramatically; the road, carved into the side of a mountain formed by a deep gorge, opens up to a plateau with clusters of small houses. At Changesthan Temple, near the border crossing to Solukhumbu, we get the first glimpse of the Everest range in full panorama. A further 15 minutes away is Pattale, our stop for the day.

After a quick rest, we will hike for about 2 hours, there and back, to Pattale Danda (3,100m / 10170 ft), a scenic vantage point with beautiful views of the whole of the Mahalangur range.

The first day of the trek begins, and we start early!

We bypass the usual motorable trail and instead pass through several small villages with gentle undulations. The trail is marked by lush green vegetation with wild orchids and beautiful rhododendron forests. At Japre, a small Sherpa village, a magnificent view of the snow-capped Himalayan peaks awaits you. Three eight-thousand metre peaks – Kanchenjunga in the Far East, Makalu and of course, Mount Everest, the tallest of them all – offer an incredible backdrop.

We also get our first introduction to ethnic Buddhist culture at Japre where we can visit a monastery.

Today, you'll ascend above 3,500m. The trek can be tiring as we gain over 800m in altitude, reaching sparse alpine vegetation.  The first part (about 3 hours) is a gentle hike on an undulating trail through dense pine and rhododendron forest.

After lunch at a yak pasture, the trail climbs moderately, later rising steeply along a long stretch of Mani walls through rhododendron forest to Pikey Peak Camp (3,640m). Shortness of breath and slight dizziness are common due to the altitude. Rest early for your pre-dawn summit climb.

We get up at predawn and get a light breakfast of a cup of tea or coffee, eggs, and some carbs.

With headlamps, we tackle the steep 1.5hr hike through steep grass and pastureland up to the prayer flag-lined Pikey Peak summit where we are rewarded with a fantastic sunrise and beautiful views of almost the whole Himalayan range; from Kanchenjunga in the east to Makalu, Lhotse, Mount Everest, the Dudh Kunda massif with its sacred mountains, Numbur, Khatang and Karyolung, Gauri Shankar, Langtang range to Ganesh Himal.

We then trek down for about an hour to Jarse Bhanjyang, the last settlement before we reach Taktor. Since there are no water sources in between, we get a packed lunch at a yak pasture with beautiful views of the mountains in the backdrop.

The trail gently now descends as we lose elevation and enter a dense rhododendron and pine forest lined with mani walls and stone chasms to Takor, a village on the original Everest highway. Even though trekkers now opt for a direct flight to/from Lukla, the  original Everest Highway from Jiri with its rolling hills and rivers is more beautiful and better for acclimatization.

A further 1.5 hrs on a gentle descending trail leads to Junbesi, our stop for the night. Junbesi, a predominantly Buddhist village, has 2 monasteries and animal butchering is prohibited in the village.

Today, we have the morning at leisure. After breakfast and some rest, we visit the 17th-century Tashi Thongmen monastery which houses a six-meter tall statue of Lord Buddha along with the precious collections of sacred scriptures.

After lunch, we will visit the Selo monastery which focuses more on teaching children Buddhism than practicing. The relatively new monastery has beautiful frescoes and we can check out their libraries and classrooms as well.

Passing through fields and houses, the trail gradually ascends into the cool shade of pine and rhododendron forest just above the Junbesi River. After crossing the river on a suspension bridge, the trail further gradually ascends to Thupten Chöling Monastery, the largest in the region where almost 80% are Tibetan refugee monks and nuns.

After visiting the monastery, we again continue beside the Dinganala River through dense vegetation to Phungmoche monastery after which the trail levels out for a bit and then gradually climbs. At Campsite, as we enter alpine territory the river dries out and the landscape from lush and green to cold and arid. 

The day starts with an easy walk through level pasture ground but once we cross the Basa Khola we enter the Dudh Kunda moraine. There are plenty of small glacial lakes all along the way. After a short hike, we follow the Dudh Kunda to Saharsa Besi, a plateau just above the moraine, where we camp in the meadows.

This day is the main highlight of our trek. We start early in the morning we follow the escarpment, just above the moraine to Dudh Kunda Lake.

The lake is holy to both Hindus & Buddhists and is thronged by pilgrims to take a dip in the sacred lake on the full moon in August. It is believed that taking a bath in the lake absolves all sins, cures skin diseases, and opens the trail to the heavens in the afterlife while shamans believe the pilgrimage and bath in the lake will give them additional powers.

The rest of the day is to exploring the surrounding area.

We retrace our steps back to Saharsa Beni and leave the moraine behind to continue on a ridge. The trail is gently undulating till Kamo from where we start to descend passing through pine and rhododendron forests to Taksindu La, a small settlement with a few lodges and a stupa.

We follow the ridge through a forest with gentle undulations. This route avoids vehicle movement and the main trail, plus the views are amazing. Nearing Phaplu, the trail drops steeply.

At Phaplu, we are back in civilization, with modern amenities and can celebrate our successful trek.

Bidding farewell to the mountains, you will drive to Kathmandu via Salleri to meet your trek start point at Pattale and continue the initial route to Kathmandu.

On this day, you have a free day in Kathmandu. You can take this opportunity to explore the vibrant city, visit cultural sites such as the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Kathmandu Durbar Square, Swayambhunath Stupa, or Boudhanath Stupa. You can also indulge in some last-minute souvenir shopping or simply relax and soak in the unique atmosphere of the city. In the evening, a farewell dinner will be organized for you to celebrate the completion of your program and bid farewell to your fellow trekkers and guides.

This marks the end of your program. Depending on your departure time, you may have some free time in the morning to do any last-minute activities or preparations. Our team will assist you with your departure, providing transportation to the airport or other onward destinations as per your itinerary.