Salleri to Everest Base Camp trekking

Overview

Trekking from Salleri to Everest Base Camp is a less common but increasingly popular alternative route to reach the base camp of Mount Everest. Most trekkers opt for a flight from Kathmandu to Lukla to start their journey to Everest Base Camp, but the Salleri route offers a longer and more scenic option for those who prefer to avoid the Lukla Airport or want to experience a more remote and less crowded trek.

Day to day itinerary

Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu

After landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu from your designated destinations, you will be received by a representative of the travel company at the arrival gate who will then transfer you to your allotted hotels. If the time allows, you can either visit the city or relax at the hotel to overcome your jet lag. O/N at Hotel. 

Day 2: Familiarisation walk & trek preparation day

Today after breakfast, meet with the guide and walk around Thamel for familiarization. Today we will also examine your trekking gear and help you pack for the trek. In the evening there will be a group discussion for you to attend to discuss the upcoming trekking plans. O/N at Hotel.

Day 3: Drive from Kathmandu to Salleri (2390m) [9-10 hrs]

Early in the morning, we catch a jeep to drive us to Salleri. Salleri is a beautiful Himalayan town; which is 270km far from Kathmandu. The road goes through beautiful landscapes, mountain scenery and natural beauty. We can stop in several spots for photos and videos.  As we have a long drive today, we will have an early dinner and go to bed.

Day 4: Drive from Salleri to Thamdanda [5-6 hrs] and trek to Puiyan (2700m) [1 hr]

After breakfast, we drive by a jeep to Thamdanda passing through the Salleri Bazar. The road crosses the Sherpa and Rai villages, beautiful rice traces, and alpine forest. Upon reaching Thamdanda, we will have our lunch here and start hiking to Puiyan village for an overnight stay.

Day 5: Puiyan to Phakding (2650m) [5-6 hrs]

After breakfast at Puiyan, we start our trek to Phakding. The trail goes through the jungle with bamboo bushes descending to the small settlement of Surke village. Surke – is a village where Pasang Lhamu Sherpa (the first Nepali woman to summit Mt. Everest) was born.  From here, the trail goes north to a large scattered village with fertile land and reaches Chaurikharka. Stop here at Chaurikharka for our lunch and continue to Phakding. 15 km/9 miles.

Day 6: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3440m) [6-7 hrs]

For the first couple of hours you will get to cross some of the famous suspension bridges, while gradually moving up-hill towards the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park, the official entrance to the Everest Region. You continue downhill for a short time before it levels out to flat ground on mixed terrain. The trail then follows the river to the final high suspension bridge before you begin the long ‘Namche Hill’, which can take 2 hours, to reach the Sherpa village of Namche Bazaar. The total for today’s trekking is usually 6 hours long with plenty of breaks and rest along the way. From Phakding to Namche is 11.3 km/7.02 miles.

Day 7: Acclimatisation day at Namche Bazaar

Today is one of our acclimatisation days. As you trek up behind Namche Bazaar, the trail is quite steep and you can feel the lack of oxygen while you ascend 460m/1509ft to Shangbouche Airport, then cross the runway and head another 100m/ 328ft up to Shangbouche Hill at 3,900m/12795ft. We will enjoy the stunning views and relax for 30-45 minutes before returning back to Namche. This trek is an essential part of the acclimatisation process and usually takes approximately 4 hours. 3km/1.8 miles. 

Day 8: Namche to Tengbuche (3867m) [5-6 hrs]

Today we will hike towards Tengbouche, at 3900m/12795ft. After ascending out of Namche, the first 2 hours are relaxed walking, traversing the left hand side of the valley, high above the valley floor. The trail then descends down toward the river for our lunch stop. From here it will take 2 – 3 hours to hike up the long hill to the town of Tengbouche. This is a gradual but long ascent and the total time will be 5/6 hours of hiking today. 12km/ 7.5 miles.

Day 9: Tengbouche to Dingbuche (4358m) [5-6 hrs]

From Tengbouche, we will travel to Dingbouche, at 4400m/14436ft. The trail starts down-hill and continues very gradually up and down hills before crossing the river and gradually heading uphill towards Pangbouche for lunch (Pangbouche was one of the villages on the trail that suffered most from the recent earthquakes), which usually takes 2-3 hours. From there it is a gradual up-hill trek towards the Imja Valley looking towards Island Peak and an hour later arriving in Dingbouche. The total trekking time today will be 5 to 6 hours. 12km/7.5 miles

Day 10: Acclimatisation day

Today, we spend another night in Dingbouche to further the acclimatization process. From here we will aim to reach the height of 4,900m/16076ft, gaining 500m/1640ft, in this acclimatization trek which should take approximately 3 hours. We will enjoy the views and rest for about 30-45 min. at the high point before dropping back down for lunch and an afternoon of relaxing. 3km/1.86 miles and 500m/1640ft of ascent and descent.

Day 11: Dingboche to Lobuche (4828m) [5-6 hrs]

From Dingbouche we will head to Lobuche, at 4828m. The trail heads back towards the Khumbu valley and continues on a long and slow trek across a beautiful elevated route towards Dugla, where we will stop for a while to eat lunch and rest. This stretch usually takes 2 hours and after lunch, from Dugla to Lobuche, there will be an additional 3 hours with plenty of rest stops. After stopping at Dugla we have a long uphill section over the Thukla Pass to top out at the Everest Memorial, before heading on to Lobuche. We will be trekking for a total of 5 hours today. 12km/7.5 miles.

Day 12: Lobuche to Gorak Shep – EBC – Gorak Shep (5160m-5365m-5160m) [7-8 hrs]

Today we travel from Lobuche to Gorak Shep at 5160m. Today’s trek is very beautiful and unique, crossing a lot of loose rock and Glacier moraine. The up and down trail into GorakShep takes approximately 3 hours. We will have lunch here before continuing an additional 3 hours to reach Everest Base Camp, where we will spend some time enjoying the Base Camp of the World’s highest mountain! The hike back to Gorak Shep is another 2 hours, bringing this long day to end after a total of 7 or 8 hours of hiking. Today is a very challenging day for most people. 10km/ 6.2 miles.

Day 13: Hike to Kalapatthar, trek down to Pheriche (5555m-4358m) [7-8 hrs]

After a good night’s rest in Gorak Shep, those who feel ready and able, will wake up very early and hike up Kala Phattar to see the sun rise over Everest. This is a difficult 3 hour up-hill hike which is very hard work, but well worth it for the amazing views of Everest in the early morning. Once you return back to Gorak Shep, you will have breakfast and return all the way to Pheriche at 4358m. Which can take 4 hours, making the total amount of time walking 7 hours today. 18km/11.2 miles.

Day 14: Trek down to Namche Bazaar (3440m) [7-8 hrs]

Today we will trek from Pheriche back to Namche Bazaar. Today is another long day and can take approximately 7 to 9 hours. As you are heading down-hill, to lower levels of altitude and you can cover the ground quicker than on the way up. When you get back to Namche you will get to enjoy the delights at the Namche Bakery or play a few rounds of pool at Cafe Danfe before we rest up for the long walk back to Lukla tomorrow. 22km/13.7 miles.

Day 15: Trek down to Lukla (2652m) [7-8 hrs]

This long day can be one of the hardest as your body is tired after the trek. You start the day going back down Namche Hill and then the long stretch back to Lukla. You will pass Phakding before starting the last uphill section into Lukla where we will sleep for one more night. Today’s trek can take 7 to 8 hours. 21km/ 13 miles.

Day 16: Fly back to Kathmandu (1300m) [35 minute flight]

Today your legs get a break as you only have to trek to Lukla Airport and fly back to Kathmandu, which is only about 10 minutes walking. In the evening we will go to one of Nepal’s authentic restaurants and will have Nepali dinner with some traditional Nepali songs and dances.  O/N at Hotel.

Day 17: Departure to the Airport

Today, we will send you to the Airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight.