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.

Day 1 :

Arrival in Kathmandu

You arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport where a representative of Swiss Nepal Family Trekking & Expedition will greet you and take you to your DeluxeHotel 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.

Day 2 :

Flight to Lukla (elev. 2840 m), Trek to Phakding (elev. 2610 m)

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.

Day 3 :

Trek to Namche Bazaar (elev. 3440 m)

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.

Day 4 :

Acclimatization in Namche Bazaar

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.

Day 5 :

Trek to Lukla

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.

Day 6 :

Fly to Kathmandu

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 Deluxe Hotel upon our return.

Day 7 :

Final Departure

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 Swiss Nepal Family Trekking & 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. Swiss Nepal Family Trekking & Expedition offers trips into neighboring Tibet, Bhutan and India. Be sure to discuss your interests and plans with them today.