Self-Launched Lobuche Peak & Everest Base Camp Trek (19 Days)

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport, get your Nepal visa on arrival (15-day £25, 30-day £40 approx. — pay in cash USD/GBP or via card machine), pick up a local SIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£4 for data), and take a prepaid airport taxi (~£4-6) to a hostel or guesthouse in Thamel. Spend the afternoon organising logistics: get your TIMS card and Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit from the Nepal Tourism Board office or a reputable trekking agency, buy travel insurance that covers trekking to 6,200m, and check your gear (rentals in Thamel are cheap: down jacket ~£2/day, sleeping bag ~£2/day, crampons and climbing gear hire available).

🚌Airport taxi ~£5

🛏Hostel/guesthouse dorm or private room in Thamel (~£8-12)

• →Thamel gear hire and permit collection at Nepal Tourism Board
• →Buy SIM card and change money
• →Team briefing at a local trekking agency if hiring a Lobuche climbing guide

Explore the Kathmandu Valley independently with a local bus or cheap taxi. Start with Boudhanath Stupa (entry ~£2.50), walk 30 minutes to Pashupatinath Temple (~£7 entry for foreigners) and take a local bus or shared taxi (~£3) to Bhaktapur Durbar Square (~£10 entry). Return to Thamel for dinner and a final gear check. Book your Lukla flight directly with a local airline (Tara Air, Summit Air or Sita Air, £110-140 each way) or a shared jeep to Salleri/Surke for a cheaper road route.

🚌Local bus/shared taxi ~£6

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Thamel (~£8-12)

• →Boudhanath Stupa
• →Pashupatinath Temple
• →Bhaktapur Durbar Square
• →Thamel shopping

Take an early morning flight from Kathmandu to Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Lukla (flight ~£120, ~35 mins, book direct with airline to avoid agency markups; weather delays are common so allow buffer days). From Lukla, walk downhill for 3-4 hours through Cheplung and Ghat villages along the Dudh Koshi River to Phakding (2,610m). Stay in a teahouse (~£4-7 per night including meals — teahouses charge more for dhal bhat than rooms, ~£4-5 per meal).

🚌Domestic flight Kathmandu–Lukla ~£120

🛏Teahouse in Phakding (~£6)

• →Tenzing-Hillary Airport landing
• →Trek Lukla to Phakding via Cheplung and Ghat
• →Dudh Koshi River trekking

Trek 5-6 hours through Tok-Tok, Benkar and Monjo villages to the Sagarmatha National Park gate at Jorsale where your permits are checked. Cross the Hillary Suspension Bridge and climb the long steep zigzag to Namche Bazaar (3,440m). Teahouses here are better equipped — expect wifi at ~£2-3 for 24 hours and hot showers ~£1.5-2.

🚌On foot, ~5-6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Namche (~£6-8)

• →Hillary Suspension Bridge
• →Sagarmatha National Park entrance
• →Trek to Namche Bazaar

Mandatory acclimatisation day. Do the popular day hike to Everest View Hotel (3,880m) for your first Everest view (2-3 hours return, self-guided). In the afternoon visit the Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Centre and museum (~£1.5 entry), then browse the Saturday market or enjoy a bakery coffee. Avoid alcohol and drink 3-4 litres of water.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Namche (~£6-8)

• →Everest View Hotel hike
• →Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Centre
• →Namche market and bakeries

Trek 5 hours along the Dudh Koshi to Phunki Tenga, then climb through rhododendron forest to Tengboche (3,860m). Entry to the monastery is ~£3. Attend the late afternoon prayer ceremony (puja) with the monks — free but a donation of ~£2 is appreciated. Far-reaching views of Ama Dablam.

🚌On foot, ~5 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Tengboche (~£6-8)

• →Tengboche Monastery visit
• →Evening puja ceremony
• →Ama Dablam viewpoints

Trek 4-5 hours via Somare, Orsho and Pheriche villages along the upper Imja Khola to Dingboche (4,410m). The treeline is now behind you — expect cold nights, ~£8-10 for a teahouse room with meals. Take it slow and keep hydrated.

🚌On foot, ~4-5 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Dingboche (~£8)

• →Trek via Pheriche
• →Acclimatisation walk

Trek 5 hours through Dughla, cross the Khumbu Glacier moraine, and pause at the Chupki Lhara memorial to remember climbers lost on Everest. Continue to Lobuche (4,940m) — one of the coldest and highest teahouse stops. No wifi; expect to pay ~£1.5 for a hot bucket shower.

🚌On foot, ~5 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Lobuche (~£8)

• →Khumbu Glacier moraine crossing
• →Chupki Lhara memorial
• →Lobuche village

Trek 3 hours to Gorak Shep (5,140m), drop your bag, then walk 2 hours each way across the Khumbu Glacier to Everest Base Camp (5,364m) — you'll see the tents of the climbing expeditions. Return to Gorak Shep for a cold night. This is the emotional highlight of the trek.

🚌On foot, ~7-8 hrs total

🛏Teahouse in Gorak Shep (~£8)

• →Everest Base Camp
• →Khumbu Glacier crossing
• →Everest viewpoint

Start at 4:30am for the 2-hour climb of Kala Patthar (5,545m) for sunrise over Everest — with a headtorch, crampon-friendly boots and no crowds. Descend to Gorak Shep for breakfast, then walk back to Lobuche (2.5 hrs) to begin your climbing preparations.

🚌On foot, ~5-6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Lobuche (~£8)

• →Kala Patthar sunrise summit
• →Descent to Lobuche

Meet your hired climbing Sherpa/guide (arrange in advance with a Kathmandu agency or a Lobuche teahouse-based sirdar — typical guide fee £450-700 for the peak section including technical gear hire, ropes and tent). Walk 3-4 hours to Lobuche Base Camp (5,000m) crossing the Lobuche Glacier. Spend the afternoon on roped-up training: fixed rope, jumar ascending, rappelling and crampon technique.

🚌On foot, ~3-4 hrs

🛏Tent at Base Camp (included in guide package)

• →Lobuche Glacier crossing
• →Climbing technique training

A short 3-hour climb from Base Camp to High Camp at ~5,400m, carrying your harness, helmet, crampons and ice axe. Set up tents, rest, hydrate and eat well. If you want a porter to carry loads, hire one locally (~£25/day) rather than through an agency.

🚌On foot, ~3 hrs

🛏Tent at High Camp (included in guide package)

• →High Camp excursion
• →Acclimatisation rest

Alpine start around 1-2am. Roped to your climbing Sherpa, ascend the glacier and mixed rock/snow section using jumars on fixed ropes to the true summit of Lobuche East (6,119m) — 6-8 hours up, 9 plus hours total. Descent back to High Camp or Base Camp depending on conditions and energy.

🚌On foot, ~9-14 hrs

🛏Tent at High Camp or Base Camp (included in guide package)

• →Summit Lobuche Peak

Built-in weather and fitness buffer day. If the summit failed on day 13, make another attempt; otherwise rest, hydrate, and descend partway if conditions are fine. Do not skip this buffer — summit success rates hinge on it. Many independent climbers use it simply to recover.

🚌On foot

🛏Tent at Base Camp (included in guide package)

• →Contingency summit attempt
• →Acclimatisation rest

Retrace your steps down from Lobuche Base Camp through Pheriche to Pangboche (3,985m) — 6-7 hours but much easier on the lungs. Visit Pangboche Monastery, the oldest in the Khumbu region (donation ~£2). Cheaper teahouse meals and warmer rooms.

🚌On foot, ~6-7 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Pangboche (~£6)

• →Pangboche Monastery

A 6-hour downhill walk through the Dudh Koshi gorge, via Sansa and the long climb back up to Namche. Celebratory bakery coffee and a hot shower. Watch for Himalayan tahr, monal pheasants and, if very lucky, a snow leopard track.

🚌On foot, ~6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Namche (~£6-8)

• →Dudh Koshi gorge descent
• →Wildlife spotting

Final 7-8 hour trek descending through Sherpa villages and the Hillary Bridge back to Lukla. Stay in a Lukla guesthouse and eat a proper meal — you've earned it. Confirm your onward flight or arrange a shared jeep to Salleri (~£10-15, then bus to Kathmandu ~£10) if flights are cancelled.

🚌On foot, ~7-8 hrs

🛏Guesthouse in Lukla (~£6-8)

• →Sherpa village trekking
• →Lukla celebration dinner

Scenic early flight to Kathmandu (~£120). Transfer to your Thamel guesthouse, take a long hot shower and book a massage (Thamel spa ~£15-20). Evening shopping for souvenirs or a rooftop dinner. Keep an extra day free in your flight plans in case weather cancels Lukla departures.

🚌Domestic flight Lukla–Kathmandu ~£120

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Thamel (~£10)

• →Thamel shopping
• →Rooftop dinner

Prepaid taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport for your international departure. If time allows, squeeze in a final Thamel breakfast or a last-minute gift run.

🚌Airport taxi ~£5

🛏None (departure day)

• →Airport transfer