Everest 2025

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I will be trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp from 11 - 25 April 2025.

You know those pains you feel when you get out of bed in the morning and you are like...why does my knee / hip / foot / elbow hurt? As I am starting to feel those pains, I still have a few things left on my bucket list with the top one being to see Mount Everest. Well, not only am I going to see it, but I am going to trek to Mount Everest Basecamp located at 17,600 feet.

You may notice that Tim isn't in the heading photo...well...he isn't as crazy as I am to attempt this trek, so I am going solo. Don't worry...I am going with a reputable tour company called 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking that caters to women.

Here are the answers to some questions you may have:

How long will this trek take?
The trek is scheduled to take 15 days. We will reach Everest Base Camp on Day 11 and then make it back back down by Day 14. The reason for it taking 11 days is to allow for acclimation to the altitude as we trek.

Will you be staying in a tent along the trek?
No, there are teahouses along the route that provides room & board.

Is it going to be cold during the trek?
Here is the average temperatures for the trek during April. The low temperatures are at night, so I do have to make sure I dress warm at night when I am sleeping. However, the temperatures during the day look perfect for trekking.
46 / 72 degree Fahrenheit at 6,600 feet
41 / 66 degree Fahrenheit at 9,800 feet
27 / 54 degree Fahrenheit at 13,000 feet
19 / 52 degree Fahrenheit at 16,400 feet

How long will you be walking each day?
3 - 7 hours each day depending on elevation gains and altitude.

How much is this going to cost you?
Cost of trek: $2,769 + expected $225 tip ==> $2,994
Miscellaneous expenses during trek: $215
Insurance (mandatory in case of helicopter evacuation): $150
Of course there is airfare (One-way airfare from Orlando, FL to Kathmandu: $1,053) and my stay in Kathmandu for 3 days before the trek ($153).

I see other trekking companies charge as little as $1,000...what gives?
From 3 Sisters Adventure Trekking website:
When you book a trek with us you know that you will be supported by guides who are not only properly trained but properly supported and paid a fair wage. We provide our trekking staff with good quality clothing and equipment, and we also contribute to their children’s education and to the pensions of our fully qualified guides. This is unusual for a trekking company in Nepal. Moreover, the trekking fees you pay go towards supporting our NGO, ‘Empowering Women of Nepal’, which gives underprivileged women the chance to become guides. We provide training and in some cases accommodation free of charge. This program has transformed the lives of many Nepali women, some of whom will be your guides on the trek. Finally, trekking fees go towards ensuring that our company is properly insured- again, not something all Nepali trekking companies take seriously.

What are you doing after the trek?
I will return to Kathmandu where I will meetup with Barbra. We will spend a few days there and then fly to Bhutan for a 7-day tour. After Bhutan we will fly to Hong Kong for 6 days. Barbra will then fly home and I will fly to Taiwan where I will finally meet up with Tim. Don't worry, I will be blogging about all this as well.

Here are the details of the trek as provided by 3 Sisters. From the looks of it, the toughest day is Trekking Day 2 with almost 3,000 ft of climbing which I understand it a mostly going up steps. So, just get though Day 2, deal with the altitude, and I will succeed.

Everest Epic Teahouse Trek
11th – 25th April 2025
15 days Itinerary

Kathmandu	10-Apr-25	Trekking Day 0	Trek orientation in Kathmandu in the evening with the staff
Kathmandu - Lukla (Flight) 4,265ft - 9,318ft Lukla - Phakding (Trek) 9,318ft – 8,563ft Hiking Miles: 5 miles Hiking Gain: -755 ft Hiking Time: 4 hrs	11-Apr-25	Trekking Day 1	We fly with a small twin-engine unit to Lukla (9318ft), We start the trek with a descent to Ghat (8169ft) in the valley of the Dudh Kosi (Milk River). Then we continue to Phakding (8563ft) our first night place.
Phakding – Namche Bazaar 8,563ft - 11,483ft Hiking Miles: 6.8 miles Hiking Gain: +2,953 ft Hiking Time: 5.5 hrs	12-Apr-25	Trekking Day 2	A tough day awaits us. In total, about 2953ft up to Namche Bazaar. At Monjo, we enter the Sagarmatha National Park. We see Thamserku (21,680ft) towering high above us. Following the Dudh Kosi for the fifth, and now last time, to be crossed, we get a tough final climb high above the river to Namche Bazaar. With clear vision in the distance, we can see Mount Everest and Lhotse. We stay in a comfortable lodge in Namche Bazaar (11,483ft). If we just go up in the direction of the military camp and go just around the corner, we can see Everest and the Ama Dablam. Namche Bazaar is a real commercial city, on Saturdays, there is still a famous market, and many lodge owners come to buy their supplies.
Namche Bazaar 11,483ft Hiking Miles: ?? miles Hiking Gain: 0 Hiking Time: 5.5 hrs	13-Apr-25	Trekking Day 3	We stayed one day because of acclimatization in Namche Bazaar, we made a short hike with views of Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and the Everest. We just go around the corner in the direction of Kenjoma where we have lunch and get used to the altitude. This is necessary because the next few days we only go uphill.
Namche Bazaar - Thame 11,483ft – 12,467ft Hiking Miles: 3 miles Hiking Gain: +1,312 ft Hiking Time: 4 hrs	14-Apr-25	Trekking Day 4	Today we walk at a leisurely pace through Thamo to the village of Thame (12,467ft). Slowly since the height will be noticeable. With nice views to the other side of the valley with high above us the peaks of the Nupla, Shar, and Lho Nup we walk along above the Bhote Kosi river. At Thame, a visit to the monastery is very worthwhile. East of Thame is the Rolwaling area with beautiful high peaks; with sonorous names such as Bigphera Go Shar, Panayo Tippa, and Tengi Rai Tau.
Thame - Khumjung 12,467ft – 12,467ft Hiking Miles: 5 miles Hiking Gain: -1,971 ft Hiking Time: 5 hrs	15-Apr-25	Trekking Day 5	We walk nearly the same route back to Namche Bazaar and have views of Kangtaiga and Thamserku. Beyond Phurte we go through Syangboche to the pretty village of Khumjung (12,467ft). However, from the junction, there is an hour of climbing before reaching the top of Syangboche village. From the nearby hill, you will have a beautiful view of the Ama Dablam and surrounding mountains. There is a German bakery in Khumjung with delicious oven-fresh bread and real coffee. The village has excellent educational facilities, thanks to the efforts of the famous Sir Edward Hillary. A visit to the upper village Khunde, with its hospital, is a possibility for an extra side trip.
Khumjung - Pangboche 12,467ft - 13,123ft Hiking Miles: 6.2 miles Hiking Gain: -2,231ft / +2,756ft Hiking Time: 6 hrs	16-Apr-25	Trekking Day 6	From Khumjung we descend less than one hour to Phunki Tenga (10,663ft), after this, there is a long climb of 1,969ft to Tengboche. On the other side of the valley; the Thamserku (21,680ft) and Kangtega (21,832ft) are high above the valley. The Tengboche monastery is the largest in the region, after a fire in 1989 it was destroyed and with help and donations, it was rebuilt in its former style. Here we can, while enjoying many goodies from the bakery, enjoy the views of Everest, Ama Dablam, and Lhotse. Here we can visit the monastery and the museum. From Tengboche, we descend first through the beautiful rhododendron forest before we cross the Imja Khola. From the steel bridge, we gently climb up and arrive in Pangboche (13,123ft). We sleep this night near one of the oldest monasteries in the region.
Pangboche - Dingpoche 13,123ft - 14,469ft Hiking Miles: 4.3 miles Hiking Gain: +1.575 ft Hiking Time: 5 hrs	17-Apr-25	Trekking Day 7	With stunning views of the Ama Dablam, we leave Pangboche. Along the way we pass many prayer walls (Mani walls), always pass them on the left! We continue our way towards Orsho where beautiful rock paintings give some color to the environment. Moments later we cross the Lobuche Khola and catch some views on Pumuri in the north. A final climb brings us to Dingpoche (14,469ft), a beautifully elongated village at the foot of the mighty Ama Dablam (22,493ft). Here we take our lunch, and a trip to the 16,667ft high Nagkar Tshang is possible. The cold will this evening is already noticeable, as the sun disappears behind the peaks.
Dingpoche – acclimatization hike to Chhukung 14,469ft Side trip: 18,209ft or 16,404ft Hiking Miles: ?? miles Hiking Gain: 0 ft Hiking Time: 5 hrs	18-Apr-25	Trekking Day 8	We leave our luggage at the lodge and walk with a light daypack to Chhukung; the last village in the eastern direction. We're getting closer to Island Peak, a climbing peak of nearly 20,341ft. From Chhukung we have a spectacular view of the great northern ice wall of Lhotse. There is enough time to have some side tour and to go up in the direction of the Chhukung Ri (18,209ft) or to walk in the direction of Island Peak Base Camp (16,404ft), but not to force anything, since later in the week the Cho La is waiting in the program.
Dingpoche - Lobuche 14,469ft - 16,109ft Hiking Miles: 5 miles Hiking Gain: +1,640 ft Hiking Time: 5 hrs	19-Apr-25	Trekking Day 9	Today we cross the Thukla pass (15,846ft) and ascend 1,640ft in total to Lobuche (16,109ft). Like previous days we ascend another 656ft for acclimatization in the afternoon.
Lobuche – Gorakshep – side trip to Kala Patthar 16,109ft - 16,864ft Side trip: 18,209ft Hiking Miles: 3 miles Hiking Gain: +755 ft / -1,345 Hiking Time: 6 hrs	20-Apr-25	Trekking Day 10	30 minutes after Lobuche, a little detour from the main trail, we can visit an Italian research center with the shape of a pyramid. This center collects and monitors climatologically data and is beautifully situated close to a glacier. We continue our way to Gorakshep (16,864ft), the highest-located accommodation of this trek. Walking hours: 4-5. After lunch in Gorakshep, we climb Kala Patthar (Black Rock) at 18,209ft from where we have a beautiful sunset view and a close view of Mt. Everest and its surroundings. Climbing up and down takes about 3 hours.
Gorakshep - Everest Base Camp - Lobuche 16,864ft – 17,598ft – 16,109ft Hiking Miles: 6.2 miles Hiking Gain: +735 ft / -1,490 ft Hiking Time: 7 hrs	21-Apr-25	Trekking Day 11	We walk up to Everest Base Camp (17,598ft), the starting point for many climbing expeditions. On our way, we can see the fascinating structure of the Khumbu Glacier. We descend the same trail back to Lobuche.
Lobuche – Phortse 16,109ft - 12,500ft Hiking Miles: 11 miles Hiking Gain: -3,609 ft Hiking Time: 7 hrs	22-Apr-25	Trekking Day 12	From Lobuche, we take the same way back to Tukla and from there we take the lower path in the direction of Pheriche and further down to Orsho where the higher route goes to Upper Pangboche. Here we can have our last tea or snack before following the narrow mountain path on the steep slopes leading us to the nice village of Phortse (12,500ft).
Phortse – Monjo 12,500ft - 9,318ft Hiking Miles: 8 miles Hiking Gain: -3,182 ft Hiking Time: 5 hrs	23-Apr-25	Trekking Day 13	It's only 2-3 hours to Namche Bazaar (11,483ft), first, we have to descend to the river at Phortse Tengi before having a final climb toward Mong La. From Mong La we have a perfect view of Ama Dablam and the surrounding mountains from here some ups and down before, we reach Namche where there is still enough time to enjoy some shopping and good food. The temperatures will certainly nicer feel than two days ago.
Monjo - Lukla 9,318ft - 9,318ft Hiking Miles: 67.4 miles Hiking Gain: 0 Hiking Time: 5 hrs	24-Apr-25	Trekking Day 14	This is the last day of walking and we move along the same route as we came. We leave the national park at Monjo and cross the Dudh Kosi again four times. After Phakding we descend to Ghat, from where we have some ups and downs. A final climb brings us to Lukla airport and we can finally take off our shoes and dance along with our staff at the goodbye party.
Lukla – Kathmandu	25-Apr-25	Trekking Day 15	Morning flight from Lukla to Kathmandu