Your guide from Next Trip Nepal meets you at Tribhuvan International Airport arrivals with a name sign. The drive to your hotel in Thamel takes 20 to 40 minutes depending on traffic. Thamel is Kathmandu’s main tourist neighbourhood and the most practical base before the trek begins — pharmacies, gear shops, money changers, and restaurants are all within walking distance of most hotels.

After checking in, your guide comes to the hotel for a full 21-day briefing session. We go through the daily schedule, explain the character of the Jiri section in detail (many clients have read about it but have not fully appreciated the pass-and-valley topography until we explain it with the topo map in hand), review the gear list and correct any gaps, check the fit of your trekking boots, and answer questions about altitude, food, water, and communication on the Jiri section. This briefing typically takes 90 minutes to 2 hours. We also weigh your main duffel bag at this point — anything over 25kg stays at the hotel or we arrange storage.

Dinner at a local restaurant in Thamel. We recommend the Thamel House or Yak restaurant for a first evening in Kathmandu — Newari set meals in a restored Rana-era building. Sleep well. Tomorrow is a long drive.

Depart from your Kathmandu hotel by 6:30 AM to 7:00 AM in a private vehicle. The drive follows the Arniko Highway east from Kathmandu, passes through the Sunkoshi valley at Lamosangu, and then climbs south through the Solu hill districts on the BP Highway toward Jiri. Total drive time is 6 to 7 hours including a lunch stop at Sunkoshi river, where several simple restaurants sit along the riverbank. The road is paved for most of its length and reasonably smooth except for occasional sections under repair.

Jiri at 1,905 metres is a mid-sized market town at the end of the sealed road in this direction. The weekly market draws traders from many surrounding villages. There is a small hospital (the Swiss Development Corporation established a project here in the 1980s that built much of the town’s infrastructure), a bank, several pharmacies, and basic gear shops. If you need to buy water treatment tablets, blister plasters, or extra snacks for the Jiri section, this is the last reliable place to do it.

Arrive Jiri by 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Check in to the best available teahouse in town — rooms are simple but clean. Your guide confirms the start time for tomorrow (typically 6:30 AM), shows you the route on the map, and introduces you to the teahouse owner. Dinner at the teahouse. This is the last evening with vehicle access for the next 16 days. Overnight in Jiri.

The first full trekking day begins immediately above Jiri town. The trail leaves the main bazaar and climbs through terraced fields of millet and corn on the hillside east of town. Within 30 minutes, Jiri is below you and you are on a stone path through forest with no other trekkers in sight. This is the immediate character of the Jiri section: you walk out of the town and into the hill country without a transition zone of lodges and tea stalls.

The trail climbs steadily through several small villages — Thodung (where there is a Swiss-built cheese factory operating since the 1950s, still producing a distinctive hard cheese sold in Kathmandu) and Mali, where the community is predominantly Jirel, an ethnic group related to both Tamang and Tibetan found almost exclusively in this single valley system. Stone houses with carved wooden windows and slate roofs. Maize drying on the upper storeys. Water powered mills on the streams below the trail.

Deurali at 2,705 metres is a small pass-top settlement with a handful of teahouses and a seasonal population that increases during the trading season. The pass looks back west toward the Kathmandu Valley direction and east toward the Solu hills. First views of significant peaks to the east on a clear afternoon. Overnight at Deurali.

This day introduces the defining topographical pattern of the Jiri section: descend completely off one ridge into a river valley, cross the river, and climb completely back up to altitude on the next ridge. There is no contour traversing. You lose the altitude you gained yesterday, and you earn it back before you stop walking.

From Deurali the trail descends steeply northeast through forest to Kinja at 1,480 metres — a drop of 1,225 metres in 2 to 3 hours. Kinja sits at the confluence of two streams and has several teahouses, a small gompa, and a water tap. This is your lunch stop. Rest your legs and drink water before the next 1,100-metre climb to Sete.

The ascent from Kinja to Sete is not technically difficult but it is sustained — 3 to 4 hours of uphill on a forest trail with occasional clearings and views toward the valley you have just crossed. Sete at 2,575 metres is a single-ridge settlement with panoramic views of the Jiri valley to the west and the Solu hills to the east. The village has a monastery and several teahouses. Evening views looking back toward the first two days of walking are clear and orienting — you can see Deurali’s ridge across the valley. Overnight at Sete.

This is the most significant single day of the Jiri section and one of the most memorable days of the entire 21-day trek. From Sete, the trail climbs through rhododendron and fir forest toward Lamjura La at 3,530 metres — the highest point on the trek until you reach altitude in the Khumbu above 3,440 metres. The forest on the approach to Lamjura is some of the finest in eastern Nepal. In March and April the rhododendron flowering along this section produces dense colour at altitude that is genuinely hard to describe to someone who has only seen rhododendron as a garden shrub.

The pass itself sits in an exposed saddle above the treeline. Wind is common. Snow covers the pass from October through April in varying amounts — ankle to knee depth depending on the winter. From the prayer flags at the summit, the view east opens toward Numbur at 6,957 metres, the dominant peak visible from the Solu region. On a completely clear morning (most likely in October and November, possible in March), Everest’s summit triangle is visible above the intermediate ridges to the northeast. Your guide will point it out. Many clients see it for the first time from here, still six to seven days away on foot.

The descent from Lamjura to Junbesi drops through forest and then open pastureland to the Junbesi valley. Junbesi at 2,675 metres is a prosperous Sherpa village with apple orchards, a cheese factory, a monastery, and a clinic. The village has the feel of settled, established Sherpa society — wider streets, better-built houses, a school with a functioning library. Thupten Chholing Monastery, one of the most significant Nyingma monasteries in Nepal, is 30 minutes above the village and can be visited on the morning of Day 6. Overnight Junbesi.

Optional early start (6:00 AM) for a 30-minute walk above the village to Thupten Chholing Monastery before breakfast. The monastery compound houses several hundred monks and nuns in a monastic village of prayer halls, scripture study rooms, and retreat cabins. If the morning puja is in progress, you may enter the main prayer hall and observe from the back. This is not a tourist site in the standard sense — it is an active place of practice. Quiet respect is expected. Return to Junbesi teahouse for breakfast by 8:00 AM.

The main trekking day heads east from Junbesi across the Junbesi Khola and up through the Solu plateau — wide-open high pastureland with views of Numbur and the Solu peaks above. The plateau feels vast and quiet, the most open terrain of the entire Jiri section. The trail crosses Taksindu La at 3,071 metres, where the Taksindu Monastery sits below the pass on the eastern side in a forest clearing. The monastery is a Nyingma institution of the Trulshik Rinpoche lineage and has resident monks. The courtyard is a good rest stop.

From Taksindu the trail descends steeply northeast through mixed forest to Nunthala at 2,120 metres. Nunthala is a Sherpa village with a weekly market. The descent is steep and knee-intensive — trekking poles are useful. Overnight at Nunthala.

The final named pass of the Jiri section. From Nunthala the trail descends to the Dudh Koshi — the river that runs from the Khumbu Glacier all the way through the lower Solu valleys. Crossing the Dudh Koshi marks a genuine geographic transition: you are now in the watershed of the river system that connects to the high Khumbu. The character of the hills on the east side of the river is different from what you have been walking through — the valleys are deeper, the peaks ahead are higher and closer, and the trail begins to show signs of the Khumbu approach: stone-carved mani walls appear more frequently, suspension bridges are larger and higher above the river.

Surki La at 2,293 metres is a low, forested pass without the drama of Lamjura, but it serves as the topographical watershed between the Solu and the lower Khumbu. From the pass, the trail descends to Bupsa, a small Sherpa village with several teahouses and a monastery. The approach from Bupsa toward Phakding tomorrow passes below Lukla — you will be able to see the airstrip on the hillside above you as you descend. Many Jiri-route trekkers stop at this point on the trail and watch aircraft land and take off from the strip that most EBC trekkers consider their starting point. From your perspective, it is simply a landmark you are passing below. Overnight at Bupsa.

This is the day the Jiri route becomes the Khumbu route. From Bupsa, the trail descends to Chaurikharka and Phakding without going through Lukla airstrip at all. The Lukla strip is visible on the hillside above — aircraft visible landing and departing — but the trail bypasses it completely, dropping into Phakding on the eastern side of Chaurikharka village. At the junction below Chaurikharka, the standard Namche trail from Lukla joins your path from the left. This is typically mid-morning.

From this junction onward, the trail is the same one walked by all 50,000 annual Lukla-route trekkers. The difference in trail density is immediately apparent. In the first 30 minutes after joining the main trail from Lukla, you will likely pass more trekking groups than you have seen combined in the previous six days. Groups who flew in from Kathmandu this morning are making their way toward Namche with fresh legs. Our Jiri clients universally notice the contrast and nearly all of them prefer the trail they have been on.

Phakding at 2,610 metres is the standard first overnight stop on the Lukla route. It has well-developed teahouse infrastructure by Khumbu standards: reliable WiFi (the first you will have seen since Kathmandu), hot showers (NPR 300 extra), better menus. Stock up on water purification tablets here if you are running low. Overnight at Phakding.

The most famous day of approach to Namche. From Phakding the trail follows the Dudh Koshi river through a series of high suspension bridges — the largest, the Hillary Bridge, is 110 metres long and hangs above a deep gorge of the river. Yak caravans use these bridges alongside trekkers, and passing a loaded yak train on a narrow suspension bridge is one of those Khumbu experiences that everyone who has done it remembers. Step aside, press against the cable rail, and let the yaks pass.

The Sagarmatha National Park entry at Monjo is where permits are checked — all three documents (SNP permit, Khumbu municipality fee, TIMS card) are inspected here. Beyond Monjo, the trail enters the National Park boundary and the vegetation changes as the valley narrows and the peaks rise. Cholatse (6,440m) and Thamserku (6,608m) are visible ahead, flanking the upper valley.

The final climb to Namche from Jorsalle is 600 vertical metres on a well-maintained stone trail through pine forest. For Lukla-route trekkers, this is a significant effort after two days of relatively flat trail. For Jiri-route trekkers on Day 9, it is another pass — steep but familiar in character. Namche Bazaar at 3,440 metres is a horseshoe of buildings on a steep hillside above the Dudh Koshi confluence. Cafes, bakeries, a gear shop, a Saturday market, and the Himalayan Rescue Association office. Overnight in Namche.

A rest day that is not a rest day. The standard acclimatisation protocol above 3,000 metres is to sleep at the same altitude each night while making an active higher-altitude excursion during the day. At Namche, this means a 45-minute walk up the steep trail northwest of town to Syangboche airstrip (3,720m) and the Everest View Hotel at 3,880 metres.

The Everest View Hotel was built in 1971 specifically for the view it provides — from the south-facing terrace, on a clear morning, you can see Everest (8,849m), Lhotse (8,516m), Nuptse (7,861m), and Ama Dablam (6,812m) in a single unobstructed panorama. This is the first proper view of Everest on the trek. Many clients who have been imagining this view for months find it somewhat disorienting — the mountain is clearly identifiable and larger than expected, but still distant, still many days away. The Khumbu Glacier, the Icefall, and the South Col are not visible from here. Only the upper mountain is.

Return to Namche for lunch. Afternoon: Sherpa Culture Museum (documents the history and material culture of the Khumbu Sherpa community from the early 20th century to the present day, including expedition equipment, photographs and oral history), Saturday market if your timing aligns, and a walk through Namche’s main shopping lane for any last-minute gear purchases (Namche has genuine Arc’teryx, North Face and Garmin products alongside cheaper local alternatives — inspect carefully for authenticity). Overnight Namche.

The trail from Namche to Tengboche is one of the most photographed sections of the Khumbu and deservedly so. It climbs initially from Namche through pine and juniper forest, then emerges onto a wide south-facing slope with unobstructed views. Ama Dablam at 6,812 metres is the dominant feature of the view ahead — an extraordinary peak of mixed ice and rock ridges that looks disproportionately large relative to its actual height because of its sharp symmetry and the way it stands clear of the surrounding peaks. Photographers stop here for 20 to 30 minutes. Your guide will wait.

The trail descends to the Dudh Koshi confluence at Phunki Tenga (3,250m) — there are several teahouses and good water here — then climbs steeply through rhododendron forest to the ridge on which Tengboche sits. The forest on this climb is the finest in the Khumbu: old-growth rhododendron trees with trunks 60 to 80 centimetres in diameter, covered in moss, with the forest floor open and light below the canopy. In October, the forest is in its autumn colours. In spring, it is in full flower.

Tengboche Monastery at 3,867 metres is the most important religious site in the Khumbu — a Nyingma Buddhist monastery established in 1916, destroyed by earthquake in 1934, rebuilt, then destroyed by fire in 1989, and rebuilt again to its current form. The prayer hall is open to visitors. The evening puja (prayer ceremony) at around 3:00 PM is accessible to respectful visitors sitting at the back of the hall. The monks chant with drums and horns in a ceremony that runs approximately 45 minutes. Overnight Tengboche.

From Tengboche the trail descends through Deboche, where the Ani Gompa (nunnery) sits in a rhododendron grove beside the river, then crosses the Imja Khola and climbs to Pangboche. Pangboche at 3,985 metres is the highest permanently inhabited Sherpa settlement in the upper Khumbu. The Lower Pangboche Monastery is the oldest in the Khumbu, containing what is claimed to be a yeti scalp and hand bones preserved in a wooden box inside the monastery — an object that has been examined by Western scientists on several occasions and remains officially unidentified. Whether you find this interesting or not, the monastery itself (believed to be 350 years old) is worth a 20-minute stop.

From Pangboche the trail continues through yak pastures and rocky scrub to Dingboche at 4,360 metres. This is the first overnight above 4,000 metres on the trek. The shift in environment above this altitude is abrupt: the vegetation is sparse alpine scrub and bare earth, the temperature drops to near freezing after sunset year-round, and the silence is qualitatively different from the forested valley below. Sleep with an extra layer even in September. Dingboche has well-developed teahouse infrastructure, including the Himalayan Rescue Association post, which holds free altitude lectures every evening that we strongly recommend attending. Overnight Dingboche.

The second acclimatisation day on the trek and the most physically demanding of the two. Nangkartshang Peak at 5,083 metres is reached by a 3 to 4 hour round trip from Dingboche — a steep direct ascent on a clear trail above the village to a summit ridge marked by prayer flags. The hike is not technical but it is steep and the altitude is significant. Go slow. The effort of the climb will feel disproportionate to the gradient, which is exactly what altitude does to your aerobic capacity.

From the Nangkartshang summit ridge, the panorama covers the full eastern Khumbu: Island Peak (6,189m) and its associated cwm, Amphu Lapcha Pass (5,780m), Makalu (8,485m) — the fifth highest mountain in the world, rarely seen from the standard EBC approach — and the south face of Lhotse (8,516m). Ama Dablam dominates the ridge to the southwest. This is genuinely one of the best views in the Khumbu region, better in some respects than Kala Patthar because of the eastern panorama.

Return to Dingboche by noon. Afternoon rest — read, hydrate, sleep if possible. Your guide will check oxygen saturation readings with the pulse oximeter at midday and again at 4:00 PM. Saturation below 80% at rest, or symptoms of AMS (persistent headache, nausea, loss of appetite, confusion) at this altitude, are taken seriously and discussed immediately. Overnight Dingboche.

From Dingboche the trail follows the Khumbu valley north through yak grazing ground toward Thukla. The terrain is open, bare and stony — above the last scrub vegetation, the landscape has the quality of a high-altitude desert. Views of Lobuche Peak (6,119m) and Cholatse (6,440m) close the valley ahead. The walking is not technically difficult but the altitude makes every step cost more aerobic effort than it appears to deserve.

Thukla at 4,620 metres (also called Dughla) is a small collection of teahouses at the base of the Thukla Pass. The pass above is not a mountain col but a steep lateral moraine ridge beside the Khumbu Glacier. On the ridge at 4,830 metres, a series of stone memorials has been built to climbers who died on Everest — Scott Fischer (1996), Rob Hall (1996), and many others including several Sherpas. The names and cairns are maintained by their families and by climbing teams. The memorial ridge is a significant and sobering place. Our guides always stop here for 10 to 15 minutes to explain the history and context.

From Thukla Pass, the trail continues over moraine and glacial debris to Lobuche at 4,930 metres. Lobuche is the last teahouse settlement before Gorak Shep and consists of a handful of lodges clustered at the edge of the glacier. Cold nights are guaranteed — temperatures drop to minus 10 to minus 15 degrees Celsius even in October and November. Use your sleeping bag liner and your down jacket. Overnight Lobuche.

The day the trek has been building toward. Depart Lobuche by 7:00 AM. The trail from Lobuche to Gorak Shep crosses the moraine and then a flat glacial plain called the Gorak Shep lake bed — dry and sandy, surrounded by moraines, with the Khumbu Glacier visible on the right and Pumori (7,145m) ahead. The walking is 2 to 3 hours at this altitude. Gorak Shep at 5,160 metres is the highest teahouse settlement in the world. Drop your main pack here and take only a small day pack for the Base Camp approach.

The trail from Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp follows the Khumbu Glacier moraine for 2 to 3 hours. The path crosses rocky moraine ridges with no technical difficulty but significant physical effort at altitude. Base Camp itself (5,364m) is not a single defined point — the camping ground shifts slightly each year as the glacier moves. In spring expedition season (April to May), the site holds 400 to 600 expedition members in tents, with fixed lines running up into the Khumbu Icefall above. In autumn (post-monsoon), the site is largely empty of expedition teams. The Khumbu Icefall is directly above you: seracs (ice towers) 10 to 20 metres high, crevasses, and the constant sound of ice movement. This is as close to Everest as most people will ever be on foot.

Return from Base Camp to Gorak Shep: 2 to 3 hours. Dinner at Gorak Shep teahouse. Overnight Gorak Shep. Prepare for a very early start tomorrow.

4:00 AM departure in darkness. Headlamp required. The trail from Gorak Shep to the Kala Patthar ridge (5,550m) climbs 390 metres on a steep but non-technical trail above the teahouses. Time the start to arrive at the summit ridge at first light — typically 5:30 AM to 6:00 AM in October and November, 5:00 AM to 5:30 AM in April. The sky above the summit to the north is already pale by the time you leave Gorak Shep.

The view from Kala Patthar at sunrise is the centrepiece of this entire trek. Mount Everest at 8,849m stands directly to the north, closer here than from any other point accessible without technical climbing. The South Summit at 8,748m and the Hillary Step above it are visible. Nuptse’s south ridge (7,861m) rises directly east. Pumori (7,145m) towers overhead to the west. The Khumbu Glacier and Icefall lie below, the scale of the glacier comprehensible in a way it is not from ground level. The sun hits Everest’s summit before it hits anything else in the field of view. That 60-second window of first light on the summit pyramid from this position is why this ridge is called one of the great viewpoints in the world.

Spend 30 to 60 minutes on the ridge. Return to Gorak Shep for a late breakfast. Then begin the descent: from Gorak Shep all the way down to Pheriche at 4,280 metres — a drop of 880 vertical metres over 4 to 5 hours via Lobuche and Thukla. The descent is rapid and your body feels the oxygen returning with each 100 metres you drop. Pheriche has better teahouse facilities than Lobuche and the Himalayan Rescue Association clinic. Overnight Pheriche.

The downward journey begins in earnest. From Pheriche the trail retraces the outbound route south through Tengboche, descending through the rhododendron forest and then climbing to Tengboche Monastery, then descending again to Phunki Tenga and climbing to the Namche ridge. The distances and elevation changes are identical to the upward journey but the physical experience is completely different. Going up, you were counting altitude metres. Going down, you feel the trail opening up beneath you and the oxygen increasing with each kilometre south.

The forest between Tengboche and Namche is different on the way down: more visible, more dimensional. The upward push forced a level of tunnel-vision focus. Descending, you have attention to spare for the trees, the birds, the views across the valley to Ama Dablam’s south face. October and November descents through the rhododendron forest on this section produce a quality of light in the late afternoon that is unlike anywhere else we take clients on any route.

Namche at 3,440 metres on the descent feels like a city in a way it did not on the ascent. The bakery producing cinnamon rolls, the WiFi that actually loads video, the hot shower that is genuinely hot — these comforts register differently after 10 days above. Celebratory dinner at your guide’s recommendation. Overnight Namche.

The last full walking day. From Namche the trail descends south through the pine forest and suspension bridges to Phakding, retracing the outbound approach trail. The descent from Namche to Phakding (2,610m) takes 2 to 3 hours. Phakding is worth a brief lunch stop — it is the last teahouse settlement before Lukla and the last chance to eat before the final climb.

From Phakding the trail continues south through Jorsalle, Monjo and the park exit gate (permits checked again on exit), then the final approach to Lukla. From Jorsalle to Lukla, the trail climbs steadily — not steeply, but a continuous 250-metre gain over the last 2 hours that catches many trekkers by surprise on the final day. We have walked this section hundreds of times and the final approach to Lukla remains one of those deceptive climbs that feels longer than the map suggests.

Lukla at 2,860 metres is a different kind of place on the way out than on the way in for standard Lukla-route trekkers. For Jiri-route trekkers, it is simply the place where you finish walking. Check in to a teahouse in Lukla main street. Your guide confirms tomorrow morning’s flight details (Lukla flights depart very early — typically 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM, before afternoon cloud builds). End-of-trek celebration dinner with your guide and porter. Overnight Lukla.

Wake up by 5:00 AM for the Lukla airport check-in. Lukla’s Tenzing-Hillary Airport is classified as one of the world’s most technically demanding commercial airports: a single 527-metre runway on a 12-degree slope, surrounded by mountains, with approaches that require visual flying conditions. All flights are VFR (visual flight rules) — if morning cloud prevents the approach, the flight is delayed until conditions clear. In October and November, conditions are reliably clear most mornings. In March and May, conditions are slightly less predictable. We build Day 20 as a buffer for precisely this reason.

Assuming standard weather, the flight departs Lukla between 6:00 AM and 8:30 AM and arrives Kathmandu Domestic Terminal in approximately 30 minutes. The flight itself is one of the most scenic short flights in aviation — the route south from Lukla descends rapidly through the Khumbu foothills and the aircraft arrives over the Kathmandu Valley from the east. Your guide meets you at the domestic terminal and transfers you to your Kathmandu hotel.

The rest of the day is yours. Most clients who return to Kathmandu after 17 days on the trail want three things in order: a shower, a proper meal, and a bed. We recommend the Thamel area for proximity to restaurants and pharmacies. If you arrive early enough and feel well, an afternoon visit to Boudhanath Stupa — 20 minutes by taxi from Thamel — provides a calm and contemplative end-of-trek experience. Overnight Kathmandu hotel.

This day serves two purposes: a buffer for any Lukla flight delay from yesterday, and a free day in Kathmandu for recovery, sightseeing, and shopping before your international departure. If the Day 19 Lukla flight was delayed to today, you transfer from Lukla to Kathmandu this morning and the sightseeing is compressed into the afternoon.

For clients with a full day in Kathmandu, the most worthwhile options after 18 days of trekking are typically not intense sightseeing but gentle cultural visits. Pashupatinath Temple on the Bagmati River is 20 minutes from Thamel by taxi — a major Hindu pilgrimage site with morning and evening rituals and open-air cremation ghats along the river. Boudhanath Stupa is 5 minutes further east — one of the world’s largest Buddhist stupas, with a circumambulation path, prayer wheels, and Tibetan coffee shops around the perimeter. Both sites together take 3 to 4 hours and work well as a half-day program without requiring significant walking.

Afternoon: Thamel shopping. The main categories for EBC trekkers returning from the route are: singing bowls (USD 20 to 200 for a quality piece), pashmina (USD 40 to 120 for genuine cashmere), Tibetan jewelry, dried spice packets, and hand-made paper products. Your guide can direct you to shops with genuine merchandise and honest prices. Farewell dinner organised by Next Trip Nepal — we typically book a table at a restaurant with live Newari or folk music in Thamel. Overnight Kathmandu hotel.

Your guide and driver transfer you to Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM) approximately 3 hours before your international flight departure. The international terminal is a 10-minute walk from the domestic terminal. Check-in counters open 3 hours before departure for most airlines. Departure tax is included in your international ticket for most carriers but worth confirming with your airline in advance.

Before you leave Kathmandu, your guide will give you contact details for any follow-up questions, lost luggage assistance, or issues that arise after you arrive home. We also ask clients to send us their honest feedback after the trip — positive and critical. The Jiri route is a living itinerary that we refine based on what clients actually experience on the trail, and the feedback from returning trekkers is genuinely how we keep the quality of this route consistent.

Your 21 Days Everest Base Camp Trek via Jiri ends here. You have walked from 1,905 metres to 5,550 metres on the same route used by the first expedition to the summit of Everest. That is not a small thing. Thank you for trekking with Next Trip Nepal.