Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal. After completing the visa formalities and collecting your luggage at the airport, please exit the arrival hall. You will be waited for outside the arrivals hall and taken to your booking hotel. Please see the placard with your name on it when exiting the arrival hall. And upon arrival at the hotel will be served welcome drinks and after you freshen up, will inform you about your trip.

After having breakfast early in the morning, we will go to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport. Taking a scenic flight of 45 minutes near the Himalayas with breathtaking views of mountains and peaks, we will fly to Tumlingtar. And we will stay overnight at Tumlingtar.

From the center of Khadbari, a small path leads down to the west. A couple of times you have the choice: flat or down; choose down. The trail goes down steeply and at several points offers beautiful views of the Makalu range. After about 1 ½ hour you reach a small river with an old wooden suspension bridge (320 m), which you have to cross. Follow the large path (don’t take the small path going up), which follows the Arun River in the northwest direction. It is flat, and easy to walk. After about 20 minutes you pass 2 teashops, from which it is another half hour to the village of Chewabesi. There are a few restaurants, where you can stop for lunch. From Chewabesi the trail continues for another 45 minutes, till you reach a big suspension bridge over the Arun River, which you have to cross. On the other side, you arrive at the village of Kattike Pull. The scenery is very idyllic, with the spread-out houses, rice fields, and the beautiful Arun River to your right. At the end of the village, you cross a blue iron bridge, after which you have to climb steeply for about 15 minutes. The trail keeps on following the river, which is now far below you and climbs gradually. After about 45 minutes, you reach a road, which you follow for 100m, after which you take a small part to your right. You reach a Y-junction, take the left fork up. It is a nice walk through the countryside again, with beautiful views of the Arun Valley below you. After about half an hour you reach the small settlement of Majuadanda. Majuadanda has a small guesthouse with 3 rooms and a place to camp: Sagarmatha Hotel and Lodge.

Today you enter the Solukhumbu section of the GHT (referring to the Himalayan Maphouse’s GHT map), though you only enter Solukhumbu the next day when you cross the Salpa Pass. It is a very long and tiring day and after leaving Mazuwadanda, the road goes up, sometimes steep and sometimes flat, offering a view of the snow-capped mountains of the Makalu range on the horizon. There is a Y-junction, take the left trail. Again there is another Y-junction (2 small trails), take the right trail here. The trail is now going down, mostly gently, but also pretty steep at some points. You pass small settlements like Chalishe and Tabutar. Apart from terraced countryside, the walk also passes through subtropical forest. You can meet men with huge loads, about 2 times the size of the person carrying it. They are bringing Himalayan herbs to the Chinese market. Shortly after the start of the walk, you will reach a small river, which you will have to cross. This brings you to the edge of a large river, the Liknuwa River, which you will follow upstream for the rest of the day. You walk along the left side of the river. Later, you reach a small guesthouse with a campsite. Later, you will have to cross a large iron suspension bridge near Tabutar village. Continue your walk to the right site of the river (don’t take the path going up). The trail is called Nepali plains: many flat parts with some steep climbs and descents. And later you arrive at the small settlement of Gothe Bazar, where a weekly market is held on Tuesdays. There is a tea shop, which can be a good lunch stop. After the tea shop, there is a suspension bridge. Don’t take that bridge, follow the river west. Passing small settlements like Lankuwa, the road is again Nepalese plain with some steep climbs. After a while, there is another suspension bridge, which you have to cross. You follow the river, which is now beside you. Sometimes you see a path going uphill away from the river, don’t take these, just follow the river. There is another suspension bridge that you have to cross. After the crossing, there is a Y-junction, take the left trail, go up. You’re walking through the subtropical forest again, now and then a small settlement surrounded by terraced farmland or a tea shop where you can stop for tea. The trail is mostly uphill. After the last suspension bridge, you will arrive at Tendo village, where there is a school, which you can use as a camp. Shortly after Tendo, you will have to cross a small self-made bridge over a wild flowing river. Although you are at about 1400 meters the landscape here is reminiscent of a high altitude landscape. Walk up to Rai village in Salpa Phedi where there are few guesthouses and campsites.

It is also a long length. The distance is only 14 km, but you have to climb about 1800 m of 3340 m to Salpa pass, then descend 500 m. It’s nice to see the landscape change as you go up: you start in the middle of rice fields, pass small settlements, climb into forests, which turn into thickets, and up you walk through thick rhododendron forests. You reach the Sherpa settlement of Thulophokte (2286 m), which is a good place for lunch. Thulopokte has a small Buddhist monastery, Chochen Gompa, belonging to the Gelugpa sect. Ask the people next door for the key! After a few hours, you reach Salpa Pass (2936 m) with camping facilities. If you don’t want to go to Sanam, this is the place to stay. It takes around one and a half hours from the guesthouse to Salpa Pass (3340m). You’ll notice that you’re arriving by beautiful Mani Walls (stones with Buddhist prayers and pictures carved into them). With good weather, you can have a good view from the pass to Dudh Kund (6465m). Salpa pass brings you to Solukhumbu. From the pass you can go to Salpa Lake (3414m), which is about an hour’s walk, from this viewpoint you can see a great view of the Himalayan range: Mt Kanchenjunga, Makalu, Mera Chuchuro and Everest. It takes about 2 hours to reach the small Sherpa village of Sanam from Salpa pass through beautiful pine and rhododendron forests. You pass the small settlement of Huaca. Shortly after Huaca the path there is a Y, here (for a while) take the right trail. The road gradually descends to Sanam.

From Sanam, the trail descends through rhododendron forests, past some mani walls. With good weather, you can see the snow-capped Mount Numbur (6959m) on the horizon. And after passing a huge gemstone and wall, there is a Y-junction, take the right trail, and go flat. Pass the small settlement of Siare. The trail continues to the left, going downhill. About two and a half hours after leaving Sanam, one reaches Gudel (2042 m), a large village inhabited mainly by Kulung Rai. Mera Shikhar (6476 m) and Chamlang Himal can be seen from here. Take the path that follows the river below through this village. After crossing the river bridge, you will arrive at Bung village spread over the hill. You pass the road to the National Park Office in Makalu Barun National Park. And the trail continues to climb through forests and farmlands, passing a hamlet with a small settlement. After a few hours, you will reach Khirau. You pass a school and an iron bridge, from where you have to reach the camp lodge, which is located next to the Buddhist monastery.

Summary of today’s program: Ascent to Surkela (also known as Charkot Pass) at 3070m, then down 1000m to Inkhu River (1985m), then back up 800m to Sibuche (2800m). . From the lodge, follow the small trail up the back hill. The trail climbs out over some stone steps, leading to a trail through rhododendron forests. You pass a beautiful stupa with some gem walls and continue into the forest. The forest is surrounded by mountains as far as you can see. The road passes through the small settlement of Charakot. From here you can hike in a northeasterly direction to a beautiful Himalayan five pond. The GHT continues in a westerly direction, but a steep path through Surke La and Charcot Pass takes you through rhododendron forests to the village of Najingdingma (2700m). The village is surrounded by grasslands where the people of the upper villages take their cattle to graze in the summer. From Najingdingma continues a small trail that goes steeply into the forest. And you reach the wild flowing Hinku River, which you cross over the high suspension bridge (1985 m) over the river. After crossing the bridge the path goes uphill again. After about an hour and a half you reach Sibuche (starting at 2555); It takes another half an hour to climb to the end of Sibuche (2800m). From here you have a beautiful view of Mera Peak.

There are 2 passes to cross between Sibuche and Paya. Most of the day you are walking through the forest, with a small settlement now and then. From the end of Sibuche, it takes about an hour’s walk to reach the first pass, Narkung La (also known as Chaduk La) at 3161m. From the pass, you can have a beautiful view of Mount Numbur (6959 m). After passing, the road goes up and down. And the trail comes to a T, with a gem wall behind it. From here you have to go left. And you reach the small settlement of Pangoam, where at the end of the village, don’t take the path to the left, go straight: take the steps leading to the courtyard, cross the courtyard and then go down. And the path leading to the wooden bridge descends through the forest. From here the ascent of the second pass begins. It is a beautiful trail through the forest, high on the slopes, with views of Mount Numbur. Keep your steps on the way up. Today’s second pass, Kari La, reaches 3059 meters. With good weather, you can see not only the Numbur mountains, but also the Dudh Khosi valley as far as Namche Bazar and Cho Oyo (8188m). The footpath again goes uphill and after a while joins the main trade route from Kharikhola and the famous Jiri-Lukla trekking trail. Follow the trail in a northerly direction. And reaches Paiya. Plus you can tell you’re in a more touristy area today by the good amenities: lodges offer hot showers, hot meals, clean rooms, beds with soft mattresses and extensive food menus!

On this day you walk mostly through the forest, the day starts with a gentle climb of about an hour and a half, then the trail reaches Surke (2290m). En route, you have beautiful views of rugged snow-capped mountains like Khumbi Yul La (5761m), Khongde (6168m), Numbur (6959m), and Kusum Khangaru (6367m). Shortly after the descent, you cross a bridge, which is the lowest point today. From here it is a long but steady climb to Lukla (2860m). All categories of lodges are plentiful in Lukla. Apart from this, you will also find shops, bakeries, email cafes and bars, and discotheques here. Lukla is the starting point for many treks in the Everest region, such as the Everest Base Camp Trek, the Gokyo Lake Trek (or a combination of the 2), or the Tashi Labsta to Rolwaling trek. Moreover, it is the starting point for many climbing expeditions, the most famous for Mount Everest (8848 meters). Those who want to finish their trek can fly to Kathmandu from Lukla. If you want to go to Everest Base Camp, you can consult a guide

We wake up early in the morning, enjoy breakfast, and get ready for the arrival of our plane for our flight back to Kathmandu. On our touchdown at Kathmandu Airport, you will be transferred to your hotel in Kathmandu. The rest of your day is at your own leisure.

Enjoy a free day in Kathmandu. This day can be used as a contingency for any reason or possible delay. Please do not hesitate to let us know if you wish to extend your stay. Please contact us for more details.

Thanks for joining us on this trek and it’s been a pleasure getting to know you during this time. We hope this venture has enriched your experience with happy memories. Stay in touch. Your AlpineTrav Treks & Expeditions representative will transfer you to the airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight, (SAFE TRAVEL!! We hope to see you again)