If it’s a clear day when you are flying into Kathmandu, then your tour begins right from the skies itself. The sights from the windows of our jet shows us glimmering snow-capped mountain peaks spread out down below us, giving us the first thrills of our just begun vacation, sparking off a whole reaction of unforgettable experiences that stay with us for some time to come. As soon as your plane hits the tarmac of Tribhuwan International Airport, Mountain Sherpa Trekking office representative and driver will be on standby to meet and greet you at the airport and escort you to your hotel. The rep will help you check into your designated hotel, and after going to our rooms and refreshing ourselves we will be briefed about our daily activities. The rest of your time is free to move around the neighborhood and get familiar with your surroundings. Your first overnight in the ancient city of temples, probably the most in the world. Best Hotel accommodation

Meals included: Welcome Dinner [Typical Nepali Restaurant]

After a good night’s sleep and enjoying a hearty b/fast, we proceed for our tour of Basantapur Durbar Square. Recorded by UNESCO as a cultural World Heritage site, Kathmandu Durbar Square is a bunch of medieval temples, palaces, courtyards and streets that date back to the 12th and 18th centuries. within this square we will find Hanumandhoka Palace Museum, Taleju Temple, Kumari Ghar (House of the Living Goddess), Kasthamandap and other temples and buildings as old as the city itself; from here we head for a tour of the famous Boudhanath Stupa {said to be the largest in the world) and a major centre of Tibetan culture in Kathmandu. The stupa is designed to be like a giant mandala (a representation of the Buddhist cosmos). We next drive down to Swayambhunath {popularly known as Monkey Temple} “Swayambhu” means “self-created” and refers to the myth that the hill sprung up suddenly from a great lake that once covered Kathmandu Valley. Our next destination is Pashupatinath Temple. This temple is dedicated to Hindu deity Lord Shiva and is said to be the most holy Hindu shrine in Nepal. We then wrap up our Heritage tour with a trip to Patan which is one of the three medieval cities in Kathmandu and a destination for connoisseurs of great arts. We return back to our hotel, refresh, and maybe do some shopping, have an early supper and retire to bed, most probably. Breakfast

It takes approximately 35 minutes to fly from Kathmandu to Phaplu and something like about four hours trekking to reach the village of Salleri. We wander around the local market in Salleri and enjoy a visit to the local monasteries which include Chewang monastery and some others. The quiet environs of these monasteries blend so well with the landscapes and this stirs our imaginations as we begin to hike the trails. Overnight at our teahouse lodge – B. L. D

This is a pert little Sherpa village that sits on a saddle of a ridge with some lovely scenery of the high up peaks nearby. A monastery is also found nearby to the village. Visiting this monastery and interacting with the monks is a good experience to encounter. The local folks hereabouts are also very friendly and warm. We enjoy our night at some of the homes in this village. B. L. D

After moving away from Ghorpiteng, we go by a descending path to reach the pretty village of Dhap. We hike along the banks of Indrawati River with lovely views of farming terraces, buzzing villages, green hills as we observe the local folks happily going about their daily chores. Overnight at homes in the village – B. L. D

As we head down, today the trail is pretty cool, and we can see wild orchids and great landscapes as we walk along the Solu – Okhaldhunga border. We also visit Buddhists stupas and quiet friendly monasteries. We get some deep insights about Sherpa culture on this trail. Overnight Jabre – B. L. D

The climb to the summit of Pikey is pretty steep, but fairly easy. From the top of Pikey, we can see Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu and some other great peaks. At night it’s almost ecstatic to behold the lights of Kathmandu valley which is also visible on a moonlit night. After relishing with our eyes the beautiful views, we head back down to base camp for the night. B. L. D

Today we set out early at the break of dawn Pikey Hill. From the top of Pikey, we get sterling views of Everest, Kanchenjunga, Makalu and some smaller peaks and at night the lights of Kathmandu valley is supremely visible, it’s a wonderful sight to behold. After this, our walk leads to a long but gradual climb to Lamjura Pass at 3,530m. Hereabouts, we are rewarded with frost and often snow along the trail in winter but lovely flowers of rhododendrons greet us in the spring. The pass, which is the highest point between Jiri and Namche Bazaar, is a great experience that we enjoy. From the top we descend to Taktor, then to the Sherpa village of Junbesi the next day. We bunk out in our lodge at the pass – B. L. D

It takes roughly five hours as the trail goes from Taksindu to Junbesi via the base of the famous Pikey peak. While trekking below the Pikey peak we get amazing sunrise views of the mountain peaks of Kanchenjunga to Dhaulagiri including the Everest peak. After we enjoy the majestic views, we walk down through some wonderful landscapes to Junbesi village which is also a valley for our overnight in a teahouse lodge. B. L. D

Today day we trek through bare land for some distance. After climbing over the 5200m from Hidden valley, we traverse avalanche prone slopes and then descend steeply to Yak Kharka. There is a perfect camp site to enjoy the surroundings down this side of the mountain. Overnight in our tented camps, this is the kind of adventure we want – B. L. D

Today, we go by a trail over Pore Danda, a small hill. There isn’t any proper trekking trail as such, so we will follow a meandering yak trail. We find a kind of tall grass which is used for incense by the mountain people. If we rub the grass we will smell lovely incense (called sunpati in Nepali). Also, we see mountain juniper bushes. We head up to Beni, a huge place where all the yak herders bring their yaks in the summer and gather to celebrate the local festival called “Yarjang”. Why do they celebrate this? The celebration of “Yarjang” is believed to bring protection to the yak herders and their yaks. They believe it will shield them from the dangers of tigers, wolves and any other kind of bad omens. It is a spiritual place, because towering above Beni is the great Numbur Himal. The Shepa people believe this mountain is the God of the Solu region. Overnight at camp – B. L. D

While trekking from Beni to Dudh Kunda, we see a mountain glacier and the famous holy lake, Dudh Kunda and the mountains appear very close. Those who arrive here during the Janai Purnima festival in August will observe a special celebration of pilgrims who go to immerse themselves in the venerated Dudh Kunda Lake, a ritual which is believed to bring salvation. We return back to Beni for our Overnight in tented camps. B. L. D

Our scenic hike to Thaksindu monastery takes about 3 hrs and we walk all the way through dense foliage forest; there are no teahouse lodges between Mera villages to Thaksindu monastery. Thaksindu Monastery is linked to the Nyingma Pa sect of the Buddhist religion). Thaksindu is located nearby to the main classic route of the Everest Base Camp trek. We bunk out in our teahouse lodge – B. L. D

After we enjoy our king size b/fast, we will climb up to Kemje Danda at (3500m approx) from Chyangmiteng (Mera) village, for about 3 hrs of walking up, on the way we cross lots of rhododendron and pine trees; from the top of Kemje Danda, we get to see some lovely mountain views that cover some of the highest peaks in the world. We enjoy our home stay in this lovely village where the folks are real friendly. Overnight in homes at the village – B. L. D

Phaplu is a small Sherpa village town quite developed with an airport and a hospital; the latter built by Sir Edmund Hillary. This is an ideal place to haul up for a good night’s rest before we head down to Kathmandu. B. L. D

Today, after a hale and hearty b/fast, we fly back to Kathmandu after our more or less spiritual journey. The early morning flight drops us in Kathmandu. We can rest and relax throughout the day at our hotel. If interested, we could buy some gifts to take home from Nepal for loved ones and friends and relatives; we can visit some nearby shops or venture out in Thamel for typical Nepalese goods. This short excursion either can be assisted by Mountain Sherpa’s guides or we can do it ourselves too. Overnight in Kathmandu, the valley of the gods, they say (B, D)

After b/fast, our rep and office vehicle will be on standby at our hotel to transfer us to the airport for our connecting flight home. Serving you was a wonderful joy and pleasure, we at Mountain Sherpa Trekking will cherish the bonds of our relationship created over the time you spent with us and we thank you for choosing us as your travel partner and for visiting this amazing country Nepal. We are sure that trekking in this beautiful region of the Khumbu [Everest region] will give you lifetime memories of a vacation well enjoyed. Ciao friends! Till we meet again. Breakfast