Upon departure from Kathmandu Kathmandu in a local jeep, we will take the road east of the Kathmandu Valley and then turn south in the direction of Dhulikel. You can notice the Himalayan range as you simultaneously go down towards the Sun Koshi valley. The balcony road exposes the valley to your left.

The valley provides a pleasant journey with mango and banana trees in the middle of the wheat and rice fields. Therefore, it is incredibly hot despite having an increase in altitude of only 500 meters. After crossing the bridge over the Sun Khosi River, the road will trend upwards towards Halesi and the Lamindanda airport.

After that, the road will turn into the track we can trace to get to Aiselukharka at an altitude of about 2000m. Aiselukharka is the settlement of the Rai, Newars, and Tamang people. That night we will sleep in a lodge. The total time of the trip is about 12 hours, and the distance covered is about 270 km.

On the second day of the hike, you will be walking from Aiselukharka to Kurima village. We will start the hike by going up a hill to Deorali Pass, which is at 2400 meters in height.

While your feet will be crunching plenty of leaves on the way, you’ll also walk through Tamang villages and a forest. Additionally, we will explore Parma Ri, a sherpa village that is surrounded by several small monasteries and stupas.

The next relief comes when we have to go slightly uphill before reaching off at Kurima. There are two snow-capped peaks in Kurima called Mera and Numbur, which are permanently covered with snow and are considered sacred mountains to the Sherpa of Solu. The lodge we’re going to stay at is simple and there will be plenty of nature around us for the night. The expedition will take the whole 5 hours which will include the hiking time.

On our third day of the hike, we will be walking from Kurima village to Chitre. The trial we will take will have longer prayer walls with mantras carved into stone. We will go down to a small stream. We’ll be going that way until we reach Mude and have lunch.

After lunch, we’ll visit the small monastery in the village. On the continuation of the hike, you will realize that the terraced fields start to disappear from the forest with the coniferous trees growing on them.

Next, we will go to Chitre, which has a majority of people as guides or porters for walking tracks. Along with Chitre, you can see some pictures in the form of chôrtsens and mani walls that have prayers engraved into stones.

A trip will be about 5 hours. The hiking will be up to an altitude gain of 370 mtrs and a loss of 500 mtrs down.

On the fourth day, you will experience the breathtaking views of the snow-capped Himalayan peaks on a refreshing forest walk. Then you will join on a journey to the Tamang and Sherpa village of Dhodre, where you can indulge in a delightful lunch.

Before arriving at Dimbul, cross the RokKhola using a suspension bridge. Dimbul is a picturesque Sherpa village where the locals make their living through agriculture.

You’ll see fields being plowed or sown depending on the season. The villagers cultivate potatoes, wheat, and barley. Spend the night at a homestay after a 5-hour walk which includes an ascent of 740m and a descent of 710m.

The trail gradually ascends through a forest of hardwood trees and leads to a breathtaking ridge. The rhododendrons in this area are tall trees that can reach up to 6 to 10 meters in height. Upon reaching a pass at an altitude of 3100 meters, the trail descends to Nurkum, which is located at an elevation of 2900 meters. The village has large and well-exposed terraced fields that offer great opportunities for farming.

Similarly, you will also see the village monastery, which is a historic and ancient structure that is over 250 years old. You will have the opportunity to learn how to make momos, which are vegetable or meat-filled dumplings, with the Sherpa family you will be staying with. Following the cooking lesson, you will enjoy dinner with the Sherpa family and spend the night with them. The total walking time is five hours, with an ascent of 700 meters and a descent of 200 meters.

We will begin our day descending towards the bank of Bubim Khola River (1640m) and then make our way to the village of Chachalung through the suspension over the river. It is primarily inhabited by the equivalent of the Rai people and is 1750 meters high. The inhabitants of this village are Rai people who are animists and neither Buddhists nor Hindus.

Contrary to popular belief among people, they hold a profound respect for nature, and their altars are commonly built out of a tree or a rock. If we’re lucky, we’ll have the chance to see a shaman dressed in long peacock feathers and we’ll witness some of their ancient traditions.

After exploring the Rai village, we will also visit the Sherpa village to observe the differences in their ways of life. Then, going up we will reach Gudel which is a settlement of the Rai and the mountain Sherpas.

During that time we would get a lot of panoramic Himalayas views and there can be a chance to take lots of pictures and just relax, inhaling fresh mountain air. The ride to Gudel is a 5-6 hour journey, it will have a 360-meter ascent and a 1260-meter descent. Upon our arrival at Gudel, we will spend the night in a lodge, which will offer us ample opportunity to relieve our tiredness from the day’s hike.

We will be walking down a picturesque pathway, which finally leads us to the Hongu River. To cross the river, we will use a suspended bridge which will allow us to see the surrounding landscape from high in the air. The bridge will be our passageway to the bustling town of Bung which serves as the main source of supply for the surrounding villages. The town boasts numerous small shops where we can pick up any supplies we may need for the rest of our journey.

One of the inhabitants’ group is called Rai and they are warm and generous people. From here, we will walk into Makalu National Park and start the climb-ups and downs of a few small Rai villages. The path is marked by ancient charters, which are moss-covered stupas that serve as a sign of respect for the Buddhist religion.

Following the trek, we will be staying overnight in Khiraulé, a very touristy Sherpa village whose houses are located on a semi-moon plateau. The area around the village is covered with fields of barley and wheat where during the daylight the sun is shining so even in greenhouses, there is the possibility of farming. The village has had an important primary school for children and a monastery for a long time, where we can practice and learn about the local culture. The total walking time of a day is approximately six hours, with an ascent of 1220m and descent of 620m.

We will be visiting the Khiraule monastery, which is surrounded by giant trees that were brought from Darjeeling. To reach the monastery, we must take the trail that runs to the Surke Pass, an altitude of 3100m.

Moving further upward, we will see the Khiraule plateau in an arc from above. The path is distinctively marked by chörtens and prayer walls with mossal cover. As we explore further to higher altitudes, we will come across the tree giants of the rhododendrons.

Next, we will go downhill into Najingdingma Valley and then cross over the InkhuKhola River. On our trek, we will climb up and reach a village inhabited by Sherpas at Sibuje next. The InkhuKholi River comes from the Mera glaciers and passes further on along the DudhKoshi.

Sibuje is a trekking destination that is either from Lukla or Phaplu to Mera Peak. It is not uncommon to come across mountaineers on their way to their ascent. We will see a view of the summit of Mera which is 6461 m above sea level. Lastly, our journey will conclude with a visit to the small Sherpa museum and spend the night in a lodge. It will take you around 6 hours of walking, including an accent of 1210m and a decline of 1110m.

The next day we’ll cross through a rhododendron forest to get to Pangom Pass at 3285m continuing to the exotic backdrop of the village of Pangom. This village is mainly inhabited by mountaineers who participate in expeditions to Everest and other Himalayan peaks. The area is also home to an important monastery that provides teaching to many monks.

After having lunch in a lodge in Pangom, we will continue our journey towards Karikhola on the historic trail leading to Everest. Karikhola is a village that the Hilary expedition, along with many other expeditions, passed through. You can see Numbur and other neighboring peaks from here. We will be staying overnight in a lodge in Kharikhola. It will take us around 5 hours of walking to reach our destination, with an ascent of 410m and a descent of 1190m.

After breakfast, we will continue by walking towards the Kharikhola temple. Next, we’ll go down and get to the Dudhkoshie River, as well as the Raï village of Jubing at Khirwa. Immediately after crossing the suspension bridge, there is a steep climb that takes us to the height of 2155m and reaches Nunthala on the way.

The path will keep climbing continuously until you reach a small pass where the large Takshindo village is located. After that, it’s a 30-minute descent to Ringmo, where you can spend the night in a lodge. It will be around 6 hours of walking time which will involve climbing 1440 meters and descending 720 meters.

The next day, we will take the stepped path decorated with colorful mantras, flowers, and stones to the DudhKund River. The river takes its birth from the ice of the Numbur Mountain glaciers. The track offers the peace of the DudhKhunde valley and Phaplu airport at a distance. Similarly, you will also have the privilege to walk along the pretty balcony path amidst the equally gorgeous coniferous forests where you will see Mount Everest at Sailung.

While you are on your journey, you will eventually get to Junebisi, a Sherpa village that managed to stay authentic in its appearance. In the village, there are amazing whitewashed houses and a monastery in the middle. You can explore the monastery which was built inside a newer structure and then take a walk through the village. Also, you will spend the night in the lodge and the hike in total will involve 430m of ascent and 470m of descent.

To begin with, we will hike along the Junebesi River valley in the morning time. During the ascent, we will make a stopover on a Sherpa farm, and kiwi and peach plantations. As a result of the changing climate, the villagers had an opportunity to grow fruits that usually do not grow at 2800m above sea level.

During our journey, we will trek through villages with thick stone walls and must-colored wood windows as well. After that we will hike for 30 minutes, reaching Tubten Chöling, the monastic city. The Grand Lama, Trulshik Rimpoche, found refuge in this valley after fleeing Tibet, which was invaded by China in the early sixties. Since then, hundreds of nuns and monks have joined him. More than the majority of them are from Tibet. Their small individual dwellings today cover the mountainside around the monastery.

In the daily kitchen service, the nuns and monks on duty prepare meals for three hundred people. Huge cauldrons are smoking on the fire, and hands are busy preparing momos or Tibetan bread. You’ll preserve the peaceful rhythm of the monastery while you wander between the small houses of the nuns along the alleys. However, we will come back to stop for lunch at noon in Junebesi throughout the trip.

Afterward, we will leave the valley and ascend to reach the mighty monastery of Selo which is populated by 150 monks. The following day we will join the valley towards the small village of Taktor, where we will spend the night in a lodge. It will take a total of 5 hrs with a vertical ascent of 330m and a descent of 330m.

After a long and difficult climb, we will reach the Pike Base Camp. The path quickly enters a forest of conifers and rhododendrons, a national flower of Nepal. We’ll take a long climb of stairs to reach the first small pass marked by a cairn, a mound of rough stones, and prayer flags fluttering in the wind.

Likewise, we will hike along a wonderful ridge, and at 3549m elevation, we will descend. For lunchtime, we’ll have either the first or the second lodges that mark the pass. Moving on the trek, the scenery has changed, the conifers have been replaced by juniper trees and there are wide open mountain pastures.

Eventually, the Pikey Base Camp emerges, distinguished by two lodges and an ancient dairy, offering a haven amidst the awe-inspiring panorama of hills and valleys. After a day of exploration, settling into one of the lodges marks the end of the day’s journey, with a total of six hours of walking, an ascent of 1180 meters, and a descent of 320 meters.

After an early breakfast, we will depart from Pike Base Camp early in the morning for the ascent Pikey Peak. It is a small summit which we can reach by an easy path. The path offers one of the most beautiful panoramas in the Himalayas. The pastures crossed seem to float in the sky and dominate all the surrounding valleys.

GauriShanker’s snowy peak will rise majestically to your left, and as you gain altitude, the Everest region will come into sight. The climb from Base Camp takes about an hour, leading you to the 4000m Pikey summit marked by stone cairns and colorful prayer flags dancing in the wind.

The panorama unfolds before you, revealing Dhaulagiri, Annapurna, Manaslu, Langtang, and even the mighty Everest with Lhotse by its side. Look further northeast and you might spot Makalu and Kanchenjunga. You can find the hidden seventh 8000-meter peak nestled between Gauri Shankar and DorjeeLakpa.

After soaking in this breathtaking vista, you’ll descend through pastures and vibrant rhododendron forests (blooming in April and May) before settling in for the night at Japhre. This challenging yet rewarding day will involve 5-6 hours of hiking with 320 meters of ascent and a significant 1110-meter descent.

On the last day of the trek, we will travel in a jeep from the nearby village of Phaplu, which is a different route from the one that we started on. From Dhap we will have the last glimpse of the snowy mountains covered by the bright white of the Himalayas before we reach a curvy road to the Sun Khosi, a beautiful valley.

The route has beautiful mango trees and huge Pipals on both sides of the road, which makes it quite charming. After that, we will go up to Dhulikel and then go down to Kathmandu Valley, which will take approximately 9 hours. This is a long trip, but the breathtaking view throughout the trip is worth every second.