Overview
Today, you will embark on a full-day guided sightseeing tour of Kathmandu’s key Buddhist and Hindu landmarks. Your journey begins at Durbar Square, followed by a visit to Swyambhunath, also known as the “Monkey Temple” due to the large population of sacred monkeys in the temple’s northwest area. Next, you’ll explore Pashupatinath, a revered Hindu temple situated along the banks of the Bagmati River. Afterward, you will head to Boddhanath Stupa, one of the largest and oldest stupas in the world. In the afternoon, you’ll meet with your trekking guide at your hotel for a pre-trip briefing. Our office representative will provide details about the trek and answer any questions you may have. You’ll spend your second night in Kathmandu.
Drive to Bhandara (2190 m/7185 ft.) about 8/9hrs drive.
After breakfast, the drive begins. At the scheduled time, you’ll meet the guide at your hotel and transfer to the public bus station for a scenic countryside drive to Bhandara via Jiri. The journey takes you alongside the Kosi River, offering panoramic views of the high mountains. The bus will make a stop for lunch along the way. Dinner and overnight stay will be in Bhandara.
Trekking to Everest Base Camp (EBC) via Jiri is the classic trail. It is the route that led Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgway Sherpa to Mt. Everest. Therefore, it is often called the “Pioneers’ Route”. For Trekkers willing to explore the Khumbu region in depth traversing local Sherpa villages and exploring more of the Everest region, EBC via Jiri is a perfect choice. The trail is also less crowded than the popular EBC trekking trail from Lukla and is least explored commercially.
The itinerary of Everest Base Camp via Jiri is more prolonged than the regular EBC Trek as it includes more trekking days instead of a direct Lukla flight. Hence, the trail from Jiri is not just about reaching the base camp of the highest mountain in the world but the journey itself as it offers more natural grandeur, cultural experience, and adventure. It is also the best trail to reach EBC with enough acclimatization and authentic trekking experience.
Everest Base Camp Trek via Jiri commences with a scenic drive towards beautiful hill town of Jiri (aka Switzerland of Nepal) from Kathmandu. It is about 7 hours drive northeast of the capital city thru Araniko Highway. Passing through lush hills and valley, pouring rivers and crashing waterfall sighting the mountain panorama, we continue our EBC Trekking. Further on, we will walk across the Lamjura La Pass before reaching the settlement of Junbesi. The pass is the highest point between Jiri and Namche which offers mesmerizing vistas of the landscapes and snow-clad peaks. Continuing our EBC Trek via Jiri, we will trek towards the gateway of Everest – Namche Bazaar via settlements like Nunthala, Bupsa, and Chheplung.
The trail from Jiri includes several settlements like Junbesi, Nuthala, and Bupsa where the Sherpa community resides. Though they are well-known for their expertise in mountaineering and warm hospitality, they also have a unique lifestyle and culture untouched by modernity and strongly influenced by Buddhism. Therefore, our trekking trail from Jiri is full of prayer flags, mani stones, and chortens symbolizing the spiritual ambiance of Buddhism.
To prepare our body for higher elevation, we will have an acclimatization day at Namche and explore around with the hike to Everest View Hotel – the luxurious hotel at the highest elevation. We can also explore the Sherpa Culture Museum and get insight about the local lifestyle, culture, and history. A noteworthy highlight of trekking to Everest Base Camp via the route from Jiri is the insight of Sherpa culture.
Further from Namche, we connect with the regular Everest Base Camp Trek itinerary routes following the trails of Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche and Gorak Shep. We will finally reach our ultimate destination of the trip, the base camp of Mt. Everest. It is the day of celebration and achievement of a lifetime. And just like the regular EBC Trek, we hike to Kala Pathhar – the best viewpoint of Everest before we descend towards Lukla. We conclude our EBC via Jiri with a scenic and adventurous flight back to Kathmandu from Lukla.
Since the trekking route in our EBC via Jiri itinerary abodes within Sagarmatha National Park, we will require a permit to enter the area. It is for the purpose of conservation of nature and the flora and fauna within the region. Along with that, we will also require Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Tax that is also with the purpose of preservation of culture and environment of the Khumbu region. Nepal Mountain Guide will handle all the procedures to get those permits for EBC via Jiri Trek.
While planning the Everest Base Camp Trek, the time frame is very crucial. It is important to consider the weather conditions and the circumstances of the trail before embarking. We highly recommend this trek during the months of Spring i.e. March to May that offers clear skies, blooming rhododendrons, and moderate temperatures to hike. Similarly, the best time to trek is also during Autumn months from September to November which offer clear skies and feasible weather for the trek.