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Day 15 – EBC to Lobuche
Phase 1ย EBC to Gorakshep :
Staying Everest Base Camp (EBC) at 5,364 meters is a rare, raw, and physically demanding experience that trades standard lodge comfort for an unforgettable, front-row seat to the world’s highest peaks. All the climbers from agency wentย to climb some peaks , so the whold camp was pretty much to me . This is the first time I unpacked and used my sleeping bag . My camp was at the edge of the glacier , and throughout night I could hear noises of shifting and moving sound of glacier , some ice calving or some little avalanche happening up in the mountain. After early breakfast I am on my way to complete 1st part of the walk. The distance from EBC to Gorakshep is about 4 km. The ground is rocky and it was early morning . This took me about 1 hr 58 mins
Phase 2ย
Gorakshep to Kalapathar
After having a ltittle bit of rest , next is to climb Kalapathar. It was long slog from Gorakshep . It took me about 2.5 hours to reach to top and another 1.5 hours to come down . Overall time spent for the round trip was about 4hr and 13min. Kala Patthar (5,545m / 18,192ft) offers the most iconic, unobstructed view of Mount Everest’s summit, alongside Nuptse and Changtse. The hike from Gorakshep to Kala Patthar is the ultimate crescendo of the Everest Base Camp trek. While Base Camp puts you at the foot of the worldโs highest peak, Kala Patthar is where you actually get to see it in all its glory.
Phase 3
Gorakshep to Lobuche
After having my lunch at Gorakshep final and last bit was to continue the final bit of walk from Gorakshep to Lobuche for the night stay . This was about 5km stretch with some up section but mostly down . This section took me about 2 hr and 10 mins and I am officially back to under 5000m for a relatively good night’s sleep. This whole walk is along the side of the Khumbu Glacier in the high Himalayas. The path is rugged, featuring uneven rocky moraines, loose scree, and glacial paths and my knee is on the verge of giving up .
Day 16 – Lobuche to Chukung via Kongma La Pass
This is another big day and crossing the highest pass in the 3 passes trek. The trek from Lobuche to Chhukung via the Kongma La Pass is a demanding 7-to-10-hour alpine crossing reaching an elevation of 5,535 meters (18,159 feet). Leaving the frozen morning air of Lobuche at 5:00 AM, I dropped immediately into the shifting, boulder-strewn expanse of the Khumbu Glacier, where I had to carefully track rock cairns across the actively moving ice and unstable moraine.
Once across the glacier floor, I faced the grueling, relentless climb up the steep western slope of the Kongma La Pass, pushing through loose scree, gravel, and slick frozen tarns while my lungs fought for every breath in the thin alpine air. Reaching the summit at 5,535 meters (18,159 feet) felt entirely surreal as I stood among the snapping Buddhist prayer flags, taking in a breathtaking 360-degree panorama of Nuptse, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam towering over the horizon. The long, knee-jarring descent down the eastern side of the pass stretched on for hours through a massive, wind-swept valley, but the exhaustion vanished the moment I finally stepped into the quiet sanctuary of Chhukung after nine grueling hours on the trail
This is a pure celebration evening of crossing all 3 passes successfully . I celebrated my evening with a big hearty meal of Yak roast and few beers.
Day 17 – Island Peak Base camp , Dingboche
Leaving the relative comfort of the tea houses in Chhukung after breakfast, I set off along a rocky, rolling moraine path that traced the raw margins of the massive Lhotse and Imja glaciers. The trail was a steady, non-technical uphill march through frozen gravel and shifting boulder fields, but the soaring, dramatic outline of Ama Dablam dominating the skyline kept my focus entirely fixed on the path ahead. Moving deeper into the stark alpine valley alongside glacial streams, I followed the river’s edge toward a towering landmark rock, using the gentle 4-hour trek to steadily acclimatize as the altitude gradually ticked upwards. The final 40-minute push up the steep foothills opened up into the isolated expanse of Island Peak Base Camp at 5,200 metres (17,060 feet), where a sprawling city of yellow tents stood waiting under a colossal wall of Himalayan ice.
After spending sometime there I came back via sameway to Chukung had my lunch . some rest and then off to next destination Dingboche.
Finishing a quick lunch back at the very same Chhukung tea house where I had spent the night, I strapped on my pack and began the afternoon trek down to Dingboche. Leaving the high-altitude outpost behind, the trail opened up into a wide, sweeping valley that followed the steady, downward rush of the Imja Khola. Compared to the punishing mountain passes of the previous days, this path felt like a gift, offering a gentle, continuous descent that allowed my knees to rest and my lungs to finally welcome the increasingly thicker air. The afternoon sun cast brilliant, sharp shadows across the massive rock walls of Lhotse, while the iconic peak of Ama Dablam dominated the skyline directly to my left, its jagged ridges tracking my progress with every mile. Winding past stone-walled yak pastures and rolling alpine meadows, the easy two-hour march brought me right into the bustling, terraced hillsides of Dingboche (4,410 m / 14,468 ft) well before the evening chill set in, leaving me with plenty of daylight to find a cozy bakery, grab a hot drink, and reflect on the wild terrain I had just left behind.
Day 18- Dingboche to Ama Dablam BC and then to Pangboche
Leaving Dingboche in the crisp dawn light, I pushed down the valley before cutting across toward the steep, jagged ridges of Ama Dablam, trading the heavily trafficked Everest trail for the quiet tranquility of an alpine wilderness. The morning was a stunning, steady climb up open alpine pastures and rocky slopes, where the sweeping views of the Khumbu Valley dropped away behind me as the mother-daughter peaks of Ama Dablam loomed larger with every step. Reaching the peaceful expanse of Ama Dablam Base Camp (4,600 m / 15,091 ft) felt completely majestic; I sat on the grassy flats right beneath the massive, vertical southwest face of the mountain, enjoying a packed lunch while watching a handful of climbing teams gear up for their technical summit pushes. After soaking in the raw energy of the camp, I began the long, knee-jarring afternoon descent, dropping thousands of feet down the rolling ridges and crossing a suspension bridge over the rushing Imja Khola. By the time the golden late-afternoon sun hit the valley, I finally crossed into the lower stone paths of Pangboche (3,930 m / 12,894 ft), completely exhausted from the huge elevation loop but eager to warm up by a tea house stove.
Dat 19 –ย Pangboche to Namche Bazar
Leaving Pangboche in the crisp morning air, I set off on the long journey back to the bustling capital of the Khumbu, tracing a trail that felt increasingly familiar yet entirely new from this downhill perspective. The morning began with a scenic, undulating walk along the deep gorge of the Imja Khola, dropping down through rhododendron and pine forests before a short, steep climb brought me up to the magnificent hilltop monastery of Tengboche (3,867 m / 12,687 ft). After stopping briefly to admire the iconic views of Everest and Ama Dablam framed by the monastery’s gateway, I faced the grueling, knee-jarring plunge down the steep switchbacks to Phunki Thenga, losing hundreds of metres of elevation in a matter of hours. Crossing the rushing river on a swaying suspension bridge, I dug deep for the final, relentless uphill climb to Sanasa, where the trail merged back with the main Everest highway. From there, the path smoothed out into a wide, cliff-side traverse that wrapped high around the valley walls, offering one last look at the high peaks before I rounded the final bend and looked down onto the horseshoe-shaped colorful bowl of Namche Bazaar (3,440 m / 11,286 ft), where the promise of a hot shower, Wi-Fi, and a celebratory drink felt like the ultimate reward.
Day 20- Namche Bazar to Lukla
Leaving Namche Bazaar in the morning light, I faced the long, bittersweet final leg of my trek, dropping down the steep, knee-shattering switchbacks that fall away from the horseshoe-shaped village toward the rushing waters of the Dudh Koshi River. Crossing the iconic, prayer-flag-draped Hillary Suspension Bridge high above the gorge, my knees bore the brunt of the massive elevation drop as I officially exited the Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo. The trail then transformed into a long, rolling undulating march through lush pine forests, vibrant rhododendrons, and small Sherpa villages like Phakding, crossing and re-crossing the roaring river on a succession of swaying bridges. The final few hours demanded an unexpected, stinging mental grit as the path turned into a relentless, exhausting uphill climb up stone steps to the plateau of Lukla (2,860 m / 9,383 ft). Walking past the final Mani stones and stepping into the bustling town just as the late afternoon fog rolled over the infamous airport runway, a profound wave of relief and triumph washed over me; I dropped my heavy pack at a local lodge, headed straight to an Irish pub to toast my successful journey with a cold beer, and listened to the distant roar of twin otters, knowing my high-altitude Himalayan adventure was officially complete.
Day 21– Fly out from Lukla to Kathmandu
The final hurdle of my Himalayan adventure began at dawn, sitting in the crowded, tense waiting room of Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla as I anxiously watched the morning skies for any sign of shifting mountain fog. When my flight number was finally called, a rush of adrenaline hit me as I walked out onto the tarmac and boarded the tiny Twin Otter aircraft, its twin engines roaring to life on the notoriously short, cliff-edge runway. The takeoff was a breathtaking, heart-in-your-throat moment as the plane surged down the steep, downward-sloping strip and launched effortlessly into the thin air, leaving the rugged giants of the Khumbu region behind in a blur of white peaks and deep green valleys . During the exhilarating 35-minute flight, I kept my eyes glued to the window, watching the jagged snow-capped peaks slowly give way to the sprawling, terraced green hills of the middle hills before dropping into the hazy bowl of the Kathmandu valley. Touching down safely at Tribhuvan International Airport, the sudden wall of thick, warm air and the chaotic symphony of city traffic felt entirely surreal after weeks of mountain quiet, marking the official, unforgettable end to my journey from the high passes back to civilization.
