Everest family holiday in Nepal
| country: | Nepal |
| location: | Everest region |
| departures: | 2009: 19 Dec 2010: 6 Feb, 27 Mar, 3 Apr, 16 Oct, 18 Dec 2011: 19 Feb, 9 Apr, 15 Oct, 17 Dec |
| price: | From £1249 - £1659 (13 days) including flights from the UK. From £699 - £849 excluding flights. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
read 2 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
A short, scenic trek in the Khumbu Valley to see Everest and the mighty Himalaya
Nepal's Capital
On this carefully designed holiday, you can experience the beauty and rich history of the Everest region on a six-day trek. You start in Kathmandu, with time to explore the many markets and colourful Buddhist and Hindu temples.
The Everest Valley
A short flight takes you to Lukla and the start of your trek in the Everest valley. Setting off on trek, you’re soon immersed in one of the world’s most magnificent mountain landscapes.
Trekking Experience
Staying in locally run tea-houses along the way, you walk to the Sherpa ‘capital’ of Namche Bazaar. There’s time for an acclimatisation (rest!) day, before continuing to the celebrated monastery of Thyangboche, for incredible views of Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and, of course, Everest!
Nepal's Capital
On this carefully designed holiday, you can experience the beauty and rich history of the Everest region on a six-day trek. You start in Kathmandu, with time to explore the many markets and colourful Buddhist and Hindu temples.
The Everest Valley
A short flight takes you to Lukla and the start of your trek in the Everest valley. Setting off on trek, you’re soon immersed in one of the world’s most magnificent mountain landscapes.
Trekking Experience
Staying in locally run tea-houses along the way, you walk to the Sherpa ‘capital’ of Namche Bazaar. There’s time for an acclimatisation (rest!) day, before continuing to the celebrated monastery of Thyangboche, for incredible views of Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and, of course, Everest!
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Depart London Depart London. |
| Day 2: | Kathmandu After your flight, you transfer to your first night’s accommodation and check in. Today your Group Leader will brief you on relevant aspects of the trek and make sure your family is set for the challenging days ahead. The evening is free to dine at one of Kathmandu’s many excellent restaurants. Hotel - 2 nights (Swimming pool) |
| Day 3: | Kathmandu After breakfast you’ll see some of the spectacular sights of Kathmandu during a half-day guided city tour. Out towards the edge of town you’ll visit Swayambunath, a 2000 year old stupa (shrine) set on a hill. The eyes on the stupa follow you as you walk around it, turning the prayer wheels as you go. There’s plenty of time to do your own thing or to buy any last-minute items for the trek. The city itself is a labyrinth of streets and markets, crowded with exotic produce and a bewildering mix of people. You’re likely to see Gurkhas from the area east of Pokhara, proud Tibetan women in their striped aprons, traders from India and sadhus, the Hindu holy men who are perhaps on a pilgrimage to one of the countless ‘power places’ (shrines or temples) of the valley. The afternoon is left free for you to explore at your own leisure and your Group Leader will advise of any optional sightseeing such as a flight over Everest or a trip to the medieval town of Bhaktapur. (B) |
| Day 4: | Scenic flight to Lukla Early in the morning you transfer to the airport to board your flight. This sometimes involves some waiting so remember to pack a book in your daypack. Once up and away your destination on this breathtaking flight is the Sherpa village of Lukla, perched above the Dudh Kosi ('River of Milk' - so named because glacier meltwater makes it appear pale). Years ago, Lukla meaning 'place for sheep', was a herding pasture but it is now the gateway to the Everest region and many trekkers pass through this prosperous village. On arrival in Lukla you begin your trek by heading downward on the trail to Phakding. Here you will immediately notice the difference between the Newari people of the Kathmandu Valley and the local Sherpa people who migrated from Tibet 500 years ago. They dress very similarly to the Tibetans and in language are closely related. Along the trail are mani, stone walls made from hundreds of stone tablets and giant carved boulders, brilliantly decorated with brightly coloured paints. Buddhists hold these sacred and believe that they gain merit in their next life by praying as they go past. As a sign of respect to the local people you must always pass these in a clockwise direction. Tea-houses - 6 nights (B) |
| Day 5-9: | Everest Trek From your first night’s stop, the trail follows the river through stands of pine and oak until Jorsale, where the track starts to rise and rhododendron, magnolia and giant fir trees predominate. Here you start up the famous Namche Hill - your first big ascent – where you take a slow, steady pace. This is an excellent place to learn to walk from the masters - your porters. Their ability to climb such hills with enormous loads is mainly due to technique and following them allows you to learn the rhythm that makes each ascent seem almost effortless. Best of all, Namche Hill allows you your first view of Everest up the valley to the north. At the top you reach Namche Bazaar, a delightful mountain village and the Sherpa ‘capital’. It is also an important trading centre for the local people. A rest and acclimatisation day is spent here allowing you time to sightsee and soak up the local atmosphere. Leaving Namche, the mountain views start to open as you approach the holy ground of Thyangboche and its wonderful gompa (monastery) where the Rimpoche (Lama Reincarnate) resides. This is the traditional site for mountaineering expeditions to receive their blessing from the High Lama but from a trekker's point of view Thyangboche is the place where one of the best mountain panoramas can be found: Kwangde, Tawoche, Nuptse, Lhotse, Kangtega, Ama Dablam and Everest loom above. The final two days on trek are spent retracing your steps to Lukla. The first day involves around five to six hours walking to Monjo (2840m), the second around five hours back to Lukla. The continuous descent allows you to do this surprisingly quickly. You spend your last evening in this beautifully atmospheric village and will probably enjoy a celebratory party in one of the lodges. (Bx5) |
| Day 10-11: | Return to Kathmandu Early in the morning you take off from Lukla’s short, steep airstrip for the return mountain flight to Kathmandu. From the airport, you transfer to your hotel, leaving the rest of the day and tomorrow free for personal exploration. Roam around the Thamel area if you’re looking for bargains, try out some of the many restaurants in the city, or simply relax at the hotel and reflect on the previous week's trek. Hotel - 2 nights (Swimming pool) (Bx2) |
| Day 12: | Flight to London Flight to London |
| Day 13: | Arrive in London Arrive in London |
| Day 14-16: | Optional Chitwan NP trip extension Following you trek you can extend your holiday with a stay in Chitwan and time go on safari! Chitwan National Park is Nepal’s most celebrated wildlife sanctuary. Covering 932km?; of floodplain, the park is home to a wide variety of species including the Asian one-horned rhinoceros and the magnificent Bengal tiger - of which there are thought to be around 80 breeding in the park. Days 1-10 As main itinerary, described above Day 11 Depart Kathmandu after breakfast and drive to Chitwan (approx 5hrs). Check in to your comfortable jungle lodge accommodation. Visit to Tharu cultural village on on ox-drawn cart. Slide show presentation or Tharu stick dancing show pre-dinner. Lodge - 2 nights (Swimming pool) (LD). Day 12: You'll enjoy a varied and exciting programme including an elephant back safari, canoe ride and have the chance to visit the elephant breeding centre. In the evening there will be either the slide show presentation or Tharu stick dancing show pre-dinner. (BLD) Day 13: Today you take a longer jeep safari out to experience another part of the park and late afternoon there will be further jungle activities including another chance for an elephant back 'rhino-watch' safari. Lodge - 1 night (BLD) Day 14: There will be the opportunity for an early morning bird-watching tour before the transfer by bus back to Kathmandu. The remainder of the day you are at leisure. Hotel – 1 night (B) Day 15: There is often time for a day at leisure in Kathmandu before the trip ends for Land Only clients. Those of you on group flights to the UK proceed to the airport for your overnight flight to London. (B) On day 16 you arrive London. This extension includes the services of a local Group Leader throughout. |
travellers' tales
The lead guide was excellent, competent, caring, organised, very knowledgeable, inspired maximum confidence. Assistant guides excellent and the porters awesome!
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small group family holiday
This is a 'small group family adventure' - typically you will join several other families and travel in a group of approx. 16 people. The trips are great value and a great way for you and your children to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of time to yourselves. Most adventure kids tend to be aged between 7 and 15, but some are younger (minimum age is usually 5) and some older (perhaps travelling as part of a larger family group). Please check with the operator to confirm the minimum age for this trip how this holiday makes a difference
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We stay in locally owned hotels and tea-houses and we travel in small groups. We use a locally run Nepalese agency who, on our behalf, employs local drivers, Local Group Leaders, porters and sirdar. This fulfils part of our commitment to make a positive contribution to the local economy and is the best way of ensuring that our money reaches as many people as possible. Local overseas leaders offer a great way to find out more about the local culture, speak the language, understand the day-to-day life around them and help to ‘open doors’ to a fuller experience. Without our employment many would be living a subsistence living as hill farmers and many of the tea-house owners now gain their sole income from trekkers.
Together with our local agent in Nepal we have built a community / sports facility that can be used by schools and villagers in surrounding areas. It consists of a football pitch and centre, with the primary aim of creating a club around sports activities and teaching practical skills that will help communities operate as just that. We donate $5 per person that travels with us to Nepal which helps to continue this most worthwhile of projects. Our responsible travel code: Clients who travel with us will automatically receive a copy of our Responsible Travel leaflet. This contains details and advice on how you can make a positive difference when you travel. If you would like a copy in advance of travel please contact us. Charity partnerships: The Born Free Foundation is an international wildlife charity that helps animals in need around the world through animal rescues, anti-poaching, support for animal sanctuaries, endangered species conservation, education and public awareness. We ask clients to use their Travellers’ Alert function to which you can report cruelty to animals worldwide and also we visit Ngamba Island, a Born Free supported Chimpanzee Sanctuary, on our Uganda trips. We also support Friends of Conservation – an international charity committed to working with local people to develop a balance between their needs and the wildlife with which they share the natural habitat and ecosystems. Carbon balancing: We offset all of our staff travel, both for commuting to work and overseas trips. We also pay £2 per person to partially offset the carbon used in the destination that they are travelling to. We think that offsetting carbon should be a choice made by the individual traveller therefore we ask clients if they would like to augment this £2 with a further contribution. Similarly we ask if you would like to offset your flights – we have set bandings given to us by our Carbon balancing partners - Blue Ventures Carbon Offset and Climate Care. Our foundation: We ask our clients if they would like to donate to our Foundation. Small donations of £1 per person build up quickly and we are able to give one off donations to various small-scale projects worldwide. Recently these have included installing heating in a school in the High Atlas, Morocco, providing school equipment for a new school building in the heart of the Ecuadorian Amazon and providing playground equipment for children at a community centre in northern Tanzania. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |