Kathmandu has a special atmosphere during the early morning hours when the city is slowly coming to life yet not too chaotic. It's a great time to walk and explore the streets or have a chai overlooking one of the local courtyards or durbar squares.

After breakfast, there are then a number of ways you can spend your day given the myriad famous sights around the Kathmandu Valley. You can use this as a free day or you can utilize a local English-speaking guide who knows the city well and can explain the history and significance of the sights (along with a private jeep to take you around).

After breakfast, you'll fly to Lukla (a 30-minute jaunt) and land on the steep mountain runway that brings you to the start of your trek. Try to get a window seat on the left-hand side of the plane and keep your camera close: the flight takes you between mountains and through valleys, with great views of the Himalaya on clear days.

Your first day on the trail is intentionally easy, enabling you to get used to the higher elevation. Today you'll trek a short distance through local villages where you'll likely encounter fellow trekkers, locals, and yaks with their tinkling bells. Continue through the Dudh Koshi Valley on a well-marked trail and stay overnight in Phakding.

Trekking time: 3-4 hours (4.7 miles / 7.5 km)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Phakding

After breakfast in Phakding, you'll start a steady and steep incline towards Namche. This is a challenging day as you'll start to feel the altitude. The route also consists of a number of high suspension bridges over the Dudh Kosi River that you need to cross.

Just beyond the village of Monjo is the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park, which was set-up in order to protect and preserve the fragile mountain environment (your guide will cover your permit fees here). The trail gets steeper along the way, and if the weather is clear, you will get the first glimpses of Mount Everest.

When you arrive at Namche, settle into your accommodations and explore the town. Namche is a great place to stock up on supplies as there are numerous small shops selling snacks and trekking gear, as well as restaurants and bars. If here on a weekend, check out the Saturday market—a meeting place for the Hindu traders from the lowlands and the Tibetan yak caravans that have crossed the glaciated Nangpa La.

Trekking time: 4-6 hours (4.6 miles / 7.4 km)
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Namche Bazaar

Today is a rest day so take time to relax and sleep in. Namche is tucked away between two ridges amid the giant peaks of the Khumbu and has an abundance of lodges, tea shops, and souvenir markets. It is an ideal place to spend a day acclimatizing to the higher altitude.

To speed up the acclimatization process, you can also head to the Khunde Hospital set-up by Sir Edmund Hillary, or take a highly-recommended one-hour walk up to the Everest View Hotel above Namche for views of notable peaks like Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse, and Everest. There are also good views from the Sherpa Culture Museum just above town.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Namche Bazaar

Today is a spectacular day in terms of scenery as you follow the main trail north out of Namche. A short climb to a crest reveals a wonderful view towards Everest and Lhotse. You follow this main trail for a while longer, passing many traders selling Tibetan handicrafts, to a crossroads high above the Dudh Kosi.

The trail to Everest drops down the hill but you turn off here and climb to cross the Mon La (‘La’ means pass) before reaching Phortse Tenga. From Phortse Tenga, the trail climbs steeply to Dole, through rhododendron and birch forest festooned with hanging mosses and lichens.

Walking time: 6-7 hours
Accommodation: Teahouse

From Dole, you climb steadily along the side of the valley as rhododendron forests give way to scrub juniper. The trail passes summer settlements [yersa], which are used when yaks are taken to these pastures to graze in the summer months.

Ahead, you'll have excellent views of Cho Oyu, while back down the valley are the peaks of Kantega and Thamserku. This is a short day and you will arrive at Machermo in time for lunch.

Walking time: 4-5 hours
Accommodation: Teahouse
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Machhermo

Rested, you head for Gokyo village and lake. You'll follow a very scenic path to Pangka and then descend slightly, following one of the melt-water rivers which flow down the west side of the Ngozumpa Glacier. You climb a steep rocky incline into the valley by the side of the glacier, passing the first of the holy lakes.

You soon arrive at the second of the lakes, crossing the path which heads across the glacier to Cho La—our route to Lobuche and Everest, later in the trek. The third lake is known as Dudh Pokhari and on its eastern shore is the settlement of Gokyo.

Walking by the side of the lake, the scenery is magnificent with the summits of Cho Oyu and Gyachung Kang reflected in its emerald green waters.

Walking time: 5-6 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Gokyo

Downhill to Dole. The name means ‘many stones’ but despite this, it’s a pleasant kharka with six lodges. Here the yaks and naks are brought up in the mid-June to graze and fertilize the soil with their dung, producing a rich crop of hay. The afternoon and sunset views of Kangtaiga and Thamserku from the hill behind Dole are most impressive.

Trekking time: 5-6 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Overnight: Dole

Today, you trek towards Phortse Thenga on the trail at the southwest corner, and continue to Namche Bazaar, from there we retrace our original route. The descent of that long hill that we plodded up less than a fortnight ago seems amazingly short and easy on the way down. After one last steep hill to the National Park gate, we reach the welcome sight of Monjo and the National Park entrance.

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch and dinner
Overnight: Monjo

After breakfast in Monjo, begin the final day of the trek as you head along the Dudh Kosi river to Lukla. You'll first walk from Monjo to Ghat and stop for lunch before continuing to make your way through villages like Chumoa, Benkar, Phakding, and Chuthawa, eventually reaching the Pasang Lhamu Memorial Gate signifying the end of the trek. Though most of the route is an easy downhill slope, the last section of trail before arriving takes you uphill—a fitting way to finish.

With Lukla's handful of shops, bars, and cafes—and even a faux Starbucks!—there are plenty of things to occupy your time as you reflect on your experience.

Trekking time: 5-7 hours
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight:Lukla

After breakfast in Lukla, you'll take an early morning flight back to Kathmandu.

Upon arrival, you'll be transferred to your hotel and will be able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening at your leisure. Explore Kathmandu's streets on foot, bicycle, or rickshaw, perhaps shopping for souvenirs or seeing anything you may have missed at the beginning of your trip.

It's time to say farewell to Nepal. Enjoy your last moments in Kathmandu with breakfast in a café, a final stroll through the narrow alleys and temples, and some souvenir shopping. A driver will be waiting for you at your hotel to take you to the airport for your return flight home. It's best to be at the airport at least two hours prior to departure.