Good news to all the trekkers across the globe that you can avoid Lukla flights for Everest Region Treks ! Yes, it is possible to reach Lukla by using a Jeep or local bus! Nepal Government has constructed in association with the local government a road from Kathmandu to Surke. It is possible to reach Lukla from Surke by walking for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. during months of dry season in Nepal, you can drive directly to Surke via Salleri. The road up to Salleri is black topped but the journey from Salleri to Surke is off road. Therefore, you must take immense care and mental fortitude to do the Everest Base Camp Trek by Road. During months of dry season in Nepal you can drive directly to Surke (45 minutes to 1 hour to Lukla) via Salleri. It will definitely save money and time for trekkers wishing to do the Everest Trekking by avoiding the Lukla Flight. Do the Everest Base Camp Trek by Road and quench your hunger to reach the base camp of the world’s tallest mountain Mt. Everest.
The biggest challenge for trekkers doing the Everest Base Camp Trekking or any Everest region trekking in Nepal is the Lukla flight. Lots of people miss their travel itinerary due to cancellations of flights. The major reasons behind cancellations flights are poor visibility and high terrain. There is no alternative option than the Lukla Flights for Everest Trekking. Before the construction of the airport, trekkers used to take the route of Jiri. This is the classical Everest Base Camp Trek route. The trek includes walking through villages like Thuman and Surke! It is now possible that you can easily reach either Lukla or Phakding without the pressure of flight to the world’s most extreme airport the Lukla Tenzing Hillary Airport.
There are countless benefits of doing the Everest Base Camp Trek by Road. Most of the Everest trekking packages don’t guarantee the fixed departure dates due to the nature of the Lukla flights. Please remember that the Lukla flights are the major activity that you must do in order to knit a momentous trekking tale of the Everest region. After 1964 when Sir Edmund Hillary built the Tenzing Hillary Airport Lukla the circuit of the Everest Trek changed. People started to use the Lukla airport flight! The Lukla became the gateway to Everest. The accessibility option to reach the trail head of Everest Trekking is very hard if you choose to avoid the flight. You can have the guaranteed departure dates if you choose to do the Everest Base Camp Trek by Road.
Recently, local government of Nepal has announced that during dry season, trekkers can reach Surke via jeep drive. You can reach either Lukla or Phakding upon reaching Surke. The distance between Surke and Lukla is about an hour hike! Therefore, travel planners of Nepal High Trek have knitted itinerary that allows you to reach Phakding directly skipping the Lukla section. It is important to not that you will reach Phakding in the second day of the Everest Trek! The choice is yours as you can choose to spend overnight whether in Lukla or Phakding! It is highly recommended that you choose to spend overnight in Phakding instead of Lukla in terms of cultural immersion.
It is important for all the trekkers to mug up the route to the Everest trek! The road condition between Kathmandu and the Surke Pass is motor able. The Kathmandu to Salleri Distance is about 260 kilometers. The road condition is okay as it is black topped and permanent. However, in few sections due to heavy rainfall and landslide, the road condition is bumpy! Make sure that you have an empty mind without any expectations. You will enjoy the trip if you expect less and enjoy the majestic view of the surroundings rather than the condition of the road.
An ideal itinerary consists of the road trip that involves spending overnight in Salleri rather than doing the jeep drive to Surke. If you insist on driving to Surke directly from Kathmandu then you will have to drive in the night time as well. It is not wise and safe to drive in night time in the off road of Khumbu region. Therefore, travel planners of Nepal High Trek And Expedition insisted on keeping a night in Salleri then to Surke!
The road condition is highly off road from Salleri to Surke. The distance between Surke and Lukla is just about an hour of walk. If you want to descend from Lukla then it is just about 45 minutes of downhill walk from Lukla to reach Surke. However, if you want to reach Lukla or Phakding then it takes about an hour! Most of the trekkers wish to reach Phakding instead of Lukla. It takes about 3 to 4 hours from Surke to reach Phakding. The best itinerary to do the Everest Base Camp Trek by Road is to go to Phakding instead of Lukla! Salleri to Surke is about 64 kilometers off road drive. As of 2024, the road is still off road but the Nepal Government has kept the road section in a top priority list! Therefore, by the time it is 2025 or 2026, the road may become black topped and permanent!
Yes, it is possible to reach Lukla by road instead of flight to Lukla! It is not possible to reach Lukla by road now but it is possible as the Nepal Government is constructing road beyond Surke up to Lukla! Please remember that beyond Lukla, locals and the local government is against building the road. Nepal is known for wilderness adventure walking activities. Lots of trekking routes of Nepal is destroyed due to the construction of road networks. Therefore, tourism bodies of Nepal don’t wish to destroy the charm and magic of the Everest Base Camp Trek.
Book the Everest Base Camp Trek by Road package with the reliable team of Nepal High Trek. We ensure that you will have a momentous time up in the Khumbu region of Nepal. Our team of trekking crew members ensure a splendid trekking holiday organized with an impeccable hospitality. Besides the transportation means, the Everest Base Camp Trek by Road is similar to our Everest Base Camp Trek package. Please check out our regular EBC Trek package and choose us for an incredible journey towards an abode of the world’s tallest mountain Mt. Everest.
The road condition is good and you will be greeted by our jeep driver and trekking guide in a hotel early in the morning. We will ask for early morning breakfast in a hotel and continue our journey to Salleri. On the way you will be served a lunch in a roadside cafe. Don’t expect it to be in a fancy cafe or a restaurant! A healthy warm meal will be served. Enjoy the magnificent view from your jeep window. The road traverses through several villages and towns! Overnight in a lodge
The road condition from Salleri to Surke is very bad. It is recently opened road track. Therefore, expect the bumpy ride throughout the trip. The journey is about 4 to 5 hours from Salleri. We will have our breakfast in the lodge and set out for the off road drive to Surke. Once we reach Surke, we will meet our rest of the trekking crew members like porters and Sherpa according to the agreed plan. It takes about an hour to reach Lukla from Surke but we will divert our way directly to Phakding instead of Lukla. On the way back from the Everest Base Camp Trek we will visit the Lukla. On this day we will have to walk for about 4 to 5 hours after a drive to reach Phakding. Overnight in a tea house
We will trek on the regular Everest Base Camp Trek trail on this day! Phakding is located in the banks of Dudhkoshi River. At an altitude of 2660 m, the village is small but has many tea houses and lodges to offer great services to trekkers of the EBC Trek route. On this day, we will enter the Sagarmatha National Park! In the evening we will stroll around the marketplace of Namche Bazaar. The town is the last major town in the Everest Base Camp Trekking route. You can find lots of eateries, lodges, resorts, bars, cafes, souvenir shops, and banks on this town. Enjoy the majestic clamor up in the Himalayas! Overnight in a tea house or lodge
High altitude trekking requires proper acclimatization activities. Therefore, on this day we will do the acclimatization activity by doing hiking to the Everest View Hotel and the Khumjung Village. If you visit the monastery of the Khumjung Village then you can get the sight of Yeti Scalp too. Yetis are the mythical creatures found in the Himalayan region who look like a human being but they are authentic high altitude ape now extinct! It is important for a successful trekking! During the acclimatization hike, trekkers can rejoice the beautiful scenery of mountains like Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Tabuche, Cholatse, Thamserku, Kwangde, Kusum Kangaru, and Amadablam. Know about the Sherpa culture and rejoice the sights of the wonders of Mother Nature up in the Khumbu region of Nepal. Overnight in a tea house or lodge
We will walk uphill to the top of Namche Bazaar and walk on the Nepalese flat trail up to Kyangjuma. The trail becomes downhill up to Phungi Thanga where we will have our lunch and start the uphill trek through green lush forest up to Tengboche. The village has few tea houses along with the majestic Tengboche Monastery. We will have the best scenery of Lower Dudh Koshi Valley and Pangboche Valley including the best scene of Mt. Everest! The most interesting highligh of this day is the sight of Mt. Amadablam. The mountain is in the backdrop of the place! Overnight in a tea house
Until you reach Pangboche, you will notice vegetation but beyond this place vegetation is scarce. We will enter the less vegetation zone and we will be walking in a rugged trail to Dingboche on a ridge line overlooking the mountains alongside the Imja River coming out of the Island Peak. We will have our lunch either in Pangboche or in Somare! Today, we will spend overnight in the last densely populated village in the Everest Base Camp Trekking trail. Overnight in a tea house
The second acclimatization takes place in the Dingboche Village. We will do the Nagarshan Hill (5100 m) hike or we will explore the Chhukung Village. The best recommended acclimatization activity is to do the Nagarshan Hill Hike. The hill’s highest altitude is 5100 m. Therefore, it prepares well for all the trekkers to adjust to the life up in the Himalayas beyond 4400 m altitude which is an altitude of Dingboche village. Overnight in a tea house
The trekking trail is relatively easy on this day but the altitude make it harder for trekkers to successfully complete the course. We will be walking on the grassy meadows before lunch break. The lunch will be at Thukla and after the lunch we will have to walk through Thukla Pass 4900 m and over the rugged rocky trail up to Lobuche. We must check our physical conditions properly while doing trekking from this day onward. The maximum altitude that we will be spending overnight will be above 4400 m height including stay in Gorakshep (5100 m) height. Therefore, always heed the instructions of the trekking guide and always remain in the eye sight of your guide. Tell him or her about your conditions and don’t lie about your health status! Overnight in a tea house
Finally, this is the day we reach the Everest Base Camp (5364 m). Early in the morning we will start our trek after breakfast and reach Gorakshep (5180 m). The trail is over the moraine and glacier. Make sure that you are taking care of your body and be careful while walking on the glacier trail. The scenery of the mountains makes the walk splendidly gorgeous! Upon reaching Gorakshep, we will have a lunch and continue a hike to the Everest Base Camp. It takes about 2 hours to reach the base camp from Gorakshep. After spending about an hour in the base camp, we will again return back to Gorakshep! Overnight in a tea house
We will hike the Kalapathar hill (5545 m) to witness Himalayan sunrise from the casement of snowy mountains. The sight of mountains like Pumori, Lhotse, Amadblam, Lhola, Nuptse, and Everest from the top of Kalapathar is pleasing. After the hike we will head back to Pangboche village via Pheriche village retracing the same trekking trail via Lobuche. We will not take the trail to Dingboche but we will trek downhill to Pheriche from Thukla! Overnight in a tea house
Return trek is always mesmerizing and memorable. The drop in an altitude will help you breathe normally and enjoy the sights of surrounding places! Most of the people share that while returning back from the Everest Base Camp, they can enjoy and notice the wonders of Mother Nature more than while trekking to the Everest Base Camp. Overnight in a tea house
From Namche Bazaar, we will retrace the same trail back to Surke via the Lukla route. We will not take the same route that we ascended from Surke to Phakding. It is equally important for trekkers to know the Lukla and observe the world’s most extreme airport the Lukla airport. About 45 minutes of downhill hike will take trekkers back to Surke. Overnight in a lodge
We will retrace the same road back to Salleri. It is the district headquarter and one of the major cities of Solukhumbnu district of Nepal. We will enjoy our time in Salleri as it is the last day of the trekking. You can start tipping the crew members and tell your support crew members about your feeling! Overnight in a tea house
Finally, we will board a jeep and drive back to Kathmandu. In the evening the staff from the Nepal High Trek will take you to a cultural Nepalese restaurant and we will discuss the events of the trip. Overnight in a hotel
We will take you to an international airport and bid farewell with a promise to meet again!