Explore Everest
Explore the Everest Region
The Khumbu isn't one trail — it's a network of valleys, passes and Sherpa villages that can be combined into dozens of different routes. Here's how the main ones fit together.
Six ways into the mountains
Every itinerary on this site starts from Lukla and follows the Dudh Koshi valley into the Khumbu, then branches depending on how high, how far, and how much time you have. Everest Base Camp is the classic goal; Gokyo trades the crowds for turquoise glacial lakes; the Three Passes links both together for trekkers who want the full circuit.
Below each route are the villages that make the trek what it is — Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche — and the culture that's still very present along the trail: monasteries, mani walls, and a Sherpa community that has guided this region for generations.
Choosing a route
If this is your first Himalayan trek, start with Everest Base Camp or the shorter Khumbu overview below. If you've trekked at altitude before and want something less crowded, Gokyo or an extended journey combining routes is worth a look. Every route page below lists realistic duration, difficulty and maximum altitude so you can compare properly before you commit.
Why this became a trekking region at all
None of this existed for trekkers before 1953. The first ascent of Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay that year put the Khumbu on the world map, and the airstrip Hillary later helped fund at Lukla in 1964 turned a multi-week walk-in from Kathmandu into a short flight — the single change that made the region accessible to trekkers rather than only expedition mountaineers. Sagarmatha National Park, established in 1976 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979, protects the terrain every route on this page passes through.
The route is only half the decision
Two trekkers can walk the exact same trail to Everest Base Camp and have very different trips depending on group size, pace, and how much is arranged for them versus how much they're carrying and deciding themselves. Beyond the six routes above, this page also covers the different ways we run a trek — pace, group size, comfort level and support — layered on top of whichever route you pick.
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Everest Base Camp
The classic route into the Khumbu — Lukla to Base Camp and back, with a side trip up Kala Patthar for the view Base Camp itself doesn't give you.
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Gokyo
A quieter valley than the Base Camp trail, ending at a string of turquoise glacial lakes below Gokyo Ri — arguably the best Everest viewpoint in the region.
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Three Passes
The most complete route through the Khumbu — Base Camp and Gokyo linked together by three high passes, for trekkers who've done this before and want more of it.
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Khumbu
The Khumbu is the district of Nepal that contains Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and the trail network that reaches them — and the Sherpa communities who have lived and guided here for centuries.
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Villages & Culture
The Khumbu is a living Sherpa homeland, not a backdrop — monasteries, prayer walls and working villages line every route on this site.
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Extended Journeys
For trekkers with more than three weeks, the standard routes can be combined or extended rather than treated as separate trips.
Read more →The Essential Journey
The classic teahouse trek: guide-led pacing, shared lodging along the trail, and a small group moving at a sensible pace. Confirm the assigned staff and inclusions in your dated quote.
Read more →The Great Himalayan Journey
For trekkers who don't want to choose between Base Camp and Gokyo — a combined, extended itinerary that takes in both valleys and the pass between them.
Read more →Above the Clouds
For trekkers who want the views without three weeks free — a shorter itinerary that uses domestic flights to reach altitude faster.
Read more →The Slow Journey
The same route, more days. Extra acclimatization and rest built in beyond our standard itinerary, for trekkers who'd rather not rush any part of it.
Read more →The Comfort Expedition
The same routes, better lodging. Where the trail allows it, we book the better-appointed teahouses and keep groups smaller.
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Private Himalayan Experience
Your own guide, your own pace, your own dates — any route on this site, run as a private trip rather than joining a fixed departure.
Read more →Ultimate Himalayan Expedition
Our most demanding standard itinerary, run with full private support — the Three Passes route for trekkers who want the complete challenge.
Read more →Ready to see Everest for yourself?
Tell us your dates and fitness level — we'll reply with a route recommendation within two business days.