Three Passes & Three Peaks Trek to Everest

INCLUDES

• Airport transfers (to / from Kathmandu airport to Kathmandu, for international & Lukla flights)
• Accommodation in lodges/tea houses (twin rooms with beds and mattresses) during the trek
• All meals on trek (3 meals a day), with a hot drink
• National Park Fees & Permit
• Sherpa guides (English speaking, trained in first aid)
• Porters
• Staff food, insurance and equipment

EXCLUDES

• International flight to Kathmandu (~£550-650)
• Accommodation in Kathmandu (~ £15 – £25pp/n) – we can book this for you. Click here for details or check out www.booking.com
• Transfers to / from Ramechhap airport ‘IF’ required (see ‘Lukla Flights’ below)
• Meals and drinks in Kathmandu (~50-100)
• Personal costs on trek, e.g cold drinks, laundry, hot showers, bottled water (~£50)
• Travel Insurance (~£50-100) must cover trekking at altitude & helicopter rescue in the event of an evacuation
• Visa (~$30)
• Tips (~£60)
• Sightseeing Tours

Alongside our advertised trek dates, which you’ll find under the ‘Dates & Bookings’ tab, we also have the ability to provide bespoke climbs and treks on dates that suit you. Our prices are based on 4 trekkers, so if there are less on your bespoke dates, there would be a supplemental charge (contact us for a quote on office@adventurealternative.com). We also run many treks and climbs for charities, family holidays, walking clubs, schools, universities, groups of friends and for corporate challenges. If you have more than four people we can offer discounts.

Please Note:

Luka Flights – Over recent years there has been a change, sometimes with little notice, of which airport you fly from to reach / return from Lukla. Traditionally, and still occasionally, you fly from Kathmandu airport, however there are now (mostly) regular seasonal changes that have moved the flight to depart / return from Manthali Airport, which is in a place called Ramechhap. If your flight does depart from Ramechhap we will let you know in advance, as far as possible, as this will impact your itinerary slightly and there will be additional costs as the airport is a four hour drive from Kathmandu.

We prefer to make this journey on your rest and briefing day. Some make this journey at 2am on the day you fly up to Lukla, but this can lead to you being very tired and a very long day. We prefer to drive on the afternoon of day 2 of your itinerary, so that you can relax on the morning of day 2, then enjoy the drive in daylight and get to see the beautiful countryside and communities that you pass through. Then arrive at a decent time to get a good nights sleep before you fly up the next day and start trekking.

If this applies to you then there are additional costs for 1) return transport to Ramechhap and 2) accommodation. You will be accompanied and travel with your trek guide. You will of course save some money with one less night in your Kathmandu hotel. The travel costs are paid in country to our co-ordinator and they vary depending on the size of the group / vehicle required. As an estimate they can range from £70pp to £140pp for a return land journey and an overnight stay in a local hotel for you and your guide. We will book and manage all of this for you.

Hotels – We don’t include your hotel in Kathmandu as there is such a wide range of choice and styles for all budgets. We offer some recommendations which you can see on the Extras tab and can confirm during your booking process or after.  Hotels will usually transfer you from the airport, but if not we’re happy to do so.

Meals on Trek – We include three meals per day whilst on trek. It is a common practise on cheaper treks to have a food kitty which would normally add £400 – £500 per person to the cost of a trek, but we provide all meals within the trip price.

Payments – A deposit of £100.00 is required on booking to secure your place and we ask that the remaining balance (trip price minus the deposit) is paid in full 6 weeks prior to your departure. When you book with us you’re given your own secure online account which you can access 24/7. Through this account you can edit your booking, add flight, health, insurance and dietary details and also make interim payments. We make payments as flexible as possible and you can choose, if you wish, to pay a bit off your trip fee whenever it suits you.

Value for money – Our prices are competitive and good value, and we offer quality, service, security and an ethical stance on tourism in a developing country. We don’t want to be so expensive to run fewer trips and have our staff idle, but on the other hand we believe that running cheap trips that promote the practice of skimming budgets would result in the porters getting next to nothing, which is something we cannot consider.

Acclimatisation – Our treks allow a good time to acclimatise and as a mountain guiding outfit we always want to ensure the trek is safe. Reducing the number of days may make the price cheaper but the chances of safely reaching base camp also greatly reduce. We follow established mountaineering principles of height gain on all treks to altitude.

Travel Insurance – As soon as you book you should purchase a policy which covers trekking to 5500m this will cover you should any unexpected events force you to cancel. Your policy should also include helicopter rescue in the event of an evacuation.

The mountain flight in and out of Lukla which is where most treks begin and end in the Khumbu (Everest) region can be delayed due to bad weather. Normally it is for about 24 hours but it can be longer. We recommend you allow some time in Kathmandu after the specified day of the internal flight just in case. There is more information about Himalayan flight delays.

Some people choose to cancel the internal flight and book a helicopter which can fly below the cloud level and is not so determined by the weather. This is possible but there are no fixed prices for a seat on the helicopter. There are now around 12 helicopter companies operating and we can check them all for you.

For a one way place on the helicopter to Lukla can cost around $500.00 minimum. The cancelled portion of your aeroplane flight can be refunded and used to offset this figure, which is about $170.00 for a one way sector, so there would be a balance to pay for the helicopter. You can use your credit card to cover off this additional expenditure.

Unfortunately there is nothing we can do if the flight is delayed. Sometimes you can end up waiting in the airport from early hours to get the ‘green light’ to go, only to find yourself back in the hotel by mid morning. People do get very frustrated because it can impact on the trekking itinerary. A helicopter is one option, or else to wait until the weather improves. However, if it does not then very quickly a queue of people at either end can build up, and it is always hard to get priority for when the weather clears. The airline companies put as many planes on as possible to clear the backlog.

We try to assist as best we can, but it’s important to accept that the route has this potential delay and also that it’s advisable to book the international flight home a little later in case the delay affects your return ticket.

There is another option which is to drive to Paphlu and then take a jeep on the new road as far as it will go and then walk to Lukla. This option takes more days – two in total each way currently – and there is a saving but only of about $70 compared to the flight.

The trek is on a well trodden path for most of the way though this can be rocky and uneven in parts. It is not precipitous and there is no rock climbing or ‘mountaineering’ which requires equipment. It is a walk all the way, although some of the hills can be steep and never-ending and occasionally on the passes you may need to scramble over some boulders! If the weather is bad then the passes can be slippy and some simple pull on boot spikes (not crampons) can be a handy thing to have in your back pack.

Poles are useful, depending on conditions and especially so if you have problems with knees. Higher up, the open slopes and moraine may give you added reassurance with a pole, but again the path is quite easy to follow.

The treks high ascents to Chukkung Ri (5550 m), Kala Pattar (5550 m) and Gokyo Ri (5385 m) are not difficult nor technical in any way but occasionally can be slippery underfoot.

Medium weight hiking boots with a high ankle are recommended for this trek, to protect you against possibly going over on an ankle and ensure that they’re big enough to add warm socks when up high and don’t forget that your feet will swell slightly at altitude. You can use heavier boots if you like, but they can be hot, heavy and cumbersome lower down, in which case also bring a pair of trek shoes or cross trainers for that section.

Our trek takes you to altitude over a controlled period of time. We don’t go over 5000m until day 10 of the itinerary or day 8 of the trek, which compared to the likes of Kilimanjaro is a lot slower giving you a good amount of time to acclimatise effectively. Only at Gorak Shep do we sleep above 5000 m and for one night. This is a challenging trek with high passes and three possible summits meaning that we go above 5000m on seven different occasions, but with a responsible itinerary that should give you a maximum amount of time to acclimatise.

Accommodation on the trek will be in comfortable lodges run by local families, unless people specify a preference for tents. Each lodge has a central communal area with stove, while the bedrooms are unheated with two beds and mattresses, blanket and pillows. You will need to bring a sleeping bag (3 season is normally enough). The lodges generally have showers which are powered by gas and some use the infamous ‘drop’ toilets, though most now have flush systems now.

Food on the trek is very good quality, and a mixture of local Nepali / Sherpa food and western recipes. Burgers and chips are a common meal, as is dal bhat with rice. You will find everything from fresh pastries to beer, stir fries to deep fried Mars bars available in the lodges and shops a Nepal price guide can be found here. And there are many shops selling all types of drinks and snacks, sweets and chocolate. The biggest challenge will be avoiding all the unhealthy foods and sticking to a simple diet of rice and dal!

The basic idea of the kit that you need to take is to keep you warm, dry, protected from the sun, able to move comfortably in the mountains and able to be comfortable in the evenings and at night.

You will be given a detailed kit list after booking, but the main points to cover are as follows:-

• BAGS – Rucksack or duffle bag for a porter to carry plus a day pack to be carried by you
• SHELL – Top and bottom waterproofs to keep off wind/rain
• LAYERS – Shirts, trousers, shorts, Tshirts, jumpers and jackets, hats and gloves
• BASELAYER – Thin layers to wick away any sweat and to wear for cold mornings
• FEET – Comfortable boots with a good sole and ankle support. Lighter footwear to change into in the evenings.
• SLEEPING – Warm sleeping bag (3 or 4 season) to get a good nights sleep at the lodges (they also have blankets)
• DRINKING – Water bottles should be hard plastic (Nalgene), not throwaway bottles.
• WASHING & MEDICAL – wash kit, towel, first aid kit
• SUN CARE – sunglasses, sunhat
• TREKKING – trekking poles, umbrella, dry bags
• PERSONAL ITEMS – cameras, books, music

We also hire lot’s of equipment which can be seen in the ‘Extras’ tab. If you look at the ‘More Information’ section you will find in-depth details covering a Packing List for Nepal, Trekking Boots, Sleeping bags and Local prices. In Kathmandu has an area called Thamel which is full of hundreds of equipment shops, each one an emporium of new, used, quality and fake equipment all very reasonably priced for rental and buying. You can buy almost anything needed for any trek.

If you have any questions about what kit to bring then to please call or email us. Do consider this is a long trek though it is possible to wash items en route however drying them can at times be difficult, especially higher up, though there are rest days. You must be prepared for cold conditions on the passes and peaks, hopefully that won’t be the case, but best to prepare with good insulating layers and windproof outer shells.