Everest Base Camp, Three Passes Trek, Travel
Namche Bazaar to Lukla, Everest Base Camp Honeymoon (Day Seventeen)
DESTINATION: Lukla
ELEVATION: 2,860 m
ELEVATION GAIN: -718 m
DISTANCE: about 18.2 km (7 hours)
OXYGEN: 72% of sea level (previous 66%)
This is the last long walk to our final destination on the Three Passes Trek and the Everest Base Camp (if you’re flying in and out of Lukla and not trekking from Salleri), and it felt both sad and exciting. I was excited to get to Kathmandu and back to civilization, but at the same time, I was sad to leave this mysterious and wonderful land.
The Walk from Namche Bazaar to Lukla is about 7 hours (18.2 km)
This day was going to be even longer than the previous one. That morning we had to hide down to Lukla and find a teahouse. The way down took us around seven hours, and we tried to take minimal breaks to make sure we arrive before dark.
The hike to Lukla is tough as it winds up and down over a million steps carved into the mountains, just like the way to Namche. The one thing I would like to point out, though, is that this hike is epic! The lower you tread, the more vegetation you see (including fields of cotton-like flowers), the wind gets warmer, and the air is softer and filling up with oxygen.
However, despite all this additional lung capacity, I still found myself out of breath for almost the whole duration of the trek. We took a nice quick break on the grass somewhere on the way to avoid yak traffic. As you descend, more and more paths merge, making the way to Lukla crowded.
Meeting Friends on the Way to Lukla
Apart from a delicious apple pie at the German bakery, the highlight of our day was meeting a new friend, a little calf. He let us pet him a little and played with us by bumping into our backpacks with his forehead. On our trek in the Austrian Alps, while hiking to Säuleck, we also met a calf, but an older one. Side note, Austria is a beautiful hiking destination.
Temperature Changes Drastically from Namche Bazaar to Lukla
What was most remarkable on the way from Namche Bazaar to Lukla (aside from the stunning views) was the climate’s drastic change. When we started in the morning, our hike from Namche Bazaar was pretty cold, but as we trekked down, we unlayered to sweaters only, then switching to t-shirts and sweating in our long hiking pants. The weather was beautiful, and it was so nice to sit on the grass and sunbathe a little after a long time of being above 4,000 meters where vegetation is minimal, and the air is cold and dry.
Farming in High Himalayas
On the Everest Base Camp or the Three Passes treks, you’ll notice that
most dishes contain cabbage, potato, carrots, and some herbs. And the higher you get, the shorter the list of veggies available, and you can notice that in the food choices. It’s hard (or impossible) to grow anything super high up like in the Gorak Shep region. Still, on lower elevation like on the way to Lukla, the villagers are pretty good with farming cabbage, spinach, and even tomatoes in greenhouses.
Finally in Lukla
After a never-ending walk and many villages, we finally crossed the village gate to Lukla. A group of hikers ahead of us reached it and started yelling in celebration. It’s a victorious moment, not only because you’ve finally reached your destination on this long day, but also because this means you’d completed the trek (whether it be the Three Passes Trek or the Everest Base Camp). You’re now back to where you started. It’s best not to assume that your adventures end there, though, as you’ll see in the next post, Lukla’s Tenzing Hillary Airport operated strictly with perfect weather conditions, and for a good reason. After all, this is one of the most dangerous airports in the world.
Settling in the Himalayan Lodge in Lukla
In Lukla, we settled in the Himalayan Lodge because it was right in front of the airport, and it looked cozy and populated. You can check their prices online. I recall that it was a lot cheaper than the other Himalayan Lodge we checked out, a posh version of it that costs over USD 160 per night. We didn’t want to spend more on a one night stay in Lukla because we already went all out on our hotels in Kathmandu, but it’s good to know you have that option.
Since there was no more hiking and no more thin mountain air to battle after this point, we started our celebration immediately after settling in. Exhausted beyond belief after our seven-hour trek with almost no breaks at all, we settled in the cozy resto of the Himalayan Lodge and ordered ourselves some fried rice (lots of it), momos (also lots of them) and beer (you guessed it)!!! All the trekkers sitting next to us were flying out the following morning as well, so we chatted with our neighbours learning about their incredible stories. It’s impressive to know what others have done on this trek, as for some, it’s not their first time doing the Everest Base Camp trek, and they already attempted many six thousanders and now are back from conquering a seven thousander. On the other hand, you have some people coming back from their very first trek to the base of the giant and intimidating Mount Everest, and others, like us, who trekked the Three Passes Trek and are in love with the culture and the nature of this beautiful, magical place.
We continued drinking for a while, listening to stories and telling our own, hopeful that the following day, at 10:00 am sharp, our tiny airplane will take us back to Kathmandu. However, for some reason, I forgot that the way from Kathmandu to Lukla also took us way longer than expected because the time indicated on your plane ticket is just a suggestion and not a departure time. And on top of that, it started raining…
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Everest Base Camp Trek Series:
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- Day 1 – Toronto to Kathmandu
- Day 2 – Exploring Kathmandu
- Day 3 – Kathmandu to Lukla
- Day 4 – Namche Bazaar
- Day 5 – Namche Bazaar to Tengboche
- Day 6 – Tengboche to Pangboche
- Day 7 – Pangboche to Dingboche
- Day 8 & 9 – Dingboche to Chuchung
- Day 10 – Chuchung to Lobuche (over the Kongma La Pass)
- Day 11 – Lobuche (and the Italian Pyramid)
- Day 12 – Gorakshep to Everest Base Camp
- Day 13 – To Kala Patthar and Dzongla
- Day 14 – To Dragnak (over Chola Pass)
- Day 15 – Gokyo (with Gokyo Ri ascent)
- Day 16 – Back to Namche Bazaar
- Day 17 – Namche Bazaar to Lukla
- Day 18 – Lukla to Kathmandu
- Day 19 – Kathmandu to Toronto
