The following is an itinerary for our hike from Lucla to the top of
Kala Patar. The time allowed for this hike was a bit short. An extra day or two would help
some people better acclimatize to the high altitude.
| Day 1: Fly into Lucla (9,100
ft). Get porters and start hiking up the trail. From Lucla it is a
2.5 hour hike to Pakding at 8,600 ft. From Pakding it is a 2 hour
hike to Mondzo at 9,300 ft. Then from Mondzo it is an hour hike to
Jorsale at 9,100 ft. |
| Day 2: From Jorsale at 9,100
feet it is a 3 hour hike to Namche Bazaar at 11,700 ft. Then from
Namche it is a 2 hour hike to Punki Tenga at 10,700 ft. |
| Day 3: From Punki Tenga at
10,700 ft it is a 2 hour hike to the Tengboche Monastery at 12,700
ft. From the Monastery it is a 2 hour hike to Pangboche at 12,700
ft. |
| Day 4: From Pangboche it is a
2 hour hike to Dingboche or Pheriche at 14,100 feet. Because this
is a short day it is a good idea if you have extra time, to hike
up as high as you can without feeling major altitude symptoms. The
higher you go, the better you will feel the next day. There are
trails nearby Dingboch or Pheriche, or you can just hike cross
country. |
| Day 5: From Dingboche or
Pheriche it is a 2 hour hike to Tuglha at 15,100 feet. From there
up a very steep hill it is another 2 hours to Labuche at 16,200
feet. |
| Day 6: From Labuche it is a 2
hour hike to Gorak Shep at 17,000 feet. From Gorak it is an hour
and a half to the top of Kala Patar at 18,200 feet. It is not wise
to stay at high elevations for any extended time. So, from the top
of Kala Patar it is a 3 hour hike down to Tuglha at 15,100 feet.
From Duchla at 15,100 feet it is a 2 hour hike to Tuglha. |
| Day 7: Return |
| Day 8: Return |
| Day 9: Leave Lucla (Note:
returning is much, much faster because the trail is for the most
part all downhill. |
|
