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.
General
- 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.
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