The Ultimate Luxury 10-Day Nepal Adventure
Once in a lifetime experience to Short Everest View Hike and Everest Heli Tour
Frankly, Nepal may not be on the map of everyone planning to spend their leisure time, but have you heard of flying to Everest Base Camp (EBC) and returning in a helicopter? This is a luxury you may not have in a long time for your dream holiday in the Himalayan country of Nepal. If you can fly to EBC by Helicopter, nothing will beat the experience. Sometimes you can enjoy your life without doing a lot of hard work. With the world’s best-loved trekking route, anything is possible.
‘Getting to Everest Base Camp (EBC) by helicopter was the best thing I’ve done in a long time,’ Jack DeSantis, a random traveler who was visiting Nepal said recently when we spoke to him about his experience. That is why we have been meticulously planning this type of tour so that you can enjoy getting to the gateway to Everest. We have thought about designing tours bearing in mind the needs of different people. Days were when trekkers took almost a month to do EBC trek but things have changed. Roads have been built, airports have come up in different spots in the Himalayas, and of course, helicopter flights to Everest have made a big difference in recent days.
When we tell the tourists about luxury Namche Bazaar Trek with Everest helicopter Tour they were more than happy to jump into it with some extra days of further tour of Nepal, of course. Flying to Everest is the main highlight of the trip but between them will be taking the tour of Kathmandu valley plus a Jungle safari in the plains of Nepal.
10 day trip in a nutshell
Day1: Arrive in Kathmandu
Day 2: Tour Kathmandu Valley
Day 3: Fly to Lukla and head to Phakding
Day 4: Trel to Namche Bazaar
Day 5: Head to Everest View Hotel for a helicopter ride to Everest base Camp plus Kalapatthar, return to Kathmandu
Day 6: Fly to Chitwan–Tharu stick dance, riverside sunset view
Day 7: Canoeing ride, visit elephant breeding center and back to hotel for lunch, start Jeep/elephant Safari
Day: 8: Early morning bird watching, have breakfast and leave for Kathmandu.
Day 9: Free day
Day 10: Fly back home
Kathmandu Valley—A living Museum
You will arrive in Kathmandu on your first and begin your holiday in earnest. The next day will be the first leg of your tour. Having seven world heritage sites in the valley says a lot about the Kathmandu. The capital is the host to three durbar squares—Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur Durbar Square. These places were formerly the palaces of the Malla Dynasty which used to rule the valley some three hundred years before. Apart from these three palaces, you will also see Swayambhu, Bauddha, Pashupati and Changunarayan among other world heritage sites.
Kathmandu Durbar Square
Lying at the heart of the capital is none other than the Kathmandu Durbar Square. There you can see the many temples and old palaces that bear some of the most intricate wood carvings you can see in the valley. You will run through the place if you happen to be walking in the inner city of Kathmandu. The place is also the most happening area of Kathmandu. You could be finding some good bargains for souvenirs and handicrafts because there are quaint shops that specialize in handicrafts of Nepal.
Patan Durbar Square:
Another equally if not better example of Newari handcraft is Patan Durbar Square. Maybe not as big as the Kathmandu Durbar Square but with equally interesting temples and old buildings this old palace square is an experience in itself. The architecture is predominantly Pagoda in style with temples that go back thousands of years. You can also find some fine examples Shikhara Style temples like Krishna Mandir. Mahabauddha which lies a further distance away from the main square is just another good example of Shikhar style architecture.
Bhaktapur Durbar Square:
The last but not least Bhaktapur Durbar Square is yet another palace square that once used to the capital of Bhaktapur, one of the three sister cities of the valley. Bhaktapur itself is a living example of what Kathmandu valley looked like hundreds of years before. With narrow alleys and countless temples the old city will make you feel like going back centuries before. The place is different than the two other palace square as they are less crowded with less traffic which makes the trip to this place a wonderful tour.
Swayambhu:
Perched on a small hillock west to Kathmandu city, this Buddhist Stupa is home to one of the oldest religious sites in Nepal. It houses the grand example of what Nepali architecture is like. Its unique location also makes it a must visit place as you can see the most of the valley from this small hill.
Bauddha:
Equally interesting is yet another Buddhist sites lying in the north east side of the valley. This also happens to be the biggest stupa in the world. The marketplace surrounding this stupa has countless shops for handicrafts, carpets and thanka. Also, the place is home to many gumbas. You can visit some of them just to see the holy sites and enjoy the spiritual feel when you enter them.
Pashupati Temple:
Probably one of the most important Hindu temple in the world, Pashupati is the temple dedicated to lord Shiva. He is one of the most revered gods in Hindu religion. The place is also the crematorium site where people bring their loved ones for their last journey beyond this world. You can witness the cremation of bodies from across the river to feel the meaning of life as bodies slowly burn to ashes right in front of your eyes—showing people of the world that nothing on this earth is eternal. We will finally end up in the soil from which we once were raised.
Changu Narayan Temple:
The last among the world heritage site is another example of Pagoda architecture. The grand temple is dedicated to Hindu god Bhisnu. The site which is situated at the hillside north of the valley is also good for experiencing old Newari settlement. You can visit the old marketplace and find and feel what it is to be inside an ancient town.
Main highlight of the tour- Everest Base Camp Trek
You will take the the Everest Base Camp Luxury Trek in the second leg of your 10-day trip to Nepal. To top it off you will be traveling to EBC in a helicopter and returning as well. The view from the helicopter is also out of this world. Peaks like the world’s highest Mt. Everest (8849m), fourth highest Lhotse (8516m), and Amadablam (6812m) look very near as you fly to Everest base camp. Did you know the Everest Region is home to four of the highest mountains in the world including Makalu (8485m) and Cho Oyu (8201m) the fifth and sixth highest mountain in the world respectively?
To begin this trek you will be taking an early mountain flight to Lukla (2845m) on a third day from Kathmandu, an adventure in itself as Lukla Airport is considered the most difficult airport in the world to land. You will directly hit the trail after landing at the airport. The route starts downhill to a Sherpa village called Cheplung (2687m). Then trekking along Dudhkoshi Valley, you will ascend to Ghat (2540m) and to Phakdin (2610m).
You will head for Namche Bazaar (3440m) on the fourth day as you cross pine forest and several suspension bridges and reach a Sherpa village called Jorsale (2740m), an entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park. A prominent ridge Thamserku (6618m) slowly appears above the village. As you reach the confluence of Bhote Koshi River and Dudh Koshi River, trekking further along you will cross the Tenzing-Hilary suspension bridge and the first glimpse of Everest along with Lotse-Nuptse ridge will be seen. Climbing several hours through the forest will finally lead you to Namche Bazaar.
Breakfast at the world’s highest hotel
Considered as highest-built hotel in the world, Hotel Everest View (3880m) is a history in itself as it is considered the highest altitude hotel in the world. Built in the 60s by a Japanese, its design and architecture blend perfectly with the local environment. To get there you will be hiking on a fifth day from Namche for a couple of hours. This distance is around 6 km with moderate difficulty. After you reach the hotel you will have breakfast there. The hotel is situated within Everest National Park which is a UNESCO world heritage site. The scenes from the garden overlooking the Everest region to the north will give you views that will stay with you forever, not to mention the tea and food that will be prepared for you for this special occasion.
The best excitement is still to come as you will be boarding a helicopter and flying to EBC and Kalapathar and returning to Kathmandu the same day. Kalapathar is a spectacular place in the Everest region with a 180 degree of mountain view and is a must visit place besides EBC.
What you get to see in the Tour?
- Highest mountains in the world: Getting to Everest will not end without talking about mountains, of course. Apart from four of the ten highest mountains already mentioned above, you also get to see some peaks that nearly belong to the eight-thousand-meter-club like Nupse (7861m) and Changtse (7543m) including smaller peaks like Pumori (7161m), Khumbutse (6640m) and Thamserku (6623m).
- Khumbu Glacier: Considered the highest glacier in the world, it is one of the best tourist attractions while visiting EBC. While emerging from Everest and before reaching the Everest Base Camp, the near-vertical Khumbu Icefall is another feature of this glacier, often called one of the most dangerous parts while climbing Mt. Everest. The huge mass of ice with deep crevasses often takes the lives of climbers when falling in one of these cracks but many do get rescued by Sherpas who act as a guide.
- Kala Patthar: If you haven’t visited Kala Patthar (5545m) you haven’t visited Everest Base Camp. Considered one the best places to view Everest, when on a clear day one can see Everest, Lotse, Nuptse, and other smaller peaks that extend all the way to the north flank in a 180-degree panoramic view. Kala Pathar itself is considered a small peak but it is more of a high ground that can be trekked from Gorakhshep (5164m) which used to be Everest base camp before the current one.
- Sherpa culture and tradition: Sherpas are known for their hardy physics that adjusts perfectly to high-altitude environments. That is a reason why they are taken as guides during Everest and other expeditions. It is no surprise that the first ones to reach the summit will be Sherpas who along with extra baggage will still manage your every need during your climb. You will get to see them closely on one of these trips along with the tradition they have kept alive.
- Monasteries, chortens, and stupas: With countless small and big chortens (stupas) encountered along the trip and equally dotted with small and large monasteries, EBC by helicopter will satisfy your hunger to see one of these religious and spiritual sites, Tengboche Monastery being one of them. The architecture that makes these monuments and buildings is very unique and is prized for their beauty and religious significance. Many of these have been influenced by Tibetan Buddhism.
One Horned Rhino and the Bengal Tiger
Very few people know that Nepal is home to some of the best jungle safaris in the world. Chitwan National Park in Sauraha (189m) in the south plains of Nepal is simply the best in the world. So on the sixth day, you will be flying from Kathmandu to Chitwan. Here you get to see a great one-horn rhino which one can see while on an Elephant Tour of the jungle. There haven’t been many who have not enjoyed more their fabulous three-day jungle safari than in Chitwan. For those who don’t want to stress the gentle giant you can also take the alternative tour of the jungle by walking along with the elephant. I guarantee you, ‘You will never regret this new trend which is taking the safari world by storm.’
Chitwan National Park
Many tour organization have voted Chitwan National park as one of the best in the world simply because it never lets you down. You will be seeing dozens of one-horn rhinos when on the jungle safari. You can see them in their natural surrounding and if you are lucky you might event catch a glimpse of a mother and her calf which is not uncommon.
Another big adventure will be when you might see a Royal Bengal Tiger which is more elusive than the one-horned rhino. This is because tigers usually come out during the night for hunt. But if you see them while taking the safari tour, you can add this as one of your great experience.
Jungle lodge with Tharu culture
After you arrive in Chitwan you will be staying in a Jungle lodge designed specially to make you feel the nature on the sixth day. The structures and the materials of the lodges are environmental friendly with less use of concrete and cement. Most of the buildings are made of wood found in the area. Another highlight of this stay in the jungle lodge is the cultural program from Tharu community. You will be witnessing the Tharu stick dance organized by the local Tharu cultural group and go on a riverside sunset view in the evening.
Tharu people are one of the indigenous people of the plains in Nepal close to the border of India. They have a separate language and culture having thousands of years of history. They were once the only people who survived in the plains that had malaria before the use of a vaccine that got eradicated only recently.
The next day which is the seventh day of the trip, you will have breakfast and will go for a canoe ride, visit the elephant breeding center. After having lunch you will go for a Jeep or Elephant Safari.
After a day of jungle safari and Tharu culture you will end the trip by taking a boat ride and a bird-watching tour in the forest. The birds found in this part of the world are something that only Chitwan National Park has. The wetlands found deep in the jungle are home to thousands of bird species that even migrate from as far as Siberia during winter. After all this, you will then head back to Kathmandu. Next on the ninth day, you can relax and do some shopping to prepare for the final departure the following day.
Make a reservation today itself
Fix a time: make a time plan for your visit. The best time to visit and make this journey would be autumn or spring but other seasons can be an option too if you don’t have any choice.
Contact Discover Altitude, our tour agent: You can easily make a reservation through our website and also chat with one of our staff who are waiting 24/7 to answer your queries and discuss the details of the tour.
Customized tour: We can arrange customized tours to suit your needs like time frame, budget, etc. So feel free to contact us. Our head manager Santosh Baniya will be there online or you can contact him directly on mobile phone for further planning.
