This was the end of our 15 Day Trek to Mount Everest Base Camp Trek and Gokyo Ri. We trekked over 130 km (80 miles) in 15 days in the Himalayas. This was an incredible journey that we are happy to share with you. Click here to start from the beginning of our journey.

This trip was part of our seven month journey around the world which began in Flores, Guatemala. See a summary of the destinations we traveled to over our seven months here: link. 

DAY 15: Namche Bazar to Lukla (5/19)

Trip Duration: 8 hours

Elevation at Namche Bazar: 3,440 meters (11,286 feet)

Elevation at Lukla: 2,860 meters (9,383 feet)

Elevation loss: 598 meters (1,903 feet)

Distance: 19 km (11.8 miles)

Our last day of trekking! This was a long day; but thankfully we were continuing to descend with any AMS (acute mountain sickness) symptoms long gone.

On the morning of our departure from Namche Bazar we spent time walking around town and snapping shots of the beautiful prayer wheels, stupas, and views from the edge of town.

Himalayas 101: Be sure to spin prayer wheels (or mani wheels) in a clockwise direction (that of the movement of the sun across the sky)for good luck. 

After saying our goodbyes to Namche, we began our hike to Lukla. Our last day was approaching faster than we wanted!

About two and a half hours into the trek we came across the famous Hillary Bridge, the highest suspension bridge along the Everest Base Camp route. Swaying at 125 meters (410 feet) high it is the only path down (that we know of).

Himalayas 101: It is customary to walk on the left side (the way in which the earth and universe revolve) of any mani(prayer) stones or wheels.

And that’s all folks. Back to the same spot we were standing 15 days earlier, in front of the Pasang Lhamu Sherpa Memorial in Lukla.

Accommodation

We stayed at the Khumbu Lodge and Restaurant in Lukla. This was a bittersweet day, it was our last day with Govinda.

DAY 16: Lukla to Kathmandu (5/20)(Departure Day)

The next day we were greeted with a special visit from our sherpa’s (Govinda) brother. He came down just for us. Why, you ask? Well, we forgot all of our souvenirs in Namche and he quickly brought them down in a quarter of the time it took us. Thank you!

We said our farewells and then headed over to the airport. Lukla airport is well known for flight delays and cancelations so we made sure to book the first flight of the morning. (We also had built in some cushion days in case flights got canceled so it wouldn’t mess up our next flight to Norway a few days later).

The weather is best and most predictable in the morning, so the later the day goes the less the chances are of leaving that day. We wearingly remembered our flight into Lukla 15 days prior when all flights were cancelled and hopped for the best. Unfortunately, the flights kept getting pushed back as the cloud coverage was prevalent all morning. We were praying to get out.

After hours lof pacing back and forth, praying, and watching select planes leave Lukla, we managed to get out. 

The journey time from Lukla to Kathmandu is only 45 minutes. So after a quick scenic flight and cab ride back into Kathmandu we went in search of our favorite eateries.

Accommodation

We stayed at an “okay” hotel in Kathmandu, which it didn’t matter the quality of the place at this point. We were looking forward to some normalcy. It was quite a treat to take a warm shower and relax in a bed with air conditioning and not have to sleep in a sleeping bag freezing our butts off.