Volunteer Society Nepal : The best experience for volunteers, the best value for Nepal.
Overview
Arrival City:Kathmandu
Price:1750 Euro
Meals:All meals included during trekking
Attractions:Lukla, Namche Bazar, Mt. Everest
Accomodation:Hotel
Departure City:Kathmandu
Difficulty:Moderate
Duration:35 Days
Transportation:Plane
Country:Nepal
Maximum Altitude:5,545 Meters
Styles:Trekking
Group Size:1 - 10 Persons
About Everest Base Camp Trek and Volunteering – 5 Weeks
Volunteer Society Nepal offers unique Everest Base Camp Trek volunteering and adventure opportunity for individuals, couples, groups, students, and experts, as well as senior and youth professionals from all over the world to make a contribution to Nepali society. At the same time, you will experience the rich culture, natural splendor, and daily life of Nepal, one of the most beautiful countries of the world.
Volunteer Society Nepal has designed a summer break program in Nepal which will commence with a small, but interesting, orientation about the culture, history, religion, habits, and behaviors of the Nepalese people. You will also be taken for most popular Hindu temple Pashupatinath, one of the Largest Buddhist stupas – Boudhanath stupa, world heritage site Swyambhunath (Monkey temple) so we Volunteer Society Nepal designed the suitable program itinerary according to your summer break schedule and wish.
The five-week summer break program has been designed for those visiting Nepal seeking for a combination of trekking, cultural, natural, jungle/wildlife, and community service exposure during their trip. Depending upon the time you can spend on your Nepal trip, you may also find it interesting to check out our other tour packages.
You will be picked up at the airport by one of the Volunteer Society Nepal staff and driven to your Kathmandu host family or a hotel. Here you will be welcomed into the family, be given your own room and be provided with all your meals while in Kathmandu. This will be your home during your orientation and volunteering in Nepal. With easy bus routes into town and the surrounding countryside, this quiet and safe suburb is the perfect base for your time in Nepal.
Volunteer Society Nepal offers comprehensive Nepali language and cultural training tailored for expatriates, volunteers, and research students eager to delve into Nepali culture. Our team of seasoned instructors will skillfully lead you through language acquisition while fostering a genuine understanding of Nepali communities. At Tour and Trekking Nepal, we furnish cutting-edge learning resources designed to provide profound insights into Nepal’s culture and way of life. Throughout your orientation and language sessions, you will be fully immersed in the local culture and language, creating a rich and authentic experience. This program is ideally suited for individuals seeking to maximize their time in Nepal and to engage with the country on a deeper, more meaningful level.
Kathmandu stands as the vibrant cultural nucleus of Nepal, an alluring haven for travellers since Nepal first welcomed outsiders within its borders. The city beautifully amalgamates elements of Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, and Western influences within the encompassing Valley. Adjacent to this hub are Patan and Bhaktapur, two significant cities brimming with cultural and religious importance in Nepal’s tapestry.
An immersive guided excursion awaits, offering a complete day to explore the historical Durbar Square adorned with distinctive architecture and home to the revered Kumari, the living goddess. The journey continues to the sacred Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, followed by visits to the renowned ‘Monkey Temple’ (Swayambunath) and the Buddhists’ shrine of Buddhhanath. As dusk settles, an enriching pre-trip discussion is scheduled, where you will meet your trek leader and fellow adventurers, setting the stage for your forthcoming expedition.
After breakfast, we get transferred to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu Domestic Airport for an early morning flight to Lukla from where our Everest Base Camp trekking starts. After an adventurous 30-minute flight above breathtaking green and white mountains, we reach the Hillary Airport at Lukla. This is one of the most beautiful air routes in the world culminating in a dramatic landing on a hillside surrounded by high mountain peaks. Here we meet our other crew members & after some packing and arrangements, we start our Everest Base Camp Trekking through the affluent village of Lukla until we reach Phakding. To assist in acclimatization, we only have a short hike today. However, if interested in additional activities we can take a side trip to a nearby monastery.
Walking through a beautiful pine forest, the track leads us along the Dudh Koshi River through many suspension bridges, one of which is the famous Hillary Suspension Bridge. First, we catch wonderful view of the Mt. Thamserku (6618 m). Through the settlement of Benkar, Chumoa, and Monjo, we come to the check post and entrance to Sagarmatha National Park. We pass through the last village of Jorsale before reaching Namche Bazaar. The trail climbs through the forests and bridges until we reach the confluence of the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers. After a final steep ascent of about two hours, we get first sight fist of at Mt. Everest, peering over the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge. We still need to walk about 1.5 hours to reach Namche Bazaar, a gateway to Mt. Everest and the main trading centre of this region. We stay overnight in Namche Bazaar.
Health experts always recommend us to stay active and moving during the rest days instead of being idle. We either spend the day taking a day hike to Thame or visiting Khunde or relaxing and exploring Namche Bazaar itself. Namche Bazaar is the main centre of the Everest (Khumbu) region and has government offices, ATMs, Internet cafes, shops, restaurants, a bakery and a colourful market each Friday evening and Saturday. If we trek a few hundred vertical feet during the day, it will help us to properly acclimatize. Our guides will take us to the Tourist Visitor Center near the headquarters of the Sagarmatha National Park where we can observe an assortment of things related to the first Everest climbers, and Sherpa culture and learn about the various plant and animal life of the Everest region.
The trail to Phorse Village is rather steep but boasts great views over to Phorse and to the spectacular river gorge below, including an inaccessible natural rock bridge. Starting on a level trail, we trek up through the stone steps and reach Mongla Pass (3975 m) from where we glimpse Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Mt. Khumbila. Sherpas regard Mt. Khumbila as a sacred mountain of the patron god of the Khumbu area. Descending to Dudhkosi Khola (3250 m), we cross a bridge and again trek up through the rhododendron forest, a host for Himalayan wild deer and musk deer. Finally, we arrive to the walled fields of Phorse. Phorse is just under the snow-dusted peaks of Tawoche and Cholaste. From here it’s a short trek to Phorse village where we rest overnight.
From Phorse Village we trek down the narrow trail through a Monastery. We continue our trek through lush alpine forests until we reach the large village of Upper Pangboche, where we will be astonished by the dramatic views. We then continue through the villages of Shomare, Orsho, and Tsuro Wog. The trek goes further up through the Khumbu Khola Valley to the ridge top from where we witness spectacular views of the soaring mountains of Taboche, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Nuptse, Lhotse, Cholatse, etc. We even can observe the beautiful Imja Khola Valley to the east. Thereafter, we see sprawling fields and the settlement of Dingboche overlooked with Chortens and prayer flags as we gently ascend down to the Dingboche village. Overnight in Dingboche.
We start the day with a climb to Duglha through the Khumbu Khola valley. The trek along the arid terrace is awarded with awesome views of mountains on all sides. As we come to a yak herder’s place called Dusa, the valley begins to narrow and we continue through Phulung Karpo, one of the camp sites during the first successful Everest Expedition in 1953. Above Phulung Karpo is Chola Lake. As we continue our trek the majestic view of Mt. Pumori (7138 m) comes into view. As the trail descends and curves Mt. Pumori hides and we come across a roaring stream. After crossing a small wooden bridge, we ascend to Dugla. We can see the tip of Nuptse from here as well as Cholatse, Thamserku, and several other magnificent peaks. Spending a night in Dugla is ideal for acclimatization purposes. Overnight in Dugla.
Beyond Duglha we trek up the steep terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We find our way through the boulder-strewn slope as we ascend Chupki Lhara, an eerie ridge top with dramatic mountain views. At the top of the ridge, we will find an array of stones with prayer flags used as memorials to Scott Fischer (American mountaineer) and 10 times Everest submitter Babu Chiri Sherpa (mountain guide from Nepal) who perished on a mission to climb Everest. As the trail drops to the Khumbu Glacier moraine, we find ourselves right “in front of” several great peaks – Khumbutse, Lingtren, Pumori and Mahalangur Himal. We are now in the vicinity of Everest but the great mountain still remains hidden. Nuptse towers to the right as the trail crosses the Khumbu Glacier. As we trek along a murmuring stream we don`t see the Khumbu glacier because of its lateral moraine wall and we now begin to feel a little out of breath due to high altitude. Overnight in Lobuche.
The trail to Gorak Shep goes ahead through the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We pass through the pyramid signpost. Ahead on the trail we the crest of the north ridge of Everest along with Mt. Pumori, Mahalangur, Lingtern, Khumbutse, Nuptse, etc. A small ascent would take us to Thangma Riju from where we perceive 360 degree vista of snowy mountains. Climbing steeply up to the top through the torrent of Changri glacier, we catch our first glimpse of Kala Patthar, a grey-green knoll beneath Mt. Pumori. As we reach Gorak Shep, we will be surrounded by snow-capped mountains looming all around us including the top of the world – Mount Everest. After a brief lunch and rest, we take the trail to Everest Base Camp through the once-vast Gorak Shep Lake. Continuing straight ahead, we come through the Indian Army mountaineers’ memorials. As we reach Everest Base Camp we cannot stop ourselves from appreciating the Everest climbers who take the hazardous route through the Khumbu icefall. Mountaineer’s tents stand out in bright colours against all the dull grey surroundings (especially in the Spring). Nuptse, Khumbuste, and Pumori are the mountains we can view from base camp. Everest actually is not visible from here. By now we have met the ultimate objective of our trip. We get back to Gorak Shep for a good night’s rest. Overnight in Gorak Shep.
Today is the climax of our trip. We start early in the morning to catch the dramatic views from Kala Patthar witnessing the first light of day shining on Mount Everest. However, we need to get prepared for an early morning, dark and cold temperature (-10 to -14 C) departure beforehand. Plus, there is always the potential for chilly winds which are quite common. Familiar peaks such as Lingtren, Khumbutse, and Changtse Tower to the east even as Everest begins to reveal itself emerging between the west shoulder crest and Nuptse. During the ascent to Kala Patthar, we can pause to catch our breath at several outstanding viewpoints to snap pictures. After several hours of ascent, we reach Kala Patthar. From here we scramble to climb the rocky outcrop near the summit marked by cairns and prayer flags. As we reach the top, we sit on the Kala Patthar rocks our eyes taking in the unbelievable Himalayan Panorama, wandering from one mighty massif to another. We take as many pictures as we can with our camera and take the view with our mind’s eye to last a lifetime. On being back to Gorak Shep, we have breakfast followed by a gradual descent down to Pheriche for a good night’s rest. Overnight in Pheriche.
After the previous day’s tiring ascent to Kala Patthar, today is an easier walk down to the lower altitudes. Following the same route back to the terminal moraines at Dughla and following the wide valley of Khumbu Khola we pass through the beautiful Sherpa villages of Pheriche, Orsho, and Shomare. If we wish to visit the Gompa in Upper Pangboche we can do so by taking a different trail from Shomare. Otherwise, we take the regular trial to reach Pangboche. From Pangboche we retrace our footsteps down to the Imja Khola and up through the forest to Debuche or if interested, we might visit nuns at the Debuche monastery. Finally, we reach Tengboche. If we are trekking during the full moon of November or December, we might get an opportunity to witness the Mani Rimdu festival in the monastery at Tengboche. Overnight in Tengboche. We will trek down through the hillside blanketed by rhododendrons and juniper trees from Tengboche. If it’s Spring, pink and red rhododendron flowers ablaze our surroundings. After crossing the prayer flag festooned bridge over the Dudkoshi River, we reach Phunki Thenga. The trail then follows the Dud Koshi Gorge descending rapidly through the pine forests. The path eventually reaches Sansa which is the major trail junction in the region. We stopped at Kyangjuma (3570 m) for a relaxed lunch. We unknowingly appreciate the gorgeous Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Nuptese with every bite. Following lunch, the trail to Namche Bazaar clings to the steep wooded slope beyond Kyangjuma, winding through several bends. We keep a lookout for wildlife such as mountain goats, snow leopards, colourful pheasants, etc., while we pass through the forest by the trail. After passing a Chorten, we reach the army camp at Namche Bazaar. We want to take a long last look (and picture!) back to Lhotse, the tip of Everest and Tengboche from here. On reaching our lodge, we take a nice hot shower and have a very relaxed sleep in our room in Namche Bazaar. Overnight in Namche Bazaar
The trail descends steeply downward so we need to walk slowly and under control as our shaky legs continuously battle the rocky terrain. After crossing the suspension bridges over the fast-following Dud Koshi and its tributaries the trail becomes more level and natural. By today we start to get warmed up by the light breeze. Any remaining sore throats and colds will be gone by today as we pass through this charming mountain air. Although we are travelling the same route, we have completely different views. We snap a mixture of open plains, rhododendrons and pine forests, and in the distance, snow-covered peaks. Overnight in Lukla.
We fly back to Kathmandu after our long mountain journey. The early morning flight drops us at Kathmandu. We can rest and relax throughout the day in the hotel.
Women Empowerment
Teaching in Schools
Centre for Disabilities/Special Education
Construction and Manual Work Volunteer
Sports/ Physical Education Internship
Teaching English to Buddhist Monks
Teacher Training
Child Care / Orphanage
Our journey in Nepal comes to an end today! A Volunteer Society Nepal representative will drop us off at the airport approximately 3 hours before our scheduled flight. On our way home, we have plenty of time to plan our next adventure in the wonderful country of Nepal.
Note: The above-mentioned program itinerary is a sample. The period and cost of volunteering, internship, tour and trekking can be changed or extended as per volunteers' availability of duration.
Airport to hotel pick up and drop by private vehicle
Two-night accommodation in Kathmandu at star hotel with breakfast
Accommodation and Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) during trekking
One highly experienced mountain Porter Guide and porters
Accommodation food, drinks, salary, insurance, transportation of both trek guide
Group medical supplies (first aid kit)
All necessary paper works and national park entry permits
TIMS Card (Trekker’s Information Management System card)
All additional government taxes
Cost Excludes:
Nepal entry visa fee (€ 25 for 15 days/ € 40 for 30 days from date of issue) (You may easily get Nepal visa upon your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu)
International air fare
Travelers insurance
All kind of drinks (Alcohol, hot and cold drinks)
Bar bills, telephone bills and other personal expenses (shopping/ laundry)
Tips to guide and porter
All expenses due to unavoidable events e.g. Personal illness, strike etc.
Helicopter evacuation charge in case of emergency whilst trekking
