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The Temple of Apollo We brought our UK car to Naxos by taking the car ferry from Syros (see my blog Syros, Greece: Travel Guide ). We spent 5 nights on Naxos island and it was our favourite Cyclades island. We left Naxos by taking a car ferry to the island of Andros (see my blog Andros, Greece: Travel Guide ). Contents 1. Introduction 2. Naxos Town 3. Hikes Mount Zas (Zeus) Hike Melanes - Flerio - Potamia Hike Halki to Moni Hike 4. A Drive from Naxos to Apollonas Apiranthos Koronos Apollonas Kouroi at Flerio 5. The Beaches south of Naxos 6. Halki 7. Filoti 8. Accommodation 9. Links to My Other Blogs 1. Introduction When planning our trip I was concerned that Naxos might be spoiled by tourism. Naxos Town was certainly busy in June but we still enjoyed walking around its delightful old town every evening. Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades and there is very little tourist development on the remainder of Naxos. We visited 4 of the Cyclades islands and Naxos was our favourite as: Naxos Town is interesting to explore. There are many old and picturesque villages. Naxos is very scenic and mountainous. There are some excellent sandy beaches south of Naxos Town. We had a couple of good hikes including a hike up Mount Zas. This is the highest point in the Cyclades. 2. Naxos Town 2.1 Parking in Naxos Town There is a very large free car park just north of the centre of Naxos town. It is a 10 minute walk to the harbour. We always found a parking spot when we were there in early June. It is shown as " Naxos Municipal Parking " on Google maps. Be careful as there are a couple of other municipal car parks in the same area with similar names. There is a free municipal car park on the southern side of Naxos town. It is more convenient than the northern one. It is not quite as large so it is more difficult to find a parking space. It is shown as " Municipal Parking 1 " on Google maps. 2.2 Old Naxos Town Naxos Town is a very picturesque old coastal town on a hill with a Kastro on the top. There is a maze of winding narrow streets and alleyways, some of which pass through tunnels, between the seafront esplanade and the Kastro. There are shops and restaurants on the waterfront and in the alleyways in the lower section of Naxos old town. They cater for tourists rather than locals. It is still very pleasant and interesting to wander around. It is definitely worth walking up to the Kastro but there isn't much to do or see when you get there. The only view is to the east towards the interior of Naxos. There is a cathedral at the top which was closed when we went in the evenings. There is also an Archaeological Museum in the Kastro. 2.3 The Temple of Apollo The Temple of Apollo which was built in 530 BC, but never completed, lies at the end of the causeway leading from Naxos Town. From the Temple there is an excellent view back to Naxos Town. It is a very popular place to stroll in the evenings. 2.4. The New Section of Naxos Town & the Beaches The newer part of Naxos is south of the old town and Evripeou is the main square. The main road north of the square has shops and restaurants aimed more at locals. To the south west of Naxos's main square is the long, sandy and shallow Saint George beach. It gets good reviews on Google . The road between the square and the beach has many restaurants frequented by tourists. Grotto beach, just north of the causeway to the Temple of Apollo, is a stone beach. It is not as appealing. A View of Naxos Town from the Temple of Apollo A View of Naxos Town from the Ferry A Church in Naxos Town The Catholic Cathedral in Naxos Town Covered Alley in Naxos Town The View from the Castle in Naxos Town Covered Alley in Naxos Town A Street in Naxos Town 3. Hikes on Naxos Island There were 3 circular hikes that I wanted to do on Naxos island but we only did 2 of them. The Alltrails website provides details of many hikes on Naxos with very useful reviews. The reviews often indicate the condition of the trail. 3.1. Mount Zas (Zeus) Hike Mount Zas is 1,003 metres high and is the highest point in the Cyclades. It is a popular hike as many people like to reach the highest point. Try to do the hike up Mount Zas in good weather so you can enjoy the views from the top. We had low clouds so we couldn't see anything! There are 3 main hiking routes up Mount Zas: Hike from Ayia Marina Chapel to Mount Zas It is a 40 minute drive from Naxos Town to the Ayia Marina Chapel. There is some car parking at the small chapel and also along the road. Enter " Saint Marina Holy Chapel " on Google maps to locate the chapel. This is the easiest and quickest trail up Mount Zas and it was the one we hiked. The trail is well marked, ascends 396 metres and it took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to reach the summit of Mount Zas. The final 15 minutes is steep and rocky. Take care not to twist an ankle. It was raining when we descended and the rocky trail was very slippery. Luckily we brought walking sticks which made it safer and faster. The Alltrails website and App show this trail up Mount Zas and it can be downloaded onto your phone. It isn't really necessary as the trail is well marked. On the way down don't take the trail forking off to Aria Spring. Hike from Aria Spring to Mount Zas It is a 40 minute drive from Naxos town to Aria Spring. Enter Fontaine d’Aria on Google maps to locate the starting point. The turn off from the main road is clearly signposted. There is limited parking on the road. The Alltrails website and App show this trail up Mount Zas. It is worth downloading the trail onto your phone as the trail isn't clear at one point . The first 20 minutes of the hike is along a paved path to the Cave of Zeus. It then becomes a rocky trail that is more difficult than the Ayia Marina trail. It ascends 484 metres to the summit of Mount Zas compared to 396 metres on the Ayia Marina trail. The hike takes about 2.5 hours. Hike from Filoti to Mount Zas This is the most difficult trail up Mount Zas and normally undertaken by people relying on public transport. The trail ascends 607 metres to the summit of Mount Zas and the hike takes about 3 hours 45 minutes. The route is shown on the Alltrails website . The Beginning of the Walk up Mount Zas Middle Section of the Walk up Mount Zas The Middle Section of the Walk up Mount Zas Near the Top of Mount Zas At the Summit of Mount Zas A View on the Descent from Mount Zas 3.2. Trail 6 Melanes - Flerio - Potamia Hike This is a beautiful walk that passes right by the archaeological site at Flerio on Naxox island. There you can see the 2 famous kouroi dating back to 570 BC. See my blog for further details. You will pass through the pretty and unspoiled villages of Ano Potomia and Mesi Potomia. We hiked clockwise from Melanes and the trail is marked with a red dot and a red number 6 until Mesi Potomia. After that it helps to use the AllRoutes app for a section of the trail. The hike took us 3 hours and 15 minutes. We didn't stop to see the kouroi at Flerio as we were wet from the rain. The hike can be shortened by taking other trails from east to west before reaching Ano Potamia. These trails are shown on the AllRoutes App. The first section from Melanes is down a steep, wet and slippery path and it wasn't raining at the time. Hiking poles would definitely help. The next section was a bit overgrown but after that the trail was very good. The trail descends steeply to Ano Potamia and then climbs up to Mesi Potomia. It is an easy walk once you reach the dirt road after Mesi Potomia. Village of Melanes on Naxos On the Path between Melanes and Flerio Cacti on the Path The Path going down to Ano Potamia Kato Potamia Melanes Village on Naxos 3.3 Trail 4 - Halki to Moni Circular Hike I planned to do this hike as it seemed to be an interesting circular hike. Sadly we ran out of time. The route is detailed on the AllRoutes website . The reviews of this route indicate that in 2023: About 30% of it isn't well maintained. The second section of the trail on AllRoutes trail isn't correct and the signs for trail 4 and 4A should be followed instead. The hike takes 3 to 4 hours. Other useful information about this hike is on the Tripadvisor forum and the Cycladen website . 4. A Drive from Naxos Town to Apollonas We took the inland route north up to Apollonas and stopped off at Apiranthos and Koronos. We drove back south on Naxos's coastal road and turned off to see the kouri at Flerio. The drive took about 6.5 hours and it was very scenic. It was tiring driving on Naxos's mountainous roads and there were very few places to pull over to take photos and to enjoy the views. 4.1. Apiranthos We thought that Apiranthos was the prettiest and most interesting village on Naxos island. Apiranthos is quite large and we spent an hour walking around the alleyways. There aren't any particular sights to see. We reached Apiranthos before 10.00 a.m. and there were very few other visitors. There were several restaurants and shops so I am sure Apiranthos would be busy later in the day. There was parking along the main road. A View on the Drive to Apiranthos Apiranthos Apiranthos Apiranthos Apiranthos Apiranthos Apiranthos Apiranthos Apiranthos 4.2. Koronos Koronos is a pretty village but not nearly as interesting as Apiranthos. There is a nice taverna at the bottom of the village, with a good outdoor seating area, but there is no tourism infrastructure. I don't think Koronos is worth visiting. We parked on the main road and walked down a steep road to the bottom of the village and then back up a different way. We couldn't find a car park. Koronos Agia Marina Church in Koronos Koronos 4.3. Apollonas There is limited free parking at the southern end of Apollonas. Apollonas is a modern, and not very pretty, village with a couple of beaches. Tavernas surround the beach in the centre of Apollonas. There is not a lot to see or do in Apollonas but it would be a good place to have a swim. Apollonas Apollonas Apollonas 4.4. Kouroi at Flerio Flerio is a 25 minute drive from Naxos Town. Enter " Faragi Kouros " in Google maps to obtain directions. The parking area and the entrance to the Kouroi are free. Kouroi are sculptures of men. There are 2 kouroi at Flerio and they date back to 570 BC. These 5 metre long kouroi were unfinished due to damage to the stone. There is an ancient sanctuary nearby which dates back to the 7th century BC. There is very little left to see. The marble quarry high up in the hill above the site is much more impressive. It takes about 30 minutes to see the 2 kouroi and the ancient sanctuary at Flerio. They can be visited when doing the circular hike from Melanes to Potamia . A Marble quarry near Flerio Kouros of Flerio Kouros of Faranghi at Flerio 5. The Beaches south of Naxos There are some excellent beaches on Naxos and the best ones are south of Naxos Town. We drove south to Agiassos on the tarred interior road that goes via Galanado and Ano Sagri. We then drove up the coastal road to Naxos Town and stopped off at the beaches on the way. 5.1. Agiassos Beach There is a dirt road from Agiassos to Alkyo which is suitable for saloon cars. We swam at Agiassos beach and had the long beach to ourselves. It is a lovely sandy beach but there are sections with rocks in the water. Agiassos Beach 5.2. Alkyo and Hawaii Beach Our next stop was at Alkyo to see the famous Hawaii beach. There are 2 beaches on either side of the promontory at Alkyo. The beach on the southern side had a car park. Hawaii beach is across the road on the northern side. It is known as Hawaii beach due to the vibrant blue colour of the sea. There are no facilities at either of these beaches. Hawaii Beach Near Hawaii Beach 5.3. Mikri Vigla/Orkos Beach There are long sandy beaches on either side of the promontory. The beaches at Mikri Vigla and Orkos are both popular with kite surfers. We spent an enjoyable hour watching people learning to kite surf. It wouldn't be a relaxing place to sunbathe with the kites hovering above the beach. Mikri Vigla Beach 5.4. Agia Anna Beach The beach at Agia Anna was the most developed beach that we saw during our drive along the beaches south west of Naxos Town. This isn't surprising given its close proximity to Naxos Town. It merges into Agios Prokopios beach to the north. Agios Prokopios beach is said to be an excellent beach but we didn't visit it. Agia Anna Beach 6. Halki The village of Halki is very popular with tourists. It has several Byzantine churches including the 9th century Church of Panagia Protothronos. Halki is a pretty village but a bit touristy. There is a large free car park on the north eastern edge of Halki. Halki Halki Thge Main Square in Halki Halki A Church in Halki Church of Panagia Protothronos in Halki 7. Filoti Filoti is a popular village and there is a large free car park on the left side of the road when driving from Naxos Town. There isn't much to see in Filoti and half an hour is sufficient for wandering around. The main sight in Filoti is the Church of Panaglia Filotitissa which was built in 1718. Entry to the interior is free. The Church of Panaglia Filotitissa in Filoti The Church of The Interior of Panaglia Filotitissa in Filoti 8. Accommodation We stayed in an excellent 2 bedroom apartment in the village of Galanado. It was a 10 minute drive to Naxos Town. We booked it through Booking.com and paid Eur 75 per night. My review of the accommodation is on my blog " UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 2 " (number 2). 9. Links to My Other Blogs about Greece Monemvasia, Greece: Travel Guide Mycenae, Greece: Travel Guide Tiryns, Greece: Travel Guide Epidaurus, Greece: Travel Guide Nafplio, Greece: Travel Guide Corinth, Greece: Travel Guide Delphi, Greece: Travel Guide The Monasteries of Meteora: Travel Guide Mystras, Greece: Travel Guide Tinos, Greece: Travel Guide Syros, Greece: Travel Guide Andros, Greece: Travel Guide North Macedonia to Greece - Week 4 Nafplio, Greece to the Peloponnese - Week 5 Peloponnese to the Greek Islands - Week 6 The Greek Islands - Week 7 The Greek Islands to Albania - Week 8

View of Mount Everest from Kala Patthar This blog provides details of 15 excellent day hikes that can be done when doing the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes trek. Click here  to read my other blogs about these treks. Contents Introduction Namche - Hillary Memorial - Khunde Peak - Khunde - Khumjung - Everest View Hotel Namche - Hike to Thame (3810m) Pangboche (3930m) to Ama Dablam Base Camp (4600m) Dingboche (4410m) to Nangkartshang Peak (5083m) Chukhung (4730m) to Island Peak Base Camp (5080m) or Amphu Laptsa Phedi Chukhung (4730m) to Chukhung Ri (5550m) or Chukhung Tse Chukhung - Climb up Island Peak (6189m) Lobouche to Viewpoint (5300m) below Changrila Tonggu Ri Lobouche to the Moraine Ridge of the Khumbu Glacier Gorak Shep (5140m) to Kala Patthar (5550m) Gokyo (4790m) to Gokyo Ri (5357m) Hike to Gokyo 5th Lake (4990m) & Scoundrel's View Point Hike to Gokyo 1st and 2nd Lakes Thame to Sunder Peak (5368m) Thame - Trek towards Tashi Labsta Thame to Kongde Links to my other Everest Base Camp Blogs 1. Introduction Most trekkers do 3 or 4 day hikes on the way to Everest Base Camp and 5 to 6 day hikes when doing the Everest 3 passes trek. These are done to acclimatise and to enjoy good views of Everest and other peaks. With the high cost and effort of getting to the Everest region it is worth taking the opportunity to see more of the spectacular high altitude scenery. In any case should your flight to Lukla be delayed these extra days will provide a buffer allowing you to complete your trek. Below I have provided details of the main day hikes when doing the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 passes treks. For more adventurous ideas read these Tripadvisor posts: Dharma Bum's Guide to Paths Less Travelled: Khumbu Edition Another Khumbu report, off the beaten paths 2. Namche - Hillary Memorial - Khunde Peak - Khunde - Khumjung - Namche We intended to do this hike in May 2022 but we only went to Khunde and Khumjung as the weather was bad. See my blog Trip Report for the Everest 3 Passes Trek . It is a very scenic hike in good weather and parts of it is popular. There are great views from the Hillary memorial view point, an easy 45 minute hike from Khunde, and Khunde Peak (4,253 metres). The hike takes more than half a day and Khumjung is a good lunch stop. 3. Namche to Thame (3,810 metres) The 3 hour hike to Thame is a good hike to do if you are doing the Everest Base Camp trek. However, if you are doing the Everest 3 passes trek you will pass through Thame anyway. On the way back from Thame you can deviate to the upper trail at Samde. This trail goes via Lawuda Gompa and rejoins the main trail at Theso. This trail isn't shown on the printed maps but you can use Maps.Me. 4. Pangboche (3,930m) to Ama Dablam Base Camp (4,600m) We did the hike to Ama Dablam base camp in May 2022 but it was cloudy and snowed a little on the way down. We enjoyed the hike but were disappointed to miss the outstanding views. We did at least see the climbers' tents at Ama Dablam base camp as it was still the climbing season. Initially there is a descent of about 100 metres and then the trail climbs 800 metres to Ama Dablam base camp. It takes about 2 to 2.5 hours to hike up and 1.25 hours to hike down. Mingbo is about 5 minutes walk from base camp and there are 3 lodges, but only the Ama Dablam Base Camp Lodge was open when we were there. We had lunch there, but they do have rooms which are mainly used by climbers. If you want to stay at Ama Dablam Base Camp it would be best to check in Pangboche that the Mingbo lodges are open when it isn't the climbing season. 5. Dingboche (4,410m) to Nangkartshang Peak (5,083m) Nangkartshang Peak is a very popular acclimatization hike. It is about a 4 hour hike up an easy to follow trail and the views are great. 6. Chukhung (4,730m) to Island Peak Base Camp (5,080m) or Amphu Labtsa Phedi The mountain scenery on this hike is fantastic, particularly the first half. It is a 3.5 hour walk to Island Peak Base Camp. There is a good view of the large Imja Tsho glacial lake if you climb up the glacial moraine to the south of the base camp. In May 2022 I hiked to the turn off to Island Peak Base Camp and then continued for an hour towards Amphu Labsta. Shortly after this junction there is a river with a metal ladder, without side rails, serving as a bridge. I have to admit that my guide lent me a helping hand. About half an hour after the junction the path passes between the large glacial grey Imja Tsho and the small deep blue Amphu Labsta Tsho. You have to climb the moraines to see the lakes and they are both spectacular. The contrast of the colours of the 2 lakes is superb. I continued for another half an hour and had lunch at a spot with a view of the difficult Amphu Labsta La. I had planned to hike on to Amphu Labsta Phedi, but I had a cold and it seemed the scenery wouldn't change much. 7. Chukhung (4,730 metres) to Chukhung Ri (5,550 metres) It is a 2 hour hike to the saddle of Chukhung Ri. To the left of the saddle there is an easy trail to the lower peak (5,417 metres). To the right, the trail goes to the higher peak (5,559 metres). There are great views from both peaks. From the saddle it takes about an hour to the high peak and the descent back to Chukhung takes about 2 hours. 8. Chukhung - Climb up Island Peak (6189m) A package to climb Island Peak costs $700 and includes a guide, food, base camp tent, crampons, ice axe, harness, jumar and boots. You need to take your own sleeping bag. It can all be arranged in Dingboche and the permit will be sent to you electronically from Kathmandu. I have never climbed Island Peak as it is a climbing peak, not a trekking peak like Mera. 9. Lobouche to Viewpoint below Changrila Tonggu Ri There is a scenic and easy alternative trail on the way from Lobuche to Gorak Shep, which leads to a fantastic viewpoint at 5,300 metres. This trail starts about 20 minutes after leaving Lobuche once you reach the turn off to the Pyramid. Immediately behind the Pyramid billboard there is a path that zigzags up the hill for 5 to 10 minutes. This path then joins a high trail which runs above, and parallel to, the main trail to Gorak Shep. After a while there is a feint trail that snakes down and rejoins the main Everst Base Camp trail. This higher path is more scenic than the lower trail and in high season avoids a section of the often congested main trail to Everest Base Camp. If you don't descend down to the main trail you continue on very easy terrain to an excellent viewpoint at 5,300 metres. It is about 1.25 hours from Lobuche. After that the terrain becomes difficult and there is some scrambling involved to reach the summit of Changrila Tonggu Ri (5,691 metres). 10. Lobouche to the Moraine Ridge of the Khumbu Glacier The Khumbu glacier is just to the east of Lobuche and has to be crossed when doing the Everest 3 passes trek. It takes 20 minutes to reach the top of the moraine ridge of this glacier from the lodges at Lobouche. It is a very popular and visible trail. You can see Everest base camp in the distance, the Khumbu glacier and excellent mountain views from the top of the ridge. It is best to take trekking poles for the steep descent back to the lodges. 11. Gorak Shep (5,140m) to Kala Patthar (5,550m) Virtually everyone does this hike as it offers some of the best views of Everest and surrounding peaks. Some hikers set off in the dark so they can see the sunrise from the top of Kala Patthar. This certainly doesn't appeal to me as it is very cold before sunrise. It is also one of the busiest times on Kala Patthar and I prefer quiet and solitude. In mid May 2014 we left our lodge in Lobuche at 05.30 a.m., just after sunrise, and reached Gorak Shep at 08.30 a.m. As the weather was sunny and clear we immediately hiked up Kala Patthar. We sat at the top for about 45 minutes in warm temperatures enjoying the spectacular view. There was only one other person at the top. The round trip took about 3.5 hours. People often hike to Everest Base Camp on the day they reach Gorak Shep. If the weather is clear it is better to go up Kala Patthar that day and hike to Everest base camp the next morning. If you hike to Everest base camp the next morning you will have enough time to reach Pheriche or Dzongla by the late afternoon. If you hike up Kala Patthar the following morning I recommend starting at sunrise to avoid the risk of it clouding over. 12. Gokyo (4,790 metres) to Gokyo Ri (5,357 metres) People hike up Gokyo Ri for the fantastic views of Everest and surrounding peaks. The trail up isn't difficult and it took me 1.5 hours to reach the peak in May 2022. It was warm so I spent a couple of hours enjoying the panorama. People on the Tripadvisor forum recommend going up for the sunset as it is more spectacular than the sunrise. Ensure you have warm clothes and a good head lamp for the descent! Apparently Gokyo Ri is busier at sunrise than sunset. 13. Hike to Gokyo's 5th Lake (4,990m) & Scoundrel's View Point Due to lack of time I only hiked to Gokyo's 4th lake in May 2022. I met some very tired trekkers making their way back and many hadn't made it to Gokyo's 5th lake. There wasn't any real incline to the 4th lake but there wasn't a good trail either. The scenery was very desolate and I could see it would be tiring to continue on to the 5th lake 14. Hike to Gokyo's 1st and 2nd Lakes Gokyo is on the 3rd lake and it is a short easy walk southwards to reach the 1st and 2nd lakes. There isn't much elevation and the round hike would take about 1.5 hours. 15. Thame to Sunder Peak (5,368 metres) Sunder Peak is a fairly popular acclimatisation hike for trekkers going clockwise on the Everest 3 passes trek. The path is well marked and there is a good view point at 4,250 metres. It is easy to follow up to about 4,800 metres . After this it continues to be well marked up to the lower peak at 4,936 metres, but the trail is a bit trickier. It takes about 4 hours to reach the lower peak. It is a difficult climb from the lower peak to the summit and there isn't a marked trail. 16. Thame - Trek towards Tashi Labsta You could do a day hike from Thame (3,820 metres), walking as far as you can get towards Tashi Labsta before returning to Thame the same day. Reports on the internet indicate that it is a 4 to 5 hour hike to Thyangbo (4,310 metres), but that seems too long for the distance and altitude gain if you are already acclimatised. Sign near Thame Monastery Another option is to hike to Thyangbo (4,310 metres) and stay there if the lodge is open. In 2019 there was only one lodge, but a recent report indicates that there may now be a second one. The lodge by the river, which is run by Pemba and his wife, has been recommended. It is very scenic at Thyangbo. Click here to see a vlog of this hike If you stayed at Thyangbo for 2 nights you could go to Tashi Lapsta High Camp (5,150 metres), or higher, and then return to Thyangbo. If you only stay 1 night you could hike further towards Tashi Lapsta on the afternoon you arrive at Thyangbo or the next morning. 17. Thame to Kongde See post 13 of this Tripadvisor report if you are interested in hiking from Thame to Kongde. The trail can be icy and difficult. The 2 lodges at Kongde cost about $250 a night! It is possible to hike from Thame to Kongde and then down to Toktok in one long day. 18. Links to my other Everest Base Camp Blogs My Daily Reports on the Everest 3 Passes Trek Lodges and Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek When to trek to Everest Base Camp What to take for the Everest Base Camp Trek Kathmandu to Lukla and Back Forum Posts, Vlogs & Webcams for Everest Base Camp Trek Guides, Porters and Trekking Agencies

Imja Tsho & Amphu Labsta Tsho near Island Peak This blog provides information on what to pack for the Everest Base Camp trek and details of travel insurance companies for high altitude treks. Click here  to read my other blogs about the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes treks. Contents Introduction Clothes in Main Pack & to Wear Miscellaneous Items Medications Toiletries etc Sleeping 33 to 45 Litre Day Pack Travel Insurance Policies Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs 1. Introduction I am not a light packer and I use a porter or porter/guide to carry my pack. However, this ultra light packing list is by someone who did the Everest Base Camp 3 passes trek in November and everything weighed 4.26 kilos including the pack! I usually have more than that in my day pack! What I pack depends on the time of the year. I have only trekked in the Everest region in May when it is warmer and easier to wash clothes. See my blog My Daily Reports on the Everest 3 Passes Trek . I have done the Everest Base Camp trek twice. The first time I was too hot in my Rab Ascent 900 sleeping bag so I bought a Rab Ascent 700 for my second EBC trek. It was perfect for the May temperatures, but during winter I would need something warmer or would have to use the lodges' blankets. If you do forget to bring something for the Everest Base Camp trek you can very likely buy it in Kathmandu, Lukla or Namche Bazaar. I wouldn't want to buy boots or hiking shoes in Nepal. I met a trekker in Gokyo who had to abort his Everest 3 passes trek as the boots he had bought in Kathmandu were falling apart. 2. Clothes in Main Pack & to Wear 2 light pairs of long trekking pants (they can convert to shorts) 2 trekking T shirts (one synthetic and the other heavier merino wool) 1 light long sleeve synthetic trekking top 1 warm merino long sleeve trekking shirt 1 Rab trekking sweater 3 merino hiking socks 3 liner socks 4 underpants Scarpa boots Scarpa shoes (not essential, but more comfortable, and a back up for the boots) Long johns for trekking when it is cold and in the evenings Primaloft pants for cold evenings (can be bought for about NPR 3,500 in Kathmandu) 3. Miscellaneous Items to Pack Factor 50 sunblock Trekking Map Two pin double USB plug Reading spectacles Spare boot laces 4 Spare Energizer lithium AA batteries (for the Steripen) Petzl rechargeable headlight String (approx 6 metres for drying clothes in the bedroom) 12 Clothes pegs Ear plugs (I don't like using them) Kobo or Kindle Photocopies of relevant pages from guide books Water purification tablets (for emergencies) Cellphone charger Earphones for listening to music at night Dried apricots to keep me regular! Spare sunglasses 4. Medications Paracetamol Azithromycin for bad stomach issues (don't use Ciprofloxacin due to side effects risks) Rennies tablets for heartburn Strepsils for coughs (can be bought at some lodges) Plasters (lots) Micropore tape Thermometer Covid test kit Diamox (I bring it in case I get altitude sickness) 5. Toiletries etc Shaver Toothpaste Toothbrush Small soap Trekking towel Flip flops for showering Very small bottle of shampoo Small mirror Nail scissors Hand cream Small bottles of hand sanitizer Comb 6. Sleeping Sleeping bag Silk liner bag Pillow case (to go over the tea houses' dirty pillows) 7. 33 to 45 Litre Day Pack The contents depend on the weather & temperature. Lightweight waterproof jacket Lightweight waterproof trousers 2 Trekking poles Rab down jacket Liner Gloves Warmer Gloves Buff Wool hat or beanie Microspikes for the Everest 3 passes trek 2 one litre water bottles Tilley hat and baseball hat Sunglasses (category 2 - 4) Steripen Plasters and micropore tape Blister kit (never used it) Toilet paper Lip ice (factor 30) Cellphone Money and passport Garmin Inreach Mini Cover for day pack 8. Travel Insurance for the Everest Base Camp trek Travel insurance for trekking in Nepal is expensive because of all the scams perpetuated by guides and trekkers themselves. Do ensure that you obtain an insurance policy that will cover you up to 5,500 metres if you are trekking to Everest Base Camp. Jamie McGuinness has climbed Everest 6 times and runs a trekking company called Project Himalaya. He has written a very good blog on travel insurance for Nepal and Ladakh. This blog provides details of companies providing the appropriate travel insurance in the UK, North America and Worldwide. 9. Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs My Daily Reports on the Everest 3 Passes Trek Day Hikes on the Everest Base Camp Trek Lodges and Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek When to trek to Everest Base Camp Kathmandu to Lukla and Back Forum Posts, Vlogs & Webcams for Everest Base Camp Trek Guides, Porters and Trekking Agencies

A view from Gokyo Ri When to do the Everest Base Camp trek is probably the most important decision to make when planning your trek. Some months are far too busy with trekkers and other months are affected by the cold, the monsoon, haze and cloud. This blog give you the facts to enable you to make the right decision. Click here to read my other blogs about the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes treks. Contents Mid December to Mid March Trekking Mid March to beginning of May Trekking May Trekking June to September Trekking October to Mid December Trekking Nepal Monsoon Dates Monthly Trekker Numbers for the Everest Base Camp trek Historical Weather Data and Weather Forecasts Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs 1. Everest Base Camp Trek from Mid December to Mid March This is the off-season due to the cold winter weather and the increased risk of heavy snowfall. This period has become more popular with independent trekkers recently. Very few groups will do the Everest Base Camp trek at this time of year which is very appealing! There is also a greater chance of clear skies and crisp views. Many lodges on the Everest Base Camp trek will close during the winter due to the cold so even though there are fewer trekkers the lodges will often be busy. There should be at least 1 lodge open at each location, but the few people doing the Everest Base Camp trek will be funnelled into them. Toilets and water pipes will often be frozen and the bedrooms will be very cold. Another important factor to take into account, apart from the cold, is that the days are much shorter. 2. Everest Base Camp Trek from Mid March to Start of May The Spring peak season is probably from about 20th March to about the 7th May. It is almost as busy as the autumn season as per the Sagamatha Park Monthly Trekker Numbers chart . The sky will not be as clear as in the autumn peak season which comes after the monsoon. In recent years there has been terrible air pollution in Kathmandu, and the lower elevations of the Everest region, from wild fires in late March and April. See reports in the Kathmandu Post and on the TripAdvisor Forum . During April the lodges on the Everest Base Camp trek will be very busy and some will be full. Single trekkers may find it difficult to get their own room. So there is pressure to rush from one location to the next to obtain a room. You will always find a place to sleep, even if it is in the dining room. Lobuche and Gorak Shep are the 2 locations where the accommodation will be the most limited and basic! Groups either pre-book the accommodation or send a guide or porter ahead to reserve rooms. Independent trekkers get the remaining rooms! See my blog Lodges & Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek for recommended tea houses. 3. Everest Base Camp Trek in May I have trekked to Everest Base Camp in May twice and haven't had a problem with air pollution. The first week of May could still be busy but after that the number of trekkers drops off. There are less trekkers in May than March, April, October or November. May is pre-monsoon but it is also the month when most climbers summit Everest. You need reasonable weather to do that! Most climbers summit Everest between May 10 and 20. My logic has been that May should therefore be a good month for trekking to Everest Base camp. May is also reasonably warm and the days are long. When we did the standard Everest Base Camp trek in May 2014 we had incredible weather. We only had a bit of drizzle in the afternoon of the acclimatization day in Namche Bazaar and some mist in afternoon when descending from Lobuche to Pheriche. It was so nice and warm at the top of Kalar Patthar that I sat at the summit for over an hour! In May 2022 when I did the Everest 3 passes trek over 17 days the weather wasn't as good. The locals said that the weather was unusually bad for May. However, it only rained 1 day and clouds spoiled the view for a further 3 days. If you are going to do the Everest Base Camp trek in May I recommend going after the first weekend to avoid the crowds. The number of international groups decreases substantially after that. Try and fly into Lukla from the Wednesday after that weekend as a lot of trekkers fly into Kathmandu at the weekend and then fly to Lukla after two nights in Kathmandu. 4. Everest Base Camp Trek from June to September I would definitely recommend not doing the Everest Base Camp trek from mid June to the end of September as it is the monsoon season. The monsoon used to end in September, but the Nepal Monsoon Date chart below shows that it now ends in October due to climate change. Rain isn't necessarily a problem as it can be for just a short period or at night. There is little point in trekking if clouds constantly block views of the mountains. There will also be leeches at lower altitude and dengue fever is a big problem in Kathmandu from July to October. In the first half of June the weather could be okay. If it is then that would be a fantastic time to trek with few trekkers, nice temperatures and long days. I have trekked twice up to the 12th June in the Annapurna and Nar Phu regions and have had good weather both times. I have never done the Everest Base Camp trek during this period. 5. Everest Base Camp Trek from October to Mid December October was regarded as the best trekking month in Nepal as the temperatures weren't yet too cold and the air was clear after the monsoon. In recent years the monsoon hasn't ended until almost mid October as per the Nepal Monsoon Dates chart . Also cyclones originating in the Bay of Bengal have hit Nepal several times in the first half of October. On 14 October 2014 cyclone Hudhud resulted in the death of 21 trekkers on the Annapurna circuit. In early October 2022 a cyclone hit the western and central parts of Nepal and caused great disruption to trekkers. I started a trek in Lower Dolpo in mid October 2022 and there was so much snow on the passes that we couldn't cross them. The beginning of October to mid November is the busiest time of year for the Everest Base Camp trek. If you don't like crowded trails and busy lodges it would be better to start trekking after mid November. The later the better for quieter trails. With regard to weather it would be best to wait until after 20th October to commence the Everest Base Camp trek. 6. Monsoon Dates for the Everest Base Camp trek These dates reflect when the monsoon first enters Nepal and finally exits the entire country. It should be taken into account that the monsoon enters and exits Nepal from the east when analysing these dates. Therefore for the Everest Base Camp trek the monsoon starts a few days later and ends a few days earlier. I have personally experienced how these monsoon dates can be misleading because the monsoon takes time to cross Nepal. The 2022 monsoon start date was 5 June yet we had great weather trekking in the Annapurna region until it rained in the evening of 10 June. The 2019 monsoon end date was 12 October but we had perfect weather in the Manaslu region from 10 October and the weather had been fairly good for about a week before that. YEAR START DATE END DATE ​ 2002 15 June 19 September ​ 2003 16 June 30 September ​ 2004 9 June 1 October ​ 2005 20 June 2 October ​ 2006 1 June 29 September ​ 2007 7 June 9 October ​ 2008 10 June 17 October ​ 2009 23 June 15 October ​ 2010 17 June 1 October ​ 2011 15 June 7 October ​ 2012 16 June 28 September ​ 2013 14 June 19 October ​ 2014 20 June 7 October ​ 2015 13 June 3 October ​ 2016 15 June 12 October ​ 2017 12 June 16 October ​ 2018 8 June 5 October ​ 2019 20 June 12 October ​ 2020 12 June 16 October ​ 2021 11 June 11 October ​ 2022 5 June 15 October ​ 2023 14 June 15 October ​ 2024 10 June 12 October 7. Monthly Trekker Numbers for the Everest Base Camp Trek These numbers are recorded when trekkers enter the Sagarmatha National Park at Jorsale. Most trekkers going to Everest Base Camp are recorded as entering the park on the day after they fly into Lukla. The Official Statistics at the Jorsale entrance I haven't shown the numbers for 2015 as they were affected by the earthquake. Likewise I haven't shown the numbers for 2020 to 2022 as they were affected by Covid. The number of trekkers doing the Everest Base Camp trek started to increase at the end of 2022 and 11,319 trekkers entered Sagarmatha National Park in October 2022. When reviewing these figures you should take into account that: The majority of trekkers for March will start the Everest Base Camp trek in the last half of March. Therefore from the middle of March the Everest Base Camp trek will be busier than it appears. There will be a lot of trekkers that enter Sagarmatha National Park at the end of April who will be doing the Everest Base Camp trek mainly in May. October is very busy but most trekkers entering Sagarmatha National Park at the end of October will be doing the Everest Base Camp trek mainly in November. Also most trekkers entering Sagarmatha National Park in November will do so in the first half of November. Therefore the first half of November will be busier for the Everest Base Camp trek than the statistics imply and the second half of November less so. Foreign climbing expeditions and Nepali trekkers aren't included in these statistics. Therefore early to mid April will be busier with climbers entering the park and hiking to Everest Base Camp. MONTH 2014 - 19 AVERAGE 2014 2016 2017 2018 2019 JANUARY 1072 930 589 1297 1466 1076 FEBRUARY 1265 975 1078 1363 1654 1256 MARCH 4980 3829 3804 5058 6609 5598 APRIL 8976 6808 5520 9592 10576 12386 MAY 3731 2397 3124 4487 4565 4082 JUNE 494 328 399 557 637 549 JULY 314 254 354 342 335 287 AUGUST 485 484 351 542 498 549 SEPTEMBER 3172 2788 313 4400 4818 3542 OCTOBER 11806 9463 10013 12479 12532 12542 NOVEMBER 7525 6496 6274 7687 8869 8300 DECEMBER 2507 2272 2467 2584 3080 2132 8. Weather Data & Forecasts for the Everest Base Camp Trek Meteoblue provides historical weather data and weather forecasts for several locations on the trail to Everest Base Camp. 9. My Other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs My Daily Reports on the Everest 3 Passes Trek Day Hikes on the Everest Base Camp Trek Lodges and Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek Kathmandu to Lukla and Back What to take for the Everest Base Camp Trek Forum Posts, Vlogs & Webcams for Everest Base Camp Trek Guides, Porters and Trekking Agencies

The View from Renjo La Contents Tripadvisor Posts Vlogs Webcam Nepal Live (Lukla, Namche, Khumjung & Pheriche) Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs 1. Tripadvisor Posts for the Everest Base Camp Trek My blogs on trekking in the Everest Region are based on my trek to Everest Base Camp in May 2014 and the Everest 3 Passes trek in May 2022. See my blog My Daily Reports on the Everest 3 Passes Trek . I am also an active participant on the Tripadvisor forum for Nepal. I follow this forum every day and obtain a lot of useful and up to date information. I have included some of this information in my blogs. It can be difficult to find relevant and useful trip reports on the Tripadvisor forum later on. I have therefore listed below some of the best trip reports regarding the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes treks. For easy reference the headings are linked to the posts on Tripadvisor. Some of the posts have over 300 threads and in such instances I have provided a summary of the most relevant and helpful postings. 1.1 Warning: Heavy Smoke Across Nepal This 2024 post highlights the problem from wild fires and pollution in Nepal during Spring. This wasn't the first year that it has happened but Spring of 2024 was particularly bad. Internal flights in Nepal were cancelled and this included flights to Lukla for trekkers doing the Everest Base Camp trek. Views on the Everest Base Camp trek were affected by the pollution particularly at lower altitude. The wild fires were put out by rain on 6th May 2024. In the past the pollution from wild fires hasn't been a problem from about this date. 1.2 How My Guide Almost Killed Me on the Everest 3 Passes Trek This Thorntree trip report about the Everest 3 Passes trek was written by a Canadian lady in 2014. She had a bad guide and they got lost in poor weather when crossing the Ngozumpa glacier near Gokyo. They spent the night on the Ngozumpa glacier and she suffered frost bite as a result. It is a fascinating trip report and highlights the risk in crossing the 2 glaciers on the Everest 3 Passes trek. In May 2022 I met several trekkers who had got lost on the Khumbu glacier after crossing the Kongma La. Luckily the weather was clear and warm. See my blog Guides, Porters & Trekking Agencies in Nepal . 1.3 Trekking in Nepal after April 1st 2023 - Live Reports The Nepal Tourist Board unsuccessfully tried to ban independent trekking in Nepal from April 2023. This post provides up to date information on this matter. 1.4 A Walk in the Khumbu in October/November 2021 This is a very interesting, and informative, trip report for the Everest 3 Passes trek from a German trekker (aka Dharma Bum) who travels very lightly. He walks to Everest Base Camp from Dhap and does the Everest 3 passes trek. His backpack weighed 4.26 kgs ! He didn't take a sleeping bag even though he did the Everest 3 Passes trek in November. He used the lodges' not so clean blankets and duvets. He is a fast trekker so take that into account when he mentions trekking times. Before the trek he asked Tripadvisor forum members to critique his proposed itinerary for his Everest 3 Passes trek. After the trek he posted trip reports for his 29 day trek. It ends up being a very long thread with 192 posts from himself and other trekkers, many of whom know the Everest 3 Passes and Base Camp treks very well. If you just want to read his trips reports these are the relevant links: Post 114 - Day 1 (Dhap) to Day 3 (Junbesi) Post 118 - Day 4 (Junbesi) to Day 8 (Namche Bazaar) Post 125 - Day 9 (Namche Bazaar) to Day 12 (Pangboche) Post 136 - Day 13 (Dingboche) to Day 16 (Lobuche) Post 140 - Day 17 (Pangboche) to Day 21 (Gokyo) Post 144 - Day 22 (Gokyo) to Day 27 (Namche Bazaar) Post 153 - Day 28 (Namche Bazaar) to Day 29 (Lukla) 1.5 Live report: Everest Base Camp Three Passes Trek in Spring 2022 An entertaining, informative and well written live trip report on the Everest 3 Passes trek from an American (Ling) based in Thailand. He has done the Everest 3 passes trek numerous times but until now always in the winter months. His Everest 3 Passes trek started on 30th March 2022 when the number of trekkers was fairly low due to Covid. There are 302 posts in this thread due to all the feedback from Tripadvisor forum members! Post 1 - Day 1: Flight to Lukla & trek to Namche Bazaar Post 21 - Day 2: "Rest day" in Namche and his day hike to Mong and Khumjung. Post 29 - Day 3: Namche Bazaar to Phortse Post 117 - Day 4: Phortse to Dingboche Post 148 - Day 5: Dingboche to Chukhung Post 170 - Day 6: "Rest day" in Chukhung Post 175 - Day 7: Chukhung to Lobuche via Kongma La Pass Post 180 - Day 8: Lobuche to Dzonglha Post 198 - Day 9: Dzonglha to Gokyo via the Cho La Pass Post 211 - Days 10 & 11: "Rest days" in Gokyo Post 232 - Day 12: Day hike from Gokyo to Renjo La Pass Post 256 - Day 13: Rest day in Gokyo Post 272 - Day 14: Gokyo to Namche Bazaar via Renjo La Pass Post 292 - Days 15–18: 3 Rest days in Namche Bazaar & the walk back to Lukla 1.6 Liveish Report: EBC Three Passes Trek December 2022 Another Everest 3 Passes trip report by Ling! Post 7 - Day 1: Kathmandu to Namche Bazaar Post 9 - Day 2: Rest day around Namche Bazaar Post 24 - Day 3: Namche Bazaar to Phortse Post 41 - Day 4: Phortse to Dingboche Post 53 - Day 5: Dingboche to Chukhung Post 58 - Day 6: "Rest day" in Chukhung with a stroll up Chukhung Ri Post 69 - Day 7: Chukhung to Lobuche via the Kongma La Pass Post 77 - Day 8: Lobuche to Dzonglha Post 81 - Day 9: Dzongla – Cho La Pass - Dragnag Post 96 - Day 10: Dragnag to Gokyo & Climb up Gokyo Ri Post 111 - Day 11: Hike to Gokyo Fifth Lake & Scoundrel's Viewpoint Post 132 - Day 12: Gokyo to Thame via the Renjo La Pass 1.7 Another Khumbu Report, off the beaten paths - October 2022 A trip report for an extremely exploratory trek in the Everest/Khumbu region. A lot of what he did is beyond the capability of the average trekker. That definitely includes me! The posts of interest to the ordinary trekker, looking to do side trips during the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes treks, are: Post 13 - The trail southwards of Thame that climbs up to Kongde and then descends to Toktok. Post 17 - Sunder Peak (5,368 metres) north west of Thame Post 33 - Lodges at Thyangbo (4,320 metres) on the way from Thame to Tashi Lasbsta 1.8 A Side Trail with Great Views between Lobuche and Gorak Shep Post 142 provides details of a very scenic route that runs from the Pyramid Lodge (north of Lobuche) towards Gorak Shep. It runs above, and parallel to the main Everest Base Camp trail. The trail is very scenic and not difficult. It is also possible to walk westwards from this path up a grassy slope to about 5,300 metres. 1.9 Daily Meal & Beverage Costs for the EBC 3 Passes Trek & trek in from Jiri Post 4 is by Ling again and he details all the daily meal and beverage costs he incurred during his December 2021 Everest 3 passes trek. Costs will have increased since then! 1.10 Pikey Peak on the way to the EBC Trek - where to sleep & eat? This Tripadvisor forum post provides pre Covid information on the trek from Dhap to Namche Bazaar. It is a thread of 20 posts with contributions from some trekkers who have hiked a lot in Nepal. 1.11 Dhap to Pikey Peak Trek Questions Another more recent Tripadvisor forum post on the Pikey Peak trek from early 2022. It is a thread of 59 posts. 1.12 Dharma Bum’s Recipe for Happiness: Boudhanath This post provides a lot of information on accommodation, restaurants and what to see at Boudhanath. 1.13 Back for more cake: Everest Three Passes Trek deep thoughts A trip report for Ling's Everest 3 passes trek in December 2023. In post 138 (written on 4 January 2024) he recounts his near fatal fall while crossing the Ngozumpa glacier near Gokyo! 1.14 Dharma Bum's Guide to Paths Less Travelled: Khumbu Edition   Information about alternative trails and day hikes when doing the Everest 3 passes and Everest Base Camp treks. 1.15 First Half of November Crowds on the Everest Base Camp Trek This post provides information about the number of trekkers doing the Everest Base Camp trek in the first half of November 2024. Surprisingly it didn't appear too busy as usually it is a very popular and busy period. 2. Vlogs There are quite a few interesting vlogs covering the Everest 3 passes and Everest Base Camp treks. Watching one or two will give you a feel for the scenery and what to expect. I find that they usually provide little factual information and are not that useful for planning the Everest Base Camp trek. I have provided links to a few of the better English speaking ones. 2.1 Everest Three Passes Trek This is a vlog by an Australian couple who were driving from Australia to Europe. They drove from Kathmandu to Salleri in their vehicle and then did the Everest 3 Passes trek in 21 days. They were later arrested and imprisoned for almost 3 months in Iran for flying a drone! 2.2 Motor Bike to Bupsa & then the Everest Base Camp Trek This is a video by a Nepalese couple who ride a motorbike from Kathmandu to Tham Danda, which is north of Bupsa. It gives a good idea of the road if you want to drive in rather than fly to Lukla. The road appears better than I thought it would be, but after rain it would probably be a mess. After walking to Namche Bazaar they take the standard route to Everest Base Camp. The only thing I didn't like was that they took a helicopter back from Gorak Shep. 2.3 Gokyo Trek (Part 1) - Lukla to Ama Dablam Base Camp The trekker is German so there is also a German version of this vlog. It covers the first part of his trek to Gokyo. He first hiked to Ama Dablam Base Camp to acclimatize. 2.4 Gokyo Trek (Part 2) - Pangboche to Gokyo This video is of his trek up the Gokyo Valley to Gokyo and then back to Namche via the Renjo La and Thame. 3. Webcam Live Nepal This YouTube site has links to several webcams set up along the trail for the Everest Base Camp trek. There are webcams at Lukla airport, Namche Bazaar, the Everest View Hotel above Namche Bazaar, Khumjung and Pheriche. This is very useful when you are sitting at Kathmandu or Ramechhap airport wondering if the weather will improve in Lukla so your flight can take off! 4. Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs My Daily Reports on the Everest 3 Passes Trek Day Hikes on the Everest Base Camp Trek Lodges and Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek When to trek to Everest Base Camp What to take for the Everest Base Camp Trek Kathmandu to Lukla and Back Guides, Porters and Trekking Agencies

Lukla Airport Most trekkers start and finish the Everest Base Camp trek in Lukla. Unfortunately the Lukla flights aren't reliable due to the weather and now most of the flights to Lukla don't land or take off from Kathmandu airport. This blog provides information about flying into, and out of Lukla, and the alternatives if the weather is bad. Click here  to read my other blogs about the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes treks. Contents Lukla Flights Ramechhap Accommodation & Transportation Accommodation at Lukla Drive/Hike between Kathmandu & Lukla in 2 Days Helicopter Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs 1. Flights to Lukla for the Everest Base Camp Trek 1.1 Flights to Lukla from Kathmandu and Ramechhap Airports Most trekkers fly into Lukla to do the Everest Base Camp trek and until recently these flights all took off from Kathmandu. Congestion at Kathmandu airport has resulted in the flights to Lukla being transferred to Ramechhap airport during the peak trekking season. This is from about mid March to the end of May and during the months of October and November. Flying from Ramechhap to Lukla is inconvenient. It is about a 4 hour drive from Kathmandu to Ramechhap at night but longer during the day due to road congestion. There are some hotels near Ramechhap airport, so you can drive to Ramechhap the previous afternoon and stay overnight. The alternative is to depart Kathmandu for Ramechhap between 01.00 to 02.00 to get an early morning Lukla flight! It is very chaotic at Ramechhap airport, even when there are no delays. Unfortunately flights are frequently delayed due to bad weather at Lukla. The effect of these delays have more impact at Ramechhap than Kathmandu as there isn't enough accommodation in Ramechhap. 1.2 Flights from Lukla Flying to Ramechhap isn't as bad as departing, as you don't have to stay there or cope with the chaos at the check-in counters. The major drawback is the drive from Ramechhap to Kathmandu, which could take 6 hours due to road congestion during the daytime. Lukla flights are often delayed, although less frequently during the normally clear weather from about mid October to mid December. Luckily this also coincides with Nepal's peak trekking season. Always try to get on the earliest possible Lukla flight as the weather usually deteriorates as the day progresses. If there are seats available on a different airline it is possible to transfer your ticket. Go to the airline office and get them to put the relevant stamp on your ticket which you then hand to the other airline. We did this at Lukla airport in 2014 and it only took 5 minutes. 1.3 Flight Cost & Weight Limit Flights between Ramechhap and Lukla currently cost $191 each way and between Kathmandu and Lukla cost $238 each way. These flights can be booked online through Yeti Airlines , although it shouldn't cost any more to book it through a trekking agency. The weight limit for these Lukla flights is 10 kilograms but the charge for excess weight is only about NPR 250 per kilo. If you are travelling with a guide he would usually have less than 10 kilograms of luggage and you can use his surplus weight allowance. 1.4 Cancelled Flights and Rebooking If your Lukla flight is cancelled you will have to rebook on the next available flight. In peak season only the later Lukla flights, which are at greater risk of being cancelled due to weather, will normally have availability. Your chances of getting rebooked onto an early flight will often depend whether your agency, or hotel at Ramechhap or Lukla, has good connections with the airlines. 2. Ramechhap Accommodation & Transportation 2.1 Hotels near Ramechhap Airport Some of the hotels within walking distance of Ramechhap airport are: Freedom Resort - This hotel gets reasonable local Google reviews and is an 11 minute walk to the airport. Rooms cost NPR 3,500 and tents NPR 2,500. The tents can be hot. Rooms and tents can be booked online through the above link. Lalu Hotel - The local reviews are also reasonable but there is no online booking. Hotel Manakamana Airport View - It also gets reasonable local reviews but again there is no online booking. 2.2 Transportation to Ramechhap Airport The first flights take off from Ramechhap airport at about 06.15. If you don't spend the night in Ramechhap you would have to leave Kathmandu around 01.15 to get there in time. This early start would probably be only a couple of days after a sleep disturbed international flight and when you are still suffering from jet lag. This isn't an ideal start for the Everest Base Camp trek. Mini buses and buses leave Kathmandu for Ramechhap around 02.00 each night and can be arranged through trekking agencies in Kathmandu. They cost about $35 per person, but you would not arrive in time for the earliest flight to Lukla. A private car arranged through a local trekking agency for the journey from Kathmandu to Ramechhap would cost from around $110 and a jeep about $160. Hiring a taxi yourself would be cheaper. 3. Accommodation at Lukla When flights are delayed for several days there isn't enough accommodation at Lukla for trekkers finishing the Everest Base Camp trek, even though there are many more hotels than at Ramechhap. Some hotels, like the very comfortable Lukla Numbur Hotel and the more basic Sunrise Lodge have connections with the airlines which makes a big difference. They can often arrange for you to get on an early flight from Lukla the next day and the early flights have a better chance of taking off. At the Lukla Numbur Hotel we didn't have to go to the airport until they told us that the incoming flights were proceeding. When we arrived at Lukla airport the hotel owner and guide had already got our boarding passes for us. 4. Drive/Hike between Kathmandu & Lukla in 2 Days The flights to Lukla for the Everest Base Camp trek are often grounded due to bad weather. It is often difficult to determine if the weather will clear or if the flights will be grounded for several days. The alternatives are taking a helicopter or doing a fairly gruelling drive and hike combination between Kathmandu and Lukla. The latter option is cheaper than flying when using shared jeeps or buses, but probably not when using a private jeep. In May 2022 we had a 06.00 flight from Lukla to Kathmandu but we woke up to rain. By 10.30 a.m. it looked like the weather wouldn't clear and an Australian at our lodge decided to hike and then take a jeep to Kathmandu. The weather suddenly cleared at 12.30 p.m. and our flight took off from Lukla at 1.30 p.m. We were surprised, and pleased, to see the Australian on the flight! He had luckily seen the weather improve and quickly hiked back up to Lukla! 4.1. Logistics The 2 day drive and hike from Kathmandu to Lukla could be split as follows: Drive on the tarred road between Kathmandu and Salleri. It could take 7 hours by private jeep, longer by shared jeep and almost 12 hours by bus (NPR 1,700 at March 2023). Stay in a lodge at Salleri. Phaplu is an alternative to Salleri but the lodges there aren't good. Drive 6 hours by jeep on the rough dirt track between Salleri and Tham Danda (just north of Bupsa). Click here to see a 16 minute video of the jeep ride. I wouldn't want to drive on this track after a lot of rain. The cost of a shared jeep was NPR 2,200 in March 2023. Then hike the same day between Tham Danda and Lukla, which takes about 5.5 hours. The hike from Tham Danda to Namche Bazaar can be done in 2 days with an overnight stop at Ghat or Phakding. The trail bypasses Lukla. 4.2. Approximate Costs of Getting from Kathmandu to Tham Danda Cost of a shared jeep from Kathmandu to Salleri was reported to be NPR 3,700 in April 2022. Cost of a bus from Kathmandu to Salleri was NPR 1,700 in March 2023. Cost of a shared jeep from Salleri to Tham Danda was reported to be NPR 2,200 in March 2023. A private jeep from Kathmandu to Tham Danda is about $420. These are ball park figures that depend on the fuel costs, road conditions, type of private jeep and your negotiating skills! 5. Use of Helicopters for the Everest Base Camp Trek The weather in Lukla can be too bad even for helicopters! It is the quickest option if flights have been grounded but not the cheapest! The normal cost is about $400 a person, but if a helicopter has spare seats you can sometimes be lucky to get a seat for as low as $150. The weather was terrible the day of our flight from Kathmandu to Lukla in May 2022. By mid morning we had given up on flying to Lukla and decided to pay $400 per person for a helicopter. However, the helicopter couldn't take off as the weather was too bad in Lukla. This proved to be lucky as at 12.30 we were told to board the plane as the weather in Lukla had cleared! We later met some young Swiss trekkers who had taken a helicopter that day from Kathmandu to Lukla and had only paid $150 each. As the weather was too bad for the helicopter to land at Lukla they were flow to Phakding instead, saving a few hours of the hike to Namche Bazaar. 6. Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs My Daily Reports on the Everest 3 Passes Trek Day Hikes on the Everest Base Camp Trek Lodges and Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek When to trek to Everest Base Camp What to take for the Everest Base Camp Trek Forum Posts, Vlogs & Webcams for Everest Base Camp Trek Guides, Porters and Trekking Agencies

On the way to Ama Dablam Base Camp with our Guide & Porter This blog provides information on the selection of trekking agencies and the hiring of guides and porters. Click here  to read my other blogs about the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes treks. Contents TIMS Cards Nepalese Trekking Agencies Foreign Trekking Agencies Hiring Guides and Porters at Lukla Links to my Everest Base Camp Blogs 1. TIMS Cards The Nepal Tourist Board had announced that the provisions of the Trekker Information Management System (TIMS) were changing effective 1 April 2023. Prior to 1st April 2023 trekkers could buy their own TIMS Card for NPR 1,000 and trek without a guide. From 1st April 2023 the new announcement meant that only trekking agencies would be able to obtain the TIMS cards for trekkers, at the increased cost of NPR 2,000, and all trekkers had to be accompanied by a guide. There is a Tripadvisor forum topic on this subject. It has up to date information from trekkers about any enforcement of the Tourist Board's edict about guides. The reality is that it isn't being enforced and you can continue to trek without a guide except in the restricted areas of Nepal like before. The only difference is that independent trekkers can't buy a TIMs card. However, independent trekkers are no longer being required to have one. The Everest Base Camp trek is not in a restricted area but you need to buy 2 permits whilst trekking: The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Permit costs NPR 2,000 and is bought at Lukla airport. The Sagarmatha National Conservation Area Permit costs NPR 3,000 and is bought in Monjo. 2. Nepalese Trekking Agencies There are numerous trekking agencies in Nepal and some of them are very good and others aren't! Some trekking agencies only sell packages that include food and accommodation. This enables trekking agencies to make higher profits as it is difficult for trekkers to ascertain the actual costs. It can also benefit the guides as they are given a lump sum to cover costs and anything left over is theirs to keep! Good agencies will always give enough to cover all potential costs. Bad agencies will give the minimum, which can cause a problem for the trekker towards the end of a trek. The accommodation provided will usually be for a basic room. If you want a room with an attached bathroom you will normally have to pay the difference to the guide. If you do take an all inclusive package it is important to determine beforehand what food and drink is included. For example: Can you have a starter and a main course? How many hot drinks per day are included? A far better approach is to only pay the trekking agency for the cost of porters, guides and transportation. The cost of the porters and guides should always include their food and lodging. Porters and guides can be hired through agencies from about $20 a day for a porter and $25 a day for a guide. The guide will often travel with you from Kathmandu and their airfare will be extra. Their airfare is far less than for a foreigner. Porters will usually join trekkers in Lukla and any transportation costs for them is for your account. Be aware that porter guides probably won't speak English very well. Some local trekking agencies will want a deposit for the Everest Base Camp trek. The deposit shouldn't be more than the cost of the flights. Don't pay more than necessary If you want to organise your own trek I can recommend 3 local trekking agencies: Enjoy Nepal Treks . I used them in 2023 for the Kanchenjunga and the Langtang/ Gosainkunda/Helambu treks. I paid $25 a day for a porter/guide but the cost has now increased to $30 a day. I paid for my own food and accommodation but they also offer all inclusive packages. They are an excellent agency. Nepal Sanctuary Treks . They are the local agents for The Mountain Company and I have used them 3 times. They are not be the cheapest as their packages include food and accommodation. However, they will be substantially cheaper than a foreign trekking company. Visit Himalaya Treks . I have never used them but recently met one of their small groups on the way to Makalu Base Camp. I have also read the blogs of 2 frequent trekkers to Nepal who highly recommend them. Again they are not be the cheapest as their packages include food and accommodation. However, they will be substantially cheaper than a foreign trekking company. 3. Foreign Trekking Agencies Legally foreign trekking companies have to employ a Nepalese trekking agency to organise their treks. As a result their treks to Everest Base Camp are far more expensive than those of a local agency as they make a healthy profit on top of the local agency's cost. Some foreign companies send a westerner to lead treks which increases the cost even more. I wouldn't want to trek with a group when the accommodation is in tea houses/lodges as for the Everest Base Camp trek. It is better, and cheaper, to organise one's own trek through a Nepalese agency. I like to select my own accommodation and try to avoid busy lodges. You can't do this with a group and usually have to share a room. I have trekked twice with groups in Lower and Upper Dolpo as they were camping treks. They would have been expensive to organise for one person. However, some people prefer to trek with a group and most foreign trekking companies offer group lodge treks to Everest Base Camp, as it is one of the world's most popular treks. I can recommend 2 foreign companies: The Mountain Company is a British company which arranges basic  and luxury  lodge treks for Everest Base Camp with Nepalese guides. It is a good company and I used them when trekking in Upper Dolpo. Kim Bannister of Kamzang Journeys personally leads one trek a year to Everest Base Camp. She knows the area and local people very well and she has an excellent reputation. I have never trekked with her but did briefly meet her while trekking in Lower Dolpo. 4. Hiring Guides and Porters at Lukla You can hire guides and porters at Lukla airport and there are usually several touting for business as you exit the airport. It is safer to recruit through a local hotel in case any problems arise during the trek. 5. Links to my Everest Base Camp Blogs My Daily Reports on the Everest 3 Passes Trek Day Hikes on the Everest Base Camp Trek Lodges and Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek When to trek to Everest Base Camp What to take for the Everest Base Camp Trek Kathmandu to Lukla and Back Forum Posts, Vlogs & Webcams for Everest Base Camp Trek

A view on the way up Kongma La Lani and I did the Everest Base Camp trek in May 2014 with a porter/guide and had fabulous weather and no crowds. We returned in May 2022 to do the more difficult Everest 3 Passes trek with a porter and a guide. Unfortunately the weather wasn't as perfect this time but the trail wasn't busy. This blog is a daily trip report of our 19 day Everest 3 Passes trek. I have also done several other blogs providing information and advice for trekking in the Everest region. See my Everest Base Camp Trek page for details. Contents Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla Hike to Namche Bazaar Namche to Khyangjuma via Khunde & Kumjung Khyangjuma to Pangboche via Phortse Hike to Ama Dablam Base Camp Pangboche to Dingboche Dingboche to Chukhung Day Hike towards Amphu Labsta Phedi Crossing the Kongma La Lobuche Lobouche to Dzongla Crossing the Cho La Dragnag to Gokyo Hike up Gokyo Ri Crossing the Renjo La Lumde to Namche Bazaar Namche Bazaar to Phakding Phakding to Lukla Flight from Lukla to Kathmandu Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blog s 4 May 2022 - Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla We were informed that the guide and driver would collect us from our hotel at 05.00 for our 06.00 flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. We were panicking as they didn't get to our hotel until 05.25! We arrived at the airport at 05.45 but didn't miss our flight as all flights to Lukla had been delayed due to bad weather! After 3 hours at Kathmandu airport we decided to pay an extra $600 to fly by helicopter, but the weather was too bad even for that. After hours of listening to extremely loud airport announcements the tedium was broken by a bomb scare. Someone had called from Pakistan and reported that several bombs had been planted in the domestic terminal. Everyone had to leave the building and sit in airport buses until sniffer dogs and bomb detectors had searched the building. Shortly after being allowed back into the terminal it was announced that our flight was boarding. By 13.10 we had landed in Lukla, which they boast is the world's most dangerous airport! I was very pleased we hadn't paid the extra $600 for a helicopter. We had lunch at Lukla and then hiked 4 hours to the small village of Bengkar. The new and best lodge had 4 other trekkers in so we stayed in a more basic tea house that had more character and no other guests. 5 May 2022 - Bengkar to Namche Bazaar We left our tea house at Bengkar at 07.50 and arrived at Namche Bazaar 4 hours later, after climbing 800 metres in fairly nice sunny conditions. Namche is at 3,450 metres and is the largest village on the trail for the Everest Base Camp trek. Namche has everything a trekker could want! We found a nice ensuite room with a small balcony in the upper part of Namche. The hotel association (cartel) in Namche has set the room rates and as a result rooms are expensive. We had to pay NPR 2,000 but negotiated free hot showers. It was very quiet when we arrived, but a noisy group arrived afterwards and took over the dining room. See my blog Lodges & Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek . 6 May 2022 - Namche to Khyangjuma via Khunde & Kumjung Namche Bazaar is at an altitude of 3,450 metres and one should spend 2 nights there for acclimatisation before proceeding on the Everest Base Camp trek. For our acclimatisation day we chose to do a half day acclimatisation walk to the villages of Khunde (3,840 metres), Kumjung (3,780 metres) and Khyangjuma (3,550 metres). Unfortunately we had woken up to cloudy weather and after walking for an hour it rained a little and got colder. As a result we didn't see the mountains at all and it was a dreary walk. This bad weather was unfortunately meant to continue for a few days. We were lucky that there was a gathering of monks at Kumjung monastery reciting scriptures. It was atmospheric and much better than visiting the usual deserted gompas. When we reached Khyangjuma we stayed there for the night rather than going back to Namche. Khyangjuma is only 100 metres higher than Namche and therefore at an acceptable altitude for acclimatisation for the Everest 3 Passes trek. This reduced our next day's walk by 1 hour. We stayed at a newly built lodge where all the rooms had attached bathrooms. The room cost NPR 1,000, which was half the price of our lodge at Namche. 7 May 2002 - Khyangjuma to Pangboche via Phortse We woke up to low clouds, but by the time we left the lodge it was sunny and warm and we caught glimpses of the mountains. We had chosen to do the higher and more scenic route to Phortse. This trail to Everest Base Camp isn't busy with trekkers but is longer! We reached the top of the Mong La (4,000 metres) after 2 hours and then immediately descended steeply down to the river! As soon as we got to the river we climbed 200 metres back up again to Phortse (3,810 metres). Almost 4 hours of walking. At Phortse we had dal bhat for lunch with its usual refills of rice, dal and vegetables. After lunch the cloud started to come in and by 15.00 we had showers and the visibility was down to about 100 metres. We were soon adding several layers over our T shirts! Our guide said we would climb 100 metres and then walk on a plateau to Pangboche. The bit about the plateau wasn't accurate. It turned out to be Nepali flat which entails constant ups and downs! We reached Lower Pangboche (3,900 metres) after almost 3 hours from Phortse and Lani was very tired. We found a room with an attached bathroom for NPR 1,500. We negotiated free charging of electronics as it would otherwise cost NPR 300 per device. 8 May 2022 - Hike to Ama Dablam Base Camp It was raining when we woke up at 06.00, but the weather had improved by the time we left for Ama Dablam base camp at 07.45. The walk began with a 100 metre descent to the river, followed by a 800 metre ascent to Ama Dablam base camp. It took 3 hours 15 minutes to reach base camp and Lani struggled with the altitude. There are 3 lodges near Ama Dablam base camp that cater to the mountaineers and we had dal bhat at the only lodge that was open. It took us 1.5 hours to descend. Initially it snowed a bit, followed by light rain and then sun as we neared Pangboche. Unfortunately we didn't get any views of Ama Dablam all day! See my blog Day Hikes on the Everest Base Camp Trek 9 May 2022 - Hike from Pangboche to Dingboche Yesterday evening we had limited mountain views and this morning we could actually see the top of Ama Dablam! We stayed in lower Pangboche because of altitude acclimatisation. Before setting off to Dingboche we climbed 100 metres to see the more traditional upper Pangboche. We looked around the 600 year old gompa and found out that photos weren't allowed only after taking one! Some villagers started praying in the upper part of the Gompa and we were allowed in. It was really impressive with all the masks used for ceremonies, but again no photos were allowed. It took us 3 hours to reach Dingboche. We were slow but some other trekkers going to Everest Base Camp were even slower. I was starting a cold and didn't feel well for the first part of the trek. Lani was also feeling a bit off. There are lots of lodges in Dingboche but when we hiked to Everest Base Camp in 2014 we found the majority were pretty dire. This year we found the Hotel Tashi Delek, which cost NPR 1,000 for a nice corner ensuite room. We had our first showers for 3 nights (NPR 600 each). They will probably be our last showers until we reach Gokyo in 7 nights time! We could no longer use our mobile phone data package and had to pay NPR 700 each for internet. It is amazing that we could access the internet at all. 10 May 2022 - Hike from Dingboche to Chukhung I had a bad night because of my cold. Lani claimed she hadn't slept well either, despite hearing her sleeping soundly throughout the night! We woke up at 06.00 to the usual low clouds or mist! I felt very despondent as we have come to see the Himalayas. We had our usual breakfast of oat porridge (now costing NPR 600) and ginger tea, and then packed up. A lot of the clouds had cleared by the time we started walking. We walked for 3 hours from Dingboche (4,400 metres) to Chukhung (4,700 metres) with fantastic views of Ama Dablam and partial views of other mountains. It should have been an easy walk, but I struggled because of my cold. By the time we got to Chukhung I had no energy left for going around the lodges to select the best one. We went to the Khangri Resort which has the best reputation. We thought the Khangri Resort had attached bathrooms but none of the lodges in Chukhung do. Initially we accepted a dark downstairs corner room, but then our guide found us a really nice and bright upstairs corner room. The lodge has a bright warm sun room and we had it all to ourselves. The cost of a room is only NPR 500. 11 May 2022 - Day Hike towards Amphu Labsta Phedi We woke up at 05.45 to clear skies and fantastic mountain views. We left the Chukhung at 07.15 to walk towards Island Peak base camp. The mountain views were incredible and I was snapping away. We hiked for 2.5 hours to get to the turnoff to Island Peak base camp. Lani decided to return back to our lodge at this point and I continued towards to Amphu Labsta Phedi. This had been recommended on the Trip Advisor forum as a better option than Island Peak Base Camp. It involved crossing a precarious bridge and I have to admit our guide gave me a helping hand. There were 2 fantastic lakes on either side of the trail. The first one was the large, and very grey, Imja Tsho at 5,010 metres. It is carefully monitored as the glacial moraine holding the lake back is at risk of collapse. The second lake was Amphu Labsta Tsho which is a beautiful blue colour. We continued towards Amphu Labsta Phedi until there were no more views to be gained. It was a 6 hour round trek. 12 May 2022 - Crossing the Kongma La to Lobuche My guide hadn't been over the Kongma La pass (5,535 metres) before and there is a tricky glacier crossing on the other side. I therefore arranged to team up with 3 other trekkers and their 2 guides for crossing the first pass of the Everest 3 Passes trek. Lani hiked with our porter on the lower level route to Lobuche which goes via Dingboche and Dughla. This is the normal route for the Everest Base Camp trek. Both routes take about 8 hours. I got up at 03.50 and had breakfast at 04.30. My guide and I then walked over to another lodge to join the other trekkers. We started walking at 05.10 in very clear weather with little wind. We took our time with plenty of breaks to enjoy the fantastic mountain scenery. It was a relentless climb up to the top of Kongma La (5,535 metres) with the hardest part being the final very steep ascent to the top. We had lunch at the top and our small group had the summit to ourselves. The descent was steep with very rocky and difficult terrain initially. There were a couple of small rockfalls but no one was hit. After the steep descent we reached the difficult crossing over the Khumbu glacier to reach Lobuche (4,900 metres). None of the guides had crossed the Khumbu glacier in the last 3 years and the route constantly changes. It took 15 minutes to find the start of the route and then it was fairly straightforward. However, the terrain over the moraine was undulating and difficult. I reached Lobouche after a hard 9 hour walk. I grabbed the last ensuite room at the New EBC Guest House. Within 20 minutes I spotted Lani and our porter outside. There were far too many people at Lobuche and we decided not to go to Everest Base Camp the next day as the lodges would be awful if fully occupied. We went to Everest Base Camp in 2014 so missing Everest Base Camp wasn't a problem. 13 May 2022 - Lobuche We woke up at 05.00 to take advantage of the usual early morning clear skies. We left the lodge at 06.15 to hike a high ridge with excellent mountain views. Lani was walking slowly as she has a cold and a bad cough, probably the Khumbu cough that is caused by the cold and dry air at high altitude. We walked to the Pyramid, which was an Italian weather or research centre, and part of the facility is now a lodge. We had tea there and looked around the lodge. From the Pyramid it was a steep climb up to the top of the ridge, perhaps 5,300 metres. Lani did very well to make it but struggled. The views were excellent. By 08.30 clouds were rolling up the valley and by 09.30 the mountains were obscured. Lani needed another night in Lobuche to acclimatise before going on to Dzongla. Our guide managed to phone the lodge and persuaded them to let us keep the room, even though it was reserved! A lot of the cloud cleared in the afternoon so I walked up the steep west side of the glacial moraine ridge that I crossed yesterday. It is about a 20 minute walk and there are good views of the mountains and the glacier from the top. 14 May 2022 - Hike from Lobouche to Dzongla We woke at 05.30 to clear skies and good mountain views. By the time we finished breakfast low cloud or mist had obscured the mountains. Luckily, the sun came out and the cloud cleared, about half an hour into our 3 hour walk from Lobouche to Dzongla. The scenery was superb although the path was narrow and with steep drop offs at times. Lani was still struggling with the Khumbu cough and it was clear that she wouldn't manage the Cho La Pass tomorrow. We decided that Lani would go slowly back down to Namche with our porter, while I continued on the Everest 3 passes route with our guide. Khumbu cough only improves at lower altitude. This meant Lani and I would be apart for 4 nights and I would have to carry what I needed. In the evening our guide spoke to a small group that were doing the Everest 3 Passes trek and had just crossed the Cho La Pass from the west. They said that the glacial ice on the western downward side was slippery so I might have to use my microspikes. 15 May 2022 - Crossing the Cho La Pass It was a disappointing day of weather. We could clearly see the mountains when we set off for the Cho La pass at 05.20. However, clouds quickly rose up the valley and by 05.30 there were no views. I found the hike up the Cho La pass to be a hard slog especially as I was carrying all my things, except my sleeping bag which was kindly carried by my guide. After a couple of hours we reached the glacier and I put on my microspikes which made walking easier. It took about 3 hours to reach the top of Cho La pass (5,420 metres) and I met 3 people I knew at the top. A cable was installed about 3 years ago to help with the initial descent down the western side of the Cho La Pass. My microspikes were still very useful as the trekker in front of me didn't have any and slipped several times. We reached the lodges at Dragnag after walking 6 hours. I was tired and after having lunch decided to stay the night. Most other trekkers continued walking for a further 2 to 3 hours to Gokyo. I managed to phone Lani who had reached Debouche at 3,800 metres. The lower altitude had already improved her cough, which had been very bad last night. She was staying in the new and very comfortable section of the Rivendell Lodge. 16 May 2022 - Hike from Dragnag to Gokyo We walked from Dragnag (4,700 metres) to Gokyo (4,790 metres) and the trail was mainly over the massive Ngozumpa glacier. The new starting point for the Ngozumpa glacier crossing was not marked and we were lucky to find it. After that the trail was well marked. I really enjoyed crossing the Ngozumpa glacier and often observed rocks falling into the lakes in the middle of the glacier. It was a steep climb up the ridge on the other side of the Ngozumpa glacier and there was a rope in place to facilitate this. After crossing the Ngozumpa glacier we had good views of Gokyo village and lake. There are 6 lakes in the Gokyo valley and the village is on the third lake. It took 3 hours to get to Gokyo. I checked into the Cho Oyu lodge and got a nice corner lake view room with shared toilets for NPR 500. In the afternoon I walked to Gokyo's fourth lake with someone I met a few days ago. We intended to go onto the fifth lake but it was too far. 17 May 2022 - Hike up Gokyo Ri I planned to walk up Gokyo Ri (5,360 metres) if the weather was clear enough. At 05.00 there was low cloud but by the time I had my usual breakfast of porridge and ginger tea at 06.30 the clouds had cleared. I rushed up Gokyo Ri in 1.5 hours, overtaking everyone in sight trying to reach the top before the clouds came in again. Just as I got to the top of Gokyo Ri most of the mountain views were obscured by clouds! Luckily the clouds cleared after about half an hour and I stayed at the top of Gokyo Ri for a further 2 hours to enjoy the views. I could see the peak of Everest for the first time on this trip. In the afternoon I enjoyed an expensive shower costing NPR 800 followed by a solitary 1.5 hour walk to Gokyo's first and second lakes. Incidentally since Lani took our toothpaste I had to buy a foul tasting tube of toothpaste for NPR 600. I couldn't even buy soap from the only shop (shack) in Gokyo but luckily there was some in the shower stall. 18 May 2022 - Crossing the Renjo La I had another early breakfast and we left Gokyo at 06.10 in very good weather to cross the final pass of the Everest 3 Passes trek. It took 2.5 hours to reach the top of Renjo La (5,360 metres). Renjo La is meant to be the easiest of the passes on the Everest 3 passes trek, but we had been warned that there was a lot of snow on the other side. We found that the report of the snow was true but luckily it hadn't turned to ice. After spending about an hour on the top of Renjo La enjoying the great views we put on our micro spikes/crampons and descended. Initially the trail was narrow with a large drop off on the one side. It took us just over 2 hours to reach the small settlement of Lumde (4,368 metres) where we had lunch. The lodge had nice rooms with a squat toilet for NPR 500 so we stayed there. It was very sociable with 3 people I had met before (an Israeli, German and Kiwi). The lady running the lodge was also very pleasant. 19 May 2022 - Hike from Lumde to Namche Bazaar We walked from Lumde to Namche Bazaar via Thame. We climbed up to the monastery at Thame so we could visit the 600 year old monastery and also to try to get a phone signal to contact Lani! After a lot of difficulty we finally managed to get through to Lani and arranged to meet her for lunch further down the trail at Thamo. Lani had warned me that 19 Everest Base Camp marathon runners had arrived at her hotel in Namche the previous night! Luckily they weren't too noisy and we had a room in a separate annexe with a little balcony. I had 2 pieces of chocolate cake to celebrate being back in civilisation! 20 May 2022 - Hike from Namche Bazaar to Phakding We had an easy 3 hour or so walk down to Phakding and stayed in a nice lodge which had spacious rooms with attached bathrooms for NPR 1,000. There was only one other couple there. 21 May 2022 - Hike from Phakding to Lukla We tried a different route from Phakding to Lukla. Virtually everyone doing the Everest Base Camp trek uses the path on the east bank of the river, but someone on the Trip Advisor forum had recommended the west bank from Phakding to Ghat. It was a quiet and scenic route along the river. After 3.5 hours we arrived at Lukla and tried to fly out a day early without success. See my blog Forum Posts, Vlogs & Webcams for the Everest Base Camp Trek for Tripadvisor recommendations and trip reports. We stayed at a very nice lodge in Lukla and all the rooms had attached bathrooms for NPR 1,000. The only problem was a noisy group of 14 women from the Middle East staying there. 22 May 2022 - Flight from Lukla to Kathmandu Our flight was at 06.30 but we woke up to rain. It rained all morning and we didn't think there would be any chance of flying out that day. At midday we were resigned to spending another night in Lukla and had an early lunch. As we ate our lunch the weather started to clear and just as we finished we were told to quickly go to the airport. The airport was only 5 minutes walk away. The owner of the lodge had connections with the airlines he very kindly arranged our boarding passes for us. Just over an hour later we were back in Kathmandu! Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs Day Hikes on the Everest Base Camp Trek Lodges and Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek When to trek to Everest Base Camp Kathmandu to Lukla and Back What to take for the Everest Base Camp Trek Forum Posts, Vlogs & Webcams for Everest Base Camp Trek Guides, Porters and Trekking Agencies

Cordoba Cathedral Contents 31 March & 1 April 2024 - Plymouth to Santander, Spain 2 April 2024 - Salamanca, Spain 3 April 2024 - Salamanca to Toledo, Spain 4 April 2024 - Toledo to Cordoba, Spain 5 April 2024 - Cordoba to Granada, Spain 6 April 2024 - Granada, Spain 7 April 2024 - The Alhambra at Granada, Spain 8 April 2024 - Granada, Spain Links to other blogs about our road trip 31 March & 1 April 2024 - Plymouth to Santander, Spain We live a 40 minute drive from Plymouth so Brittany Ferries' sailing from Plymouth to Santander is very convenient for us. The voyage takes about 22 hours and it saves 2 to 3 days of driving. I have driven from the UK to north west Spain twice before and the scenery isn't that great. We booked a 4 berth cabin with a window as all the 2 berth cabins had been reserved. It wasn't cheap as the cabin cost £160, but it was worth having a private space with a view and some daylight. The return voyage cost £1,000 so we may not be saving much by taking our own car instead of flying and renting cars. However, the ferry is much more pleasant than taking an early morning flight. It is also convenient having everything in our own car for the entire 10 week trip to Morocco. I just hope our 2013 Ford Focus doesn't have any mechanical problems! The voyage went well and although the weather wasn't bad the ship did sway a fair amount when crossing the Bay of Biscay. Brittany Ferries use their largest ship for the Plymouth to Santander crossing and it's more stable. Unfortunately Lani went to the bathroom in the night and fell into the shower. I am glad that we weren't on the previous sailing as there was a storm then. We arrived in Santander at 15.30 the next day. It didn't take long to disembark from the ferry and to get through Immigration and Customs. From there it was a 4 hour drive to Salamanca and we arrived at the Parador de Salamanca around 20.00. We haven't stayed in a Parador before and this is the only one I have booked for this trip. It is a modern Parador about a 20 minute walk to the centre of Salamanca. I booked a superior room as these rooms have a good view of the cathedral and it cost of £87.50 per night. We were very pleased with our room at it was quiet, spacious and had a good view. 2 April 2024 - Salamanca, Spain We booked 2 nights at the Parador de Salamanca so that we would have a whole day to visit Salamanca. Rain was forecast from mid afternoon so we had breakfast as soon as the restaurant opened at 07.30. As it was our first stay at a Parador we were given a voucher that gave us one free breakfast and that saved about Eur 40 for the two of us. It was a very good breakfast and we ate far more than we normally would. Usually we would just have a bowl of porridge but the food was too tempting. After breakfast we walked into the centre of Salamanca over the old Roman bridge. Unfortunately the weather was cloudy and dreary but good weather was forecast from tomorrow. The cathedral is the main sight in Salamanca. It is massive as it consists of 2 cathedrals joined together. The old cathedral wasn't demolished when they built the new one in 1513. For an additional fee we also climbed up the tower and onto the roof of the cathedrals. The views weren't great but it was interesting see how the 2 cathedrals were joined together. We also paid to enter the Universidad de Salamanca as its buildings date back to the 12th century. The library, chapel and one old classroom were the main things to see but we weren't that impressed. The other sights in Salamanca were the Casa de las Conchas (House of Shells) which is now a library and the Plaza Mayor. The Plaza Mayor is very elegant as it enclosed by a continuous 4 storey building and the town hall. We walked around Salamanca until 15.00 when it started to rain as had been forecast. By then we had seen everything in Salamanca that we had wanted to see. Soon after we got back to the hotel the weather cleared and the sun finally came out. That wasn't forecast! In the evening we walked back into Salamanca and had a seafood Paella for Eur 36. It would have been much more expensive to eat at the Parador. 3 April 2024 - Drive from Salamanca to Toledo, Spain When we arrived in Spain we were lucky to have missed several days of wet weather that had spoiled many of the Easter religious processions in Spain. The weather forecast was for sunny and dry weather from today and it turned out that the forecast was right! We left Salamanca at midday and arrived in Toledo at 15.00, which was our check in time for our next apartment. We had booked a 2 bedroom apartment in Toledo for 1 night through Booking.com for Eur 90. We were pleased with the modern apartment and importantly we had a parking space for our car in the basement of the building. It was about a 15 minute walk in to Toledo's historic centre and we visited Toledo Cathedral first. It was constructed over 2 centuries and opened in 1493. We bought a ticket for Eur 12 that allowed entry into 7 of Toledo's historic buildings. We managed to visit the following ones before they closed at 18.30: 11th century church of Saint Tome. The main attraction here is another El Greco " The Burial of Count Orgaz" painted in 1586. Sinagoga de Santa María built in 13th century but converted to a church in 1411. There are 25 horseshoe arches and 32 columns, creating a sense of space. Real Colegio Doncellas Nobles founded in 1551, an educational institution promoting women. Monastery of San Juan de los Rey. Iglesia de los Jesuitas, We didn't visit Toledo's Alcazar (fort) as it is now an Army Museum and the Alcazar was rebuilt between 1939 and 1957 after the siege of the Alcazar during the Spanish Civil War. 4 April 2024 - Drive from Toledo to Cordoba, Spain It was sunny again today and we drove for 4 hours from Toledo to Cordoba. It seems that our car's air conditioning isn't working and we will have to try and get it fixed before we go on to Morocco. I had booked a 3 bedroom apartment in Cordoba for Eur 62 but unfortunately the sound proofing was poor and we could hear our neighbours very clearly. Fortunately they quietened down for the night and we managed to get 7 hours sleep. It was a 40 minute walk from the apartment to Cordoba's historic centre. As it was hot we took a bus in and walked back in the evening. We first visited the Mezquita as it is Cordoba's main attraction. The Mezquita is Córdoba's famous mosque which was completed in 787. In the 9th century it ranked third in sanctity in the Islamic world, behind Mecca and Jerusalem's Al Aqsa mosque. When the Christians conquered Cordoba in the 13th century it was converted into a cathedral. We then went to the Alcazar (fort), which is a Spanish fortress of Moorish origins, which was built in the 14th century. When we got to the entrance there was a long queue, probably about 70 people! We decided to wait and it turned out it was that busy because entry was free that day! The Alcazar housed the Inquisition (1428 to 1821) and it was then a prison until 1951. The buildings aren't very interesting but they contain some very fine Roman mosaics and a Roman sarcophagus. There are beautiful gardens surrounding the Alcazar. We finished the day by walking over the old Roman bridge and having dinner in the old Jewish quarter of Cordoba. 5 April 2024 - Drive from Cordoba to Granada, Spain It was a hot 3 hour drive from Cordoba to Granada. The car's air conditioner definitely wasn't working and needs to be fixed. I had rented a 2 bedroom apartment in Granada through Booking.com for 4 nights at a cost of Eur 488. The price included parking which can be very difficult in Granada. After the disappointment of the apartment in Cordoba I was relieved that the apartment in Granada was very good. It was on the 2nd floor of a modern apartment building and had a small balcony. The only drawback was that it faced onto a busy street and there was a lot of traffic noise. My priority was then to have the car's air conditioner fixed. I found a car repair chain called Feu Vert which had a workshop near us. I tried to book online and they an available slot at 17.00. Unfortunately booking online was impossible as they didn't accept British registration numbers and required a Spanish tax identification number. Luckily Lani has been learning Spanish and phoned them. We got the 17.00 appointment but it cost about 50% more as we hadn't booked online. Anyway the main thing was to fix the air conditioning as it wasn't pleasant driving in the heat. 6 April 2024 - Granada, Spain We explored Granada today and visited the cathedral first. We thought it was more impressive than the guide books said. By the time we left the cathedral the tour groups were in full swing and we had to queue to get into the Capilla Real. This is the Royal Chapel built as a mausoleum for Isabel and Fernando, the Catholic monarchs who liberated the city from the Arab rulers. Their coffins are in the crypt below and their figures, carved in marble from Carrara in Italy, lie behind a beautiful grille. Sadly photos are not allowed After that we visited the: Corral del Carbon dating back to the 14th century. Palaccio de la Madraza. It is now part of Granada university but it was originally an Arab university. It has a finely decorated Mihrab (prayer niche). Monasterio de San Jerónimo, The courtyard is filled with Orange trees and there is a beautiful church. Casa de los Tiros (the House of Shots) named for the muskets projecting from it's battlements. 7 April 2024 - The Alhambra at Granada, Spain I booked our tickets for the Alhambra in January as they often sell out way in advance. You have to select a time for visiting the Nasrid Palaces which is the main attraction of the Alhambra. I got tickets for 08.30 which is when the Alhambra opens in order to be able to see the palace before it became too busy. It was therefore an early start for us as the Alhambra was 45 minutes from our apartment. We arrived early at 08.00 and were first in the queue. That worked out well as when they let us in at 08.30 the people behind us had a problem with their tickets and we had the Nasrid Palaces to ourselves. We quickly walked through the Nasrid palaces to take photos before other visitors arrived. Then we went back to the start and spent an hour slowly walking through the beautiful palace that was built in the fourteenth century. The other 2 main sites in the Alhambra are the Alcazar and the Summer Palace. We went to the Alcazar first and climbed up 2 of the towers. It wasn't busy at all but unfortunately the weather was hazy and the views were spoiled. The Alhambra is a large site and it took about 15 minutes to walk to the Summer Palace. We stopped off at a church and hammam on the way. We found the summer palace to be a bit disappointing. The gardens weren't that impressive and nothing like the magnificent gardens at Cordoba's Alcazar. The buildings that we were allowed into weren't special and the views were spoiled by the haze. We spent 3.25 hours walking around the Alhambra and afterwards walked down to the historic centre of Granada. The owner of our apartment had recommend the Los Manueles restaurant for lunch. When we arrived at 12.00 the restaurant was empty but within half an hour it was completely full. It was an authentic Spanish restaurant mainly visited by Spaniards. The food was good and not expensive. In the afternoon we walked up to the Albaicin district of Granada. There is a mirador outside San Nicolas church with views over to the Alhambra. As it was Sunday it was busy and some guys were playing traditional Spanish music and a few girls were dancing to it. There was a nice atmosphere. 8 April 2024 - Granada, Spain This was our third full day in Granada and we took it easy in the morning. In the early afternoon we walked to El Ladrillo 11, a restaurant in the Albaicin neighbourhood, for a late lunch. We arrived at 14.30 and there were only 2 other people there. We were surprised that by 15.00 the restaurant was almost full. The restaurant had been recommended by the owner of our apartment and the food was very good. As often happens a street guitarist came and played a few traditional songs. After lunch we continued walking around the pretty streets of the hilly Albaicin area of Granada and then continued on to the nearby Sacromonte district. The Sacromonte area is also on a hill and is known for its cave dwellings but we didn't see any. There was a museum with several of these cave dwellings but we weren't interested in visiting a touristy version. Another attraction of Sacromento are the excellent views of the Alhambra. Yesterday our views were spoiled by haze but the weather was much clearer today. We could clearly see the snow covered Sierra Nevada mountains. We finished by walking back along the pretty Rio Darro to the centre of Granada. Links to other blogs about our Road Trip from England to Morocco Week 2 - Spain to Morocco Week 3 - Southern Morocco Week 4 - Marrakesh to Todra Gorge Week 5 - Todra Gorge - Merzouga - Fes - Chefchaouen Week 6 - Morocco to Cadiz & Seville Week 7 - Seville to Portugal Week 8 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, U K

The Caprice in Comillas Contents 6 June 2024 - Muxia to Suances, Spain 7 June 2024 - Day Trip to Santillana del Mar 8 June 2024 - Day Trip to Comillas 9 June 2024 - Suances 10 & 11 June 2024 - Santander & Plymouth Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip 6 June 2024 - Drive from Muxia to Suances, Spain We were sad to leave Muxia this morning as it is a small friendly town with a relaxed atmosphere. We drove 5.5 hours eastwards from Muxia in Galacia to Suances in Cantabria. Suances is only a half an hour drive from Santander where we will be taking the ferry back to Plymouth. After driving for about two hours we encountered some very thick fog. The visibility was very poor and we followed a truck until the fog cleared after about 10 kilometres. That area must be prone to fog as they had special lights on both sides of the carriageway to guide us. The weather was pretty miserable the whole journey and clouds blocked the mountain scenery. Unfortunately the weather is meant to be bad until we return to the UK in 4 day's time. We were delighted with our very modern and bright 3 bedroom penthouse apartment in Suances. We had booked it through Booking.com for Eur 104 per night which was an absolute bargain for such a fantastic apartment. It was the best accommodation of our entire 10 week trip and I highly recommend it. Suances is a small town split into the upper town, where we're staying, and the lower beach area. Our apartment was in the centre of the upper town and after settling in we walked around Suances and did some grocery shopping. 7 June 2024 - Day Trip to Santillana del Mar We were pleased to wake up to a brighter day than had been forecast. We took advantage of it and visited Santillana del Mar which is only a 15 minute drive from Suances. Parking Publico is a very convenient car park by the tourist office and public toilets. There are ticket machines but there were signs stating it was free. Santillana del Mar is an exceptionally well preserved medieval town unspoiled by modern development. Unfortunately it can often be spoiled by a multitude of tourists as it is very popular with Spanish visitors. Santillana del Mar wasn't very busy when we visited though. Santillana del Mar has 2 main pedestrianised cobbled streets with well preserved medieval buildings. Unfortunately most of them are now shops and restaurants for tourists. The main square is the Plaza Mayor. The main sight to visit in Santillana del Mar is the Romanesque Collegiate church of Santa Juliana. It started as a monastery in the mid 12th century. A group of monks built it in an effort to contribute to the repopulation of the area and to house the relics of the martyr Juliana. It is worth paying the small fee to enter it. We had lunch in Santillana del Mar and then returned to our fantastic apartment. 8 June 2024 - Day Trip to Comillas In the morning we drove to Suance's lighthouse and walked on the headland around it. There were good views of the beaches at Suances. Unfortunately it was a gloomy and breezy morning but at least it was dry! We then drove for 30 minutes to the town of Comillas. We tried to park in the very central Aparcamiento Comillas but it isn't a large car park and was full. Parking is free and there are public toilets there. We ended up parking in the free Parking Municipal del Polideportivo which has plenty of spaces but it isn't quite as central. The tourist office provided us with a useful map of Comillas with information on all the historic buildings that can be visited. We saw the most important buildings in Comillas which were: The Palacio de Sobrellano. It was built as a summer palace in 1888 by the First Marquis of Comillas and was the first building in Spain to use electric light. The First Marquis fled to Cuba as a 14 year old and made his fortune there before returning to Spain. It is free to wander around the gardens which is what we did. The impressive University Pontificia de Comillas was founded in 1890 and is a private university. We only viewed it from the gardens of the Palacio de Sobrellano. The university was originally created as a seminary, sponsored by the First Marquis of Comillas. It is one of the most prestigious universities in Spain. The Caprice which was designed by Gaudi the famous Spanish architect. We decided not to pay to see the interior. El Duque is a 19th century English style building. It was closed for renovations. Near to El Duque is a statue of the First Marquis which was erected as homage to him for the great benefit he brought to Comillas. From the statue of the First Marquis we could see an impressive cemetery that is in the ruins of a gothic church overlooking the sea. The Iglesia de San Christobal dates back to 1617 and is next to the Corro Campios which is the main square in Comillas. We spent an enjoyable couple of hours wandering around Comillas and then returned to our apartment. 9 June 2024 - Suances We woke up to rain so we had a quiet morning in the apartment. In the afternoon the rain stopped for a while and we went for a walk along the seafront below Suances. We didn't do very much today but after 10 weeks of travelling we were happy to relax in our comfortable apartment. 10 & 11 June 2024 - Drive to Santander & Ferry to Plymouth We had to check out of the apartment at 11.00 and then drove 30 minutes to the ferry terminal in Santander. The ferry was only sailing to Plymouth at 18.30 but they checked us in and we were allowed to leave the car at the terminal while we walked around Santander. We were pleasantly surprised with Santander. A large part of it was destroyed by fire in 1941 and we expected a lot of ugly modern buildings. However, there were a number of elegant buildings and Santander is a pleasant town in a beautiful setting. As we walked along the waterfront we saw our ferry arrive so we walked back to our car. There is a shop at the port which sells booze and I bought 12 bottles of wine for about Eur 10 a bottle. Two of the assistants informed me that one of the wines I bought was served in the Vatican. A good sales pitch! The ferry sailed on time from Santanderand it was much fuller than when we came over to Spain in April. We had our own cabin again and it was a pleasant crossing as the sea wasn't rough. We arrived on time but for some reason they left us stuck in our cars for an hour before we could disembark. It has been a very good 10 week road trip. Overall we were very lucky with the weather as it wasn't too hot, cold or wet. Our 10 year old car behaved very well on the 5,500 miles trip and the only issue was that the air con needed re-gassing. Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip from England to Morocco Week 1 - Salamanca, Toledo, Cordoba & Granada Week 2 - Spain to Morocco Week 3 - Southern Morocco Week 4 - Marrakesh to Todra Gorge Week 5 - Todra Gorge - Merzouga - Fes - Chefchaouen Week 6 - Morocco to Cadiz & Seville Week 7 - Seville to Portugal Week 8 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way Day Hikes on Spain's Lighthouse Way

View on the Lighthouse Way Trek Contents 30 May 2024 - Stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way 31 May 2024 - Stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way 1 June 2024 - Day Trip to A Coruña 2 June 2024 - Stage 5 of the Lighthouse Way 3 June 2024 - Muxia & outing to Muros 4 June 2024 - Stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way 5 June 2024 - Stage 4 of the Lighthouse Way Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip 30 May 2024 - Stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way Trek It was a short 2 hour drive northwards from Pontevedra to Muxia. When we arrived at midday it was only 17 degrees centigrade and there was a very strong and chilly wind. We had enjoyed temperatures of 27 degrees centigrade in Pontevedra yesterday. We rented a 3 bedroom apartment in Muxia through Booking.com for only Eur 474 for a week. We have a bit of a sea view and we were very pleased with the apartment. The first thing I did was put on the heating as Muxia was so cold! We were spending a week in Muxia to do several sections of the 8 day Lighthouse Way trek as day hikes. This afternoon we wanted to do part of stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way trek. It is the longest section of the trek and it takes about 10 hours. We certainly didn't have time to do the whole stage! Much of stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way trek is along main roads and through forests and towns which doesn't appeal to us. We like paths through open countryside so we can enjoy views. We therefore decided to do the last part of stage 6 which runs much closer to the sea than the first part. We needed to take a taxi to Leis beach and then walk about 10 kilometres back to Muxia. There are about 7 taxi drivers in Muxia and one of them is Mathew Smith who is a Brit living in Muxia. I gave Mathew a call as we were apprehensive about communicating with Spanish taxi drivers. He agreed to pick us up in the afternoon. The weather improved in the afternoon, although it was windy, and it was a very pleasant 2.5 hour walk. It did involve some walking along roads and forests. However, the roads were very quiet rural roads and the forests were natural rather than plantations. In the evening we had a meal at Bar O Porto on Muxia's seafront. Mathew had recommended it but had warned us that the young waitress rarely smiled. Mathew was right as the food was good and the waitress didn't smile! See my blog Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way  for information on planning hikes on the Lighthouse Way. 31 May 2024 - Stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way Trek Last night I called Mathew to arrange for him to take us to Lires Beach in the morning and collect us from Finisterre in the late afternoon. This would enable us to do a lot of stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way trek. The entire stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way trek is 27 kilometres long and takes about 9 hours. We planned to do 17 kilometres of it. This meant cutting out the road section from Nemina to Lires Beach at the start and an uphill section to Finisterre lighthouse at the end. The coastal scenery was fantastic but it was a hard 6 hour hike with several hills to walk up and down. Fortunately the strong wind was behind us and the weather was sunny and warm. We were pleased that we hadn't attempted to do the complete section. The path was very quiet and we only passed one couple, and a woman walking on her own, coming the other way. That's the way I like it! Just before we reached Finisterre I called Mathew and he came to collect us. It cost Eur 57 for the taxi there and back which was worth it, enabling us to do a beautiful hike that wasn't excessively long. See my blog Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way for information on planning hikes on the Lighthouse Way. 1 June 2024 - Day Trip to A Coruña The sunny and dry weather continued today and the weather forecast is good for our entire week in Muxia. If so we are really lucky as Galicia isn't renowned for good weather! We took a break from hiking today and drove one hour north to the large town of A Coruna to do some sightseeing. We parked at Aparcadoiro Palexco which has plenty of large parking spaces, toilets and is very close to A Coruna's historic centre. We had lunch and then spent an hour wandering around A Coruna's old town. It is very pleasant but there isn't an awful lot to see. Afterwards we drove over to the nearby Torre de Hercules. This is a Roman Lighthouse dating from the second century which was restored and re-clad in the late 18th century. It was closed when we got there but it is in a very nice position and there are good views from the base. There is a free car park at the Torre de Hercules and also free parking on the street. 2 June 2024 - Stage 5 of the Lighthouse Way Trek Mathew drove us to Arou in the morning so we could walk to Camarinas on stage 5 of the Lighthouse Way trek. This is the most scenic section of the 8 day trek. It is 24 kilometres long and has had the most shipwrecks. It is known as the Coast of Death (Costa de Al Muerta). We shortened the hike a bit by asking Mathew to drop us off at Lobeiras viewpoint which is 1.7 kilometres past Arou. It was then a beautiful 6 kilometre walk to the English Cemetery where 142 of the bodies recovered from the HMS Serpent were buried. The cemetery also commemorates the death of sailors from 2 other British vessels that ran aground in the 19th century. HMS Serpent reached this stretch of coast in November 1890 2 days after leaving Plymouth. It was carrying 176 crew members. Sadly the ship ran aground in thick fog and only 3 crew members survived. Shortly after the English cemetery the coastal path changed to a little used coastal road leading to the Vilan lighthouse. We followed it most of the way but cut out the final steep climb up to the lighthouse. By now the wind was ferocious and it would have been even worse at the lighthouse. We had intended to phone Mathew to have him pick us up from Lago Beach which is 2.5 kilometres before Camarinas. However, the walk took less time than we had anticipated and Mathew couldn't collect us before 16.30 as he was hosting a lunch party. We therefore walked to Camarinas and called him from there. The hike took about 6 hours in total and it wasn't too tiring as there weren't many hills. In the evening we tried another restaurant that Mathew had recommended. It is called the A Marina and is very popular. We had a good seafood dinner and the staff were very pleasant and smiled! See my blog Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way  for information on planning hikes on the Lighthouse Way. 3 June 2024 - Muxia & outing to Muros The wind was much calmer so we explored Muxia in the morning. Muxia is an attractive small town on a headland and we really liked it. We walked to the end of the headland where there is a church and lighthouse. Just above the church there is a granite sculpture called A Ferida (The Wound). The sculpture was donated as a tribute to the volunteers who helped the Galician people when the Prestige Oil spill occurred in 2002. The MV Prestige was carrying 77,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in a heavy storm when it sank and spilled an estimated 60,000 tonnes of oil. In the afternoon we drove south along the coast from Muxia to the small town of Muros. The drive wasn't as scenic as I hoped as we didn't have many views of the coast. It was very hot in Muros and if we had brought our swimming gear we would have gone to the beach. Instead we walked around Muros's small historic centre in the heat. The only sight is really the Church of Santa Maria which has a wooden ceiling is in the shape of an inverted ship's keel. 4 June 2024 - Stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way Trek Mathew drove us to the tiny coastal settlement of Talon near Nemina Beach so we could walk to Muxia on stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way trek. The Lighthouse Way trek goes from the north to the south but we reversed the direction of this stage so we could finish the walk at our apartment. There had been a very strong northerly wind for several days. As we hadn't wanted to walk into the wind we left this stage until the wind had calmed down. Stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way trek is 25.3 kilometres long and is meant to take about 9.25 hours. It involves ascending 750 metres in one section plus other hills. I decided to make it more enjoyable by taking a few short cuts where possible. This reduced the distance by about 8 kilometres. It turned out to be our least favourite section of the Lighthouse Way trek as there weren't good views of the coast for half the walk. Also there were boggy sections and a lot of the walk was on overgrown paths with gorse and brambles scratching us. On the way we met a young British guy walking towards us. He warned us that his wife had been attacked by a dog whilst taking a short cut to avoid walking around a headland. His trek had been organised by an agency and they had arranged for a taxi to take his wife to a doctor. We were very surprised that he hadn't gone with her! We are very nervous of dogs so we abandoned our plan to bypass the headland as the dog was running wild on the road. We could hear it barking in the distance. The scenery on the headland was beautiful so it was a good decision. The hike took us about 7.25 hours and we were very tired. It was a hot day and there was little wind. Sometimes the wind is beneficial! See my blog Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way  for information on planning hikes on the Lighthouse Way. 5 June 2024 - Stage 4 of the Lighthouse Way Trek Fog was forecast f or today. It was fo ggy when we woke up but fortunately it soon cleared. I was planning to drive 23 kilometres to Arou, take a local taxi to Laxe and then walk back to Arou on stage 4 of the Lighthouse Way trek. However, there are very few taxi drivers in Laxe and Arou and we didn't relish communicating with them in Spanish. I therefore called Mathew again and arranged for Lani to travel in his car to Arou and for me to follow him in our car. Due to the local law Lani had to be in the taxi. I then parked our car in a free car park in Arou and Mathew drove both of us to Praia dos Cristais near Laxe. It turns out that it was Matthew who had taken the woman to the doctor yesterday. He told us that the dog was indeed very aggressive and the wife was badly shaken up by it all. He also found it bizarre the husband didn't stay with her! This was the last time we would be using Mathew and we were sad to say goodbye. He was very good company and very knowledgeable and informative. We had spent several hours chatting to him over the last week. If you go to Muxia I highly recommend him. His telephone number is 34 683 36 24 65. Stage 4 is the easiest section of the Lighthouse Way trek as it is only 18 kilometres long and there is very little elevation. We cut out the first 2.8 kilometres of the hike and in total the hike took us 5.25 hours. It was a much more scenic hike than yesterday's hike. The terrain was also easier except near the end when the trail goes through an interesting boulder field. See my blog Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way  for information on planning hikes on the Lighthouse Way. Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip from England to Morocco Day Hikes on the Lighthouse Way Week 1 - Salamanca, Toledo, Cordoba & Granada Week 2 - Spain to Morocco Week 3 - Southern Morocco Week 4 - Marrakesh to Todra Gorge Week 5 - Todra Gorge - Merzouga - Fes - Chefchaouen Week 6 - Morocco to Cadiz & Seville Week 7 - Seville to Portugal Week 8 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK

Porto Contents 23 May 2024 - Porto 24 May 2024 - Porto 25 May 2024 - Porto 26 May 2024 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain 27 May 2024 - Pontevedra 28 May 2024 - 28 May 2024 - Day Trip to Santiago de Compostela 29 May 2024 - Day Trip to Vigo Links to Other Blogs on our Road Trip 23 May 2024 - Porto We took an Uber into Porto today and it cost Eur 7, which isn't much more than 2 tickets on the metro would have cost. We first visited the 12th century Porto Cathedral which the Rough Guide said wasn't very special. The entry fee was Eur 5 and it was worth it. There was a lot to see and there were good views from the tower. Our next stop was the Sao Bento train station! It is a tourist attraction as it has historic scenes made from 22,000 blue ceramic tiles. We had lunch at Cafe da Gina on the upper floor of the Mercado de Bolhao. The food was excellent and it was so much cheaper than restaurants in tourist areas. They have very good reviews on Tripadvisor . We walked over to Porto city hall and about 20 people were patiently waiting for their turn to pose in front of the Porto sign! The avenue leading down from the City hall was lined with interesting buildings. We paid a Eur 5 entrance fee to visit the interesting church of Carmo. It was built for monks and is very ornate. The entrance fee also covered the Carmelita nunnery which is now a museum. The Church and the Nunnery are separated by probably the narrowest house in Portugal, barely 1 metre wide. This house was built as churches couldn't share the same wall. As we had plenty more time in Porto we called it a day and took an Uber back to our apartment. We were impressed with Porto and preferred it to Lisbon. 24 May 2024 - Porto We took an Uber from our apartment to the beach area of Porto. From there we walked for about 1.5 hours to the centre of Porto along the Atlantic coast and the Douro river. It was a sunny day but there were only a few people on the beaches. We had a quick lunch and then continued walking along the river to the old Ribiera area on the waterfront of Porto. It was very lively and it is one of the most popular areas of Porto for visitors. We walked across the lower deck of the Ponte Luiz I bridge to the south side of the Douro which is known as Gaia. It is another busy and popular water front area as there are excellent views across the river to the historic centre of Porto. There is a cable car (Teleférico) which goes along Gaia's waterfront up to the upper deck of the Pont Luiz 1 bridge. We took the cable car despite the Eur 7 charge being a bit expensive for a 5 minute ride. 25 May 2024 - Porto We had a more relaxed day today and took an Uber to the Crystal Palace gardens in Porto. Porto's Crystal Palace was modelled on London's Crystal Palace but the original structure has been replaced by a modern dome shaped building. It is possible to walk on top of the dome but it costs an extortionate Eur 10. The Crystal Palace gardens are worth seeing. The views over the city and the river are the best feature. There were lots of peacocks, peahens and cockerels strutting their stuff. We walked into the historic centre of Porto from the Crystal Palace gardens and wandered around. A couple of days ago we had come across a long queue of people waiting to get into the Livraria Lello bookstore. We didn't know why at the time but this bookstore is said to have inspired JK Rowling when she lived in Porto before writing Harry Potter. Apparently she frequented the bookstore. Lonely Planet ranks it as the world's third most beautiful bookstore. I have seen photos of the Livraria Lello  bookstore and it is impressive. However, I wouldn't go to the hassle of buying an online ticket for Eur 8 and queuing to enter a bookstore crowded with Harry Potter fans. I'm not a fan! We later passed the Majestic Cafe which also had queues to enter. It turns out that it was a popular hangout for JK Rowling. 26 May 2024 - Drive from Porto to Pontevedra, Spain We drove 170 kilometres from Porto to Pontevedra in Spain. We visited Ponte de Lima and Valencia do Minho on the way to Pontevedra. Both towns were on our route and were worth visiting according to the Rough Guide book. We also couldn't check into our next apartment in Pontevedra until 17.00 and therefore needed something to fill in the time! Ponte de Lima is one of the oldest towns in Portugal and is on the River Lima. Ponte de Lima is an attractive town but doesn't have any real sights. There was plenty of safe and free parking at the " Parque Estacionamento - Expolima ". It was a Sunday and Ponte de Lima's centre was busy with Portuguese visitors and locals strolling around. We walked over the old 14th century bridge to the Parque do Arnada and then strolled around the town centre and the riverside. After lunch at Ponte de Lima we drove the short distance to Valenca do Minho. Its old town is within 13th century fortifications. We drove through several narrow gateways to park inside the walls at " Parking Fortaleza ". It wasn't free but it seemed secure which was important as we had our luggage in the car. The Rough Guide made out that Valenca do Minh would be swarming with tourists and being a Sunday I feared the worst. Fortunately there weren't many visitors and we spent a pleasant hour wandering around Valenca do Minh's historic centre. We reached Pontevedra at 17.00 and checked into a very modern 1 bedroom apartment that we had booked through Booking.com for Eur 71 per night. We will be staying 4 nights in Pontevedra. 27 May 2024 - Pontevedra The weather in Galacia isn't usually good but we woke to sun and the weather forecast is good for the next week. It was only a 10 minute walk along the river from our apartment to the historic centre of Pontevedra. It was surprisingly quiet in Pontevedra but that may have been because it was a Monday morning. The centre of Pontevedra is a very pleasant place to wander around but there aren't many sights. We visited t he convent of San Francisco, which was founded by St Frances of Asissi, and entry was free. We also visited the Basilica of Santa Maria Mayor, a 16th century Roman Catholic church. The interior was plain but beautiful. It was free to enter the church but we paid Eur 1 to climb up the bell tower We entered the Church of the Pilgrim (Igreja de la Peregrina) and again entry was free. The church's scallop shell shape is thought to indicate that it was intended for use by the pilgrims on the road to Santiago. We had problems finding any restaurants open for lunch and it seems that Mondays are a very quiet day. We had lunch at an Indian restaurant as we couldn't find any other open restaurants. However, on the way back to our apartment we saw that there were 2 or 3 restaurants open in the Plaza da Lena. We had spent about 4 hours walking around the centre of Pontevedra and had seen everything there was to see. 28 May 2024 - Day Trip to Santiago de Compostela We drove 40 minutes from Pontevedra to Santiago de Compostela today. I am very conscious that car parking in Spain can be very difficult. I therefore always research car parking beforehand and had found 2 car parks that were near the centre and had good reviews. We tried the cheaper " Parking Municipa Belvis " first but unfortunately it was full and after circling around a few times we gave up. Luckily there was plenty of space at the " Continental Aparcadoiro " and the parking spaces were reasonably wide. It didn't break the bank as 4 hours cost about Eur 8. The main site in Santiago de Compostela is the cathedral and we headed straight there. Four squares surround the cathedral and each square provides a different perspective of the cathedral. Obradoiro square is the largest of the four squares surrounding the cathedral. The Hostel of the Catholic Monarchs adjoins the square. It was founded in 1499 to house pilgrims and is now a Parador. Raxoi Palace is also on the square and was built in 1766. It was originally used as a seminary and is now the City Hall. The smallest of the 4 squares is Platerías Plaza which has the baroque Casa Cabildo, which was built in the 18th century. In the centre of the square is the Fountain of Horses. The Plaza da Quintana is flanked by the Monastery of San Martino. It was founded in the 10th century to house monks overseeing the relics of Santiago. It is the second largest monastery in Spain covering 20,000 square metres. Visitors aren't allowed to enter. We entered the cathedral to which entry is free. It was full of pilgrims, people who have hiked the Camino and other visitors. There was a long queue to see the bones of St James in the crypt and to go behind the high alter. We didn't do this as the queue was too long. We had lunch at the Mercado de Abastos as its sea food restaurants have a good reputation. Lani ordered octopus for Eur 20 and was given a whole one which was a very large portion. I ordered a dish of scallops costing Eur 20 and got ten very small ones! As I was still hungry and I ordered a octopus for myself! 29 May 2024 - Day Trip to Vigo We drove along the coast to Donon which is south west of Pontevedra. Most of the coast around Pontevedra has been spoiled by development. However, there is very little development on the very scenic headland at Donon. There was free parking on the coast at Donon and signs showing walks in the area. We decided to walk south to the two lighthouses near Praia de Melide. We initially walked south along a narrow road and after ten minutes turned off onto the coastal path. There was a sign saying "Senda da Costeira" at the turn off. The path went all the way to the lighthouses and it took about an hour. It was a very scenic walk and there are two nice beaches just past the light houses. On the way back we took a quicker dirt track that didn't follow the coast and joined up with the road near the car park. The signboards at the car park showed that there was another interesting coastal walk northwards to an iron age fort. Unfortunately we didn't have time to do it. We then drove to nearby Cangas. We parked the car and took a 20 minute passenger ferry ride across the estuary to Vigo. It was a very modern ferry which runs every half an hour and only costs Eur 2.80 each way There isn't that much to see in Vigo. We had lunch first and then wandered around the older part of Vigo. We were intrigued that there are a series of covered escalators from the lower part of Vigo to the upper town. Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip from England to Morocco Week 1 - Salamanca, Toledo, Cordoba & Granada Week 2 - Spain to Morocco Week 3 - Southern Morocco Week 4 - Marrakesh to Todra Gorge Week 5 - Todra Gorge - Merzouga - Fes - Chefchaouen Week 6 - Morocco to Cadiz & Seville Week 7 - Seville to Portugal Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK