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This blog provides information on the new permit rules that were introduced in 2003, 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 restricted areas 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 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 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 EBC, 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 in the Everest region 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 in the Everest region. 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

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 this hike 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 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 the base camp. It would take 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 proper 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 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) This is now a fairly popular acclimatisation walk 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. 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. This Instagram posting shows some pictures of the trail 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

I have reviewed and recommended tea houses at the overnights stops on the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes treks. Unfortunately there aren't any tea houses that I can recommend in Gorak Shep! There is also information about food, drinks, showers, internet and charging of electrical devices. Click here  to read my other blogs about the Everest Base Camp and Everest 3 Passes treks. Contents Accommodation Food & Drink Drinking Water Showers, Electrical Charging and Internet Cost of Lodging, Food and Drink Tea House Recommendations & Reviews Links to my other Everest Base Camp Trek Blogs 1. Tea House Accommodation on the EBC Trek Nepal is unique in having so much available accommodation on many of the high altitude trekking routes. It is cheap and, unlike in many European mountain lodges, you can get your own room. The rooms even have attached bathrooms sometimes. The comfort and quality of the Everest Base Camp accommodation is probably only matched in the Annapurna and Langtang regions. The Everest Summit Lodges and Mountain Lodges of Nepal have high quality lodges up to Pheriche. The tea houses on the Everest Base Camp trek are fine until you get to Lobuche and Gorak Shep. It would be a big adjustment to stay at luxury lodges up to Pheriche and then have to slum it at Gorak Shep. We did both Everest Base Camp treks with a guide. We have always made it clear to the agency and guide that we would have the final say as to where we stay. It is important to clarify this before the trek. It avoids any upset when the guide wants you to stay in his friend's dismal tea house and you don't! Even when the package includes accommodation and food you should still be able to choose where you stay. It is best to pay for your own accommodation and food. See my blog Guides, Porters & Trekking Agencies in Nepal for further information. When we are trekking we aim for a room that: Has an attached bathroom if possible. Is away from the toilets and dining room. Is an end room so we only have neighbours on 1 side of the thin walls. A room on the top floor for views, brightness and quiet. We also check that the dining room fire that will be lit at a reasonable time. It is possible to negotiate a bit when the tea houses aren't busy. I have never had a free room but have had reductions in the room rate and charging of electronics included. I ask politely and never want to upset the owners by being bargaining hard. 2. Tea House Food & Drink The tea houses make most of their money on the food and it is usually good. I mainly have dal bhat and other local dishes when trekking, but all tea houses offer a variety of western dishes. The food is reasonably priced. It is much faster if every one orders the same dish at lunch time. We always had dal bhat for lunch as this is what our porter and guide would order. If possible our porter would go on ahead to order lunch, as it takes a while to prepare dal baht from scratch. Dal baht is filling and there is always an offer of seconds. Tea houses sell soft drinks, beer and other alcoholic beverages. It isn't advisable to drink alcoholic beverages until you are fully acclimatized for altitude. I didn't drink any beer on our EBC treks so I have no idea of the cost . On another trek it cost from NPR 500 for a large bottle at lower altitude increasing to NPR 800 at high altitude. The tea houses on the Everest Base Camp trek can be leased out so it isn't always the owners running things. As a result the quality of the food, and the welcome you receive, can vary from year to year depending on who is in charge. 3. Drinking Water The tea houses sell bottled water, but it becomes progressively more expensive the higher you go. They have a huge environmental impact as plastic waste is usually dumped down a hillside on the edge of the village. Tea houses also sell boiled at a cost of between NPR 100 to NPR 200 per litre. As with everything the cost increases with altitude. We have always used a Steripen Classic 3 UV water purifier which purifies a litre of water in one minute. It takes 4 AA batteries and we find that the Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries almost last long enough to purify about 8 litres of water a day for a 16 day trek. Always take spare batteries as the ones sold on the trail barely last a day! If the water source is frozen in the morning it can be necessary to revert to boiled water. LifeStraw water bottles filter water as you drink and are very popular now. Some reviewers on Amazon have mentioned a plastic taste, but that may vary with different models. You can buy various water filter pumps. I used one many years ago but I find the Steripen much easier to use. Some of the smaller filters, like the popular Sawyer , can be damaged if they ever freeze . 4. Showers, Charging and Internet 4.1 Showers Most lodges have gas or solar heated showers. It is probably best to skip showering when it's very cold to avoid getting sick. In 2022 the lodge at Namche included the shower in the rate; at Dingboche the shower cost NPR 600 and NPR 800 at Gokyo. 4.2 Charging of Electrical Devices All the tea houses on the Everest Base Camp trek usually provide charging of electrical devices. It was free at the start of the trek at places like Lukla, Phakding, Namche and Kyangjuma. At Pangboche we negotiated free charging but after that we had to pay. Our only record of what we paid was NPR 300 for charging a phone at Dzongla. It costs more to charge power banks. It isn't worth buying a solar panel purely for the Everest Base Camp trek, but if you already have one it will save a bit of money if you bring it along. Recently I used a 3 panel solar system attached to my back pack for trekking in Lower Dolpo and to Makalu Base Camp . It worked very well. 4.3 Internet We bought a Ncell package for the Everest Base Camp trek, but could only use it for internet as far as Namche. After that it was good for phone calls only which we didn't need. We got internet at all lodges, except at Lungdhen, usually costing NPR 500 per day. It is much cheaper to buy an Everest Link internet package in Lukla or Namche which will enable access to the internet at most lodges. The package costs NPR 1,999 for 10 GB and NPR 2,999 for 20 GB and lasts for 30 days. 5. Cost of Lodging, Food and Drink Post 4 of this linked Tripadvisor forum posting will give you an idea of the cost of food and drink in December 2021. Allow about $30 per person a day for room, food and hot drinks. You will need extra for showers and alcoholic/soft beverages. Always bring extra NPR in case, but you may be able to exchange USD. Your flight out of Lukla could be delayed, involving additional costs on food and lodging in Lukla or on alternative travel arrangements (helicopter or jeep from Tham Danda). I always bring the tip for our guide and porter in NPR. If I run short of NPR I can use it for my expenses and tip them in USD. 6. Review of Tea Houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek 6.1 Phakding We stayed at the Mountain Resort in Phakding. It is on the west side of the river near the suspension bridge. It is a large lodge and we had a spacious room with a good attached bathroom. I forget the cost but it wasn’t expensive. There was only one other couple staying here so it was quiet, except for the TV in the dining room that the staff were watching! I managed to turn the volume down at first and then turn it off later! Groups do stay here and a smaller tea house would be preferable then. 6.2 Namche Bazaar There is a "cartel" in Namche controlling room rates and keeping them higher than they would otherwise be. In 2022 the rate for a room with an attached bathroom was NPR 2,000, which is higher than for lodges up the trail. A Tripadvisor Forum post had recommended the AD Friendship Lodge in Namche. We stayed in the room that he had mentioned which had an attached bathroom and a small balcony. It cost NPR 2,000 including hot showers. The lodge is comfortable but unfortunately it is popular with groups. We weren’t disturbed by noise at night. Porters and guides use the room below it and noise could be an issue. It may therefore be better to take another room, although none of the others have a balcony. In May 2014 we had stayed at Hotel Khangri and had a nice quiet corner room with an attached bathroom. The hotel is very clean and has a good dining room. It isn’t very big so probably not suitable for groups. It is more central and has excellent Tripadvisor reviews. It is about the same price as the AD Friendship lodge and I think it's better. 6.3 Khyangjuma We stayed at the Ama Dablam Lodge & Restaurant in Khyangjuma. The original hotel burnt down in 2017. When it was rebuilt the owner decided that all the rooms would have attached bathrooms with western toilets, sinks and showers. The cost was NPR 1,000, including showers and charging, which is half the very high rate charged by the hotels in Namche! The water pressure was weak on the upper floor. We enjoyed our stay there and the lodge has a huge terrace where trekkers can sit and enjoy the views if the weather is good. It wasn't when we were there! 6.4 Deboche We stayed at the Rivendell Lodge at Deboche in 2014 and liked it. Lani stayed there again in May 2022 and liked it even more! The owners were very helpful and friendly. They have a new wing which is of a western standard. The rooms in the new wing cost $50 which include hot showers, internet, charging, bed linen and even electric blankets! The rooms with attached bathrooms in the old wing cost NPR 3,500. As Lani was sick they gave her room in the new wing for NPR 4,000. In my opinion Deboche is a much nicer place to stay than Tengboche. The only advantage of staying in Tengboche is the proximity of the monastery and the bakery! 6.5 Pangboche We stayed at the Highland Sherpa Resort, which is in Lower Pangboche. We chose Lower Pangboche, which is about 100 metres below Upper Pangboche, to aid altitude acclimatisation. It cost NPR 1,500 for a room with an attached toilet and we negotiated free charging. There was a funny smell in the nicest corner rooms so we took one of the other rooms and it was fine. We were the only guests in the lodge so it was quiet. There was a bad smell in the corridor from the communal toileowever. 6.6 Ama Dablam Base Camp/Mingbo There are 3 lodges near Ama Dablam Base Camp but in May 2022 only the Ama Dablam Base Camp Lodge was open. We only had lunch there and the dal baht was good. The lodge is mainly used by climbers. 6.7 Dingboche In 2014 we stayed at the Mountain Paradise Hotel in Dinboche. It certainly wasn’t paradise the first night! The next day it went from bad to worse when a large Indian group arrived. The smoky yak dung fire gave me the Khumbu cough for the rest of the trek. In May 2022 we stayed at the Hotel Tashi Delek which is fairly central on the east side of the path through Dingboche. We had a bright and comfortable corner room with an attached bathroom. The dining room and food were excellent and the lodge was run by a very pleasant couple. There were very few people staying there and it appears groups don’t use it. It was being expanded in December 2022. Hopefully this won't attract groups. 6.8 Chukhung There aren’t any lodges with attached bathrooms at Chukhung. We stayed at the Khangri Resort , which is probably the biggest and best lodge in Chukhung. We were shown to a dark corner room on the bottom floor, which I accepted as I wasn’t feeling well. As we were having lunch our guide told us that there were better rooms upstairs and that the owner said we could change rooms. We ended up in a much better corner room which was bright and had good mountain views. Another advantage of being upstairs is that there were less trekkers and we had the large sun room to ourselves. The room cost NPR 500 and the hot shower, and the expensive internet, were extra. 6.9 Lobuche The accommodation in Lobuche has improved to some extent and there are more tea houses. I still wouldn't want to spend longer than necessary there, particularly when it is busy. The New EBC Lodge had been recommended on the Tripadvisor forum. There are only 2 ensuite rooms costing NPR 1,500 and we managed to get the last one in May 2022. Internet was NPR 500. I think it is the best lodge in Lobuche. It is also probably the most popular one and also used by groups You can reserve rooms but the reservations aren't always honoured, particularly if you arrive late. Our ensuite room had been reserved by someone else but we got there an hour before him! Alpine Home has 3 rooms with attached bathrooms. On the Tripadvisor forum they mentioned that they might have had some flooding in the rooms resulting in a funny smell. We met a trekker who was staying in one of these rooms with attached bathrooms. He said it was fine initially as the lodge had used air freshener. The smell deteriorated and he had to move into a standard room. The lodge might have sorted this out now, but if you smell air freshener they haven't! Mother Earth House - We stayed there in 2014 and it was the newest, largest, swankiest and most expensive lodge in town. I think the rooms on the main floors were about $35 per night and $25 in the attic. They couldn't charge that much now as there are no attached bathrooms. There have been a couple of bad reviews. 8000 Inn at The Pyramid - The Italian research station, 20 minutes north of Lobuche, offers accommodation. It is the most upmarket lodge in Lobuche but it feels claustrophobic. It is popular with groups and doesn't have attached bathrooms. There are a few reviews on Tripadvisor. They have various packages. One includes unlimited food, hot showers, a bath towel, electric blanket and internet and costs $45. This would be a good option when the lodge isn't busy. Call beforehand to check. 6.10 Dzonglha The Hotel Green Valley in Dzongla had been recommended on the Tripadvisor forum. They have a few rooms with squat toilets. There are also pairs of rooms with a shared toilet. These units consist of a shared entrance hall leading off to 2 separate rooms and a shared toilet. There were very few trekkers at the lodge so we took 2 rooms with a shared attached toilet at NPR 500 per room. The food at the lodge was good and the owner was helpful. In winter the rooms with attached bathrooms might be closed due to frozen water as was the case in December 2022. 6.11 Dragnag/Thangnak I stayed at the new Hotel Khumbi-La & Restaurant in Dragnag which has at least 4 rooms with attached bathrooms, a good dining room and a sun room. A room with an attached bathroom costs NPR 1,000 (normally NPR 1,500) and the standard rooms were NPR 500. Internet cost NPR 500. I enjoyed my stay there. 6.12 Gokyo Gokyo Thanka Inn on the lake shore is the nicest and priciest lodge at Gokyo. Rooms are $35 a night but they were offering the rooms at $25 a night in May 2022. I stayed at the Cho-Oyu View Lodge which is on the lake shore next to the Thanka Inn. The lodge is new and has double glazed windows. There aren't any attached bathrooms. I had an upstairs corner room with a lake view for NPR 500. This lodge is very comfortable. The Fitzroy Inn has some rooms with attached bathrooms. It gets good reviews but is used by groups. I had a good lunch there and they also have a bakery. It isn't on the lake but north facing rooms have lake views. 6.13 Pheriche The Edelweiss Pheriche has attached bathrooms and gets excellent reviews. In 2014 we stayed at the Himalayan Hotel in Pheriche which gets good Google reviews . It had a very good dining room and there were some attached bathrooms. 6.14 Lungden I stayed at the Renjo Pass Support Lodge in Lungden which has old and new wings. The rooms in the new wing all have an attached squat toilet (no sink) and cost R500. The food was good and the owner was very welcoming. They lit a fire in the evening even though it wasn't very cold. There was no internet when I stayed there in May 2022. 6.15 Lukla In Lukla it is important to stay at a lodge with good airline connections in case your flight is cancelled. The lodge we stayed at in 2014 couldn't help with the airlines when bad weather cancelled flights and it was very stressful. In May 2022 our guide said that their agency always used the Lukla Numbur Hotel as the owner had good airline connections, having worked for one of the airlines. We agreed to stay at this hotel even though we feared it could be a bit of a dump. We were very pleasantly surprised as it is a very comfortable hotel just behind Lukla airport. There are two buildings and I think most rooms have attached bathrooms. We were given a room in the annex building as there was a group of noisy women from the UAE in the main building. The owners were very friendly and helpful. When rain delayed our early morning flight they told us to stay in the dining room and they would let us know when to go to the airport. At midday we were told to go to the airport as flights were coming in from Kathmandu. When we got to the airport the owner and our guide had already checked in our luggage and got our boarding passes. 7. 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 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

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. Mid December to Mid March Trekking 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 trekkers around 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. Mid March to beginning of May Trekking 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. 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. May Trekking 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 be a reasonable month for trekking. 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 afterrnoon 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. June to September Trekking I would definitely recommend not hiking in the Everest region 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 so 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 trekked in the Khumbu during this period. 5. October to Mid December Trekking October was regarded as the best trekking month 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. A blog by ResponsibleAdventures.com highlights the bad October weather in 2018, 2019 and 2021. The beginning of October to mid November is the busiest time of year in the Everest region. 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. This video of the climb up to Namche Bazaar shows how busy the trail to Everest Base Camp can get at peak times! I don't think it is normal though. The video was taken on the 13th October 2023. 6. Nepal Monsoon Dates 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 analyzing 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 ​ 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 are recorded as entering the park on the day after they fly into Lukla. 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 trekker numbers started to increase at the end of 2022 and 11,319 trekkers entered Sagarmatha National Park in October 2022. When reviewing these numbers 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 it 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 trekking mainly in May. October is very busy but most trekkers entering Sagarmatha National Park at the end of October will be trekking 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 aren't included in these statistics. Therefore early to mid April will be busier with climbers entering the park. 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 and Weather Forecasts 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 Everest Base Camp Itineraries 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

I did the Makalu Base Camp trek in mid November 2022 with a porter/guide. This blog provides the necessary information to enable you to plan this trek. The topics covered include when to go, how to get there, itineraries, permits, day hikes, tea houses etc. I have also done blogs on several of the other treks that I have done in Nepal. Click here to see them. Contents The Weather in the Makalu Region When to do the Makalu Base Camp Trek Reaching the Trail Head for the Makalu Base Camp Trek Itinerary for the Makalu Base Camp Trek Day Hikes from Makalu Base Camp Trek Other Hikes on the Makalu Base Camp Trek Permits Guides & Trekking Agencies Tea Houses on the Makalu Base Camp Trek Things to Consider Taking on the Trek Link to my other treks in Nepal 1. The Weather in the Makalu Region I normally trek in May and early June as I don't like busy trails and Lani (my wife) doesn't like the cold. However, I started the Makalu Base Camp trek on 12 November 2022, when clear skies are more or less guaranteed. Lani didn't join me on the trek. I was therefore dismayed when I had bad weather for 3 days between Khongma and Langmale Kharka. It wasn't pleasant as the tea houses are very basic, cold and uncomfortable. The weather was better on the way back but there was still a day of low cloud. Fortunately the weather between Langmale Kharka and Makalu Base Camp was excellent. When I returned to Kathmandu I met up with someone I knew and told him about the weather. He was surprised as he had excellent weather doing the Everest 3 passes trek during the same period. The Khumbu area isn't that far from the Makalu Base Camp. On my return to the U.K. I did more research on the Makalu Base Camp trek. I discovered that the area between Tashigaon and Yangle Kharka has a micro climate with more moisture than most other areas in the Himalayas. Warm and humid air rises from the Arun Valley and condenses on the mountains in the form of rain or snow. Other trekkers' blogs confirmed that there is often bad weather in the middle section of the Makalu Base Camp trek. Fortunately the area around Langmale Kharka and Makalu Base Camp isn't affected by this micro climate and has a normal Himalayan climate. 2. When to do the Makalu Base Camp Trek The 3 main factors to take into account when doing the Makalu Base Camp trek are the weather, the number of trekkers and whether the tea houses higher up are open. 2.1 Number of Trekkers The official tourism statistics for 2022 show that the numbers of foreign visitors starting the Makalu Base Camp trek by month were: January 2 February 15 March 393 April 837 May 73 June 11 July 5 August 18 September 262 October 339 November 102 December 0 These figures don't include porters, guides and Nepali trekkers. March and April are the busiest months on the trail to Makalu Base Camp as it is the start of the climbing season for Mount Makalu. May would also be busy with the climbers descending. October is the busiest month for trekking in Nepal but there are far fewer climbers. Many of the trekkers reflected in October's figures would have still been on the Makalu Base Camp trail in early November. Many Nepalese trek during the festivals of Dashain and Diwali (Tihar). The timing of these festivals is governed by the lunar calendar but they always take place in October and November. In 2024 Dashain is from October 3rd to 16th and Diwali (Tihar) is from October 21st to November 2nd. The Nepalese often seem to take a holiday after Tihar and there could still be many Nepali trekkers on the trail 7 to 10 days after the end of Tihar. 2.2 The Weather The monsoon season is slightly longer in the Makalu region as the monsoon enters Nepal from the east and withdraws from the west to east. This means that in the Makalu region the monsoon can commence about 5 days earlier than in Kathmandu and last 5 days longer. My blog on the Everest Base Camp trek details the monsoon start and finish dates from 2002 to 2023. Over the last couple of decades the monsoon has been starting around the 12th June and ending around the 15th October. I don't recommend trekking in the monsoon as you wouldn't have good mountain views and there would be leeches. Every 2 or 3 years Nepal is impacted by cyclones originating in the Bay of Bengal. This can spoil a trek and be dangerous for trekkers. The cyclones mainly occur in May and October. In October there is little risk of cyclones after October 20th. Until last year I mainly trekked during May and early June in Nepal. The weather in May and early June isn't as dependable as in April, late October and November but it is warmer. In 2022 and 2023 I trekked in October, November and early December. The sky is certainly much clearer at this time of year and the cold didn't bother me too much. For me the worst time for feeling the cold is in the early morning but it wasn't an issue the rest of the time. 2.3 Tea House Closure Dates The tea houses at Makalu Base Camp close before the end of November. In 2022 the owner of the tea house at Langmale Karkha said that he would reopen his tea house at Makalu Base Camp for any trekkers wanting to go there in late November. He intended to shut his tea house at Langmale Kharka on 1st December. These dates aren't fixed. When I flew back to Kathmandu on 27th November 30 Spaniards arrived at Tumlingtar airport. They were going to trek up to Makalu Base Camp with 80 support staff (see Alex Tixikon's website ). I am sure all the tea houses stayed open for them. I pity any trekker who was there at the same time and expected to have the trail to themselves! 2.4 Conclusion on the Best Time to do the Makalu Trek In my opinion the best time to start the Makalu trek is in mid November. Normally it isn't busy and it wasn't when I trekked at that time of the year. The weather should be clear but cold at night. However, it would be best to return to Tashigaon by 30th November as the tea houses higher up might close after that. 3. Reaching the Trail Head for the Makalu Base Camp Trek 3.1 Kathmandu to Khandbari Most trekkers fly from Kathmandu to Tumlingtar in eastern Nepal. Buddha Air has one flight a day that leaves Kathmandu at 09.20 and it returns from Tumlingtar at 10.20. The flight costs $153 each way. The flights are often delayed by 1 or 2 hours due to morning mist and cloud. The best seats for mountain views are at the front and on the left hand side when flying to Tumlingtar. It is approximately a 40 minute journey from Tumlingtar to Khandbari on a steep tarred road. The agency I used arranged a Tuk Tuk for this journey and it is probably the cheapest option. It is possible to take a very long 22 hour bus ride from Kathmandu to Khandbari and the fare was R2,700 ($20) in November 2022. 3.2 Khandbari to Num The road from Khandbari to Num is in reasonable condition for about the first 30 minutes. After that it is a very rough and uncomfortable 3 to 4 hour journey, even if you are in a private jeep. There isn't any advantage in going onto Num the day you fly to Tumlingtar. Most trekkers usually spend the second night in Seduwa regardless of whether the first night is in Khandbari or Num. I recommend spending the first night in Khandbari. The accommodation is better in Khandbari than Num but still not great. Another factor to take into account is that if you stay at Khandbari the jeep can take you the next day about a half hour drive past Num to where the road intersects the Makalu Base Camp trail. This reduces the hiking time to Seduwa by a couple of hours and avoids 475 metres of descent. There are shared jeeps between Khandabari and Num. My trekking agency arranged a private jeep and it cost $100. 4. Itinerary for the Makalu Base Camp Trek 4.1 Map Showing the Route of the Makalu Base CampTrek 4.2 The Ascent to Makalu Base Camp The itinerary for the ascent to Makalu Base Camp trek depends on how well you acclimatise to the altitude. All the trekkers I met hiked to Makalu Base Camp without having to spend more than 1 night at each location. However, some trekkers may need to spend extra nights at Khongma and Langmale Kharka. I wouldn't relish an extra night at Khongma as the 2 tea houses there are very basic. Also the weather is often bad at Khongma and there aren't any good day hikes. There is more to do at Langmale Kharka if the weather is fine. It is a cold place to stay in bad weather as they don't light the fire until the late afternoon. I was acclimatised before starting the trek but met up with a German trekker who wasn't. He didn't have a problem with the altitude until he reached Makalu Base Camp. He had a headache soon after arriving there. The next day we hiked up to a 5,738 metre high viewpoint and he got a bad headache during the descent. 4.3 The Descent from Makalu Base Camp The descent from Makalu Base Camp can be done faster than my proposed itinerary as there are no altitude restraints. There are a few very basic tea houses between the main stops on the Makalu Base Camp trek that support a quicker descent. These tea houses are at: Pematang which is between Yangle Kharka and Dobato. The tea house is just before the large landslide. Shipton La between Dobato and Khongma. Danda Kharka between Khongma and Tashigaon. 4.4 Proposed Itinerary Day 1 - Kathmandu to Khandbari See section 2 of this blog for details. Day 2 - Khandbari to Seduwa (1,530 metres) See section 2 of this blog for details of how to get to the trail head. It takes approximately 3 hours to hike from the trail head below Num to Seduwa. The first section is a steep 350 metre descent to a suspension bridge crossing the River Arun. After that there is a steep 900 metre ascent to Seduwa! It would take another 2 hours to descend from Num to where the trail head intersects the road. Day 3 - Seduwa to Tashigaon (2,167 metres) or Danda Kharka (2,962 metres) The trail ascends 630 metres to Tashigaon, passing through farm land, small villages and cardamom plantations. There are 2 basic tea houses at Tashigaon and they both have good campsites. A good option, if you are fit, would be to hike a further 3 hours to the tea house at Danda Kharka (2,962 metres). The tea house there is at least the same standard as the ones at Tashigaon and the bedrooms may be better. Danda Kharka is at a higher altitude and would be better for acclimatisation than Tashigaon. You should check at Tashigaon that the tea house at Danda Kharka is open. Day 4 - Tashigaon to Khongma (3,602 metres) The trail ascends 1,430 metres steeply through forest and it takes 5.5 hours. On the way there is a tea house at Danda Kharka which serves food and drinks. There are 2 basic tea houses at Khongma and the second one is better. Day 5 - Khongma to Dobato (3,860 metres) If you are feeling the effects from the altitude you should spend another night at Khongma before proceeding. The hike is strenuous as it crosses 4 passes and Shipton La is at an altitude of 4,216 metres. There is a tea house with rooms at Shipton La. The weather can be bad on this section of the Makalu Base Camp trek and as a result there is often snow and ice on the ground. The hike takes about 5 hours. Many websites incorrectly state that the altitude of Dobato is between 3,300 and 3,400 metres. My Garmin Inreach showed that the tea house is at an altitude of 3,860 metres. Day 6 - Dobato to Yangle Kharka (3,634 metres) The weather tends to be bad on this part of the Makalu Base Camp trek as well. There is often snow and ice on the first section of the trail and it descends 400 metres steeply to the River Barun. When the trail is icy it takes about 1.5 hours to reach the river. The trail follows the River Barun and soon reaches a large landslide area. It is an easy traverse that takes about half an hour. There is a risk of falling stones from the overhanging cliffs and I was almost hit by some. After the landslide there is a basic tea house at Pematang. The trail then crosses the River Barun and continues to Yangle Kharka. Day 7 - Yangle Kharka to Langmale Kharka (4,452 metres) If you are going to do the day hike to the Shiva Dhara it is best to do it on the way up to Makalu Base Camp to aid acclimatisation. It is a scenic 3.5 hour walk from Yangle Kharka to Langmale Kharka. There is apparently a tea house on the way at Tadosa but I can't remember seeing it. Some trekkers spend the night there for acclimatisation as Tadosa is at an altitude of 3,964 metres. There is only 1 tea house at Yangle Kharkha. Day 8 - Langmale Kharka to Makalu Base Camp (4,860 metres) Some trekkers may need to spend 2 nights at Langmale Kharka due to the altitude. If so there is a viewpoint above Langmale Kharka but there isn't a trail. You could also visit Lower Barun Lake from Langmale Kharka. The mountain scenery on this section of the trail to Makalu Base Camp is fantastic. I took 5.5 hours to reach Makalu Base Camp but I spent quite a bit of time at both ends of the beautiful Lower Barun Lake. As I have mentioned in section 6 the lake could be visited instead on the descent if you are suffering from the altitude. It doesn't take long to reach both ends of the lake and it shouldn't be missed. I stayed at the Yak Hotel and Lodge at Makalu Base Camp as I thought it was the only tea house there. I have since read that there are 3 other tea houses but the one I stayed at was the best. Day 9 & 10 - Makalu Base Camp Day Hikes Some trekkers rush back down from Makalu Base Camp the next day. It is a shame to do that after all the effort of getting there without fully enjoying the incredible mountain scenery. I recommend that a minimum of 2 nights should be spent at Makalu Base Camp and 3 nights would be better. Although the bedrooms at the Yak Hotel & Lodge are basic the dining room is quite pleasant. There are comfortable plastic chairs and the dining room is very light because of all the windows. The hike to the viewpoint to the north east of Makalu Base Camp shouldn't be missed. See the day hike section for further details on the hike to the 5,300 metre lower viewpoint and the 5,735 metre higher viewpoint . Trekkers are likely to suffer from the altitude if they ascend to the upper viewpoint on the day after arriving at Makalu Base Camp. It would therefore be better to hike to Swiss Base Camp on the first full day at Makalu Base Camp and to the upper viewpoint the next day. If you don't have enough time at Makalu Base Camp I would recommend at least doing the following: Hike to the lower viewpoint at 5,300 metres. Visit Barun Nadi (lake) which is only a 10 minute walk from Makalu Base Camp. Hike the first easy section of the trail to Swiss Base Camp until it degenerates into a field of rocks and boulders. Day 11 - Makalu Base Camp to Yangle Kharka I took 5 hours and 45 minutes to hike from Makalu Base Camp to Yangle Kharka. That excluded the time for lunch at Langmale Kharka. It would be possible to hike further. There is a small tea at Pematang and it probably would take another 1.5 hours to reach there. Day 12 - Yangle Kharka to Dobato This is about a 5.5 hour hike and the last section up to Dobato is very steep. It would be another 2 to 2.5 hours to the tea house at Shipton La. Day 13 - Dobato to Khongma This is about a 5 hour hike. Day 14 - Khongma to Seduwa The section from Khongma to Tashigaon descends 1,430 metres steeply through forest and it is tough on the knees. The next section from Tashigaon to Seduwa is easier and more scenic. It is approximately a 6.5 hour hike in total excluding stops. Day 15 - Seduwa to Khandbari It is a 2.5 hour hike from Seduwa to where the Makalu Base Camp trail intersects the road to Num. You should arrange to have a jeep meet you there. If you are taking a shared jeep from Num you would have to walk another 2 to 3 hours uphill to Num in hot weather. If you are taking the bus back to Kathmandu you can buy the ticket in Khandbari Day 16 - Khandbari to Kathmandu Take a tuk tuk or taxi to Tumlingtar airport to await the arrival of the morning flight from Kathmandu. 5. Day Hikes from Makalu Base Camp Many trekkers don't spend long enough at Makalu Base Camp to properly enjoy the incredible mountain scenery. I recommend spending 3 nights there and the minimum should be 2 nights. There is enough to do at Makalu Base Camp to keep even the fittest and most active trekkers occupied during a 2 night stay. If you weren't acclimatised before starting the Makalu Base Camp trek it would be best to leave the hike to the upper 5,735 viewpoint to the last day. 5.1 Lower View Point East of Makalu Base Camp It takes about 1.5 hours to reach the plateau viewpoint which is at an altitude of around 5,300 metres. It is a steep climb up the hillside and we didn't follow a trail. There may be a trail but I just followed my guide. There are fantastic mountain views and it is worth walking around to the other side of the plateau. 5.2 Upper View Point East of Makalu Base Camp I hiked up from the lower view point. It was a difficult 400 metre hike over rocks and boulders which took around 2 hours. It is a short scramble up to the viewpoint at the very top which is at an altitude of 5,738 metres. There was no snow or ice when I was there. It was cold and windy at the top but the views were superb. It is possible in the right conditions to continue up a ridge to a higher viewpoint which is probably at an altitude of around 5,900 metres. It was too dangerous when I was there due to the wind and ice. I went back down to Makalu Base Camp on the normal route and there was sort of a trail. There were not many rocks and boulders to cross and it was far more enjoyable and straight forward than the ascent. The 900 metre descent took about 2 hours. It would be far easier to ascend to the upper view point on the trail I descended on rather than going via the lower view point. 5.3 Swiss Base Camp Swiss Base Camp is to the west of Makalu Base Camp. I didn't believe my guide when he said there were 2 Swiss Base Camps but apparently there are. The first one is at an altitude of 5,150 metres and the next one is at an altitude of 5,183 metres. Initially it is a pleasant hike on a good trail along the Barun Glacier. Then there is just a mass of rocks and boulders. There are cairns but there isn't a defined trail. It isn't easy or pleasant hiking. I got to within 10 minutes of the first Swiss Base Camp and turned back at 5,130 metres. My guide was sick, my hip was hurting, the terrain was difficult and the views wouldn't have improved. It takes about 3 hours to go from Makalu Base Camp to the second Swiss Base Camp and then 2 hours to return. It is worth doing at least the first section of the hike to Swiss Base Camp. After that the views don't alter much and it is more about achieving the objective of reaching Swiss Base Camp. The trail continues from Swiss Base Camp to Sherpani Col High Camp but it is too far for a day hike and the terrain is difficult. 5.4 Barun Nadi Barun Nadi is a lake only 10 minutes from Makalu Base Camp. It is a good place to while away any spare time. 6. Other Hikes on the Makalu Base Camp Trek 6.1 View Point above Langmale Kharka I didn't go to this viewpoint as the weather was bad. There is no defined trail and it is a matter of walking up the steep slope behind the lodge. It takes 2 hours to reach the summit which is at an altitude of 5,000 metres. There are excellent views of the mountains and Lower Barun Lake. The descent takes an hour. 6.2 Lower Barun Lake This stunning lake is just off the main Makalu Base Camp trail between Yangle Kharka and Langmale Kharka. There is a bridge on the left about 1.5 hours from Yangle Kharka. After crossing the bridge you climb up the lateral moraine and then down to the southern end of the lake. There is another bridge further along the Makalu Base Camp trail. You can climb to the top of the lateral moraine from there and get fantastic views at the northern end of Lower Barun Lake. It is worth seeing the views from both ends of Lower Barun Lake. It might be better to see Lower Barun Lake on the return from Makalu Base Camp if you aren't yet acclimatised to the altitude. Definitely don't skip it. 6.3 Shiva Dhara Shiva Dhara is a well known pilgrimage site for Hindus and Buddhists. It consists of 2 caves at an altitude of 4,310 metres and a waterfall passes through one of them. The caves are reached from Yangle Kharka which is at an altitude of 3,600 metres. The round trip takes about 6 hours. The Nepalese government has spent money improving the paths leading to the mountain. Unfortunately nothing has been done to improve the dangerous sections up the mountainside. There are metal stakes and cables to aid the climb up the rock face although they aren't in good repair. Like most foreigners I didn't do this hike due to safety concerns, particularly since it was icy when I was there. Although it looks dangerous I have seen videos of Nepalese families with young children doing the hike. My guide took an overweight Indian pilgrim up to Shiva Dhara and saved him from falling to his death. 7. Permits for the Makalu Base Camp Trek 2 permits are required for the Makalu Base Camp trek: Makalu Rural Municipality Permit - R2,000 ($15) Makalu Barun National Park - R3,000 ($23) They can be purchased at the National Park's office in Seduwa. I met a trekker who inadvertently didn't buy the permits and was fined. 8. Guides & Trekking Agencies You don't have to hire a guide, or use a trekking agency, to do the Makalu Base Camp trek. When the weather is good it is easy to follow the trail to Makalu Base Camp. It could be difficult, however, when there is a lot of fresh snow. There is often snow and ice in the middle section of the trek from Khongma to Dobato. There are thousands of trekking agencies in Kathmandu. I can recommend 2 agencies for this trek. The first agency is the only one based in the Makalu region. The second one is based in Kathmandu. 8.1 Makalu Arun Social Treks I used Makalu Arun Social Treks which is run by Tejanath Pokharel, a retired English teacher living in Khandbari. The agency is mentioned in the Lonely Planet guide book on Trekking in the Himalayas. They also have good Tripadvisor reviews . They use local guides and porters who know the Makalu Base Camp trek and the people running the tea houses extremely well. It also means that you don't have to pay to fly a guide from Kathmandu. I had a porter/guide who carried about 18 kilograms for me as I took a tent. I was very happy with the service that Tejanath provided and the trek went very well. I booked my own flights online with Buddha Air and Tejanath met me at Tumlington airport. He arranged a hotel in Khandbari and the jeep to and from the trail head for the Makalu Base Camp trek. The porter/guide paid for his own food and accommodation and I paid for mine. They do offer all inclusive packages. However, it is cheaper and better to pay for one's own food and accommodation. 8.2 Enjoy Nepal Treks I used Enjoy Nepal Treks in late 2023 to do the Kanchenjunga, Langtang, Gosainkunda and Helambu treks. They have excellent Tripadvisor reviews and I was very satisfied with their service. They are a larger agency and can provide porter/guides who will carry up to 15 kilograms. They will carry a bit more if necessary. The owner of the agency is well organized, punctual and speaks English and German. They will obtain your airline tickets and provide a porter/guide for $30 a day. There is also a one off fee of $35 for his insurance. The guide will meet you at your hotel and fly with you to Tumlingtar. The client and guide have to organize the transport to the trail head and the client pays for it. 9. Tea Houses on the Makalu Base Camp Trek 9.1 Tea House Quality I have done many tea house treks in Nepal and I found that the tea houses on the Makalu Base Camp trek were the most basic and uncomfortable. This might be because the main tea houses are run by the same family so there is little competition. Most of the dining rooms don't have comfortable seating and fires are only lit in the late afternoon. The seating is often just benches and without back support. The best dining room was at Makalu Base Camp as the dining room was large, bright and had plastic chairs. The worst dining room was at Yangle Yarkha as the benches were fixed along the wall and were too far from the fire. I sat on a table so I could be close to the fire which became very uncomfortable after a few hours. Unfortunately a lot of time is spent in the tea houses' dining rooms on the ascent to Makalu Base Camp. That's because the time spent trekking each day is quite short due to the issue of altitude acclimatisation. Also the weather in the middle section of the trek can be poor and not conducive to being outside. 9.2 Food at the Tea Houses I didn't see any menus at any of the tea houses although a 2019 blog mentioned there were menus at Langmale Kharka and Makalu Base Camp. It was therefore difficult to know what food was on offer. It seems that only basic rice, noodle and pasta dishes are available.That wasn't a problem for me as I usually only eat local rice and noodle dishes when trekking. At Langmale Kharka they had potatoes which made a nice change. I usually had oat porridge for breakfast but Tsampa porridge was also available. I tried the pancakes but they were like rubber. Someone said that they miss out one essential ingredient when making pancakes on the Makalu Base Camp trek. It's strange as the pancakes on the Kanchenjunga trek were great. It was frustrating that breakfast would often not be served at the agreed time. For example at Khongma it was meant to be served at 06.30 but it came at 07.15. When I stopped for lunch I had vegetable noodle soup. On other treks I have had more for lunch but for some reason I didn't on the Makalu Base Camp trek. 9.3 Location of Tea Houses There are Tea Houses at the following locations: Seduwa (1,530 metres) Tashigaon (2,167 metres) Danda Kharka (2,962 metres) Khongma (3,602 metres) Shipton La (4,247 metres) Dobato (3,860 metres) Pematang (3,494 metres) Yangle Kharka (3,634 metres) Tadosa (3,964 metres) - I can't remember this tea house but it is mentioned in a blog. Langmale Kharka (4,452 metres) Makalu Base Camp (4,860 metres) 9.4 Pictures & Details of the Tea Houses I stayed at Tashigaon's Tea Houses There are 2 basic tea houses at Tashigaon. I am not sure of the name of the lower one where I stayed on the ascent. The building I slept in had a sign stating it was the Tashigaon Sherpa Buffer Zone Community Homestay. The dining room building had a sign saying it was the Makalu Barun Hotel and Lodge. This first tea house is in the centre of Tashigaon and has a large grassy camping area around it. It would be a pleasant place to sit in good weather. The bedrooms were small, old and basic. There were mice scratching around in the ceiling above me. The dining room is small and gloomy. The food was good and the lady running the tea house was very pleasant. The second tea house is a bit higher up and also has a large grassy campground. There are 3 large bedrooms with several beds in each. The dining room is large and quite nice. If I did the trek again, and wasn't acclimatised, I would hike on to Danda Kharka as it's at a better altitude for acclimatisation. My bill at Tashigaon on the way up to Makalu Base Camp came to R2,150 ($16.50). Dal Bhat cost R450 ($3.50). On the way down from Makalu Base Camp I stayed at the upper tea house and I paid R1,850 ($14). Khongma's Tea Houses There are 2 basic tea houses at Khongma. The Hotel View Point & Lodge is the first tea house when coming from Tashigaon. It is the more basic of the 2 houses. There is a building with a dining room, kitchen and some bedrooms. There is another building with about 8 bedrooms. The dining room is cold as the fire is in a small room off the main dining room. Noise travels easily in the bedrooms as the walls don't go all the way up to the ceiling. A mouse visited my room during the night. The next tea house is the Shiva View Hotel & Lodge. It is better but still far from being good! The dining room isn't comfortable or warm. There is a new building with several bedrooms and I slept there. It can be treacherous going down to the toilet when there is snow. I read a blog which said there were mice in the bedrooms of the old building. I paid R2,550 ($20) on the way up to Makalu Base Camp for my stay at the Shiva View Hotel. On the way to Kongma I stopped for lunch at Danda Kharka and had noodle soup R400 ($3) and coffee R200 ($1.50). On the way down from Makalu Base Camp I paid R1,600 ($12) at the Hotel View Point & Lodge. The room cost R400 ($3), dal Bhat cost R500 ($4) and noodle soup cost R200 ($1.50). Dobato's Tea House There is 1 basic tea house at Dobato. There is a building with the kitchen, dining room and 5 bedrooms. There is only a sheet of corrugated iron separating the dining room from the bedroom area. As porters and guides often sleep in the dining room their noise can be heard clearly in the 2 bedrooms next to the dining room wall. The other 3 bedrooms would be quieter but they are smaller. There are also some bedrooms in a stone building which would probably be quieter. On my way down from Makalu Base Camp I stayed at this tea house for the second time. The snow on the steps to the dining room hadn't been cleared and had turned to ice. I fell badly and it took a month for my arm to fully recover. Be very careful when it is icy. On the way up my stay at Dobato cost R2,600 ($20). On the way to Dobato I had noodles and coffee at Shipton La for R600 ($4.50) and paid R2,300 ($17.50) for my stay at Dobato. Yangle Kharka's Tea House This basic tea house is in a very pleasant and scenic setting. I slept in a separate building with 3 bedrooms when I stayed there on the way up to Makalu Base Camp. This building is on the right in the photo. The main building has the kitchen, dining room and about 8 other bedrooms. They were "renovating" those bedrooms on my way up and I slept in 1 of them on the way down from Makalu Base Camp. I preferred the bedrooms in the separate building as they were quieter. The dining room isn't laid out well as the benches are too far from the fire and can't be moved closer. There is a television in the dining room and on the way down a lot of construction workers had their meals in the dining room and watched the television. I don't like television when trekking. My bill on the way up at Yangle Kharha was R2,000 ($15). Dal Bhat cost R500 ($4) and the room was also R500. I also paid R350 ($3) the previous day for a large bowl of vegetable noodles and a cup of hot tea at Pematang. My bill on the way down from Makalu Base Camp was R1,500 ($11.50). Langmale Kharka's Tea House There are 6 bedrooms in a separate building which is on the left in the photo. There is another building with the kitchen and an unheated dining area. A third building has a dining room with a fire and perhaps some additional bedrooms. Be very wary of sitting in the very smoky kitchen. I sat for several hours in the freezing dining room to avoid the smoke. It was a good decision as my porter/guide sat in the kitchen and developed a terrible cough. The owner and his daughter were running the tea house. The owner also has the best tea house at Makalu Base Camp. In the latter part of November the people running the Makalu Base Camp tea house go back down. If trekkers want to stay at Makalu Base Camp the owner will go and open it up. I paid R3,400 ($26) for my stay. The room cost R600 ($4.50) and the dal Bhat also cost R600. I had a lot of hot drinks and lunch there. Makalu Base Camp's Tea Houses I stayed 3 nights at the Yak Hotel and Lodge at Makalu Base Camp. Apparently there are 3 other tea houses but the one I stayed in is the largest and best. The main building has a dining room, a kitchen and a few bedrooms. The dining room is very pleasant as it is spacious and there are a lot of windows letting in the light and warmth from the sun. There are comfortable plastic chairs. There is another building with about 5 bedrooms (on the left in the photo). I stayed in one of these bedrooms and it was fine. There were plenty of duvets and they are needed as it is cold at night. The water in the dining room was frozen in the mornings and I paid for hot water. The trekker I met on the trek filled his bottle from a nearby river. The outside toilet also froze at night which wasn't so pleasant. I paid R10,200 ($78) for my 3 night stay. This included filling my 2 bottles with hot water each morning. 10. Things to Consider Taking 10.1 Microspikes I took Kahtoola microspikes and used them several times on the icy middle section of the trek. Unfortunately the surface of the trail constantly alternated between ice and bare rock. It was a hassle putting them on and taking them off. Kahtoola micospikes are of a very good quality and I didn't always remove them when walking on short sections of rock. Much cheaper microspikes can be purchased in Kathmandu but they are less durable. I recommend taking microspikes but the locals and some trekkers manage without them. The German trekker I met didn't use microspikes or trekking poles. I needed both! 10.2 Steripen or Water Filter You can't buy bottled water after the initial section of the trek and hot water can be expensive. You therefore need to have some method of purifying the water. I always use a Steripen and it takes a minute to sterilise one litre of water. Other options are: A Life Straw Bottle Sterilising Tablets Water Filters. I don't recommend the popular Sawyer water filter as its seal must not freeze. 10.3 Power Bank and Solar Charger Above Tashigaon I believe you cannot charge electrical devices at any of the tea houses. I took a 3 panel solar charger and a couple of power banks. 10.4 Tent I took a tent in case the tea houses on the Makalu Base Camp trek were full or there was a problem with rodents in the rooms. I also didn't want to share a room if the tea houses were busy. My agency was in favour of me taking a tent as one of their clients had been unable to obtain a room at Khongma and had to hike on to the tea house at Shipton La. As it turned out the tea houses weren't busy when I did the Makalu Base Camp trek in mid November. However, I passed more trekkers coming down the trail and had only just missed the peak season. Mice weren't much of a problem. There were only mice in the ceiling of my room at Tashigaon and I had one mouse in my room at Khongma I slept in my tent at Tashigaon as there was a good camping area and I was concerned about mice in the tea house. There were no mice but it was a good decision as my porter/guide was sick and disturbed the trekker I had met at the start of the trek. This other trekker had also brought his own tent but unlike me he was carrying it! When he reached Yangle Kharka he left it there until the return journey as it was too heavy and he wasn't using it. Apparently a lot of independent trekkers end up doing this. There is often snow on the ground a Khongma and Dobato. I met some people who were doing a camping trek but stayed in the tea houses there because of the snow. Despite what I have said above I think it is advisable to take a tent if you are trekking in the peak season of October and early November. There are less trekkers in Spring but there are a lot of climbers. The climbers might camp rather than stay in the tea houses but taking a tent might be advisable. 10.5 Warm Sleeping Bag There are blankets and duvets at all the tea houses on the Makalu Base Camp trek and you could have more than one if they aren't busy. In winter it is still advisable to bring a warm sleeping room as it gets very cold at night and the walls of the rooms are constructed from sheets of corrugated iron. I was lent a North Face -40 centigrade sleeping bag that had been used on an Everest expedition. That was over the top but in winter it would be best to bring a sleeping bag with a rating of around -20 C. That might sound excessive but sleeping bag temperature ratings are often misleading. Just before the Makalu Base Camp trek I was trekking in Lower Dolpo. My Rab -13 centigrade sleeping bag was insufficient for temperatures of - 7 centigrade despite wearing numerous layers of clothing. 10.6 Tea Bags & Coffee If you are on a tight budget bring some tea bags, coffee and a spoon. Hot water is much cheaper than cups of tea and coffee. I had a lot of hot drinks due to the cold and miserable weather in the middle section of the Makalu Base Camp trek. 10.7 Boots It is very likely that there will be snow on the ground during the middle section of the Makalu Base Camp trek. Therefore boots are much better than trainers. 10.8 Snacks & Toilet Paper The food on the Makalu Base Camp trek is as basic as the tea houses! You can buy biscuits, chocolate bars and toilet paper at the tea houses but they are expensive higher up the trail. If weight isn't an issue it is best to bring a supply from Kathmandu or Khandbari.

Contents Introduction The Official Lighthouse Way Website Maps & Signs for the Lighthouse Way Taxis & Buses Accommodation & Restaurants in Muxia Weather Organised Lighthouse Way Treks Stages of the Lighthouse Way & Shortening Options : Stage 4 of the Lighthouse Way Stage 5 of the Lighthouse Way Stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way Stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way Stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way 8. Links to Other Blogs about our Road Trip 1. Introduction The Lighthouse Way is a hard 8 day hike along the Coast of Death on the tip of north-west Spain. It is called the Coast of Death because of t he numerous shipwrecks. The Lighthouse Way is n't busy or commercialised like the Camino Frances and the majority of the trail is on coastal paths rather than roads. We had never heard of the 8 day Lighthouse Way until a friend of Lani (my wife) mentioned it and suggested they do it while I was trekking in Nepal. They didn't do the Lighthouse Way and I think they would have struggled with the long and tiring sections. When I was planning our 10 week road trip from the UK to southern Morocco in 2024 I decided to spend a week in Muxia at the end of the journey. Our plan was to do the last 5 sections of the Lighthouse Way as day hikes from Muxia. Some of the advantages of doing day hikes on the Lighthouse Way from a comfortable base, rather than doing it as a continuous trek, are: It is easy to do it independently. You don't have to carry, or arrange transfers for, your bags. If the weather is bad you can postpone hiking to another day. Galicia isn't known for it's great weather! Road sections at the start and end of each daily stage can be cut out easily when using taxis. You can have rest days and do excursions. Most of the 8 stages of the Lighthouse Way are long. Unfortunately the excellent official website  for the Lighthouse Way doesn't provide any information on how they can be shortened. We wanted to do more relaxed hiking so I worked out how sections 4 to 8 of the Lighthouse Way could be shortened without missing out on too much of the great scenery. My blog includes information on: How to shorten the daily sections of the Lighthouse Way. How to use buses and taxis to get to and from the daily sections. A review of sections 4 to 8 of the Lighthouse Way to help you decide which sections you want to hike. Route finding. See my trip report Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way for additional information about our hikes along the Lighthouse Way. 2. The Official Lighthouse Way Website The official website for the Lighthouse Way provides excellent information about the 8 day hike. It provides detailed information for each of the stages including downloads of the trail on Google Maps and Wikiloc. There is also information on taxis, accommodation and restaurants. Unfortunately the Lighthouse Way website is designed to help hikers who want to do the Lighthouse Way in full and as one continuous hike. A hiker we met informed us that the officials don't want to encourage shortened sections and therefore don't provide any information on how it can be done. My blog provides information that isn't on the official website about hiking individual sections of the Lighthouse Way and shortening some of the long sections. 3. Maps & Signs for the Lighthouse Way The trail for the Lighthouse Way has been marked with green dots and arrows painted on to rocks and trees. Sometimes they aren't clear and the markings have been made for hikers going from north to south. Fortunately the official website provides information on each stage of the Lighthouse Way. This includes trails for the 8 stages which can be downloaded on to Google Maps or Wikiloc. You can then see your position in relation to the trail. We followed the trail on Google Maps and it worked very well. We would have gone the wrong way several times without Google Maps. We found that when hiking along a road or beach it is often not apparent when to turn off on to a path and Google Maps alerted us to the turn off. 4. Taxis & Buses I had planned to use buses for 2 of the sections in order to save money. In the end we used taxis for the 5 sections of the Lighthouse Way that we hiked as it was more convenient and the cost was reasonable. Google provides details of 9 taxi drivers in Muxia. One of these drivers is Mathew Smith (telephone 34 683 36 24 65) who is a Brit married to a Spanish lady. We used Mathew for all our hikes as he is a great guy and we could communicate with him in English. Lani is learning Spanish but she didn't relish phoning a Spanish taxi driver and trying to arrange a trip. Particularly since most of the time we were trying to shorten the stages and start hiking a few kilometres after the official starting points. When I first contacted Mathew I asked about the cost. After that I didn't bother as the Muxia taxi drivers have set rates for all the destinations and Mathew had them on a sheet of paper. The fares were reasonable and the official website provides details of many of the fares. There is a taxi office on Muxia's seafront but it is only manned when there are drivers waiting for rides. The taxi rank is shown as Parada de Taxis on Google Maps. Aviva Spain has a bus service between Fisterra, Muxia and Camarinas. There are 5 buses each day on weekdays and 1 daily bus at weekends. Single bus tickets currently cost Eur 2.60. This bus service is useful when doing stages 6 and 8 of the Lighthouse Way. If you are based in Muxia you can take a taxi to the start of stage 8 and then take the bus from Fisterra to Muxia at the end of the stage. For stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way the bus service provides a couple of options if you are based in Muxia. If you want to do the entire section 6 you can take a bus from Muxia to Camarinas. However, if you want to reduce the length of stage 6 you can take the same buses and alight at Cereixo. 5. Accommodation & Restaurants in Muxia We booked an excellent 3 bedroom apartment in the centre of Muxia through Booking.com for Eur 474 in June. It had a very high approval rating of 9.6. If you intend to use Mathew Smith's taxi service it would be worth considering the accommodation he offers which is about a 5 minute drive from Muxia. His accommodation is: A 3 bedroom house which has an approval rating of 9.6 on Booking.com . A studio apartment for up to 4 people which has an approval rating of 9.4 on Booking.com . Mathew recommended several restaurants and we ate at O Porto and A Marina. Both the restaurants were good. In June the O Porto was frequented by locals and wasn't busy. A Marina was mainly frequented by visitors and was busy. The staff at A Marina were very welcoming. 6. Weather We were surprised that the weather forecasts for Muxia were very reliable. We were lucky that in June we had good weather and no rain at all. The only negative was a very strong northerly wind for about 4 days of our stay. Apparently this isn't unusual and Muxia is particularly affected by wind. It is important to take into account the wind direction when planning your hike so that the wind is behind you. It makes walking much easier and more pleasant. We did stage 7 of the Lighthouse way from the south to the north and left it until the end of our stay when the wind had died down. We found it very hot without the wind! 7. Organised Lighthouse Way Treks If you want someone to organise a self guided hike along the Lighthouse Way then On Foot Holidays seems to be the major operator. They offer packages for both the full hike and reduced stages. They also offer shortening options for each stage. The official website also offers packages for the Lighthouse Way through a Spanish travel agent. 8. Stages of the Lighthouse Way & Shortening Options We did day hikes on stages 4 to 8 of the Lighthouse Way. We really enjoyed stages 4, 5 and 8. The scenery on stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way wasn't as good as we expected and the second part of the trail was a bit overgrown. We only did the second half of the very long stage 6 and it was a good starting hike. When driving from Muxia to Camarinas we passed some of the first half of stage 6. The trail along the busy road didn't look appealing as too much of the trail goes inland, and through forest. 8.1. Stage 4 of the Lighthouse Way Stage 4 of the Lighthouse Way goes from Laxe to Arou. It's the easiest stage of the Lighthouse Way as it is 18 kilometres long and there isn't much elevation. The official website estimates that it will take 7.5 hours and that allows enough time for photos and a picnic lunch. We enjoyed the hike and thought that the coastal scenery was excellent. One of the highlights is near the end when the trail goes through a spectacular area of large boulders. We shortened the hike by taking a taxi to Praia dos Cristais instead of to Laxe. This cut out the headland that has Laxe lighthouse on it. It reduced the hike by 2.8 kilometres and saved 1 hour. Our entire hike took 6 hours. You could reduce the length of the hike by another 3.1 kilometres if a taxi picked you up in Camelle instead of Arou. See my trip report Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way (28 June) for information about how we organised the taxi for this hike. 8.2. Stage 5 of the Lighthouse Way This is one of the best stages of the Lighthouse Way. It is 23.7 kilometres long and the official website estimates it will take 9 hours. We shortened the hike by taking a taxi to Lobeiras viewpoint instead of Arou. This reduced the hike by 1.7 kilometres and saved half an hour. We didn't walk up to Vilan lighthouse and that probably saved another half an hour. The northerly wind was ferocious and 2 hikers who went up to the lighthouse told us it was much worse there. At the end of stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way we bypassed an uphill section to the Hermitage of Virxe do Monto. It took us 6.25 hours to reach Camarinas when cutting out the 3 sections mentioned above. We didn't think the hike was particularly tiring as there wasn't much elevation. The scenery was excellent. The hike could be reduced by an additional 3 kilometres by arranging for a taxi to collect you from Lago beach, instead of Camarinas, at the end of stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way. There is a reasonable road to Lago beach but only a tiny parking area. The English Cemetery is on the Lighthouse Way and it is worth quickly stopping to visit it. There is a reasonable road to the English cemetery and it continues westwards along the coast almost to the Vilan lighthouse. There is very little traffic on the road. 8.3. Stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way Stage 6 goes from Camarinas to Muxia and is the longest stage of the Lighthouse Way. The official website estimates that this 32.6 kilometres hike would take 10 hours. A lot of stage 6 isn't the sort of hiking we enjoy as the trail runs along roads and through forests. It's also too long. The hike from Camarinas and Cereixo can easily be avoided by starting in Cereixo instead. It isn't a particularly nice trail as too much of it is inland and along roads. It would reduce the hike by 14.5 kilometres (4 hours). Buses from Muxia could be used to reach the start and finish points of the hike as there are 5 buses a day between Muxia, Cereixo and Camarinas. We hiked from Leis Beach to Muxia and enjoyed it. The hike was 10 kilometres long and took 3 hours. Although the trail went along some country roads there was very little traffic. It also went through forest but much of it was very nice virgin forest. We started our hike by taking a taxi from Muxia to Camping Praia Barreira Leis . The last 2.5 kilometres of stage 6 of the Lighthouse Way continues from the centre of Muxia to the tip of the headland and back to Muxia. This section isn't necessary in order to reach accommodation in Muxia. We walked around the headland on a day we had a break from hiking and enjoyed it as we could take our time and weren't tired. 8.4. Stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way Stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way goes from Muxia to Nemina and is 25.3 kilometres (9.25 hours) long. It is a tough section as there are several hills that have to be climbed. In addition some of the last section of the trail was overgrown in places. We were a bit disappointed with the scenery at times during the latter stages of the trail as it deviates from the coast. We did stage 7 from south to north as it was easier taking a taxi to the start of the trek than arranging for a taxi to meet us at the finish. At the end of our hike we just walked back to our apartment in Muxia. There are a few ways that stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way can be shortened: Our taxi driver dropped us off in the hamlet of Talon (called Heel on the official website), which is one kilometre north of Nemina beach, and it saved 15 minutes of walking. The trail from Nemina beach to Talon goes inland so the views are unlikely to be good. The headland with the Tourinan lighthouse can be bypassed and this saves 3.5 kilometres (1 hour) of walking. Some hikers use the road to completely bypass the beautiful Punta Buitro headland. We were also going to do that but met someone whose wife had been attacked by a dog on that road. As a result we decided to hike around the Punta Buitro headland and cross over to the other side at a narrow point. As we walked along the headland we could see that there was too much thorny ground vegetation to be able to cross over unless there was a path. We weren't disappointed in having to hike around Punta Buitro as the scenery was superb. Then halfway to the tip of the headland there was a dirt track crossing over to the north side. I am not sure how much time it saved but it is was probably around half an hour. 8.5. Stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way Stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way goes from Nemina to Fisterra lighthouse and it's 27 kilometres (8.75 hours) long. It is a beautiful hike but tiring due to the length and hilly terrain. We took 2 shortcuts which reduced the hiking time to 6 hours, including lunch and photo stops. We only saw 3 other hikers the entire hike! We started stage 8 by taking a taxi from Muxia to Area Grande. This cut out 7.3 kilometres (1.75 hours) of a mainly inland section of the hike from Nemina to Area Grande. At low tide it is also possible to wade across the Lires estuary from Praia de Lires on the north side to the south side. See the article on the Estuary of Lires in the official website. We ended our hike at the town of Fisterra where the taxi collected us. However, stage 8 ends at Fisterra lighthouse which is a further 5 kilometres and much of it is uphill! If I was doing the entire Lighthouse Way I would leave this final part to the next morning so I could enjoy it. As mentioned earlier in this blog there are are buses from Fisterra to Muxia and Camarinas. 9. Links to Other Blogs about our Road Trip 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 Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK

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 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 one 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. 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 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 the 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 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. The entire stage 8 of the Lighthouse Way 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 walk 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 the historic centre. We had lunch there 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 lighthouse and also free parking on the street. 2 June 2024 - Stage 5 of the Lighthouse Way Mathew drove us to Arou in the morning so we could walk to Camarinas on stage 5 of the Lighthouse Way. 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 walk 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, and compact, 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 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 the 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 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. The Lighthouse Way 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 it had calmed down. Stage 7 of the Lighthouse Way 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 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 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. 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 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 a 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 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

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 - 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 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 when we went 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. It wasn't very busy when we visited though. There are 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 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 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 - Santander & 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 it 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 and 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 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

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 - 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. It 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 the town 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 it 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 the 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 the centre 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 in that time. 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 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

Contents 16 May 2024 - Seville to Caceres 17 May 2024 - Caceres & Trujillo 18 May 2024 - Caceres to Lisbon 19 May 2024 - Lisbon 20 May 2024 - Lisbon 21 May 2024 - Lisbon 22 May 2024 - Lisbon to Porto Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip 16 May 2024 - Seville to Caceres It was a lovely sunny morning when we left Seville but the temperature dropped to 14 degrees centigrade as we drove north towards Cáceres. It was a big change from the 31 centigrade that greeted us on Sunday when we arrived in Seville! We stopped off at Merida to visit the Roman Colony that Augustus founded in 25 BC to resettle soldiers who had been honourably discharged from the Roman Army. The main sites are a Roman amphitheatre and a very impressive Roman theatre. We had bought a combined entry ticket for Eur 8 that covered the theatre, amphitheatre and a few other Roman sites in Merida. The Roman House of Anfiteatro was included in the ticket and we visited it as it was nearby The Roman house was thought to belong to an important family and there were some impressive mosaics. The most famous ones are a mosaic showing three men treading grapes and a mosaic of fish, a symbol of good luck for the house. We drove on to Cáceres. After checking in to the excellent Barceló Cáceres V Centenario hotel we had a pleasant walk around the historic centre of Cáceres. It was founded by the ancient Romans. It is encircled by 12th century Moorish walls and has a mix of Gothic and Renaissance architecture with cobbled streets. 17 May 2024 - Trujillo We drove 30 minutes from Caceres to visit nearby Trujillo which is the birthplace of Francisco Pizarro who conquered the Inca empire. Trujillo is an unspoilt small historic town with numerous attractive old stone buildings. We parked in an underground car park that had good parking spaces and was cheap. We expected there would be a lot of other visitors but there were very few and fortunately only one group. We spent a very pleasant morning wandering around and then drove to Caceres for lunch. We preferred Trujillo to Caceres and it was easier to find our way around Trujillo. 18 May 2024 - Caceres to Lisbon We drove from Caceres to Lisbon today. We had driven in Spain for 3.5 weeks without paying a single toll for using their good highways. Unfortunately Portugal charges for the use of their highways and it cost Eur 18 to drive 190 kilometres from the border with Spain to Lisbon. We arrived at our apartment in the outskirts of Lisbon at 15.00. That was the earliest we could check in and we were met by the very friendly owner of the apartment. He spent an hour chatting to us and explaining everything about the apartment. We were very happy with the one bedroom apartment that we had booked through Booking.com for Eur 123 per night. It is only a minute's walk away from the metro station and then a 15 minute ride to the historic centre. As we had 4 nights in Lisbon we decided not to go into the centre until tomorrow. We did some shopping at the nearby supermarket and bought some delicious chicken from a restaurant for dinner. 19 May 2024 - Lisbon We took the Metro into the centre of Lisbon. We started by walking around the main downtown area which is known as the Baixia. This area was built in grid formation after the earthquake in 1755. First we visited Rossio which is one of three squares forming a triangle around the old Baixa area. From there we walked to Arco da Rúa Augusta which is a huge arch adorned with statues of historical figures and acts as a gateway to the city. It was built to celebrate Lisbon's reconstruction after the earthquake. There are hills on both the western and eastern sides of the Baixia. The area on the eastern side is known as the Alfama and we walked up to it after seeing the Baixia area. It was a Sunday and there were quite a number of Portuguese and foreign tourists. The Castle is the top tourist attraction in the Alfama and when we reached the castle there was a long line up at the ticket office. Tickets cost a whopping Eur 15 and we decided not to enter! There isn't much to see at the castle anyway and it is mainly visited for the views of Lisbon and to wander around the grounds. We went back to Baixia for lunch. As we were walking I felt someone touch my back pack and immediately turned around. There were two guys behind me and I think they had tried to open the top zipper as I found it partially open. Luckily my back pack is very old and the zip often jams. We had lunch at a restaurant in one of the more touristy streets in Lisbon. When I asked for the bill they asked me to go inside to pay. They then told me that their credit card machine wasn't working and I had to pay cash. Instead of giving me a printed bill I was shown the bill on a mobile phone. The amount was much more than I expected. Upon close examination it was because they charged an extra Eur 3 for each of our main courses and had also added an Eur 5 service charge. I got them to reduce the bill by Eur 11 for these items. I am sure they tried to scam us and the waiter deliberately didn't want us to pay by credit card so he could keep the amount over charged. This is the first time we have had such an issue on our road trip. 20 May 2024 - Lisbon We took the metro into Lisbon and explored the Biarro Alto area. We wanted to go up the hill on the Elevador de Bica, a funicular railway built in 1892, but it wasn't working so we walked instead. We then wanted to visit the Church of Sao Roque but that was closed! The Convent and Archaeological museum do Carmo was open! It was once Lisbon's greatest church and was built in the 14th century. It was badly damaged in the earthquake of 1755 and never rebuilt. Among the items displayed in the museum were an Egyptian sarcophagus dating back to 3rd century BC and 2 Peruvian mummies. Afterwards we took a 40 minute train ride along the coast to Cascais where we had a good lunch of seafood. We walked back to Estoril along the esplanade before catching the train back to Lisbon. 21 May 2024 - Sintra We went on a day trip from Lisbon to Sintra today. We would have driven the half an hour there but I had read on the internet that cars often get broken into in Sintra. I thought our UK registered car would be particularly vulnerable. We therefore went by train and it took about an hour. Sintra has Unesco World Heritage status and it's famous for its Moorish Castle, palaces and country estates. I had pre-booked tickets on the internet for two of the palaces and the castle. We first visited the Palacio Nacional which is in the actual town of Sintra. The palace dates back to the 14th century and has some very impressive rooms. The exterior is less impressive except for the 2 chimneys that provided ventilation for the kitchen. It wasn't too busy but we did keep bumping into 2 noisy groups. The next 2 sites were high up on a hill above Sintra so we had lunch in Sintra before visiting them. We could have taken a bus up the hill but it is slow and expensive. We also could have walked up but it would have been a 40 minute uphill slog with hardly any views. We ended up taking a taxi for only Eur 7 more than the bus would have cost. We had bought tickets for the gardens and terraces of the Palacio de Pena which was built in the 1840's. We didn't buy tickets for the interior as Tripadvisor reviews stated it was very crowded and there was little to see. The Palacio de Pena looks as if it should be in a Disney Park. It is the top attraction in Sintra and there were crowds of tourists there. The park was disappointing as it consisted of woodland. However, the views of the Palace and the views from the wrap around terraces made the visit worthwhile. Afterwards we walked 20 minutes down to the Castelo dos Mouros ( Castle of the Moors). It was built in the 9th century and captured from the Moors in 1147. It was much quieter than Pena Palace and we walked along, and up, the ramparts to 2 towers. We could have also visited the Quinta da Regaleira estate, the Monserrate Palace and the Convento dos Capuchos in Sintra. However, we had seen enough for one day. We walked half an hour down to Sintra and took the train back to our apartment. 22 May 2024 - Lisbon to Porto We drove 3.5 hours from Lisbon to Porto and paid Eur 23 in toll fees. It seemed very expensive after driving on the free highways in Spain. Petrol also costs more in Portugal than in Spain and the UK. We had booked a 3 bedroom apartment in the suburbs of Porto for Eur 102 through Booking.com . We were met by the owner who was was very helpful. He spent an hour going through the apartment with us and telling us what to see in Porto. We decided to leave visiting the historic centre of Porto until tomorrow. Links to other Blogs about our Road Trip 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 8 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK

Contents 8 May 2024 - Chefchaouen, Morocco to Cadiz, Spain 9 May 2024 - Cadiz 10 May 2024 - Cadiz 11 May 2024 - Outing to Jerez de la Frontera 12 May 2024 - Cadiz to Seville 13 May 2024 - Seville 14 May 2024 - Seville 15 May 2024 - Seville Links to other blogs about our Road Trip 8 May 2024 - Chefchaouen, Morocco to Cadiz, Spain I had a very bad night's sleep due to my cold. I didn't want to get up but we had to leave the hotel at 08.30 to ensure we reached the port of Tangier Med in time for our ferry to Spain. It was sunny when we left Chefchaouen but it was very windy and cloudy as we drove through Tetouan an hour later. The countryside was very green and we passed several dams that were fairly full. The nearby Rif mountains must provide a good rain catchment area as the southern part of Morocco is suffering from drought. The ferry sailing time was 13.30 but the ferries are often very late. We arrived at the port at 11.00 and were pleased to see our ferry in the port. There were several passport, ticket and customs checks as well as the process of having the car X-rayed! We drove onto the ferry at 12.00 and they announced that the ferry would leave at 13.00, which would have been 30 minutes early! However, the ferry only departed Tangier at 14.00. This could have been because a lot of trucks were loaded onto the ferry after we had boarded. We were relieved to leave Morocco without being caught by one of the numerous police roadblocks! We are also very relieved that there were no mechanical issues with the car in Morocco. We finally reached our apartment in Cadiz at 17.45. It had been a long day and I had been very unwell. The owner of the apartment met us and directed us into the underground garage. He said it was easy to park but it wasn't! The entrance was very tight and the parking space even tighter. Unfortunately this is often the case in Spain. It was very windy in Cadiz and unfortunately it was forecast to continue for several days. 9 May 2024 - Cadiz We had a relaxing morning and did our laundry. I was feeling a lot better but still a bit tired. Unfortunately Lani had caught my cold and she didn't have a good night's sleep. At midday we drove 30 minutes to the historic centre of Cadiz. We were shocked to see 3 huge cruise ships in the port and a lot of passengers walking around. Cruise ships are another of our dislikes as it floods out places of interest. We had a good meal at a restaurant and then walked around the coastline of the historic centre of Cadiz visiting 2 forts, 2 cathedrals and a park. By the end Lani wasn't feeling well so we walked back to the car park through the historic centre. When we got back to the apartment I parked on the street instead of in the garage! 10 May 2024 - Cadiz Lani was feeling very unwell today so we just relaxed in the apartment. 11 May 2024 - Outing to Jerez de la Frontera Lani felt a little better today so we set off for Jerez de la Frontera which was a 30 minute drive away from our apartment. The Rough Guide Book said it was an elegant and prosperous town and famous for sherry and brandy. I researched car parks in Jerez de la Frontera before leaving as parking can be a nightmare in some Spanish towns. I found a car park in the centre ( Parking APK2 Plaza del Arenal ) that had good reviews and the parking spaces didn't seem to be too tight. It turned out to be very central, cheap and the parking spaces were okay for Spain. Jerez de la Frontera is certainly an elegant and very pleasant town. We couldn't participate in sherry tasting as I was driving and Lani was sick. The main thing to do was to visit the Alcazar (fort). It was built in the 11th century and formed part of the city's defences. The entry price to the Alcazar was Eur 5 but as we are over 65 we only had to pay Eur 1.80! It turned out to be a real bargain as there was much more to see than we had thought. We spent more than an hour wandering around and really enjoyed our visit. Lani was still feeling ill so we had a late lunch in the Plaza del Arenal and drove back to our apartment. This cold has badly affected us for a few days but luckily it wasn't at a crucial stage of our itinerary. There is a lot more to do at our next stop in Seville and it would have been a shame not to be able to enjoy it. 12 May 2024 - Cadiz to Seville There have been high winds in Cadiz since we arrived 4 days ago but thankfully this morning the wind finally died down. Unfortunately Cadiz often has high winds between May and October and it is known as the Levante wind. We left Cadiz at 12.30 as it was only a 1 hour 40 minute drive to Seville. It was a hot day and as we drove the temperature reached 31 centigrade. It was a good highway to Seville and free like all the other highways we have so far used in Spain. We had booked a 2 bedroom apartment in Seville for 4 nights through Booking.com and it cost Eur 150 a night. It had free parking which is a big bonus in Seville. Accommodation in Seville is expensive and parking is difficult. We couldn't find a decent hotel room for less than Eur 150 a night in Seville when including parking and breakfast. It is always more of a hassle checking into an apartment than a hotel. The hassles began when the owner of the apartment in Seville wanted us to use an App to record our passport details before giving us the apartment address. We have been required to do this for some of our other bookings in Spain. Sometimes the Apps are easy to use and sometimes they aren't! This App was in Spanish and was complicated. We therefore emailed our passports to the owner and he entered the details for us. When we arrived in Seville we had to collect the apartment keys from a bar, then park the car in an underground car park and afterwards walk 5 minutes to the apartment. It was a bit complicated but it worked out alright in the end. The apartment was very nice. Lani was still feeling off from her cold and as we had 4 nights in Seville we just did some grocery shopping and relaxed for the rest of the day. 13 May 2024 - Seville There is a lot to see in Seville. The 2 main sites are the Cathedral and the Royal Alcazar and I had booked tickets online for both of them to save queuing for tickets. For today we had tickets for the Cathedral and its tower (La Giralda). The tickets usually cost Eur 17 but we paid Eur 11 as we got an over 65 discount. The cathedral only opens at 10.45 each morning and we had tickets for 10.50. We arrived a bit early and were dismayed to see so many tour groups in the vicinity. If you have read any of my other posts you will know that we don't like tour groups and mass tourism. Although we didn't like the sight of the tour groups the sight of the cathedral was very impressive. The construction of the cathedral commenced in 1402 and it took just over a century to complete. It was built on the huge rectangular base of an old Almohad mosque. The total area of Seville's cathedral covers 11,520 square metres, making it the largest Gothic cathedral in the world. La Giralda was originally the minaret of the mosque but it was converted into the cathedral's bell tower. The Moors wanted to destroy it before the Christians' reconquest of Seville but the Moors were threatened with death if they removed a single stone. The impressive tomb of Christopher Columbus is in the cathedral. His remains were transferred here in the early 1900's when Cuba gained independence. We spent about 2.5 hours in Seville's very impressive and opulent cathedral. Afterwards we had lunch in a nearby restaurant and then walked to the Plaza de Toros which is Seville's historic bull fighting arena dating back to the 18th century. Luckily we got a reduced rate for being over 65 as there wasn't much to see. From there we walked over to the Torre del Oro (Tower of Gold) which was built in the 13th century as a defensive lookout tower. It used to have a companion tower on the opposite bank, with a metal chain stretched between them, to prevent hostile ships from sailing upriver. 14 May 2024 - Seville In the morning we walked via the Murillo gardens to the 17th century Hospital de la Caridad. It has an excellent chapel and several paintings by famous artists. The hospital obviously didn't lack funding! Afterwards we wandered around Seville and its old Jewish area until lunch time. Seville is an exceptionally pleasant city and unfortunately many tourists like it! For lunch we had tapas at a bar called Casa Pepe Hillo which had good reviews on the internet. The food was good. For the afternoon we had tickets for the Royal Alcazar and the tickets included a guided tour of the Royal apartments. The normal cost was Eur 20 but we again benefited from being over 65 by getting a reduced rate of Eur 13.50! Our tour of the Royal Apartments was at 15.30 and we had to be there at least 15 minutes before that. They have strict security as the apartments are still used by the Royal family at times. It was only a 25 minute tour but it was very interesting. Unfortunately it was forbidden to take photos. We then continued around Seville's Royal Alcazar (the Royal Palace). It was originally built as a citadel in 10th century by the Moors. The Almohads developed it into a larger palace complex in the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1364 Pedro 1 of Spain (Pedro the Cruel) ordered the construction of a Royal Residence within the Almohad palaces. We thought that the Royal Alcazar was probably more impressive than the Alhambra in Granada. 15 May 2024 - Seville This was our last day in beautiful Seville. We walked to the Plaza de la Encarnacion where a 150 metre long by 30 metre high wooden structure was completed in 2011. It is claimed to be the world's largest timber structure and it was very impressive. It's officially called the Metropol Parasol but everyone refers to it as Las Setas (The Mushrooms). It is possible to walk on the top of it but we didn't as the admission fee was Eur 10. On the way to Las Setas we were surprised to pass the Pilate's House which hadn't been mentioned in our guide books. Tour groups were visiting it but we didn't enter as we knew nothing about it and the entry fee was Eur 10. I later researched the Pilate's House and it is a very beautiful mansion constructed in the 15th century. After seeing Las Setas we walked over to the Archivo de las Indias for which there is free admission. The Archivo de Las Indias was set up in 1785 at the request of King Charles III to keep all the documents relating to the administration of the Spanish Overseas territories. The main features of the Archivo de Las Indias are a beautiful staircase and two enormous rooms housing some 43,000 files, books and maps. After lunch we walked to the Triana area and then onto Maria Luisa Park. This is a public park that stretches along the Guadalquivir river. The impressive Plaza de España was built in the park for the Ibero-American Expo that was held in Seville in 1929. ; Links to other blogs about our Road Trip 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 7 - Seville to Portugal Week 8 - Porto to Pontevedra, Spain Week 9 - Muxia & the Lighthouse Way Week 10 - Muxia, Spain to Plymouth, UK

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 - 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. 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 cathedral 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 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 - 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 the 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 - 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 - 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 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 - 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 palace 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 in 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 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 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