There are a lot of things to see and do both in KTM and in the Khumbu on our trek.

Your visual senses will be bombarded with possibilities. From the crowds in KTM to the people, animals and landscapes of the Khumbu. It is literally overwhelming so we’ll be working with you to achieve your photographic goals. Bill, Emily, Axel & Mark will be available to talk about all aspects of photography, travel, trekking, etc. so come ready to ask questions and learn something new.

Kathmandu. A spectacular opportunity for street photos and environmental portraits.

Khumbu Valley The trek from Namche Bazaar to Everest Base Camp offers amazing landscape and village photo opportunities.

Namche Bazaar is the economic center of the Khumbu. Loads of photo ops here from the shop owners, street vendors, trekkers, and locals.

Upper & lower Thame villages are amazing due to the vast geometry of stone walls that outline homes and grazing pastures.

Khumjung - American Himalayan Foundation Hospital. Sir Edmund Hillary School.

Phortse - Khumbu Climbing Center & Portrait photos. Short trek to Pangboche and visit the Buddhist monastery. Axel’s hometown and where we will have our own Puja by the monks of the monastery.

Dingboche. Great landscapes including the Khumbu glacier and views of Everest. This is a good time to back up cards, review images and rest at 14,400 ft. (there is a great bakery in Dingboche!)

Lobuche to Everest Base Camp overnight in Gorek Shep. A few options here depending on group health and desires. The landscape gets pretty dramatic and opportunities for astro photography are very good.

Sunrise photos of Everest from Kala Patthar peak 18,519 ft. Then descend to Periche and visit the Himalayan Rescue Center. We’ll be on the other side of the river from our ascent so really cool old stone shepard cabins along the way. And more stone walls!

Descending from EBC is much faster than going up!

We’ll stop in Tengboche to visit the Buddhist monastery and take in the dramatic landscape. (They also have one of the best bakeries and coffee shops on the trek.)

Arriving in Namche we’ll have a coffee at Sherpa cafe and discuss post production strategies and ideas for sharing your one of a kind images. We’ll take stock of what we’ve done and where we’ve been.

Helicopter to KTM. The arial photo opportunities should be amazing!

Along the way make sure to chat up our Sherpa guides. With over 25 Everest summits between them and many more 8,000 meter peak summits they have amazing stories to share.

If you’ve not traveled to a third world country then Nepal will come as a bit of a shock. It is a poor, un-developed country. Having said that, you will come away appreciating the amazing people you meet here.

Our hotel in Kathmandu will be comfortable and offer wifi, meals and hot showers. (That’s important at the end of the trip believe me!) Meals feature Nepali and Western choices and the food is quite good.

Kathmandu is dusty, crowded and overwhelming. The Khumbu is empty and awe inspiring. This is as far away from a Western culture as you can get and yet the people are the most open, friendly and kind as you may ever experience.

Our accommodations once we land in Namche and enter Sagamartha National Park are referred to as Tea Houses. A tea house offers food, lodging and tea of course. They are uninsulated so at night it is a bit… brisk. Expect temperatures of 20-30 degrees at night up to Lobuche and then temps can drop to single digits above 16,000 ft. Your sleeping bag should be rated to 20 degrees if you sleep hot or to zero if you sleep cold or want to be cozy.

Food in the Khumbu (the valley we are hiking in up to EBC) is mostly vegetarian, and excellent, though there are some options for chicken, beef and yak. My suggestion is to try and stick to the veggies, rice, pasta, eggs, etc. With the exception of chicken pretty much everything is carried on someones or somethings back. It is not a huge menu so you will be ready for a pizza or burger when you get back to Kathmandu.

Bathrooms & Showers - Most places have western toilets. Toilet paper goes into a separate dry container NOT in the toilet. Yes it’s weird but you must keep toilet paper out of the septic system. Showers are a luxury and are available in Namche Bazaar, Dengboche and Tengboche. The rest of the time we use wet wipes or other body wipes for daily cleansing. You are honestly not going to want to get wet in an unheated tea house.

Drinks - As mentioned someone or something has to carry everything into the Khumbu so drinks outside of tea, coffee and hot water cost money. Water runs about a $1 a bottle on the trek but we will have water that we’ll filter available to fill your Camelback, or Nalgene bottles. Alcohol is not a good idea as it is expensive and the impact on you at high altitude can be extreme. One beer = three beers at 16,000 feet and can put you at risk for altitude induced illness. Celebrate a beer in Kathmandu.