Everest Sherpa Villages Family Trek This will be a ‘landmark event’ for your family! The scenery and Sherpa culture will leave a powerful impression, never to be forgotten. In medieval Kathmandu with its crowded bazaars and ancient temples, we stay in a fabulous hotel that is itself like walking into a royal palace. The children will love the swimming pool! After sightseeing we fly in a light aircraft into the Everest region to begin trekking. The route takes us in easy stages on a circuit of some of the prettiest Sherpa villages. We visit the Sherpa capital, Namche Bazaar, attend a puja at Thyangboche monastery, see the Yeti scalp at Khunde gompa, and marvel at the views of Everest and her satellite peaks that tower above us. Small children (6–8 years) can be carried in specially adapted padded baskets. This trek is more suited to families with older children who are used to hill walking. It consists of a mixture of camping with a full Sherpa crew, plus a couple of nights in quality lodges. Until recently, if you wanted to get close to the highest mountain in the world then you either had to trek in with a full Sherpa crew, sleeping in tents, or trek up to the base camp area using fairly basic tea house lodges. However, the success of the Ker & Downey lodges in the Annapurna region did not go unnoticed by the more enterprising Sherpa businessmen, and in particular by a Bhutanese family who, with the help of their Sherpa friends, built four super lodges in the Khumbu region. Therefore, following a reconnaissance by our Managing Director, Steve Berry, in Spring 2001, we designed a trek which takes us up into the Everest region and which utilises these comfortable lodges for our overnight stays. Having flown into Lukla we trek to the Sherpa capital, Namche Bazaar, and then trek through a series of pretty Sherpa villages, first in the direction of Everest as far as the famous monastery at Thyangboche, and then in the direction of the famous Tibetan trade route, the Nangpa La, to visit the pretty villages of Thame, Mende and others. These treks will be operated in the same style as our highly popular trek in the Annapurna foothills which uses the Ker & Downey lodges. The only difference between this and the Annapurna version is that this one involves a few more days walking and that there is one quite tough day when we climb up the steep hill from Monjo to Namche Bazaar itself. Added to this is the fact that the trek is at a slightly higher altitude, though nothing very excessive in Himalayan terms. The scenery is sensational, as we find ourselves surrounded by many of the Himalayan giants, including, of course, views of Everest and the more elegant Ama Dablam. The Luxury Lodges of Everest 34 Download detailed itineraries from www.himalayankingdoms.com e: info@himalayankingdoms.com Left: Lhotse Photo: Adam Parsons Right: Young monks, Bodhnath Photo: John Turner Adults Children under 12 £2,195 £1,555 £1,595 £1,095 Dates: Fri 04 Apr – Sun 20 Apr land only land only Grade: Moderate/Vigorous On Trek: 11 days European Leader: “Ned” Kelly Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 4 Camping: 6 Lodges: 5 Optional: Single Room £95 (Kathmandu) £130 (on trek) Single Tent £130 Insurance: £95 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 17 days 1–3 Fly to Kathmandu, at leisure –4 Fly to Lukla, begin trek 5–14 Trek the Sherpa villages 15–17 Fly to Kathmandu, at leisure, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of4clients £1,975 £1,475 Sun 23 Mar – Mon 07 Apr £2,095 £1,475 Sat 05 Apr – Sun 20 Apr £1,975 £1,475 Sun 05 Oct – Mon 20 Oct Sun 12 Oct – Mon 27 Oct Sun 19 Oct – Mon 03 Nov £2,095 £1,475 Sun 21 Dec – Mon 05 Jan ’09 land only land only land only land only Grade: Moderate/Vigorous On Trek: 9 days Day Walks: 1 day Sherpa Leader Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 4 Luxury Lodges: 10 Optional: Single Room £95 (Kathmandu) £160 (on trek) Insurance: £95 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 16 days 1–3 Fly to Kathmandu, at leisure 4–5 Fly to Lukla, trek to Monjo, day walks 6–7 Trek to Namche, visit Saturday market –8 Trek to Thyangboche 9–11 Trek to visit Mong La, Khumjung, Khunde, Mende and Thame 12–13 Trek to Lukla 14–16 Fly to Kathmandu, at leisure, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of clients Featured on ITV’s Wish You Were Here 2 Other family treks – see page 17 & 28 Other Everest treks – see page 32, 33, 37 & 38 Local curiosity Photo: Steve Berry Other Christmas treks – see pages 21, 23, 28, 29, 32, 53, 55, 56, 58 & 67

35 tel: 0845 330 8579 (local call rate, UK only) international tel: +44 1453 844 400 www.himalayankingdoms.com Approaching the summit of Island Peak Photo: David Barraclough This is an exciting, scenically stunning mountain, that provides a superb challenge for the very fit, keen hill walker. Mera is technically straightforward, but as Nepal’s highest trekking peak, at 6,476m/21,246ft, it is very demanding. The walk in, initially through the virgin forest of the Hinku Valley, is incredibly beautiful and provides excellent acclimatisation for the peak itself. Further on, walking along the glacier with glorious panoramic views of Everest, Lhotse, Nupste, Makalu, Ama Dablam, Cho Oyu and other 7–8,000m giants, is an unforgettable experience. We provide an unrivalled service on this trek. Our topquality equipment, food, trekking staff and an experienced western leader all maximise your chance of achieving the summit. £2,395 £1,895 Dates: Sat 12 Apr – Sat 03 May*, Sat 19 Apr – Sat 10 May †, Sat 04 Oct – Sat 25 Oct**, Sat 11 Oct – Sat 01 Nov †† land only Grade: Strenuous (Exp Gr) On Trek: 17 days European Leader: Corey Jones*, David Bathgate † Roope Roine**, Stef Economides†† Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 3 Camping: 16 Tea House: 1 Optional: Single Room £60 Single Tent £60 Insurance: £99 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 22 days 1–2 Fly to Kathmandu –3 Fly to Lukla 4–13 Walk in to Mera High Camp –14 Summit day – Mera Peak 6,476m/21,246ft 15–19 Walk out to Lukla 20–22 Fly to Lukla and Kathmandu, at leisure, fly to London Guaranteed to run for a minimum of6clients Mera Peak 6,476m/21,246ft Island Peak (Imja Tse) 6,189m/20,305ft Island Peak is an inspiring and interesting mountaineering challenge. At 6,189m/20,306ft, it is not the highest trekking peak, but it provides more technical interest than its near neighbour, Mera. Island Peak is situated the Khumbu. Both the peak and our acclimatisation trek lie in the heart of the Everest region. We are treated to a varied feast of rock scrambling, roped glacier travel, a steep snow/ice wall on fixed ropes, and exposed summit ridge for an exciting finale. The two week walk-in is not only a world class trek in its own right, but also provides optimum acclimatisation for the peak. We up the scenically stunning Gokyo Valley, ascend Gokyo and cross the classic high passes of the Khumbu: the Cho and Kongma La passes. At every twist and turn on this trip are rewarded with unforgettable views of 7,000 and 8,000m Himalayan giants. Island Peak is graded Alpine PD, and should have suitable mountaineering experience for this trip. £2,595 £1,995 Dates: Fri 04 Apr – Sun 27 Apr*, Fri 03 Oct – Sun 26 Oct † land only Grade: Strenuous (Exp Gr) On Trek: 19 days European Leader: Dave Pickford*, “Winky” O’Neale † Nights’ Accommodation: Hotels: 3 Camping: 3 Tea Houses: 16 Optional: Single Room £60 Single Tent £125 Insurance: £99 (Standard Policy) Days Itinerary Duration: 24 days 1–2 Fly to Kathmandu –3 Fly to Lukla 4–16 Walk in to Island Peak High Camp –17 Summit day – Island Peak, 6,189 m 18–21 Walk out to Lukla 22–24 Fly Lukla and Kathmandu, at leisure, fly London New for 2008 Guaranteed to run for a minimum of6clients Trekking Peaks Why choose Himalayan Kingdoms? • Experienced European mountaineer Trek Leaders • Top Sherpa guides who have previously summited Mera Peak and Island Peak • Top-quality equipment, including sleeping bag • Full camping service • 4-star hotel in Kathmandu See also pages 2 and 3 for more information • Best acclimatisation programme possible • Ground handling by the oldest trekking company in Nepal • No load carrying – trek to the summit with just a day sack • Different return route to Lukla Other trekking peaks – see pages 45, 57 & 69 Mera and Island Peaks Sirdar Dawa Photo: David Barraclough