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Detailed Itinerary
The Kathmandu Adventure
 Thursday, May 9/ Friday, May 10Depart San Francisco International Airport. We cross the international dateline en route to Asia.
There will be a layover in Asia, and a free day there to explore Hong Kong or Bangkok.
Arriving in Kathmandu, we’re met by our Nepali team, who will escort us to our hotel, a soothing sanctuary located near the Royal Palace. Enjoy the luxe ambiance as you unpack and settle in, ready for the first full day tomorrow.
Saturday, May 11 Kathmandu
We’re ready to dive into Kathmandu, and we head off on a walking tour of Durbar Marg—in the Old City—where we see the splendid royal palaces Nepali kings built there, since the 3rd century. We enter a beautiful Hindu mandir (temple) dedicated to Vishnu, and explore the intricately carved wooden temple courtyards. We may have the opportunity to have a seat in an open-air classroom and receive instruction from a Hindu pandit. We will also have the opportunity to have a seat at the feet of a sahdu, a wandering holy man, and through our interpreter we'll receive his wisdom and also ask questions about his spiritual life.
Then we head through the delightful chaos of food vendors, yogis, and dozing sacred cows, to the Kumari Chowk, the Palace of the Kumari, a Living Goddess who embodies the deity Taleju. The low doorway insures we bow as we enter her palace courtyard. Above, the windows are bordered with elaborate wood carvings of mythic peacocks. The leaders explain the court policy, of seeing the Kumari, and we look upward, as she comes out to her audience balcony, draped in crimson and gold. She may smile on us, a sign of protection, and of good fortune to come.
The western fringe of the city is our next destination. Our mini-bus drives up Manjushri Hill, and we make the pilgrims’ walk up the ceremonial steps leading to Swayambhunath. This Buddhist temple celebrates the God of Wisdom, and is a pilgrimage destination with a wonderful view of Kathmandu Valley. We explore the chapels, including one with one of the world’s largest prayer wheels. Swayambhunath’s temple monkeys are considered sacred, and they to love to pose for the camera.
The rest of your day is free for shopping, or a nap at the hotel.
Every day we see lots of sites. To give you a chance to digest the experiences, we always make sure they’re balanced by some free time. You might use this to go shopping, or you might enjoy heading back to the hotel for some alone time—just you, a glass of papaya juice, and a good book.
This evening we will see what the group's interest is for our first Nepali dinner. We could arrange for a candle-lit dinner on the hotel's lawn, a banquet of Newari cuisine, or a visit to a traditional restaurant in Kathmandu's old Thamel district.
Sunday, May 12 Kathmandu
.jpg) After breakfast, we grab cameras & sunscreen and hop on our minibus for Boudah, where we'll will introduce you to Boudanath Stupa, a huge, white domed mandala surmounted by a golden pyramid, and cascades of yellow and blue prayer flags. This is one of Nepal’s most sacred Buddhist shrine, and you can join red-robed pilgrim monks, and make a ritual perambulation, turning the bronze prayer wheels as you go.This whole area is known as “Little Tibet”, and we wander through its marketplaces, admiring the Himalayan jade and hand-loomed pashminas. Then we head to the hushed studio where artists bring bodisatvas to life, as they create the intricately detailed thangka painting seen in Buddhist temples. We get to watch each step of a painting process that’s so meticulous, it can involve a single sable hair dipped in pigment.
We'll also visit Bouda resident, Aaama Bompo, and receive healings from her. Known as "The Mother Shaman", Aama is one of The Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers. Her healings are dramatic and she also gives individual recommendations for your future.
Today is a full schedule, but if time permits we will travel to the east bank of the sacred Bagmati River for a view of Pashupati Temple. With its gold- sheathed roof, Shiva shrines, and ash-daubed sadhus, it’s by far the country’s most important Hindu site. Our goal will be to see a Brahman priest perform the Hindu ritual, wherein the soul of the departed is returned to the spirit world. This is seldom witnessed by westerners.
The rest of your afternoon is free. You can sip a glass of wine in the hotel’s outdoor restaurant, and chat with your fellow travelers.
Each evening we have a meeting where we talk about our day’s experiences, and learn about what we’ll be seeing tomorrow. Usually it’s before dinner.
This is also a time when you get to do some inner exploring of your own, and reflect on some of the mysteries you’ve encountered. If a Lama teaches us “The Blessing of Self-Forgiveness” during a temple visit, the evening meeting will be a time when the trip leaders guide the group in practicing this. This affords you some eyes-closed time, and lets you assimilate what you’ve experienced, and that way you get to take those lessons home with you.
The meeting is roughly 30 - 60 minutes in length. No prior background in religion required. The trip is designed for beginners, and everyone gets to learn something new.
The Inn-To-Inn Adventure
Today we switch gears, and enter the second phase of our Adventure. A 30 minute flight carries us away from the hubbub of Kathmandu and into the calm, beautiful upland valleys of Nepal’s mountainous Khumbu region.
We land at the airstrip in Lukla village, and are met by our crew of Sherpa guides, who will escort us through this shimmering realm. This part of the trip is an inn-to-inn walking tour, and we stay at cozy lodges that are an average of 3 ½ miles apart. Your belongings will be carried for you by yak train, and will be waiting for you at the next inn. All you have to carry is a day pack with your sunscreen, water bottle, and camera. You have views of towering snowy peaks, but our valley trails stay at a moderate elevation—about the same at Colorado ski resorts. Before you start today’s walk, the group is introduced to a Buddhist monk, who leads a traditional outdoor puja, invoking the blessing of the mountain spirits, and bringing good fortune on our journey. This is the same colorful ceremony that’s done for expeditions before they head off for Mount Everest.
Then you begin the walk up the valley of the Dudh Kosi River, on a broad trail that threads through beautiful pine forests, tiny villages, and over rivers on graceful suspension bridges. Your trailmates are yak herders, and red-robed monks, hurrying to prayer, and high overhead are snow-capped mountains. You can walk with friends or solo, and you can stop whenever you like, to watch a waterfall, take pictures, or enjoy a cup of tea at a bhatti, a trail-side tea house, that also sells chocolates and biscuit.
The span over the Thado Khohsi Khola is your first major bridge, and one you always remember. The sliver of steel is very strong, but be sure no yaks have already started across from the other side. In Nepal yaks have right-of-way, and when meeting them on the trail with a slope, always pass so they are downhill and you are uphill.
You reach your first overnight village-- Phakding, and find Tibetan ginger tea and sweet biscuits are waiting for you there. Your belongings are also there. Time to grab a hot shower, unpack, and trade trail stories with your fellow travelers.
Your afternoon is free. You can take a nap, read a book or explore the lodge.
It can also be fun to wander through Phakding village. You might enjoy having a seat at a tea house, and having some cardamom tea. It’s a great way to watch the passing scene. Suspended in the rhythms of planting and harvesting, this alpine community has remained unchanged for centuries, and each person meets you with hands in a prayer gesture, and a“Namaste” greeting.
Sherpa children are well loved, and if you take the time to play a game of peek-a-boo with a baby, it’s a sure way to become an honorary member of the community. Before you know it, a smiling Sherpani steps from a doorway and offers you some yak cheese.
At dinner you get to chat with your fellow hikers, and you discover food on the trip is yummy. The cooking crew likes to spoil us. At night, you pull a woven Nepali blanket up to your chin, and fall asleep to the sound of Tibetan prayers drifting down from a hillside monastery.
Tuesday, May 14 Monjo
Every day you are awakened by a knock on your bedroom door. “Good morning! Bed tea. Milk and sugar?”, as a member of the crew hands you a cup of chai. Then off to a hearty breakfast.
You continue walking up valley, going through fragrant blue spruce forests, chatting with your hiking partners. Later both groups link up on the main trek trail, and pass through an area of rhododendron, magnolia and giant ferns.
Then the group arrives in the hamlet of Monjo, and our next lodge.
 Your afternoon is free time.
On a free afternoon, it can be interesting to check out the snacks at one of the village’s family tea houses. Each has a culinary delights. There’s tingmo-- soft, flaky Nepali steamed bread, and riki kur—crispy potato pancakes.
Before dinner we'll visit a Sherpa school, and the nearby Uche Choeling Monastery. Laura and John lead you up the rickety stairs to the second floor gompa and a visit with the Rinpoche. He shows us centuries-old Buddhists texts from his library, and
teaches us a traveler's prayer. Uche Choeling is rarely visited by westerners, and the 70 year-old Rinpoche delights in feeding us tea and sweet biscuits, as he offers us insights into his faith.
One of the features of this trek is that we slow down and really get to know the Sherpa homeland.
There are several occasions where the itinerary takes a section of trail that is traditionally done in one day, and takes two days to cover the same distance. This allows us to reach the next village earlier in the afternoon. And this gift of more time makes it possible for us visit seldom-seen holy sites such as Uche Choeling Monastery (above), the hereditary Shaman of Khumjung on June 8th, and Thamo Nunnery on June 12th.
We visit schools, nunneries and monasteries that most trekkers walk right past.
And the Sherpa villagers are delighted to see our slower pace. They open their doors, and offer us experiences that could never be planned.
On one trek we were invited into the home of the village elder, and were served Sherpa tea. On another, the village women showed us how they do the annual potato harvest.
Wednesday, May 15 Namche Bazaar
.jpg) We begin today’s walk with everyone’s favorite bridge, the beautiful span across the Dudh Kosi, called the Larja Gorge Bridge. The river starts in Tibet, and the leaders will talk about Naga, the Tibetan water spirit that dwells in the river. You'll also learn how to make an offering to the water god as you cross. After we reach the other side, we head up to Namche Bazaar. It’s a steep trail, that we share with hikers and yaks, but today’s hike is only a mile and a half, and we take our time, as everyone goes at their own pace.
Around midday we reach Namche, the bustling commercial center of the Sherpa domain, and we’ll be here for a couple of days. We settle into our lodge, which has a great mountain view. The rest of the day is free. You can nap, read a book, or explore the town. Namche is famous for its bakeries, and they’re fun to sample. Be sure to try the hot apple turnovers at Helmers Bakery’s, which are delicious.
A group will also be lead on a hike up to the aptly-name Everest View Hotel, in Upper Namche. As you sit on the deck, feasting on the best food in Namche, you are surrounded by views of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. The hotel is in the Guinness Book of World Records, as the world's highest hotel.
Thursday, May 16 Namche Bazaar
Our second day in Namche has no hiking, and so we sleep in and have a late breakfast.
In the morning we have a private session with Tashi Tserling Sherpa, who is an Amji-- a doctor of traditional Tibetan medicine. He’ll explain this ancient practice, which is completely different than western medicine. And you may get a pulse diagnosis and recommendations for more harmonious health. Your midday is free for whatever you wish, and if you are a museum lover, you can visit the Sherpa Museum, or shop for hand-knitted wool caps.
Namche brims with handicraft sellers, and in the afternoon our Sirdar will guide us to the best buys, the colorful “Made-In-Namche” hand-knit woolen caps, scarves.
And be sure to buy some of the aromatic local herb teas, made from Khumbu wildflowers. Bring them back to the lodge and the crew will brew up a pot of this fragrant tea.
We also visit Namche’s Monastery of the Nyingma Sect, with its altar is filled with rows of glowing candles. Here we'll get an introduction to the guardian Khumbi Yul Lha, the region’s protector spirit, who dwells in the mountain behind the Monastery.
Friday, May 17 Khumjung
Today's walk will be just an hour or so, and takes us to our next lodge, in Khumjung, which is the region's largest and most prosperous Sherpa community. This is not the commercial bustle of Namche, but more of a for-Sherpas community of traditional stone dwellings. In the morning we'll be guests in a classroom at the famous Sherpa school founded by Sir Edmund Hillary. Exploring Khumgung during free time, can be fun. It’s a village where you see the juxtaposition of medieval and modern. Yaks rumble down the streets, and the ‘laundromat” is still a shallow pool with a stream running through it. Yet right around the corner, a sign hangs over a doorway….” Internet Café”. The legend of the Abominable Snowman is well known throughout the Himalayas, and in the afternoon we visit Khumjung Monastery to see the Yeti scalp that is kept there. In the monastery we'll also have a private, candle-lit ritual centered on forgiveness and compassion.  In Nepal, the village shaman (see rare photo at left) is consulted on a daily basis by princes and peasants alike. In the afternoon we’ll visit Khumjung’s 75 year old hereditary shaman. Over the years, each visit to the Shaman has been unique. We never predict what he will do. On one trek he led chants and took the group on an inner journey, and performed healings. On another visit he explained how he accessed the spirit realm, and how he received his gift of prophecy. Generally, for anyone who wishes, he’ll offer a divination, and may also perform an shamanic healing. In the evening you have what many people have described at their most heart-warming experience-- being a guest in a Sherpa home for dinner. You may climb up a ladder to the second storey, as the ground floor is often a stable, and designed so the animals’ body heat rises to warm the family above. You arrive with fresh veggies, which is major treat in a culture where the diet is mostly potatoes. You’re shown around the house, you get to play with the children, and you help in the cooking, and then you’ll get to join the family for dinner. A crew member will be your guide and interpreter. One of your surprises for the family will be oranges for dessert, a once-a-year treat for many Sherpas. Welcome to the family.
Then you go back to the inn to trade stories over a late snack of milk and brownies.
Saturday, May 18 Thame Today we say goodbye to heart of Sherpa territory, and walk to a more remote corner of the region. In the past four days on the trail, we encountered many trekkers from all over the world. Now we begin one of our prettiest walking days, and one that also carries us into a realm where the members of our group will be the only westerners we'll see. The Bhote Kosi River churns below the trail, as we walk through a lush green canyon, while thousands of feet above the white peaks of Tengi Ragi Tau and Parchamo sparkle with glaciers and summit plumes billow eastward from the top, blown by a strong west wind.  In the afternoon we cross the Bhote Kosi and ascent the opposite bank. After crossing, we make the climb through dwarf pine forest to Thame ("TA-may") village, which sits in a broad meadow fringed with blooming rhododendrons. Violet wildflowers blossom among the mani stones, and horses often trot through the verdant pasture. Thame Monastery clings to a hillside 500 feet above us, like something out of Indiana Jones. The lodge will be our home for the next three days, and your afternoon is free.
Whenever you have an interest in doing some personal exploring in free time— to a waterfall, or an upper pasture—a crew member will always available to go with you as a guide-interpreter.
Today we may have an audience with the Rinpoche (incarnate lama) in the monastery’s richly decorated Great Hall, suffused with sweet juniper incense.
Every day we have a two or three rich cultural or spiritual interactions. Seeing something new, and doing things you’ve never done before, is always a stretch. To allow these growth experiences to feel comfortable, we always make sure that they’re balanced by plenty of soothing “comfort zones”.
For instance, almost every afternoon is free so that you can spend it doing whatever you wish, including doing nothing-- curling up with a favorite book, a cup of cocoa and a warm blanket.
Additionally, on every non-hiking day, we always have a leisurely afternoon tea at our lodge, with biscuits, and sandwiches.
And of course our meals are also planned for comfort, because, along with Nepali food, we include old favs such as chicken soup, and macaroni & cheese.
And every night at our lodge, we unpack another “comfort zone”, our box of familiar goodies brought from home-- Monopoly, Scrabble, Trivial Pursuits, Mad-Libs, playing cards, and checkers.
Sunday,May 19 Thame
In the afternoon, we'll walk up to the Monastery, and observe the beginning of the three day Mani Rimdu Ceremony, an annual ritual celebrating the triumph of light over darkness.
Today is the Blessing Day, and any who wish can receive empowerment from the Lama, in the form of Mani Rilbu (sacred medicine ) and the Nectar of Long Life.
At dinner in our lodge we may have three monks join us as our guests. After desert they'll talk through our interpreter, about life in a remote Buddhist Monastery.
Every day we continue to have our evening meetings to chat about what we experienced that day. The leaders answer questions about what we saw that day, and preview what’s up for tomorrow. They also leads the group in some inner observation, which helps people integrate and develop what they’ve experienced.
Monday, May 20 Thame
Today is a non-hiking day, and you can sleep late. However, if you are an early riser, John and Laura will lead a group to join the morning meditation at the Thame Monastery. Seeing the monks and lamas assemble and begin their sonorous songs and chants is something few westerners experience.
 Today is the most important day on the Mani Rimdu Ceremony, and Sherpas from all over the district have made a pilgrimage here. The Procession of the Monks is heralded by an orchestra of alpenhorns, flutes, conch shells, cymbals and drums. We’ll have a private seating area reserved, and you’ll watch dancers in colorful costumes and huge masks perform dances showing the elimination of evil, and the triumph of the Dharma. The dances can be humorous, instructive or lyrical, but they are all compelling, and they usher in a new annual cycle. The dance has a morning and an afternoon period. You can go back down to the lodge for lunch or bring a snack and stay at the monastery.
In the evening the Mani Rimdu ritual concludes and we hope to be permitted to join both the monks and the pilgrims in a post-MR party.
Tuesday, May 21 Namche Bazaar
There may be an opportunity to witness the closing Fire Ceremony, as the Mani Rimdu comes to a close. Then, departing Thame, we walk down the hill, re-cross the river and return to Namche.
In the late afternoon, we walk to Thamo Nunnery. Although the splendid male-oriented Monastery of Thame gets all the attention, the female-centered Thamo is an amazing spiritual treasure. Thame Monastery is set on a hilltop, with its colorful prayer pennants snapping vividly in the wind. The monastery gathers all the attention to itself, and is photographed and video taped endlessly be every visiting traveler. With all of the focus going on Thame, the nuns at Thamo quietly go about their business. A story relates that Thamo Nunnery is one of the sacred places on Earth where the nun’s prayers help to maintain harmony on the planet. Their spiritual work is said to be linked with that of the Third Mesa Hopis, Amazonian Shamans, Egyptian Coptics, and others spiritual groups around the world who traditionally have kept the planet in balance. We hope to be received by the Reverend Mother Abbess, and those who wish can spend time visiting with the nuns
Then on to Namche and our overnight lodge.
Wednesday, May 22 Phakding
Today we depart Namche and walk back down the Dundh Kosi valley to Phakding.
Following dinner, you’re in for a treat. The crew and villagers have planned a Chyangdung, a village dance get-together…. and we’re all invited. The whole village seems to be there-- grannies, kids, parents and babies. The best performers in the village form a line, and drape arm-over-shoulder as they begin. And they’re happy to teach us too! Soon some of our adventurous hikers are matching the rhythm, and are welcomed into the line. Be sure to capture them on your video. Local millet wine (tastes like dry sherry) fills your cup, and as the evening continues, the line dissolves and the dancing becomes more of a casual affair. A Chyangdung is lively and fun, and can last into the wee hours
As this is our last trekking night, we may have an outdoor campfire, and we’ll invite the Sherpa crew to join us, toasting marshmallows and making s’mores. They’ll probably uncork some of local rakshi to accompany our celebratory evening. And the crew always enjoys teaching us their traditional songs.
Rest And Relaxation
Thursday, May 23 Lukla
Today you descend through lush farmland and palm groves. You might stop to buy yak cheese (think mild Emmental), enjoy a cup of chai at a tea house, or chat with a mountaineer returning from the summit of Everest.
After a hot trail lunch, we continue on to Lukla.
When we arrive back at our final inn of the walking tour, we transition to the third part of the Adventure-- several soothing days of Rest and Relaxation.
At the start of the walk, we arranged for each person to leave a set of clean clothes at this lodge, so it’s time for a shower, and the wonder of fresh clothing!
The afternoon is free for some last-chance shopping for Himalayan souvenirs. On our last night in the Khumbu, our guides and crew join us, and we’ll all have a big banquet together.
Then there’s free time. Maybe you want a snooze, or a bite of late lunch in the lodge dinning room. Or you can walk around Lukla and enjoy some Himalayan shopping.
In the pre-dinner evening meeting, John and Laura will lead some inner work about your goals.
For our last dinner in the mountains, we have a celebratory banquet at the lodge, including a special Sherpa dessert, and accompanied by toasts and speeches. Our crew will join us and we all eat together. It’s also the traditional time when we acknowledge the great job our Sherpa crew has done. You can get to bed early, or stay up late and close down the bar with other night owl trekkers. But be sure to take a last look at how clear the stars are, seen from 9,000’ in the Himalayas
Friday, May 24 Kathmandu
 A morning flight takes us back to Kathmandu, tocontinue our well-earned R&R.
Today’s plans are low key and soothing. They might include an afternoon of shopping, or a visit to the Spa for a massage.
But most of the time is for relaxing: sleeping late, chatting in the gardens, writing post cards. In the evening meeting you continue to assimilate changes you experienced. The leaders guide inner work on releasing any out-dated part of yourself that you might wish to leave behind in Nepal. Saturday, May 25 Kathmandu
 Each day there will an optional visit to a nearby sight, such as a Newari Temple. But you are also welcome to just relax and "catch up to yourself."For those interested, there will be an optional Mountain Flight, to see Everest up close.
We will also head across the Valley, to the village of Duwakot, in the Bagmati District. There we’ll encounter The Egg Shaman, whose healing specialty is the ability to release unwanted elements from the person being healed, and to transpose them into another object. This is often referred to as a Displacement Healing. The Duwakot uses a fresh egg, which you bring with you. You’ll be surprised what you find, when you crack open the egg after the healing. On our last evening meeting we will have a traditional ritual that’s related to closure and moving forward, as you release the past, and head into your future. Typically, groups like a “night out” as a farewell banquet. There are many choices which John and Laura can arrange, including dinner in a former rajah’s palace, or a meal that features traditional dancers.
Sunday, May 26 /Monday, May 27
Transfer to the Airport for our departure flight from Kathmandu. We typically have a layover, then our our return flight to San Francisco, crossing the International Dateline, and arriving at SFO.
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