And certainly rightly so: there will hardly be a traveler whose mouth did not drop open at the first sight of Mount Everest and all the other six-, seven- and eight-thousanders. In addition, there is a cultural heritage that will accompany and fascinate you throughout your journey: Buddhism characterizes the life of the Sherpa and is visible at almost every corner. Just think of the Buddhist flags hanging everywhere, the gompas with their monks and the chortens in every village. Together with the hospitality of the Sherpa people, the result is an almost irresistible total package for cosmopolitan outdoor enthusiasts, namely the Sherpa Heritage Trail, which you can book as a “Private Trekking” individually at any time within the trekking seasons, and that already from two persons.

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In the “Sherpa Heritage Trail” not only the landscape, but especially the life of the Sherpas is central theme. You are on the road with them and take part in everyday life and culture very closely. Discuss with them how they farm or what significance the yak has in one of the highest inhabited regions on earth. You will travel off the beaten track and be guests of Sherpa families – and always accompanied by Pemba Sherpa, your guide and Sherpa expert from Chaurikharka. If you travel back with the feeling that the region has so much more to offer than “just” Mount Everest, then we have reached our goal!

The Sherpa Heritage Trail through the Khumbu region in the heart of the Himalayas begins in Kathmandu, as do all trips to Nepal. Here you have time at the beginning of the trip to get to know the two philosophies that determine life in Nepal, Hinduism and Buddhism, and also to make your first contacts with the Sherpa people. And: Yes, Kathmandu is a culture shock for most people who don’t know the city yet. At least if you see the word as a synonym for traditions, ways of life, culinary and the like unknown to us. And the capital of Kathmandu has more than enough of that to offer, so you will certainly forget your everyday life immediately.

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Then it starts early in the morning: a spectacular flight in a small plane takes you to Lukla, the “gateway” to the Khumbu and notorious for the exposed location of the airport. Your trekking already begins: you hike briefly on the much-traveled Everest trek, but soon turn off behind Lukla to Chaurikharka. A quiet contemplative place away from the tourist crowds, which, however, has a very special meaning for us Trail Angels: years of deep friendships have forged strong bonds between us and the place – for example, a Sherpa from this village is firmly integrated into the family of trail expert Stefan and lives with her in Austria.

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Chaurikharka will accompany you, by the way, in a way on your whole trek on the Sherpa Heritage Trail, since both guide and porters and your local contact Nawang come from this place. So you will continue towards Phakding (here you will visit a remote monastery) and Namche Bazar: you will hike partly on unknown trails, but in this section often also on the popular main trek towards Mount Everest. It is like a shock of civilization, but this is also an inseparable part of today’s Khumbu. The scenery becomes increasingly spectacular: wild gorges are traversed, suspension bridges crossed, and more glaciated giants line your path.

Namche Bazar clings to the steep slopes like a bird’s nest and is surely the center of the Khumbu: trading post, hub of the valleys leading down from the glacier giants. In this – one would almost say – city you will get everything your heart desires for the last time. You will stay here for two nights because Namche Bazar is already at 3,440 meters and you need to be well acclimatized to continue the ascent. You will visit the information center of our impact partner Sagarmatha Next and learn a lot about the difficulties of life in the Khumbu and their possible solutions.

Above Namche, you will see the 8,848-meter Mount Everest for the first time. You leave here, however, again the much-traveled Everest Basecamp Trek and hike via Khumjung to Phortse. Here you finally turn off and no longer hike in the direction of Mount Everest, but through a wild, largely untouched valley via the pastoral settlement of Nha to Gokyo at the foot of the 8,201 m high Cho Oyu.

Gokyo occupies a special position: the 4,750 m high and located on the third Gokyo Lake is the only settlement that has not been inhabited for centuries. The location on the Ngozumpa glacier – the largest ice stream in Nepal – is too barren and exposed for that. A fantastic location in the middle of the highest mountains in the world. From here you can reach the 5,357 m trekking peak Gokyo Ri via a strenuous but easy climb. A true viewing platform above the Ngozumpa Glacier with views of four eight-thousanders and countless six- and seven-thousanders all the way into Tibet.

After 2 nights, you will leave the valley and descend into the neighboring valley via the 5,417-meter Renjo La. With the crossing of this pass you have reached the highest point and an absolute highlight of your trip. Through a lonely valley you will descend to the rarely visited shepherd settlement Lungden. Now you let the trekking slowly come to an end: in three days you hike down via Thame (with a visit to the famous monastery) and close the circle of your trekking round again in Namche Bazar. You already know the following way to Lukla. Before you fly back to Kathmandu by plane, you will pay a farewell visit to Chaurikharka. Maybe you feel like us after all the eventful days with your friends from Chaurikharka: a visit to old friends. One would not even like to talk about farewell, because we are sure: also you will not have been the last time in Chaurikharka!

Back in Kathmandu you still have time to enjoy this breathtaking city before heading back home.

On the other hand, he is an absolute expert on Sherpa culture. It helps him both as a guide and as a Sherpa expert that he also knows the Western culture very well. So he already knows intuitively what can be interesting for you, and leads you both technically and locally exactly there.