Himalayan Monal Trek | Everest Photography Tour

You have a scenic flight of 30–35 minutes to Lukla (2800m) from Kathmandu. In Lukla, you can see the airline office and numerous lodges. The trail from Lukla leads you to Chablung (2700) and it descends steeply to the Tharo Kosi, which is also known as the Kusum Kanguru Khola (river). Beyond the Tharo Kosi Bridge, the trail climbs to Ghat (2590 m) and then again climbs to Phakding. In Phakding, you can climb to the gompa to see your first view of the high peaks. Now you will really feel like you have arrived in the Himalayan Kingdom. Stay at the Guesthouse: Lunch, Dinner, and Breakfast. O/N at Phakding.

From Phakding, the trail follows the Dudh Koshi River and reaches Zamphuti. From here, you can see excellent views of Thamserku peak. Then the trail climbs to Chomoa, the site of an agricultural project, an interesting place to have a look around and gain an insight into the farming way of life of these people. From Chomoa, the trail again climbs to Monjo (2840 m) and enters the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park (1148 sq km, established in 1976 m). Walking some distance uphill, you will be at Jorsale (2830m) and, after a long climb with views of Mt. Everest peeking over the ridge of Nuptse (7879 m), the trail reaches the street of Namche Bazaar. Stay at the Guesthouse: Lunch, Dinner, and Breakfast. O/N at Namche Bazaar (3,440 m).

After having breakfast, do some sightseeing around Namche Bazaar. Then you can hike to Thamo village via Phurte. This is the ideal place to see Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasants, Himalayan Vultures, Breaded Vultures, and some other species. Make sure you have your camera to capture this moment. In and around Namche, you can see some Himalayan tahr. After returning to Namche Bazaar, you can spend some time interacting with the fun-loving Sherpa and Rai people. In Namche, above Sagarmatha National Park headquarters in Chorkyam in the evening time, we will visit to see the Himalayan Monal. Overnight stay at a guesthouse: lunch, dinner, and breakfast. O/N at Namche.

This day, after breakfast, we are heading to Khumjung village first through Shyangboche. Along the way, we can see some Himalayan species like the Black-faced laughingthrush, the Snow pigeon and some other species. After exploring the Khumjung village, we descend to Shanasa for the night. This place is also the best for Himalayan Monal, Blood Pheasant and other species. I will say in the Everest region, Shanasa is the best birding place and also best for the view of Mount Ama Dablam. The night is spent in the local guest house with a full board meal plan. 

Phortse is an amazing place for the Himalayan Monal in Nepal. After breakfast, we ascend to Mong-La hill and descend to Phortse Tenga, before again ascending to Phortse village. Along the way, we’ll also be birding. Just below the village there is attractive farmland and then a beautiful rhododendron forest, which is a suitable habitat for the Monal. In the evening time, all the monal and pheasants come into the farm to look at the food. At that time, you can make beautiful photos.

Today we are heading toward Tengboche via Pangboche village. This is an amazing trail along which you can see many Himalayan tahrs and, if you are lucky, you can also see Tibetan wolf and snow leopard. After crossing the bridge over the Dudh Koshi River, then entering the Debuche. This area is also a popular place for birding where you can see the Gold Crest and other birds. Continuing birding, we will reach Tengboche and overnight at Trekking Lodge.

After an early breakfast, we start our journey with biding. We descend to Phungi Tenga and ascend to Shanasa. With slow birding, we’ll reach the Namche bazaar for lunch. After lunch, they continue to descend to Manjo with birding. Along the way, we can see some common species like Rufous-vented Tit, Koel Tit, Brown Deep, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Black-faced Laughingthrush, and some warblers overnight at the trekking lodge in Manjo.

This is the last day of birding in the Everest region, so after breakfast, we continue birding and slowly head toward Lukla. Along the way, before Ghat village, we can see many birds like Fire-tailed myzornis, Rufous Sibia, Chestnut-crowned laughingthrush, Black-faced Laughingthrush, Streaked laughingthrush, Kalij Pheasant, Yellow-billed Blue Magpie, Blue-fronted Redstart, Green-tailed Sunbird, Blue whistling thrush, etc. After reaching Lukla overnight at Khumbu Resort and celebrating the last night's party. 

This day marks the end of our stay in the Khumbu region. We will catch our early domestic flight to Kathmandu. We will be staying at a hotel in Thamel and preparing for your homebound. You can also buy a souvenir from the shop and enjoy drinks and Nepali cuisine. You can also enjoy city life by visiting clubs or pubs.

We will visit some of the most famous places in Kathmandu, which are also world heritage sites listed by UNESCO. Durbar Square is the place where our ancient kings used to live. The Pashupatinath temple is revered by a large number of Hindu religious believers. Swayambhunath, also known as Monkey Temple and Boudhanath, is one of the largest stupas in the world.

Every beautiful journey has its end, and this is the last day of your stay in this beautiful country, Nepal, and the completion of the awesome Himalayan Monal Trek. You will be taken to Tribhuvan International Airport for departure. There are many beautiful places to visit apart from this amazing trip. We welcome you to visit us again and are enthralled by wonderful experiences.