Internationale groepsreis Everest Marathon with Paul Goldstein & Valerie Parkinson

The tour starts at the Hotel Royal Singi in Kathmandu. There will be a full briefing this evening where you will be given your marathon kitbag, T-shirt and bib. Royal Singi Hotel

We fly to the mountain airstrip of Lukla (2,800m), and set off on the first short leg of our trek, heading northwards up the valley of the Dudh Kosi (or 'milk river'). We descend from the small plateau, down into the forested valley. The trail offers some tantalising views before reaching the small settlement of Phakding (2,652m), where we spend our first night. Tea-house (sleeping altitude 2,652m)

Heading out of Phakding we follow the Dudh Kosi northwards. This day's walk takes us through magnificent forests with glimpses of the mountains ahead. We cross the river several times by bridges as we pass through the villages of Benkar, Monzo and Jorsale. A final bridge brings us to the foot of the steep climb to Namche. Halfway up this ascent, we may get our first glimpse, cloud-permitting, of the summit of Everest appearing majestically behind the great ridge of Nuptse-Lhotse. A last 300m of climbing brings us to Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa capital and the main town in the area. Namche is a prosperous Sherpa town and an important trading centre. It has a weekly market on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, but the town bustles all day every day with trekkers, coffee shops, bakeries and stores selling all kinds of trekking and climbing gear as well as Tibetan souvenirs. Tea-house (sleeping altitude 3,440m)

We climb steeply out of Namche past the airstrip at Shyangboche to the Everest View Hotel, the highpoint of our day at 3,880m. Built by the Japanese, this spectacularly situated hotel with wonderful views of Everest and Ama Dablam is an ideal place for a tea break. Descending through forest we come to Khumjung, where we have lunch close to the Sir Edmund Hillary School. After lunch, we walk up to Kunde and visit the Edmund Hillary Hospital. The twin villages of Kunde and Khumjung are set below Khumbila, the rocky peak sacred to all Sherpas. For much of the walk, we have great views of Ama Dablam and other Himalayan giants. We walk back down through Khumjumg to the monastery. Sadly, it was damaged in the earthquake but is now being repaired. Inside is a small box and after paying the entry fee (which goes towards the repairs) - we will be shown the only Yeti scalp in the world! Descending to the main trail we spend the night at Kyanjuma.Paul Goldstein and his support team will join us at the lodge in Kyanjuma this evening. Look out for the tiger suit coming around the mountain! Paul will accompany you from this point onwards, until the day after the marathon (30th May), when he will get a head start back to Lukla and Kathmandu. Tea-house (sleeping altitude 3,600m)

This morning we descend to the river; we cross it at the little settlement of Phunki Thangkha at 3,250m, then climb steeply through the forest to Thyangboche at 3,867m. We will be here by lunchtime, and in the afternoon we will visit the famous monastery. The sunset and sunrise on the fantastic panorama of mountains surrounding us are not to be missed - Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse and Ama Dablam provide a wonderful backdrop to our teahouse. Look out for Himalayan Tahr in the forest surrounding the monastery. Tea-house (sleeping altitude 3,870m)

We descend through the forest to Devoche and a little further on we cross the rushing Imja Khola, whose valley we now follow. Climbing steadily, the trail enters Pangboche, at 3,900m, the highest permanent settlement in this valley. Ascending the valley, we have lunch at Shomore, after which we leave the trees behind and cross a wooden bridge at the confluence of the Khumbu and Imja Kholas. A short steep climb brings us to Dingboche, at 4,350m, a summer settlement where great peaks surround us. Tea-house (sleeping altitude 4,350m)

We spend the day at Dingboche to continue our acclimatisation. Those adapting well to the altitude can climb Nangkartshang Peak at 5,100m for great views of Makalu, Lhotse, Chalotse, Tawoche and Ama Dablam.Tea-house

The trail climbs steeply out of Dingboche past a chorten and ascends the valley gradually to Dugla at the end of the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. From here we have a short, steep climb up to Chukpo Lari, a beautiful, yet poignant place where there is a line of memorials in tribute to the climbers who have died on Everest and from where we have a beautiful panorama of the peaks lying on the Nepal-Tibet border. The trail then eases off as we follow the valley to Lobuje, a tiny hamlet with a few teahouses. The sunset on Nuptse is not to be missed. Tea-house (sleeping altitude 4,930m)

The group will trek together as far as Gorak Shep, the closest settlement to Everest Base Camp. The runner's group will then spend the rest of the day resting or exploring the area around Gorak Shep, whilst the supporter's group have the option to do the return trek to Everest Base Camp.Today is a very long, hard day as we leave very early, following the Khumbu Glacier northwards to Gorak Shep (5,184m). The trail undulates up and down the moraine with some short steep sections. The trail is rocky as we are now on the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. It will take us about 3 hours to reach Gorak Shep where we will have a rest and something to eat. From here to base camp and back there are no lodges so we will fill our water bottles and take some snacks for the walk to Everest Base Camp. We start by walking across the sandy flat at Gorak Shep and climb onto the lateral moraine of the Khumbu glacier. The trail ascends the side of the glacier for a couple of hours before finally descending onto the rocky glacial moraine itself. The trail winds up and down through fascinating ice seracs to the area known as Everest Base Camp, where in spring, we might see in the distance some of the expedition teams as they prepare to climb the mountain. From the Base Camp, we get fantastic close-up views of the Khumbu Ice Fall and we can appreciate just how difficult it is for the climbers to negotiate a route through the huge blocks of ice. Nuptse towers above us and Pumori rears up behind us. After a short photo stop by the Base Camp rock we retrace our steps to Gorak Shep. Tea-houseMeals included: breakfastSupporter's Trek Profile: 13km/8mi / 250m overnight altitude gain / 9-12 hours

This morning we wish the runner's group good luck and say goodbye to them for the next couple of days. The Runners head to Base Camp as the Supporters begin our descent in order to be waiting for them at the finish line on race day. We have another hard day as we climb steeply above Gorak Shep to the small peak of Kala Pattar, 'Black Rock', at 5,545m from where we can look down over the base camps of the various Everest expeditions. This climb affords a magnificent view of the Khumbu Glacier and above all a close-up view of the world's highest mountain. We return to Gorak Shep and retrace our steps to Lobuje for lunch and then continue on down the valley to the lower altitude of Pheriche for the night. (Please note that the walk to Everest Base Camp and the climb of Kala Pattar are both very tough. Sometimes we may change the order in which we tackle the walks depending on the group's ability and weather conditions).Tea-house (sleeping altitude 4,243m)Meal included: BreakfastSupporters Trek Profile: 13km / 8mi / overnight altitude loss 940m / 10-11 hours

Descending through Pheriche, we cross a small bridge and have a short climb before descending to join the main Imja Khola Valley. We follow the valley down to Pangboche through an alpine meadow landscape. We drop down to the rushing river then walk through the peaceful rhododendron forests to the village of Devoche from where we climb back up to Thyangboche on the ridge for lunch. We descend off the ridge to Phunki Tenga and walk back up to Kyanjuma, where we spend the night.Tea-house (sleeping altitude 3,600m)Meals included: BreakfastSupporters Trek Profile: 13km/8mi / overnight altitude loss 650m / 7.5-8 hours

The walk to Namche Bazaar takes us along a beautiful undulating trail high above the Dudh Kosi. We will arrive at around lunchtime and should have some free time to explore the town before the marathon runners start nearing the race finish line. Paul Goldstein coming over the finish line in a gigantic tiger suit is surely going to be a sight to behold! Teahouse (sleeping altitude 3,440m)Meals included: breakfast

Spend a leisurely morning resting or exploring Namche before making the short descent to Monzo. Paul will part ways with us again today, setting off for Lukla and the journey back to Kathmandu. Tea-house (sleeping altitude 2,850m)

We retrace our steps to Chaunrikhara where we start the last climb to the airstrip at Lukla. Tea-house (sleeping altitude 2,800m)

We fly back to Kathmandu and transfer to the hotel. Royal Singi Hotel 

Today is free for sightseeing in Kathmandu (it is also a spare day to allow for any delays in the flights to or from Lukla). You may wish to visit the monkey temple at Swayambunath, one of the largest Buddhist Stupas in the world at Bodnath, or the most important Hindu temple in the valley at Pashupatinath. We offer a full range of sightseeing tours which can be booked and paid for locally. Please see the Optional Excursions section within the Trip Notes or the Exodus notice board in the hotel in Kathmandu.Royal Singi Hotel

For land only travellers the tour ends after breakfast.