After landing you meet your porters, who weigh and tie the duffels, and you walk up the main street past lodges and shops to the memorial gate for Pasang Lhamu Sherpa. In 1993 she became the first Nepali woman to stand on top of Everest and died on the way down; she is remembered across the Khumbu, and the local rural municipality carries her name. A board near the gate lists trail distances and a checkpoint records your local permit.
From the gate the path runs level for a few minutes, then descends past the village of Chaurikharka and the junction at Cheplung, where the trail from Salleri and the lower Solu joins. You pass your first mani walls, carved stones and prayer wheels: walk to the left of them, keeping them on your right, as local people do. Mule trains and porters with 60 kg loads use the same path, so step to the hillside, not the drop, when they pass.
The walk to Phakding takes about three to four hours with a lunch stop at Thado Koshi or Ghat, and loses about 250 m. It is deliberately easy: the point is to sleep lower than Lukla on the first night and give your body time. Wear trail shoes or boots, carry a light jacket, water and sun cream, and leave the heavy bag to the porter. Expect suspension bridges over side streams and your first views of Kusum Kanguru.
Good for
- First-timers
- Families
- Groups
- Seniors
Questions travellers ask
How hard is the walk from Lukla to Phakding?
It is the easiest day of the Everest Base Camp trek: about 8 km and 3–4 hours, mostly downhill or level, losing around 250 m to Phakding at 2,610 m. There are a few short climbs and several suspension bridges. Most people arrive by early afternoon with time to rest.
Do I need to show permits at Lukla?
Yes. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit is checked at Lukla, and the Sagarmatha National Park permit at the Monjo park gate the next day. Your guide normally carries copies and handles the checkpoints. Rules and fees change, so check current status before you travel.
Can I start trekking the same day I land in Lukla?
Yes, that is normal. Planes usually land between 7 and 10 am, and after tea and loading the porters you walk to Phakding the same day. If your flight is delayed until midday, you may stop at Lukla or walk late; in that case we adjust the next day.
