Namche Bazaar to Lukla Trek | Everest Base Camp Day 11

After 10 days of exploring some of the top natural beauty that the Himalayas has to offer, it is time to finish up your Everest Base Camp trek. On day 11, you will trek from Namche to Bazaar to Lukla, before heading back to Kathmandu the next day.

This guide will get you prepared for the hike as it gives you a complete overview of what to expect on day 11 of the trek.

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1) Namche Bazaar to Lukla Trek Facts

Below will be some helpful facts to know about the hike so you have a better idea of what to expect up on the trail between Namche Bazaar and Lukla.

Everest Base Camp Trek Day 11: Namche Bazaar to Lukla

Starting Point: Namche Bazaar

Namche Bazaar Elevation: 11,286 feet / 3,440 meters

Ending Point: Lukla

Lukla Elevation: 9,318 feet / 2,840 meters

Distance: 11.9 miles / 19.1 kilometers

Duration: 7 hours

Elevation Gain: 2,904 feet / 885 meters

Net Elevation Gain: -1,968 feet / -600 meters

*Elevation gain is the true amount of elevation gained for the portion of the trail – although a downhill trail, there will be still be plenty of uphill sections throughout. Net elevation is just the difference in elevation between Namche Bazaar and Lukla.

» Learn more about the various distances, elevations, and durations of the Everest Base Camp Trek

» Learn more about flying into the region in the Kathmandu to Lukla Flight Experience Guide

2) Namche Bazaar to Lukla Elevation Profile

Below you can get a sense of the elevation profile between Namche Bazaar and Lukla. Although you will have a large net elevation loss for the day, there will still be uphill sections to make your way through during the trek, resulting in nearly 3,000 feet of elevation gain.

The hike on day 11 will essentially be the opposite route of days 1 and 2, which go from Lukla to Phakding, and then Phakding to Namche Bazaar.

Right when you leave Namche Bazaar, you will begin to lose elevation relatively quickly. After that initial rapid descent, the elevation loss rate will be begin to slow down for the next 10 km / 6 miles or so.

But the last portion of trail will actually be an uphill climb as you make your way back to Lukla and finish up the Everest Base Camp route.

3) Trekking Map

I have also included a trekking map view of the route between Namche Bazaar and Lukla to give you a better sense of the hiking layout.

It is quite a long trek on day 11 as you make a 19 km / 12 mile journey back down the valley.

4) Everest Base Camp Trek Packing List

You will want to pack accordingly for this 11-day trek in the Himalayas. I put together a complete Everest Base Camp Packing List that goes over every single item I brought along on the trail. Below you can find just some of those recommended items that are including on the list:

• Hiking Socks: Darn Tough Merino Wool Crew Mens | Darn Tough Merino Wool Crew Womens
• Hiking Pants: Eddie Bauer Men’s Guide Pro Pants  | Eddie Bauer Women’s Guide Pro Pants
• Fleece: Columbia Men’s Ascender Softshell | Columbia Women’s Kruser Ridge II Softshell
• Rain Jacket: Columbia Men’s Watertight II | Columbia Women’s Arcadia II
• Hiking Shoes: KEEN Men’s Targhee III | KEEN Women’s Targhee III
• Hiking Backpack: Osprey Atmos 65 | Osprey Renn 65
• Trekking Map | NatGeo Waterproof Map
• Solar Power Bank | Anker 20,000mAh Solar Power Bank
• Deodorizing Body Wipes  | Alcala Bamboo Deodorizing Body Wipes

5) Namche Bazaar to Lukla Trek

Note: during the day you will pass by a few checkpoint spots (the same ones you would have pass on the way up).

Be sure you keep your 2 permits in a safe spot throughout the duration of the trek as you will need to show them here again.

By now you should be an expert on trekking through Sagarmatha National Park as you have already completed over 100 km / 60 miles of trail over the last 10 days.

On top of that, day 11 is the same hike that you already completed on days 1 and 2, so nothing should be too new here for you.

After checking out of your Namche teahouse and having a nutritious breakfast, it is time to hit the trail. You will make your way down the stone steps to the bottom of the Namche village and follow the trail towards Lukla.

Right of the bat you will begin to lose that elevation and head down the dirt/stone paths. After around 45 minutes or so of trekking you will arrive back at the rest stop area (from the end of day 2), where you can now get your final glimpse of Mount Everest.

After this point, you no longer will get any more views of the mountain. Although it is just a tiny portion of the peak through the trees, it is still a beautiful view to take in.

The path will continue downwards from there, where you will head down a mixture of stone steps and dirt pathways, and cross over some suspension bridges as well.

You will get to walk right alongside the river as you finish up that initial steep decline section and will now be walking on a much more moderate decline as you continue the trek.

Although most of this section is downhill, you will also come across a few uphill climbs as well, so do be prepared for those as you make your way along.

Throughout this portion of trail, you will get some beautiful mountain and river views in, as you pass by small villages and Sherpa stones and you will eventually end back in the village of Phakding.

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By now you are you a bit more than half way to Lukla, so it would be a great spot to have some lunch, relax, and rest those legs for a bit before finishing up the very last portion of trail.

After leaving Phakding, you will continue to make your way further down the valley with more river views, suspension bridges, and mountain ranges out in front of you.

However, over the last 4 km / 2.5 miles of the trek, instead of dealing with that moderate decline you will be dealing with a moderate incline instead.

The path won’t be too technical but you will be dealing with several sections of stairs and an incline path all the way through. There will be a few more small villages that you pass by before you enter the outskirts of Lukla.

Congratulations! After 11 days of trekking, more than 120 km / 76 miles, and 7,000+ meters / 24,000 feet of true elevation gain, you have completed the one and only Everest Base Camp trek. It is no easy feat to accomplish and you should feel very satisfied for getting it done.

6) Where to Stay in Lukla

After entering Lukla, you will walk your way through town, and onto your teahouse for the last night on the Everest Base Camp trek.

Lukla has plenty accommodations to choose from and you should have no trouble finding a spot for the night. I decided to stay directly next to the airport at the Buddha Lodge Lukla.

Luckily when I was there, the teahouse had hot water showers (for free too!), so it was a great way to clean up after so much trekking. While it is nice to be right near the airport for the early morning flight on day 12, it is really no more than a 10-minute walk to the airport no matter where you are staying in town.

On day 12, head to the airport around 1 hour before your flight, check in, drop your bag off and head back to Kathmandu to end a successful Everest Base Camp trek adventure in the Himalayas.

Take a look at this in depth overview of the Everest Base Camp Trek as well as the below guides I put together for each day of the journey:

Day 1 – Lukla to Phakding

Day 2 – Phakding to Namche Bazaar

Day 3 – Hotel Everest View Acclimatization

Day 4 – Namche Bazaar to Tengboche

Day 5 – Tengboche to Dingboche

Day 6 – Nangkartshang Acclimatization

Day 7 – Dingboche to Lobuche

Day 8 – Lobuche to Gorak Shep & Everest Base Camp

Day 9 – Kalapathar & Gorak Shep to Pheriche

Day 10 – Pheriche to Namche Bazaar

Day 11 – Namche Bazaar to Lukla

That about wraps up a recap of the Namche Bazaar to Lukla trek. If you have any questions about the Everest Base Camp trek in general feel free to add them in below.

Be sure to also check out the other Nepal itineraries and guides up on the site.

Have fun out there and safe travels!

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