Why Honeymoon in the Everest Region
Few trips put you this close to the biggest mountains on Earth with so little technical difficulty. The classic trails are stone steps and dirt paths, steep in places but never a climb. You walk side by side for hours, stop for milk tea in a teahouse and arrive somewhere new every afternoon. Couples often say it was the most connected they felt on the whole trip.
The Sherpa culture is the other reason. Villages such as Khumjung and Thame have whitewashed houses, potato fields walled in stone and gompas painted inside with protector deities. Tengboche Monastery holds prayers in the late afternoon that visitors can quietly attend.
Comfort has improved a lot on the lower trail. Small lodge chains now offer heated rooms, attached bathrooms and proper mattresses up to Namche. Above that, rooms get simpler. You can design a route that stays in the better lodges and still sees Everest.
When to Go
October and November are the classic months. The monsoon has washed the air clean, skies are usually clear and days are mild while you walk. They are also the busiest months, so book lodges and flights early.
March through May is the second season. Rhododendrons bloom on the lower slopes in pink and red, days are warmer and the Everest climbing season brings an energy to Namche. Haze builds as May goes on and afternoon clouds are more common.
December through February is cold, clear and quiet. It suits couples who want empty trails, but nights are bitter and some lodges above Tengboche close. June through September is the monsoon. Leeches appear on the lower trail, clouds hide the peaks and flights to Lukla are often canceled for days at a time.
In any season, build in at least one or two spare days at the end for weather delays on the Lukla flight.
Where to Stay
Lukla, Phakding and Monjo are the first nights on the trail, at lower altitude with river views and pine forest. Namche Bazaar is the hub, a horseshoe of lodges, bakeries and gear shops on a steep slope. Most couples spend two nights here to acclimatize.
Above Namche, the plateau around Khumjung and Syangboche has the best mix of views and quiet. Hotel Everest View, near Khumjung, was built by a Japanese developer decades ago and has a terrace that looks straight up the valley to Everest and Ama Dablam. Its rooms are dated. Sleeping that high on night two or three is a poor idea, so many trekkers come for lunch instead.
The Yeti Mountain Home chain has upgraded lodges at several points on the trail, including Phakding, Monjo and Namche, with heated blankets and en suite bathrooms. Elsewhere, family-run teahouses are clean, friendly and basic. Expect shared bathrooms and a cold room once the dining stove goes out. A good sleeping bag helps.
Romantic Things to Do
The short trek most honeymooners choose runs from Lukla to Namche, then up to Khumjung and Tengboche and back, roughly seven to nine days at an easy pace. It reaches Everest views without going above 13,000 feet.
On the acclimatization day in Namche, walk up to the Sherpa museum ridge above town at sunrise. On a clear morning Everest appears as a dark pyramid behind the Lhotse wall. The hike from Namche to Tengboche follows a balcony trail with Ama Dablam ahead most of the way.
At Tengboche, find a seat in the monastery for afternoon prayers, then watch the light fade on Everest from the meadow outside. In Khumjung, visit the village school founded by Sir Edmund Hillary and the gompa said to hold a yeti scalp.
If one of you cannot trek, helicopter flights from Kathmandu or Lukla fly up the valley to land near Kala Patthar or the Everest View terrace for breakfast. They are expensive, but they work.
Getting There and Around
There are no nonstop flights from the US to Nepal, so most couples connect through the Gulf, Istanbul or Delhi to Kathmandu (KTM). From there, small planes fly to Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla (LUA), one of the most dramatic runways anywhere, a short uphill strip on a cliff. The flight takes around half an hour.
In the busy autumn and spring seasons, many Lukla flights have operated from Ramechhap (Manthali) instead of Kathmandu to ease congestion. That means a very early drive of several hours from the capital. Check with your trekking company which airport your flight uses.
Weather in Lukla closes the airport often. Morning flights are the most reliable. Keep two buffer days before your international flight home.
On the trail, everything moves on foot. Nepal's rules increasingly require foreign trekkers to hire a licensed guide, which is wise here anyway. A porter can carry one bag for the two of you. Your trekking agency arranges the national park and local paperwork.
Food and Drink
Lodge menus are long and surprisingly similar from village to village. Dal bhat, the Nepali plate of rice, lentil soup, vegetable curry and pickle, is the trekker's fuel. It usually comes with free refills, which is why guides say dal bhat power, 24 hour.
Sherpa stew, a thick soup of hand-pulled noodles, potatoes and vegetables, is the best thing to order on a cold evening. Momos, fried rice, potato pancakes and garlic soup are reliable. Garlic soup is a local favorite at altitude.
Namche has real bakeries with cinnamon rolls, apple pie and espresso. Treat yourselves on the rest day.
Most lodges are vegetarian in practice above Namche, since meat is carried up and may not be fresh. Drink plenty of water and use purification tablets or a filter bottle instead of buying plastic. Skip alcohol until you are back down. It worsens altitude symptoms.
Honeymoon Tips
- Ascend slowly. Above 10,000 feet, aim to sleep no more than about 1,500 feet higher each night and take a rest day in Namche. Headaches, nausea or confusion mean go down, not push on.
- Buy travel insurance that explicitly covers trekking at altitude and helicopter evacuation. Read the altitude limit in the policy.
- Pack layers for both of you: a down jacket, warm hat, gloves, broken-in boots and a headlamp. Mornings are freezing even in October.
- Talk honestly about pace before you go. A guide can split you up for a section if one partner wants a harder side hike.
- Carry cash in rupees. Card payments and ATMs are limited above Lukla and the lodge charges for charging phones and hot showers add up.
- Walk to the left of mani stones and chortens. Ask before photographing monks or people at prayer.
