Day 2: Arrive Kathmandu. We are met at the airport and taken to the Summit Hotel. This is an excellent hotel positioned well away from the bustle of the city centre and its friendly people do their best to make us feel at home. It has extensive gardens and a swimming pool. For those joining the expedition in Kathmandu, all team members should aim to meet at the hotel on this day. Exclusive to our 8,000-metre peak expeditions, the Everest expedition will use the Himalayan View wing of the hotel, as this has larger rooms opening on to spacious balconies and furnished to a higher standard than the main rooms of the hotel.
Day 3: At leisure in Kathmandu. While the leader attends a formal briefing in the Ministry of Tourism, you will be able to explore this fascinating city. As those who have been there before will know, it is a wonderful mixture of crowded bazaars, temples and shrines, in a blend of ancient, colonial and modern architecture. Today, the expedition leader will also check everyone's equipment, as Kathmandu is the last opportunity to buy anything missing.
Day 4: Fly Kathmandu to Lukla. We will make an early morning start for the Twin Otter flight to Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu. This is an exciting flight, which should give a glimpse of Everest in the distance. In Lukla, we will meet our camp staff and porters and set off straight away for our first night's stop at Phakding. Situated on the banks of the Dudh Kosi, which drains the whole of the Khumbu Region, this small hamlet is on the main trade route through the area and there are a number of clean, well-built lodges where we can spend the night.
Day 5: Trek to Namche Bazaar. We will continue up the banks of the Dudh Kosi, crossing it twice by small suspension bridges before reaching the village of Monjo where we will enter the Khumbu National Park. We will then cross the confluence of the Dudh Kosi and the Bhote Kosi on a high suspension bridge and climb steeply for about two hours to reach Namche Bazaar. This is a prosperous trading town and the capital of the Khumbu Region. Many Tibetans cross the nearby border to trade their wares and the local market is a fascinating spectacle. This is a good place to buy genuine Tibetan artefacts. Just across the valley to the east stand the peaks of Thamserku and Kangtega, both very impressive mountains.
Day 6: At leisure in Namche Bazaar. We will spend a day in Namche Bazaar resting and allowing our bodies to become acclimatised to the altitude of 3,450m (11,300ft).
Day 7: Trek to Deboche. From Namche, the well-worn Everest trail contours around the side of the valley high above the Dudh Kosi. As we follow the path, we will get our first really good views of the great peaks of the Khumbu: Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam. Passing by several villages and numerous tea shops, we will cross the Dudh Kosi river and make a steep climb to Thyangboche, home of an impressive and recently rebuilt monastery. We have plenty of time to look around Thyangboche and have a cake at the bakery before dropping down to the river and the village of Deboche (3,700m/12,135ft) a little further along the trail, where we will stay in a relaxing lodge.
Day 8: Trek to Dingboche. Shaded by rhododendron trees, the path leads gradually down to the river once again to another airy suspension bridge. An hour's walking from here, will bring us to Pangboche, an excellent viewpoint for Ama Dablam. Contouring up the valley side, we will re-cross the river and turn up the Imja valley to reach the picturesque farming village of Dingboche.
Day 9-12: Acclimatisation. This is an important phase of the expedition. We will be based in Dingboche, which is a good location for acclimatisation. The expedition leader will organise daily outings to the adjacent hills with the aim of providing a gradual and beneficial programme of acclimatisation. We will go out with the aim of walking some of the nearby hills in order to slowly increase our exposure to altitude. However, the aim will not be on strenuous exercise and you will be encouraged to follow the regime that you have previously found most suitable, in order to give you maximum acclimatisation before you arrive in base camp. While in Dingboche, we can attend a seminar about high altitude acclimatisation at the hospital in nearby Pheriche, run by the Himalayan Rescue Association. The walk over to Pheriche and back will also serve as good acclimatisation training and so make the walk doubly worthwhile.
Day 13: Trek to Lobuje. We will retrace our steps back to Pheriche before continuing up the trail towards base camp. We will eventually reach Dugla situated below the snout of the Khumbu Glacier, which will be a convenient place for lunch. After lunch, the trail starts steeply to climb up beside the glacier moraine. After a couple of hours the track eventually leads to a small cluster of tea houses pleasantly situated at Lobuje.
Day 14: Trek to Gorak Shep. About three hours beyond Lobuje we reach Gorak Shep (5,220m/17,126ft), the site of the 1953 expedition's base camp. It consists of a few small tea houses which, undoubtedly, will become a welcome 'bolt hole' during the expedition.
Day 15: Trek to Everest base camp. Contouring along the valley side, the trail leads on to the moraine of the Khumbu Glacier and becomes quite vague, weaving between mounds of rubble. After about 3 hours we will eventually reach base camp near the foot of the Khumbu Icefall. This will be our home for the next six weeks.
Day 16-18: Rest and preparation.
Day 19-64: Ascent of Mt Everest. We will climb through the icefall as infrequently as possible, but this will mean at least 4 planned trips during the expedition. The outline climbing programme for the trip will be as follows:
Climb One - aim to reach Camp 1 and descend to Base Camp. Climb Two - aim to sleep at Camp 1 for 2 nights, and to reach Camp 2 for acclimatisation on the day between. Climb Three - aim to sleep at Camp 2,or above for 6 nights. During this time, we will also climb to reach Camp 3 and descend to Camp 2 for a rest. Then we take a day off, and go back up to spend one full night in Camp 3, using oxygen for sleeping.
Day 1 - Climb to Camp 1. Day 2 - Arrive in Camp 2. Day 3 - Rest and Acclimatisation in Camp 2. Day 4 - Climb to the Lhotse Face, descend to sleep in Camp 2. Day 5 - Rest and Acclimatisation in Camp 2. Day 6 - Climb to Camp 3. Sleep camp 3. Day 7 - Descend to Camp 2. Day 8 - Descend to Base Camp. R&R - now well acclimatised with strong legs and lungs, we head on down the valley to the warm air of Dingboche, to stock up on calories and to have a thorough rest.
Climb Four - we go up, to reach the Summit.
Day 65: Withdraw to base camp. All team members will return to base camp.
Day 66-68: Return trek to Namche Bazaar via Dingboche and Deboche.
Day 69: Trek to Lukla.
Day 70: Fly Lukla to Kathmandu. We will return to the welcome haven of the Summit Hotel. Once back in Kathmandu, Jagged Globe will host an evening barbecue to celebrate the expedition and as a farewell party to thank the Sherpas for their support and friendship.
Day 71: At leisure in Kathmandu.
Day 72: Homebound flight departures. Our scheduled flight back to the UK arrives in London Heathrow early evening.
PLEASE NOTE: The above itinerary is not a fixed programme but is intended to give an indication of the likely events during the expedition. Please note that because of climbing Everest, it will be necessary to have a flexible plan in order to take the best advantage of situations as they present themselves. Any changes to the itinerary will be made with a view to maximising the benefit to the team members and of ensuring their eventual success on the mountain.