The flight into Lukla is famous for the wrong reasons — a short runway on a mountainside, frequent weather delays, and a reputation that puts a lot of people off. There is another way in, and it is arguably the better trek.
Walking in from Jiri
Until the airstrip opened, every Everest expedition walked from Jiri, a long day’s drive east of Kathmandu. Hillary and Tenzing began here. The route adds six to seven days each way, climbing and dropping through a series of ridges and river valleys before joining the main trail at Surke.
Why it is worth the extra week
- You gain altitude gradually. By the time you reach Namche you are thoroughly acclimatised, and altitude sickness becomes far less likely.
- The trail is quiet. Most trekkers fly, so you will have the lower valleys largely to yourself.
- No flight anxiety and no weather delays. Lukla can close for days in poor visibility; the road to Jiri rarely does.
- You see a different Nepal. Rai and Sherpa farming villages, terraced hillsides and forest that the fly-in route skips entirely.
What it demands
Honestly? More walking. The Jiri approach is relentlessly up and down — you will climb and lose several hundred metres most days without gaining much net altitude. It is physically harder than the standard route, even though it is lower. Budget 20 to 22 days for the full round trip.
Who it suits
Trekkers with time, walkers who want solitude, anyone genuinely uneasy about small aircraft, and people who have had altitude trouble before and want the safest possible profile.
We run this route as a scheduled departure and as a private trek. See the itinerary or ask us about dates.
