The pre-trek briefing day
Every itinerary begins with a day in Kathmandu (1,400 m) for a guide briefing covering permits, packing, and the acclimatisation schedule, plus a gear check ahead of departure. This is also the point at which a guided trekker's Sagarmatha National Park and municipality permits are typically arranged on their behalf.
What to see with spare time
Durbar Square, Swayambhunath (the Monkey Temple), Boudhanath Stupa, one of the largest stupas in the world, and the Thamel district for last-minute gear are all common stops on a free afternoon or buffer day, each reachable within a 20 to 40 minute taxi ride from most hotels.
Practical logistics
Thamel's gear shops cover most rental and last-purchase needs, from down jackets to trekking poles, and licensed money changers near Durbar Marg handle currency exchange at better rates than hotel front desks. Nepal's rupee cannot be exchanged outside the country, so this is the only practical point to obtain trail cash before departure.
Buffer days matter here too
Given the well-documented Lukla flight cancellation rate of roughly 30 to 40% in peak season, Kathmandu buffer days, ideally at the end of the trip, give you flexibility to absorb delays without missing an international connection home.
After the trek
Most guided itineraries close with a farewell dinner at an authentic Nepali restaurant in Thamel the evening you return from Lukla, followed by a final day for souvenir shopping, laundry, and rest before departure.
Getting your own permits
Independent trekkers arrange permits directly at the Nepal Tourism Board office on Pradarshani Marg, near Bhrikutimandap, open Sunday to Thursday from 10am to 4pm and Friday until 3pm. A valid passport, a Nepal visa already stamped, and two passport-sized photos are the standard requirements at the counter, and arriving before 11am during March-May or September-November avoids the queue that builds through midday.
Registering your stay in 2026
Nepal's FNMIS (Foreign Nationals Management Information System) shifted to a phased hotel and agency-side reporting requirement rather than a tourist-facing kiosk: star hotels across the Kathmandu Valley began reporting guest stays from 1 January 2026, with hotels nationwide plus airlines and trekking agencies following from 1 March 2026. Trekkers don't need to complete this themselves, but a hotel or agency unfamiliar with the requirement can occasionally cause a booking-desk delay worth budgeting a few extra minutes for.