Tengboche (3860m) to Dingboche (4410m)

I was sad to leave the peace of Tengboche, but the walk to Dingboche is interesting and passes through some exciting scenery. We began by descending to the Imja Khola river through a frozen forrest hanging with old man's beard.

Climbing back out of the river valley to Pangboche we had excellent views back towards the mountains above Namche Bazar and the monastery of Tengboche, like an imaginary fort set against the distant white snows.

We visited the small school established by Sir Edmund Hillary at upper Pangboche. The kids spent a happy, if rather breathless, hour playing with the Nepalese children before we continued our walk to Dingboche.

At Dingboche the effects of altidude were really starting to kick in, with some students and staff suffering from headaches and slight nausea. It was good to have Dr Muir De Wet along with us to attend to the parties woes.

We spent two nights at Dingboche to acclimatize - to allow our bodies time to get used to the lack of oxygen in the air at this altitude. The kids were great,they had fun playing with the snow, walking around the village and exploring. We have a great team with us.