Everest High Passes Trek is one of the classic treks in Everest Region allowing the trekker to reach Everest Base Camp and the combined adventure of three high passes; Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La is inspiring. Everest High Passes Trek is only for experienced trekkers looking for an adventure like no other in Khumbu region. Everest High Passes Trek is actually a circuit trek connecting all the major trekking routes in Khumbu valley. For an adventurer, Everest high passes trek is the best option among all treks offered in the Everest region. Everest High Passes Trek is the ultimate option to experience the snowy ups and downs of the Himalayas. Come and join this ultimate adventure of spectacular views, centuries old Buddhist monasteries plus culturally rich and friendly Sherpa people are some of the many pleasant surprises in store.
Day to Day Itinerary
Day 01: Arrival in Kathmandu, transfer to Hotel
Welcome to the city of temples and the country of Himalayas. Himalayan Leisure Inc. will happily welcome you at the only international airport of Nepal; Tribhuvan International Airport. Our airport representative will be waiting for your arrival with a placard written Himalayan Leisure Inc. outside the airport terminal. From there you will be transferred to the Hotel by a air conditioned private vehicle. Depending on the flight time and activities we will be joining for a cultural dinner at a typical Nepali restaurant. Enjoy cultural shows, singing, dancing and typical Nepali meals before heading back to hotel.
Day 02: Sightseeing in Kathmandu valley, preparation of the trek
Enjoy your breakfast at the hotel before we arrange a short meeting with your tour guide. Enjoy the beauty of Kathmandu valley around some of the world heritage sites. During the day you will be visiting some of the most important, culturally and historically significant places of the town. Swyambhunath; the Buddhist Stupa, Pashupatinath; highly sacred Hindu temple, Kathmandu Durbar Square; formal royal palace during ancient period and Bouddhanath; one of the biggest Buddhist pagoda are included in the sightseeing. Followed by trip meeting and meeting with your trekking guide we will give you some free time to enjoy the nightlife and beauty of Thamel.
Day 03: Fly to Lukla, trek to Monjo or Jorsalle
Enjoy breathtaking views of Himalayas on the your flight to Lukla. It's one of the most adventurous flight rated by top rated websites and travel magazines. The flight takes approximately 30 minutes. Once we reach Lukla we will transfer to one of the lodges to enjoy first breakfast in the Himalayas. Here we will introduce you to the porter. Once we enjoy our breakfast we will start our walking to reach Monjo or Jorsalle. Our trek will pass through different villages like Chaurikharka, Chheplung, Ghat, Phakding, Toktok and Banker before we reach Monjo. We will enjoy our lunch in Phakding which is also the overnight stop for many trekkers passing this way. The trail from Lukla goes down gently and takes us through pleasant views. Once we reach Phakding and eat our lunch we will start moving to our final destination. The trail is flat until we cross Dudh Koshi River and then will start gentle climbing. It will take about two and half hour from Phakding to reach Monjo or Jorsalle. In total we will be trekking about four to five hours in total.
Day 04: Short Trekking to Namche Bazaar
Enjoy your breakfast in the Himalayas and get prepared to start one of the most memorable adventure of your life. If we stayed in Monjo then we will pass through national park check post and if we stayed in Jorsalle we will pass through Army passport check post. The train goes little flat and then we will cross Dudhkoshi River once more then will start walking through another side of river. It is a pleasant walk with beautiful green hill views. We will again cross Dudh Koshi river before we start steep climbing uphill. Until we reach Top Danda the trail is pretty steep! Once we reach Top Danda we will have some far distance views of Himalayan peaks including Everest along with Nuptse and Lhotse on a clear day. After taking rest for a we will again start climbing to reach Namche Bazaar. From here the trail is easier and less steep comparing to the one before.
Namche is considered as the gateway of Khumbu / Everest region. It is pretty big town with numerous activities available. Pool House, Nescafe Cofee, Bakery, Modern Lodges, Internet, Telephone, Laundry, Bank, Money Changer, Equipment shop etc., it got everything. Enjoy your time in this small modern town.
Day 05: Rest and acclimatization day in Namche Bazaar
You can sleep as much you want. If interested then you can go to visit Khumjung and Khunde villages, They are considered as twin villages in Khumbu region. There are few other options available if you want something else. You can also go to Thame to visit this beautiful village or you can go to Everest View Hotel to see some views of Everest including some other peaks. Alternatively, you can just walk up to the army camp area and enjoy beautiful Himalayas in front of you. You can spend rest of your time easily exploring around the Namche Bazaar. Explore the shops, try some bakery items or go for a Nescafe coffee. Enjoy this beautiful town, take some rest and prepare for adventure of next day!
Day 06: Trek to Tengboche Monastery
Enjoy your breakfast in the Himalayas before we start trekking to Tengboche; another magnificent village of this region. The trek starts with short climbing before we reach the army camp. Then the trek is flat until we reach Kenjoma. You can give some rest to your legs in front of magnificent and huge Amadablam mountain. From here the trail to Gokyo Lake and the trail to Everest Base Camp separates. The trail on the left hand side takes you to Gokyo Lake where the trail on the right hand side takes you to Everest Base Camp, so we follow the right trail. From here the trail steeps down until we reach Phunki Tenga for our lunch. This place has very few lodges with basic services available. Once we finish our breakfast we again cross Dudhkoshi River before ascending to reach Tengboche. The trail again goes steep up through beautiful forests with numerous views of villages in the horizon. As the trail ascends up we will also reach Tengboche in about an hour where we will be stopping for overnight. Tengboche offers close views of Amadablam which is considered as one of the beautiful peaks in the world. If you are keen about photography then this will be a good stop for taking some pictures in the horizon. Tengboche also got one of the biggest Buddhist monasteries in this region where you can also attend daily praying of Buddhist monks.
Day 07: Trek to Dingboche village
We will descend to Dibuche and the trail takes us through gentle uphill until we cross Imja Khola. From here the climbing becomes little steeper until we reach another village called Pangboche. Pangboche is home of many Everest climbers. The views of Amadablam mountain from this village becomes immense. The views of other Himalayan peaks will look prettier as well from this point. If interested you can take a tea or a coffee in front of those beautiful Himalayan peaks else continue to our lunch spot called Somare. Somare is tiny town with basic lodges and numerous tea houses available for lunch. Most travelers / trekkers heading to Dingboche or Pheriche stops here for their lunch. Even after Somare the trail is pretty easy and mostly gentle uphill. After walking for awhile we will reach Orsho and from here the trail to Pheriche and Dingboche will separate. Continuing further for less than an hour we will reach Dingboche valley. It's gorgeous valley surrounded by majestic peaks. Dingboche is also the gate for Island Peak Climbing. Island Peak is one of the most popular trekking peaks of Nepal which is climbed by numerous climbers every year.
Day 08: Trek to Chhukung village
It is pleasant walk from Dingboche to Chhukung. The trail will take us through high alpine terrains along the stone walled fields. The trail follow near the Imja Khola which comes all the way from the glacier of Island Peak and other peaks nearby. Along with the towering Himalayas right next to us it's memorable and beautiful walk in the Himalayan countryside. The walk from Dingboche to Chhukung is reached for lunch; means it's not long. Several snow covered Himalayan peaks like Lhotse, Amadablam and Island Peak will be following us all the way. These peaks are awesome and feels as close as touching. The views of these Himalayas are as clear as crystal on a clear day. We will reach Chhukung in about 3-4 hours. This place is surrounded by high Himalayan glaciers and stunning peaks.
Day 09: Rest and acclimatization day in Chhukung
An acclimatization day in Chhukung is highly recommended before heading towards 5,500 meter pass on the follow day. We can wake up late and then have breakfast before we go to climb Chhukung RI. Chhukung RI offers stunning Himalayan views of Lhotse, Amadablam, Island Peak, Makalu and Baruntse Himal including several other towering peaks. After spending sometime in Chhukung RI we will return down to our lodge where we will enjoy hot meal. You can walk around the village in the afternoon. Save some energy as we have tough day coming. Stay overnight Chhukung!
Day 10: Cross Kongma La Pass, trek to Lobuche
This is our first big day of the trek. This is also one of the toughest day. We will be carrying required amount of water and some packed meals as there are no lodges / tea shops along the route. Lobuche has few houses and all of them are only for commercial purposes i.e. guest houses, lodges, small tea shops etc. Once we climb like 5-6 hours we will reach the top of Kongma La Pass; a small area covered with Buddhist praying flags. We know it feels good to be here.It is a difficult day and shouldn't underestimated even by professional trekkers. The descending from the top is quite tough even it's descending. Moreover, in case the trail is covered with ice or snow then it will surely be exhausting. Finally, we will reach small place with few lodges; Lobuche. We will enjoy magnificent views of Pumori and Nuptse from this village.
Day 11: Trek to Gorakshep, hike to EBC and return Gorakshep
We will enjoy hot breakfast in Lobuche before we start hiking to Gorakshep; one of the major places of our adventure. The majestic mountains will be following us all the way till we reach the destination. Peaks become closer and fantastic. The trek is do not have any steep climbing though it will be difficult and tiring due to high elevation. We will be walking in between 4,900 meters to 5,300 meters on this day. The trail is quite wide and easy to walk. It is short hike to reach Gorakshep.
Once we reach Gorakshep we will keep our belongings in the lodge before we have our lunch. Once we get our lunch we will start our hiking to Everest Base Camp before it's too late. The hike is about 5/6 hours in total. It is one of the longest, hardest and important days in our adventure. The route from Gorakshep to Everest Base Camp includes numerous short ups and downs. The trail condition is not satisfactory everywhere and includes many small rocks along the route. Be careful while walking so the rocks won't slip you and make fall down. Enjoy breath taking views of Everest, Pumori, Nuptse, Lhotse along with several other peaks. On a lucky day you will also be able to enjoy some of the avalanches on the another side of Khumbu glacier; one of the biggest glaciers in the world. Once we reach Everest Base Camp we will enjoy taking some pictures. Give some time to enjoy and play with nature because you won't find Everest Base Camp anywhere else in the world. After finishing our activities around the base camp we will return back to Gorakshep through same trail and prepare for another day.
Day 12: Hike to Kalapatthar, trek back to Lobuche
Honestly, the hike to Kalapatthar is not easy. It is early morning cold walking and in the dark but trust us it's enjoyable and it will be one of the memorable time of your life. Don't get slipped in the icy trail. Depending on the sunrise time your guide will give you time to start hiking to reach this beautiful hill top. Wake up on time and prepare cloths that won't let you be cold. The hike from Gorakshep to Kalapatthar is about an hour steep climbing. Depending on your walking speed it may take a little more or less.
Kalapatthar is the same place where world's highest cabinet meeting was held by Nepal Government to aware world global warming and about the speedily melting Himalayas. Kalapatthar gives authentic and magnificent views of Himalayas just in front of you. It's wonderful view point that only few people have seen it. Congratulations to witness this heavenly place with Himalayan Leisure, Inc. Take some shots of you and peaks, enjoy your photography in this place before we will again return back to our lodge to start walking down to Lobuche. We will follow the same route that we used while going up. It's quite short walking. We will need to save some effort as another pass is coming in few days. Once we reach Lobuche we will stroll around the cliff if we feel OK else stay and rest around the lodge.
Day 13: Trek to Dzongla
Here we come for another short and easy day. The trail is almost flat during the whole walk. Leaving peaks in behind and welcome new peaks in front we will have pleasant want around here. Once we walk about 1.5 hours from Lobuche we will come to a point from where people going down to Pheriche – Dingboche and people going to Dzongla – Chola Pass separates. The views of peaks in front specially Amadablam, Cholatse and Tabuche are excellent during the whole day, words simply fail to describe them properly. Finally we will reach Dzongla and spend a night here before ascending towards the second pass; Chola.
Day 14: Cross Chola Pass, Trek to Gokyo Lakes
The trail starts with short gentle walk but once we reach the base of the pass we will have to start climbing. We will have to start early in the morning to avoid strong wind hitting us on the top of the pass. This is another toughest day that we have conquer in this trip. The views are still excellent here, several high Himalayan snowy peaks will be around us all the time which includes Thamserku, Kangteng, Amadablam, Cholatse, Tabuche and Cho Oyu. Though it's tough day, we will be blending our tiredness with Himalayas and with unforgettable memories. We may need to be careful all the time as rocks might be falling down once the ice melts. The final climbing can be little tricky as it curves on the last. Here we come to a small space with some praying flags. This is how Chola looks like. We are coming to another difficult part. Going down from Chola is difficult, slippery and often dangerous once sun comes out. Be careful walking around and be cautious as stones can be falling down from the cliffs. Once we finish descending we will reach small place called Thaknak. We may have some lunch here before we start climbing gentle uphill to Gokyo Lakes. The trail after Thaknak is mostly over glaciers. Some blue ices are spotted along the route. Finally, we will reach Gokyo valley on the side of blue glacial lakes and majestic peaks in the front. Gokyo Lakes are known for several fabulous high altitude lakes in the region. These lakes are also the origin of Dudh Koshi river. Here, we will be surrounded by 360 degree Himalayan panorama. It's excellent place for spending an overnight!
Day 15: Climb to Gokyo Ri [5,403M / 17,726FT] early in the morning, exploration day around Gokyo
Gokyo Ri [5,403M / 17,726FT] is known for it's amazing views of most mountains in Everest region. This is simply an amazing viewpoint. Hiking to this viewpoint for sunrise or sunset is undoubtedly magnificent. We are heading for sunrise early in the morning. The guide will let you know the time that we will be starting to hike. We will wake up, prepare our things and start climbing to this small peak. Gokyo Ri will no doubt give us unforgettable memories for lifetime. It is one of the most spectacular or indescribable places of our adventure. The walk is about 3/4 hours from Gokyo Lakes. Count as many as peaks you like but you will never finish counting. Once we reach the top we will take enough time to take shots for our memories before we will descend down to Gokyo Lakes again.
Once we get down we will take awhile for our lunch. If interested and have extra strength then we will also head to explore other lakes around the valley. This is optional and if we are tired we can simply skip it.
Day 16: Cross Renjo La Pass and trek to Lungden
Today is one of the hardest day of our adventure. Crossing Renjo La is quite hard because of small rocks along the route. The trail from Gokyo starts will gentle climbing and comes with steeping climbing before we reach the top of Renjo La. Renjo La pass offers some excellent views of Gokyo valley and uncountable number of close Himalayan peaks. The trail from Renjo La pass descends down to Lungden. Lungden is the only village that we will meet after Gokyo and Renjo La pass. This is small village with few basic lodges for the facilities of trekkers.
Day 17: Trek to Namche Bazaar
The trail from Lungden to Namche is mostly downhill. We will walk via Marulung village [4,210M / 13,812FT] before reaching Thame [3,820M / 12,532FT]. Thame is one of the popular villages of this region. This village also got a hundreds of years old monastery. This is a beautiful Sherpa village hosting world famous mountaineers situated on the west of Khumbu region. From here we may have some good views of Rolwaling Himalayan peaks. Continuing our trek further we will reach Namche Bazaar.
Day 18: Trek to Lukla
We are coming to conclude our memorable trekking. This is the last day and our final night in the Himalayas. Like the previous day there is no rush to reach Lukla. We can sleep till late morning and start the trek before noon. The trail from Phakding to Lukla is mostly gentle uphill. On the way we can enjoy stunning vilages of villages in the horizon. We will also have sights of flights coming to Lukla and flights taking off from Lukla. They look awesome when we are close to Lukla. Once we reach Lukla we can enjoy some beers or cocktails. Lukla is one of the major towns in this area. Your Sherpa helper will no longer be with you from tomorrow so it's time to give them some gratitude [tips] if you are happy with their services. It will be expected from your staffs and we also recommend you to tip them according to your satisfaction and ability.
Day 19: Fly to Kathmandu in the morning, transfer to Hotel
We take the earliest possible flight back to Kathmandu. Enjoy another breath taking flight to Kathmandu. The flight is about 30 minutes and will give you some thrilling experience for sure. You can relax and stay in hotel or explore around the town for some shopping to your friends and family members. Once your guide will drop you in hotel he may left you. You can also give him some gratitude if you are happy with his services. Some trekkers / our customers also invite guides for a dinner together in Kathmandu. This can be the last day that you will meet your guide. Enjoy your last days around the valley. If you are willing about other activities like Jungle Safari or Rafting or Paragliding then we will assist you accordingly.
Martin Wynn
Priya
