Everest Base Camp Trekking via Gokyo Lakes and Cho La Pass

After landing at Tribhuvan International Airport, you'll be welcomed by a representative from Himalayan Dream Team who will escort us to your hotel. Upon arrival at the hotel, you’ll check in, freshen up, and have some time to rest. In the evening, Himalayan Dream Team will host a welcome dinner for us. We will spend the night in Kathmandu.

After breakfast, we'll take you on a tour of Durbar Square, Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambhunath Stupa, and Boudhanath Stupa, all UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Durbar Square offers insights into the lives of royals in ancient times. Pashupatinath Temple holds great significance as a pilgrimage site for Hindus. Swayambhunath, also known as the Monkey Temple, and Boudhanath Stupa, one of the world's largest stupas, are both iconic landmarks.

At tour, we will gather with our fellow participants at our office to introduce ourselves and discuss your upcoming trip.

Today, our adventure begins at Kathmandu Domestic Airport, where we will take a 45-minute flight to Lukla. The flight offers stunning views of the fertile middle hills, scattered villages, terraced fields, and the majestic high Himalayas in the background. Upon arrival in Lukla, we meet the rest of our trekking team, take a break for tea or coffee, and commence our trek to Phakding. The trail initially descends gradually to Cheplung village, providing us with a glimpse of Mt. Khumbila, a sacred mountain that remains unclimbed.

After breakfast from Phakding the trail continues north up the Dudh Kosi valley, staying 100m above the river on its west bank. The trail leads us to Jorsale (2810m) where we enter the Sagarmatha National Park, and submit our trekking permits for checking. From here we continue on an ever-steepening trail to Namche Bazaar (3440m), known simply as Namche. En route we cross the spectacular suspension bridge high above the confluence of the Bhote Kosi and the Dudh Kosi, and shortly after glimpse our first view of Everest, way off to the north-east. The trail to Namche is steep and long, but eventually we reach the remarkable Sherpa capital perched high on the hillside and dominated to the east by the immense bulk of Kwangde

Since we are fast gaining altitude, this is the first of the two scheduled “acclimatization” days. Health experts always recommend to stay active and moving during the rest days instead of being idle. We either spend the day taking a day hike to Thame or visiting Khunde or relaxing and exploring Namche Bazaar itself. Namche Bazzar is the main centre of the Everest (Khumbu) region and has government offices, ATMs, Internet cafes, shops, restaurants, a bakery and a colorful market each Friday evening and Saturday. If we climb a few hundred feet during the day, it will help us to properly acclimatize. Our guides will take us to the Tourist Visitor Center near the headquarter of the Sagarmatha National Park where we can observe an assortment of things related to the first Everest ascenders, Sherpa culture and learn about the various plant and animal life of the Everest region.

We'll start walking from Namche Bazaar to Dole and see beautiful sights like Dudh Koshi, stupas, and famous peaks like Ama Dablam and Everest. Keep an eye out for Musk Deer and Himalayan Tahrs. After about two hours, we'll rest at Mong La Pass, then walk through rhododendron forests and Sherpa villages. The path goes up and down, passing Phortse Thanga, until we reach Dole, where we'll stay for the night.

The trek from Dole starts with a tricky downhill walk on a slippery, snow-covered slope. Then, we steadily climb along a path with great views of mountains like Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Kantega, and Mt. Thamserku. As we go uphill, we'll see fewer plants and more rocky areas. We pass by a small place called Lhafarma, then reach Luza village in a side valley. After Luza, we cross the Dudh Koshi River and walk on sandy paths until we get to Machhermo, the last big village before Gokyo. In Machhermo, we can visit the Himalayan Rescue Hospital to learn about altitude sickness. We'll spend the night there.
 

Today, we start by climbing a ridge for a great view of Kangtaiga and Cho Oyu. Then, the trail goes through Phangkha, where an avalanche happened in 1995. We descend to the riverbank, then climb steeply onto the Ngazumpa Glacier's terminal moraine. Crossing an iron bridge, the trail flattens as we pass the first lake, Longpongo. We might see lama footprints there. At the second lake, Taboche Tsho, we'll be amazed by its turquoise blue water. Nearby is the third lake, connected by a stream. Gokyo village by the third lake, with Cho-Oyu Mountain behind it, is an incredible sight. After lunch, we'll explore around the third lake, Dudh Pokhari.
 

During acclimatization, we'll climb Gokyo Ri Viewpoint for stunning views of the Everest region, including Thonak Tsho Lake and Ngozuma Tsho Lake.
Three kilometers north of Gokyo is Ngozumpa Tsho glacier (5,000m), and a short walk from there is Scoundrel's Viewpoint. You can see Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Makalu from there.
To the north of the fifth Gokyo Lake, you'll see amazing views of Cho Oyu Base Camp and the Ngozumpa Glacier, which is the longest glacier in the Himalayas. It's incredibly fascinating!
 

If we didn't climb Gokyo Ri yesterday, we can do it today. The climb to the top of Gokyo Ri is challenging; it's steep and takes about 3 to 4 hours. However, the view from the top is worth it. Gokyo village by the third lake, with Cholatse and the vast Nogzumpa Glacier in the background, is stunning. We'll be surrounded by mountains like Kusum Kanguru, Thamserku, Kangtega, Taboche, Cholatse, Makalu, Lhotse, Nuptse, Everest, Changtse, and Pumori. The sight of the sun touching Everest, towering over all the peaks, is breathtaking. Afterward, we'll trek through the Ngazumpa Glacier to the other side of the mountain. Then, we'll follow the edge of that mountain and eventually reach Thagnak. Today's hike will be short, giving us time to rest in the afternoon and prepare for the upcoming long hikes and altitude gain.

Today's trek to Dzongla involves challenging paths with rocky trails and glacial moraines. The Cho La pass isn't extremely difficult, but it's steep and includes crossing a glacier on its eastern side. We must be cautious as the trail can be icy and slippery due to the glazed rocks. Starting from Phedi, we'll climb through a ravine and rocky trail. As we trek alongside a frozen lake, we'll reach the pass adorned with prayer flags. From there, we'll see Ama Dablam, Cholatse, Lobuche East, and Baruntse. We'll navigate through crevasses before reaching Dzongla Village, which offers stunning views of Cholatse, Ama Dablam, Lobuche, and Pheriche Village below.

Today's destination is Lobuche. Once we reach Lobuche, we'll reconnect with the traditional Everest Base Camp Trek. We'll begin our day by following the moraine and descending alongside Chola Lake. Along the way, we'll come across memorial statues honoring climbers who lost their lives in this region. The hike to Lobuche should be quite pleasant as we'll simply follow the trails of Imja Khola Valley to get there.

Today’s adventurous trail to Gorak Shep goes ahead through the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We pass though the pyramid sign post. Ahead on the trail we see crest of north ridge of Everest along with Mt. Pumori, Mahalangur, Lingtern, Khumbutse, Nuptse. A small ascent will take us to Thangma Riju from where we perceive 360 degree vista of snowy mountains. Climbing steeply up to the top through the torrent of Changri glacier, we catch our first glimpse of Kala Patthar, a grey-green knoll beneath the Mt. Pumori. As we reach Gorak Shep, we will be surrounded by snow-capped mountains looming all around us including the top of the world – Mount Everest.After a brief lunch and rest, we take the trail to Everest Base Camp through the once vast Gorak Shep Lake. Continuing straight ahead, we come through the Indian army mountaineers’ memorials. As we reach Everest Base Camp we cannot stop ourselves from appreciating the Everest climbers those take the hazardous route through the Khumbu icefall. Mountaineer’s tents stand out in bright colors against all the dull gray surroundings (especially in the Spring). Nuptse, Khumbuste and Pumori are the mountains we can view from base camp.
 

Maybe you slept restless because of the high altitude, which is very common. But wake up early because today is the climax of our trip. We start early in the morning to catch the dramatic views from Kala Patthar witnessing the first light of day shining on Mount Everest. However, we need to get prepared for an early morning, dark and cold temperature (-10 to --14 C) are common. And there is always the potential for chilly winds which are quite common. Familiar peaks such as Lingtren, Khumbutse, Changtse tower to the east even as Everest begins to reveal itself emerging between the west shoulder crest and Nuptse. During the ascent to Kala Patthar we can pause to catch our breath at several outstanding view points to snap pictures. After several hours of an ascent, we reach Kala Patthar. From here we scramble to climb the rocky outcrop near to the summit marked by cairns and prayer flags. As we reach the top, we sit on the Kala Patthar rocks our eyes taking in the unbelievable Himalayan Panorama, wandering from one mighty massif to another. We take as many pictures as we can with our camera and take the in view with our mind’s eye to last lifetime. On returning back to Gorak Shep, we have breakfast and wait other participants to return back. Those participants who plan to visit Everest base camp today will have early breakfast to start early as Everest base camp hike takes longer time (4/5 hrs) than the Kala Patthar hike. Upon return back to Gorak Shep, the group will have lunch together; and afternoon time is taken to descend down to Pheriche for a good night’s rest. 

The trail back is enchanting, least to say. We will trek down through the hillside blanketed by rhododendron and juniper trees. If it’s spring, pink and red rhododendron flowers ablaze our surroundings. After crossing the prayer flag festooned bridge over the Dudkoshi River, we reach Phunki Thenga. The trail then follows the Dud Koshi gorge descending rapidly through the pine forests. The path eventually reaches Sansa which is the major trail junction in the region. We stop at Kyangjuma (3570 m/11,710 ft) for a relaxed lunch. We unknowingly appreciate the gorgeous Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Nuptese with every bite. Following lunch, the trail to Namche Bazaar clings to the steep wooded slope beyond Kyangjuma, winding through several bends. We keep a lookout for wild life such as mountain goats, snow leopards, colorful pheasants, etc., while we pass through the forest by the trail. After passing a Chorten, we reach the army camp at of Namche Bazaar. We want to take a long last look (and picture!) back to Lhotse, the tip of Everest and Tengboche from here. On reaching our lodge, we take a nice hot shower and have very relaxed sleep in our room in Namche Bazaar.

You will notice that walking is easier because our bodies have adjusted to the high altitudes. The trail descends steeply downward so we need to walk slowly and under control as our (shaky) legs continuously battle the rocky terrain. After crossing the suspension bridges over the fast following Dud Koshi and its tributaries the trail becomes more level and natural. By today we start to get warmed up by the light breeze. Any remaining sore throats and colds will be gone by today as we pass through this charming mountain air. Although we are travelling the same route down, we feel completely different views. We snap a mixture of open plains, rhododendron and pine forests, and in the distance snow covered peaks. On arrival in Lukla, we have plenty of time to relax, stretch those sore legs, and recall the experiences of the last couple of weeks. We experience the culmination of a fantastic trek on a happy note with everyone back safe and sound with smile on their faces! 
 

After our mountain journey, we take an early flight to Kathmandu. When we get there, we can relax or shop for souvenirs. If we feel like it, we can also explore other parts of Kathmandu today with the help of our guides, who can assist with both shopping and sightseeing.
 

In case there is no flight from Lukla to Kathmandu due to bad weather, we plan to stay one extra day in kathmandu .