Everest 3 High Passes Trek - 20 Days

After a leisurely breakfast at a hotel in Kathmandu, our trip officially begins. We'll be driven to Tribhuvan International Airport where we'll take a short flight to the alpine town of Lukla, with beautiful Himalayan views from the airplane's window. Following our landing, we will join our trekking group and get started on the Everest Three High Passes Trek. After approximately four hours of trekking, we will arrive at the little settlement of Phakding, which is our destination for the day. We will explore the neighborhood monasteries or take in the serenity of the Dudh Koshi River after we reach there. Then, we'll be spending the night at a homestay in Phakding.

We'll get up early today and eat a hearty breakfast at our guesthouse. We begin our second day of the Everest Three High Passes Trek by hiking through a lush paradise of shady forests and hidden cascades. We'll go through the suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi River and capture our first decent view of some of the tallest peaks in the Himalayan region, including Thamserku, which is covered in snowfall (6,608 meters). Then, our route enters Sagarmatha National Park, a huge region rich in scenic beauty.

Following lunch, we'll traverse yet another set of footbridges before catching a glimpse of Mount Everest. From here, Namche Bazaar, a bustling town, is only a short distance away. For lodging tonight, we'll choose the finest hiking lodge that's obtainable.

We don't carry on with our journey today and stop by to sightsee the beautiful landscape of Namche Bazaar. We are resting here to adjust to the increasing elevation as we are currently at a steep altitude and are further traveling to a higher altitude location. You may take a little trek to admire the views from Syangboche Airport or you can take a tour of the 'Sherpa Culture Museum'. Additionally, you can visit the bakeries, which ought to be applauded for making delectable pastries at such high elevations. We make our way back to Namche Bazaar at dusk to spend the night at the same guesthouse.

After a hearty breakfast to enhance our strength, we will shoulder our bags and go towards the slender mountaintop above Namche Bazaar. Here, you may see a distinctive stupa honoring Tenzing Norgay and his trip to the summit of Mount Everest alongside Edmund Hillary. You'll be able to see some of the unexposed but spectacular Himalayan peaks, like Thamserku, Kangtega, and the triple summits of Kusum Kanguru. To get to Tengboche, we'll gradually start ascending through lush rhododendron jungles as we take in the breathtaking surroundings along the Dudh Koshi River.

We'll check in at a nearby guesthouse when we get to Tengboche. After that, we visit Tengboche Monastery, the most illustrious and renowned Buddhist temple in Khumbu.

Pangboche, Somare, and Dingboche are three of the settlements we pass by on our sixth day of the Everest Three Passes Trek. Huge snowy peaks like Lhotse and Ama Dablam dominate the skyline as we travel through a beautiful rhododendron woodland and cross a long footbridge over the Imja Khola River, which shimmers with brilliance. We'll also notice a lot of mani stones set by the trailside as we get closer to Dingboche.

You should always bypass these boulders from your right side since they are carved with Buddhist chants. Finally, before reaching Dingboche, we'll go past a vast area of lush greenery where barley and potatoes are farmed. Here, we'll choose a guesthouse where we may stay for the following two nights.

We start the trek to Chukkung by making a gradual hike to the northeast of Dingboche. Due to Chukkung's elevated height, you will notice an altitude rise after departing Dingboche. Wonderful views of Island Peak and Lhotse valley may be seen from the hike. Gigantic peaks, flowing glaciers, and iceberg moraines are all around you while you pass beneath. On this barren yet lovely region, a few lodges are dispersed.

During the ascending seasons, Chukkung, which is located underneath the Island Peak Trail Head, is typically crowded with trekkers making an effort to conquer Island Peak. The most pictured peak in Nepal, Amadablam (6856 m), can also be seen from here in all its splendor. We will head to a guesthouse and relax there.

Prior to leaving for 3 passes, we have yet another leisure day in Chukung. The view of Island Peak - 6189 meters, which is visible from Chhukung, is breathtaking. We utilize this acclimatization day to climb the Island Peak campsite - 4970 meters across the Lhotse glacier, crossing the frothy Imja Lake. Towards the north, the vast south face of Lhotse rises, whereas, to the south, the enormous curved ice blocks of Amphu Lapcha, a 5845-meter pass, dominate the skyline. An interesting perspective of this scenic mountain is offered by Ama Dablam's eastern slope, which is to the southwest.

The journey today is among the most difficult ones; it begins as we ascend over a ridge that has been expanded to west of Dzongla. The route descends steeply to a valley through which flows a frozen spring. After an hour, we climb to the basin's summit, getting prepared for the step on ChoLa. The rear vista is more mesmerizing the higher we go. As Cholatse emerges in the west, the Cho La Lake is visible, and the Ama Dablam, symbolized as a pyramid, moves above a group of peaks to the south. The slope is difficult to climb as it is steep, but becomes a further complicated climb because of big boulders, for we will need to struggle over.

Due to the trail's sweeping turns, the last ascent to the ChoLa could be a bit troublesome. As we near the summit, we notice praying flags strung over cairns that are fluttering in the gusty wind. It's delusional to see such a vast wilderness of magnificent mountains. When traveling past Thangzak, be careful if the rocks are covered with ice. After a long a tiring hike, we reach Thangnak, a small remote county where we will be spending our night at a guesthouse.

You will have a memorable day since you will finally arrive at the Everest Base Camp. But the ascent will begin at Lobuche and rise substantially as we get closer to Gorak Shep. Gorak Shep has to be one of the most stirring names in the entire Khumbu, together with Namche Bazaar. Before reaching Gorak Shep in the morning, we will climb across a rocky glacier. We'll take a little lunch break here before continuing on to EBC. With the breezes of the world's tallest peak speeding past our ears as we climb the rocky road, you'll undoubtedly have a bounce in your heart.

You'll have a plethora of leisure to see the expansive Everest Himalayan landscape once we reach the base camp. The vast walls of the Lhotse, Western Cwm, Nuptse, and the Khumbu Icefall are seen. We'll hike back to Gorak Shep, later on, to celebrate with supper and spend the night at a hotel.

Today's task is to climb Kala Patthar, a 360-degree viewpoint for Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Taboche, Thamserku, and additional renowned summits and Khumbu glacier. Even more impressive views of Everest are visible from this viewpoint than yesterday's! After that, we'll make our way down to Gorak Shep for a relaxing brunch before starting the long journey back to Lobuche. This will be a nice and familiar path that will take us to another guesthouse for hot supper and pleasant sleep.

Relative to the other days, today's walk will be shorter. The route will take us to Dzonglha, which diverges from the main route a little distance from Lobuche. The route continues over the riverbank and follows the slope towards the front after we bridge a spring and then turn around to encounter the broad, rugged riverside. We can see the mighty peaks of Ama Dablam and Kangtega-Thamserku from the grassy plateau ahead, and Tawache looms impressively to the front. Also visible near the bottom of the valley is the Pheriche settlement.

The enormous Cho La Lake extends under Mt. Cholatse as the peak turns to the north. The path ascends and then rapidly declines to another massive basin. We arrive at Dzonglha after a half-hour of hiking after crossing an unstable bridge. We'll be spending the night at Dzonglha.

After a hearty breakfast to enhance our strength, we will shoulder our bags and head to today's destination – Cho La Pass (5420 meters/17,783 feet). We will get to the summit of icy Cho La high pass after a handful of hours of hiking across steep routes and glacial rocky outcrops and will be rewarded with stunning glimpses of Cho La Lake and Mt. Cholatse (6,440m). As we approach the summit, we notice prayer flags strung over cairns that are swaying in the gusty wind. It's delusional to see such a vast landscape of magnificent peaks. After heading to the slick and slippery downhill with continuous walking for a few hours, we reach Thagnak where we will be enjoying the rest of our day and night in a guesthouse.

Deviating from Thagnak hamlet, we explore some beautiful mountain vistas on our way to Gokyo. After a brief trek, the trail gets us to the brink of Nepal's lengthiest glacier, Ngozumpa. We can see the second lake of the five Gokyo Lakes, named as Taboche Tsho, when we reach the opposite edge of the glacier. The Gokyo Village is located on the shore of this lake, and it serves as our ultimate resting place for the day.

We get up early in the morning, have our breakfast, and buckle ourselves up for a steep ascent to Gokyo Ri. After an hour of climbing, we can see a hilltop, referred to as the renowned Gokyo Ri Viewpoint, in the center of the Gokyo Settlement. Four of the six tallest peaks in the world, i.e., Mount Everest (8,848 meters), Lhotse (8,516 meters), Makalu (8,485 meters), and Cho Oyu (8,188 meters) can be seen from there. We'll furthermore travel to the remaining Gokyo lakes. After having lunch in Gokyo Ri, we resume our journey back to Gokyo and return to the same guesthouse we stayed at.

The traversing of Renjo La Pass is an adventurous yet struggling journey. Though it appears relatively small as viewed from Gokyo, the trek may be rather exhausting as you walk down the route. After reaching Renjo La Pass - 5360 meters, we must march early in order to go to Marlung (4,210 meters). The trail rises gently along the edge of Gokyo Ri before twisting precariously around a point of grayish gravel road above the lake's northwestern side. We leave the main track early from Gokyo and head to the Renjo La route by Dudh Pokhari. After traveling for nearly 3 hours, we arrive at the Renjo La, where an amazing view awaits.

As we return to Namche Bazaar in the morning, we commence with a mild slope amid rhododendron trees. After a few hours of walking, we'll arrive at the Bhote Koshi River and Tauranga. The trail then passes across the Langmuche Khola valley. After passing through a bridge, we make our way down till we arrive at Samde where we will halt for lunch. We will now travel across lush slopes and windy hillsides to return to Namche Bazaar. This evening, you'll have sufficient time to do some shopping prior to supper. In another pleasant hotel, we'll spend our penultimate night on this wonderful Everest Three passes trek.

Our trek on the Everest Base Camp with Gokyo Lake Trek comes to an end today. We'll start a steep descent via several tiny settlements, including Phakding, wherein we spent our initial night on the trek. Your last glances of the picturesque Khumbu wildness will be from the mounting point of numerous footbridges, so be sure to take in the breathtaking vistas of waterways and wooded hillsides. When we finally get back to Lukla, we'll celebrate with a dinner and also do a little bit of exploring around Lukla. Last but not least, make an effort to obtain enough sleep for the next day's early flight.

This is the last day of our trip to Everest Basecamp along with 3 high passes. We leave for the Lukla Airport early in the morning and get to have last-minute insights into all the beautiful Himalayas that we witnessed before. Following a 35-minute flight, we return to Kathmandu and check into our hotel. You can chill or go sightseeing during the remaining hours of the day in the capital. In the evening we'll have a farewell dinner in a typical Nepali restaurant, discuss the tour and head back to our respective hotels.

This is the day of farewell where you accomplish the journey and leave for your home. Three hours prior to your boarding time, our staff will pick you up from your hotel and drop you off at the Tribhuvan International Airport. We really enjoyed hosting you. Many thanks for having us and safe travels returning home.