Everest Base Camp with Gokyo Lake Trek

After you arrive at Tribhuwan International Airport in medieval and modernized Kathmandu, you will be warmly greeted by our office representative and transferred to the hotel. After check-in and some refreshments, our senior Sherpa guide will come to meet you and give you a brief orientation about Everest Base Camp with Gokyo Lake Trek.

You can then go for a stroll down the street to get familiar with the neighborhood, have supper and go to bed. This is your first overnight in the valley of temples and cows, probably the most in the world. Overnight at hotel-inclusive Breakfast.

Today is the most exciting day as you are going to begin your real adventure journey onwards.

Mostly, the weather in the mountain regions is pleasant in the morning. Thus, your trekking guide will pick you up from the hotel early in the morning as the mountain flights are operating for the morning to ensure that you will be able to land at Lukla.

A 35-minute thrilling scenic flight to Lukla and a landing on a steep mountain runway bring us to the start of our trek at the village of Lukla [2,846m]. If weather permits during the flight, you will have breathtaking views of the snow-capped Himalayas from the windows of your twin-otter (small plane).

After landing at the small Lukla airport, take a short tea break and meet our porters (if porters are included in your package). Then, commence your trek with a gradual walk through the beautiful alpine forest along the Dudh Koshi River with distant views of Mount Khumbila from Cheplung village. Along the way, you will also cross a suspension bridge that will add some thrill to your journey.

This is your first day in the mountain region, stay overnight at a local tea house in Phakding at an altitude of 2,610m. Have enough rest as you have to walk a long day tomorrow.

Please note: During the peak trekking months (March, April, May and September, October and November) Lukla’s flights are operating from Ramechhap airport instead of Kathmandu due to heavy air traffic at Kathmandu Airport.

It’s about a 5-6 hour drive from Kathmandu to Manthali/Ramechhap airport depending on highway traffic. We should wake up at 1:30 a.m. and drive to Ramechhap airport on a shared tourist vehicle and take a 20-minute flight to Lukla.

After a good breakfast at Phakding, we set out for the mountain junction town of Namche; we cross and re-cross the river on high-airy suspension bridges. Beyond Monjo is the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park which was set up to protect and preserve the fragile mountain environment. We then take a steep hike to Namche.

If the weather is clear, we get the first glimpse of Mt Everest. Namche is the main trading village in the Khumbu and has a busy Saturday market – a meeting place for the Hindu traders from the lowlands and the Tibetan yak caravans that have crossed the glaciated Nangpa La. Namche is the gateway to the Khumbu. This is where we crash out for the night.

Today, we will start with a steep, tough climb to the 5357 m Gokyo Ri peak which offers majestic views of four of the world’s highest peaks – Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse and Makalu along with Ngozumpa Glacier. From there we return to Gokyo, collect our belongings and head toward the village of Thangnak by crossing the Ngozumpa Glacier.

The day begins with an immediate ascent to the ridge overlooking Gokyo – enjoy the last view of the village, lake, Gokyo Ri and Cho Oyu before descending the terminal moraine onto the glacier. Crossing this section will be a repeated series of ascents and descents around the crevasses of the glacier until you reach the other side. Overnight stay at a local teahouse in Thangnak.

Today is the toughest day of the trek as we are going to cross Chola Pass – ( 5420m /17782 ft). We need to start early at 4-6 am compared to other days on the trip. The pass is not itself difficult, but it is steep and involves a glacier traverse on the eastern side. We need to be careful as the trail is steep and the rocks are glazed by ice making this tricky for inexperienced trekkers.

The trail from Phedi climbs through a ravine and a rocky trail as we climb up continuously. While trekking through the side of a frozen lake we reach at the top of the pass decorated with prayer flags. Ama Dablam commands the skyline over a range of mountains on the south even as Cholatse soar on the west and Lobuche East and Baruntse rise sharply to our right.

We need to pass through some crevasses before we reach Dzongla, another beautiful place with a complete view of Cholatse, Ama Dablam, Lobuche Peak and the Pheriche village far below. We will overnight at a very basic local lodge.

Today’s hike will be a bit shorter. Thus, we would get more time to observe and relax. We will leave Dzongla, following the moraine, and descend along with Chola Lake. Then we follow the Khumbu Glacier. 

On our way, we can see the memorial statues of the climbers, who passed away in this region. Unlike the previous day, the hike to Lobuche should be pleasurable, and before reaching Lobuche, we will be following Imja Khola. And sure enough, we will reach our destination for that day – Lobuche – after trekking for about four hours. By reaching Lobuche, we have rejoined the classic Everest Base Camp trek trail.

Today’s trek will be another long and challenging day. From Pheriche we head back through Pangboche, then uphill into Tengboche where we stop for tea. From Tengboche, the trail continues downhill for one hour to our lunch spot, beside the river.

After lunch, there is a one hour and thirty-minute ascent, back up to the Ama Dablam View Guesthouse, where we will have a final short break. There is another approximately hour and thirty minutes before we reach Namche Bazaar.

This is a long day as we will only arrive in Namche in the late afternoon. It is now time to take a shower, relax and get some rest! The hike today is approximately 8 hours and will cover 13.7 miles/ 22 km.

You make the final walk to Lukla. Once you reach Lukla you celebrate the completion of your once-in-a-lifetime trip with your guide and porters.

These hardy mountain men have been there for you all these days guiding you and helping you carry your heavy load. You can show your gratitude by tipping them. Spend your last evening in Khumbu singing and dancing to Sherpa tunes. Overnight in Lukla.

Most flights from Lukla to Kathmandu are scheduled for early morning to avoid the strong winds. It’s a scenic flight from Lukla to Kathmandu for about thirty-five minutes. We touched down in Kathmandu and transferred to our hotel.

In the evening we will organize a farewell dinner with Nepalese cuisine and a cultural dance show in Kathmandu.