Everest Base Camp Gokyo Via Cho-la Pass - 18 Days

Welcome to the beautiful city of Kathmandu!!! Upon your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, and after the completion of your custom formalities, a representative of Pariwar Holidays will meet you at the arrival gate and escort you to the hotels of Thamel. After your check-in at the hotel, you can either visit our office or hang around the hotel. At the evening, upon our reception, Pariwar Holidays will organize a welcome dinner and cultural shows program at an excellent traditional Nepalese restaurant of Thamel.

Today after breakfast we start a guided tour to several of the most historical and spiritual sites of Kathmandu. Most of these landmarks are categorized under World Heritage Sites. They include the historic Durbar Square of Basantapur, the sacred Hindu temple of Pashupati Nath, the famous ‘Monkey Temple’ (Swayambhunath) and Buddhists’ shrine (Bouddha Nath). Boudha Nath is the largest spherical Stupa of Nepal. At the evening, there will be a pre-trip discussion and trek leaders along with other team members will also be meeting to discuss about the upcoming adventure. Please do feel free to ask any questions regarding the trip that you are making.

On this day, after breakfast, you will be escorted to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport for an early morning flight to Lukla (2,800m/9,186ft). It is a gateway destination to begin our trek. From Kathmandu, it takes around 40 minutes to fly to Tenzing-Hillary Airport of Lukla. The breathtaking views of White Mountains, green lands and other interesting scenic views can be seen while flying. This is one of the most beautiful air routes in the world that culminates in a dramatic landing on a hillside surrounded by high mountains peaks. Upon arriving at Lukla, we meet our other crew members and after some packing and arrangements, we start our trek through the prosperous village of Lukla until we reach Phakding. The trek from Lukla to Phakding is a very short one and is designed just to assist in acclimatization. However, if you are interested, we can also arrange for a side trip to a nearby monastery. Overnight in Phakding.

This day, we trek through a beautiful pine forest. The trail leads us along the Dudh Koshi River through many suspension bridges. One of the most famous suspension bridges is Hillary Suspension Bridge. Along the way, glancing at the glistening and majestic view of Mr. Thamserku (6618m) and passing through the settlement of Benkar, Chumoa and Monjo, we reach the check post and entrance to Sagarmatha National Park. We also pass through the village of Jorsale before reaching Namche Bazaar. Along the way, the trail ascends through forests and bridges to reach the confluence of the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers. From there, we ascend for around two hours to reach Chautara from where we can glance the breathtaking first glance of Mt. Everest peering over the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge. Another one and half hour’s hike takes us to the Namche Bazaar, the main trading center of this region and the gateway to the Mt. Everest. Our overnight stay will be in one of the lodge of the Namche Bazaar.

This day marks as our first of the two rest days which are set aside for “acclimatization”. Most of the Health experts recommend you to stay active and moving during the rest day too instead of being idle. We can either spend the day by taking a day’s hike to Thame or visit Khunde or relax and explore the 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. A trek of a few hundred vertical feet during the day, will help us to acclimatize properly. Our guides take us to the Tourist Visitor Center near the headquarter of the Sagarmatha National Park where we 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.

After having a wonderful rest day at Namche Bazaar, the trek begins again from this day. The trail ascends from Namche Bazaar towards Kyangjuma Village. Kyangjuma is one of the most scenic villages from where the magnificent vista of Thamserku, Katenga and Ama Dablam. After having a wonderful time in this village, we trek further towards Mong La. The trail towards Mong La generally ascends and at times it may get tough. From the top of Mong La, the magnificent view of Mt. Khumbila can be seen. At the village of Mong La, there is a Chorten at the centre of the village. The village is also blessed with the grandeur view of snow-capped mountain. We will have our lunch at this village. After lunch we further continue our trek towards Dole. The trail passes through the forest of wildflowers and rhododendrons. If we get lucky, we can also view some animals of the wild like pheasants, mountain goats and the elusive musk deer. The trail further takes us to Dole which marks as the village for our overnight stay.

On this day, we ascend through a scenic ridge from Dole towards Lhabarma (4220m). From Lhabarma the trek further leads us to Luza (4360m). While ascending from Lhabarma, it is recommended to have proper caution as the trail is slippery and at some places, we need to pass through thorny bushes. From Luza, magnificent vista of Cho Oyu, Kantega, and Thamserku along with numerous summer settlements can be seen. The trail further ascends from Luza towards the Dudh Koshi Valley. The trek gets even more exciting as we ascend along the hill with the roaring sound of Dudhkoshi river. By and by our trail takes us to the beautiful village of Macherma. Macherma is a beautiful village of this region containing a stream of Kyajo Ri. This village also has a hospital named Himalayan Rescue Hospital which works in providing lecture on the issues of altitude sickness. Our overnight stay will be at the village of Macherma for this night. Note: Precaution regarding altitude sickness is vital while trekking in the high altitude regions; however Pariwar Holidays guides are quite knowledgeable about this.

The trail further ascends towards Gokyo from Machherma on this day. We ascend via a ridge of the Chorten with the fantastic view of valley far down below and the interesting sceneries of Mt.Kangtega, Thamserku and the northern part of Cho-Oyu (8153m). Once we cross the ridge, we see the valley widening through a Chorten to reach Pangka (4480m). From Pangka, the trail further ascends towards moraine of the Ngozamba Glacier. There is an iron bridge to cross this glacier. After crossing this glacier, the trail further continues towards the village of Longpongo at 4690 m. This place is famous for a Lama’s footprint in a stone. After crossing this village, the trail further takes us towards the Gokyo village. From this village mesmerizing scene of Cho-Oyu Mountain can be seen. After getting into Gokyo village, we will have enough time to explore around the Dudh Pokhari. Our overnight stay will be in a teahouse at Gokyo for tonight.

This day marks as a rest day for acclimatization at the Gokyo Valley. It is not recommended to stay idle on the acclimatization day so depending on the weather condition, we ascend towards Gokyo Ri on this day instead of the next day. From the top of the Gokyo Ri, we can behold the fantastic sceneries of Everest Region. Gokyo is not only popular for its fantastic Gokyo Peak, but also for the famous six lakes it houses. We can also utilize this day to view the fourth (Thonak Tsho) and fifth (Ngozuma Tsho) lake of this region. The fourth lake is situated at the distance of 3 km from the Gokyo valley. From the fourth lake, the trail further continues towards the fifth lake. After having an wonderful time around the lake, we return back to Gokyo valley for overnight stay.

Gokyo Ri marks as the major highlight of this trek. Our trek starts early in the morning today as we ascend towards the Gokyo Peak. The trek towards Gokyo Ri is very steep and the ascending takes around 3 to 4 hours. From the top of the peak, we can behold the astounding scenery of Gokyo village on the edge of third lake that overlooks Mt. Cholatse and Mt. Nogzumpa. The surroundings from the top peak of Gokyo Ri is even more mesmerizing. We can view the panoramic mountains like Mt. Kusum Kanguru, Mt. Thamserku, Mt. K43, Mt. Kangtega, Mt. Taboche, Mt. Cholatse, Mt. Makalu, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Everest, Mt. Changtse and Mt. Pumori from the top of Gokyo Ri. After having an wonderful time at the top of the Gokyo Ri for a while, we return back to Gokyo village and from there we trek further towards Thaknak. After reaching Thaknak, we stay in a teahouse for overnight.

On this day we trek towards Cho La Pass and this Pass also marks as one of the major highlights of this trek. The trek starts very early in the morning (4-6 am). The trail leading towards the pass is not that difficult but it is steep and we need to cross glacier traverses on the eastern side. Proper caution should be taken as the trail is vertical and slippery as the rocks there are glazed with ice. Our trail ascends from Phedi via a ravine and leads steadily up. While trekking via the side of a frozen lake, to reach the top of the pass that is decorated with prayer flags. The astounding scene of Ama Dablam, the south of Cholatse, the east of Lobuche and the Baruntse greets us from the top of the pass. The trail further passes through several crevasses to reach Dzongla. Dzongla is also a scenic village blessed with the interesting view of Mt. Cholatse, Mt. Ama Dablam, Lobuche peak and the Pheriche village far below. Our overnight stay will be in the village of Dzongla for tonight.

The trek of this day is quite shorter and gives us enough time to observe and relax. The trail descends from Dzongla towards a bridge and after crossing it, we traverse through the grassy trail. Along the trail, we can enjoy the fantastic view of Lobuche Peak that eventually stretches up through a ridge. The breathtaking sight of Ama Dablam, Kangtega, Thamserku Taboche can also be seen along the trail. By and by, the trail curves at some places along the river bed to reach the village of Lobuche. Lobuche marks as the place for our overnight stay for this night.

This is one of the most challenging day as we trek from Lobuche towards Gorak Shep. The trail passes through a moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. Very interesting and exciting sceneries can be enjoyed along the trail and the snow capped mountains like Mt. Pumori, Mt. Mahalangur, Mt. Lingtern, Mt. Khumbutse, Mt. Nuptse, etc. The trail further ascends towards Thangma Riju. Thangma Riju is blessed with 360 degree vista of panoramic snowy mountains. From Thangma Riju, the trail further ascends towards Changri Glacier. Along the trail, we can catch the first glimpse of Kala Patthar. From Changri Glacier, the trail further takes us towards Gorak Shep. From Gorak Shep, the trail further leads us towards the Everest Base Camp. The trail from Gorak Shep towards the base camp is straight. The view from the Base camp is really splendid. If we are in the spring season, the base camp looks really interesting with multicolored camps in the grey surrounding. From the base camp, an amazing view of Nuptse, Khumbuste and Pumori mountains can be seen. So far, we have accomplished the ultimate objective of our trek. After having a wonderful time at the Base camp, we return back to Gorak Shep for overnight stay.

This day, we start our journey early in the morning. From Gorak Shep, we will climb towards Kala Patthar to have the splendid view of the sunrise. The sun rising from the tallest mountain of the world, the Everest would be a very interesting sight to behold. There would be plenty of time to admire the views of around and to click photos but eventually we need to get down as the weather in the mountain is uncertain. There can be the possibility of chilly wind at any time and if it happens, the temperature might go down to -10-14 C. The magnificent vista of the familiar peaks like Lingtren, Khumbutse, Changtse from this hill top is really an interesting sight to behold. After such a remarkable time at Kala Patthar, we descend down to Ghorak Shep for our breakfast. The participant, who plans to visit Everest Base Camp on this day, will have their breakfast early and depart for the Base Camp. The journey from Ghorak Shep to Base camp is of around 4-5 hours. Upon their return from the Base Camp, we take our lunch together and descend towards the beautiful village of Pheriche for our overnight stay. Note: 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. (B, L, D)

The trek of this day is much easier as we descend towards the lower altitude. The trail follows the same route as we had ascended in the former days of the trek. The trail passes through the beautiful Sherpa villages of Orsho and Shomare. Our trail further takes us to Upper Pangboche. From Pangboche, we continue towards Imja Khola and up through the forest of Debuche. We can also pay a visit to the Debuche Monastery there. This Monastery is very famous as houses nuns of this area. The trail further leads us to Tengboche monastery from Dengboche. It is interesting to note that the Tengboche monastery celebrates the festival of Mani Rimdu on every full moon day. We can also participate in that festival if we are there at that time. The trail further continues towards the hillside full of rhododendron and juniper trees. After crossing this forest, we reach a prayer flag festooned bridge over the Dudh Koshi River. By and by our trail leads us to the Namche Bazaar. Please do feel free to take as many pictures of the sceneries around from the Namche Bazaar. At Namche Bazaar, our overnight will be at a lodge.

The trail of this day descends steeply from Namche Bazaar. Proper precaution should be taken while descending down as our legs shakes vehemently in the rocky terrain. Along the trail, we cross numerous suspension bridges of the Dudh Koshi River and its tributaries. From this day, we have already bid our good bye to the chilly mountain air and are going to the charming light breeze of the mountains. Although we are travelling the same route down, we get completely different views. Taking pictures along the trail is really interesting as we pass through the mixture of open plains, rhododendron and pine forests, and in the distance snow covered peaks. Our journey further leads us through the Sherpa village that has impressive faith on Buddhism. Upon reaching Lukla, our magnificent journey of the mountains comes to an end. You can also celebrate there with some local brews too if you want for the successful completion of your trek.

This day marks as our last day in the Himalayan region of Nepal. Depending upon the schedule of the flight, we get back to Kathmandu from Lukla airport. Once we get back to Kathmandu, our representative will pick you up from there and drop you towards your designated hotel. You can take time to rest and relax in hotel throughout the day. In the evening, you can stroll around the ancient streets of Thamel to buy some souvenirs for your loved ones back in your country. The late evening marks as the time for celebration with the team members of Pariwar Holidays. A special dinner program along with some cultural programs would be arranged in one of the best hotels of Thamel by the team of Pariwar Holidays Pvt.Ltd for your successful completion of the trek. The overnight stay for this night would be in one of the best hotels around Thamel.

The fabulous journey that you accomplished with the team of Pariwar Holidays Pvt. Ltd. comes to an end today. Depending on the schedule of your flight, a representative of our team will drop you at the Tribhuvan International Airport for your final departure. The team of Pariwar Holidays Pvt. Ltd. will be more than happy to serve you in the coming days too.