Everest Three High Pass Trek

Welcome to Kathmandu, the capital and cultural hub of Nepal ! We’ll be waiting with a warm greeting and easy transfer to your hotel. Plan on an evening briefing on last-minute specifics about your trek and an early lights-out: you have a big day ahead.

Today after breakfast we will start a guided tour to several of the most historical and spiritual attractions in Kathmandu.

Early morning, after breakfast we get transferred to domestic airport to fly to Lukla. After an adventurous 40 minute flight above breathtaking green and white mountains, we reach Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla. This is one of the most beautiful air routes in the world culminating in a dramatic landing on a hillside surrounded by high mountains peaks. At the airport, we meet our other crew members. We get time to stroll around while the guide divides and manages baggage to be carried by porters. We start our trek through the prosperous village of Lukla until we reach Phakding. To assist in acclimatization, we only have a short hike today. However, if interested in additional activities we can take a side trip to a nearby monastery. Overnight in Phakding. Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

Trek starts in the morning after breakfast. The walk today is pleasant with few short uphill and downhill with multiple crossings over Dudh Koshi River and magnificent view of Mt. Thamserku (6,608m/21,675ft) from the Benkar village. We cross more bridges and reach entrance of Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo, where our trekking permits are checked in order to keep record of trekkers and local trekking staffs as well. A descend and a gradual walk brings us to Jorsale, the last village until Namche Bazaar. The walk is enjoyable through the river bed and we reach Hillary Suspension Bridge. Now, as we climb up hill towards Namche Bazzar, closer and magnificent sight of Kwangde Peak, its sister peaks, Kusum Kangaru, Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Tawache, and many other fabulous mountains are viewed closer, we stop at the Chautara here to admire the view. Finally, we reach the colorful village of Namche Bazzar, the main gateway of Khumbu region. Overnight in Namche Bazzar.

This is first scheduled ‘acclimatization’ day for this trek. Health experts always recommend us to stay active and moving during the rest day too instead of being idle. We either spend the day taking a day’s hike to Thame or visiting Khunde or carry out relaxed exploration of Namche Bazaar itself. If we trek a few hundred vertical 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. 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. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

After breakfast we come out of Namche Bazar east past the monastery and begin with a short uphill trek. On the left we have the Kongde Ri (6187 m) and the river that flows down into a ravine. On the right is the rocky Khumbi Yul La (5765 m) and behind us is clearly visible on Kusum Kanguru (6,373 m). After an hour mostly downhill into the forest, the trip continues: the steep rise of about 50 m in altitude to reach a ridge around it. The river bed becomes closer and wider. We reach the village of Phorte and then the small town of Samde. Along the stretch halfway up a slight slope leading to the bridge over the Bhote Koshi (3650 m). Cross it and about a half hour climb brings us to Thame.

If the sky is clear, we will see the beautiful peaks that gaurd the village to the west. We take our breakfast and head for the next camp towards Marlung. The terrain from Thame to Marlung is alpine zone and there is very less vegetation. Enjoy the peace and relative solitude of this little trekked valley. We bend around the village of Tangmote. After about an hour, walk parallel to the village of Yellajung on the other side of the Bhote Koshi. We pass by the village of Tarngga, enjoying superb views of Kongde Ri as you look down the trail. A further 45 minutes or so on a gradually rising trail brings us to Marlung.

It’s a short walk today from Marlung to Lungden. After Marlung, we for about an hour and then climb a small rasing hill. Cross the water stream. We trek 2 to 3 hours to reach Lungdeng.

As we hike further to the top of Renjo La, we get the outstanding views of the surrounding. The Everest itself, Lhotse, Cholatse and Taboche can be seen shining in the sun. Views from Renjo La are much like that from Gokyo Ri with third Gokyo Lake and Gokyo Village beneath the gray smear of Ngozumpa Glacier. Walk further to Gokyo through the glacier. An easy walking down brings us to Gokyo.

Today we rest and acclimatize at Gokyo. Explore the fifth lake passing another forth lake. Enjoy the great views of Mt. Everest and Cho-Oyu. If the weather is good, we grasp the opportunity to climb Gokyo Ri today instead of next day to enjoy the scene from the best viewpoint of Everest Region. Moreover, Gokyo is not only popular for its grand view from Gokyo Peak but also for the six lakes which it hosts. Definitely we would not miss the chance to observe the fourth (Thonak Tsho) and fifth lakes (Ngozuma Tsho). If interested, climb on a hill at the edge of the Lakes to get astounding views of Cho-Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Makulu. Hike up to Gokyo Ri with breathtaking views of sunrise over the Himalayas. Exploring the Gokyo Ri area, get back to the camp for rest. Enjoy the feeling of being surrounded by panoramic mountains like Kusum Kanguru, Thamserku, K 43, Kangtega, Taboche, Cholatse, Makalu, Lhotse, Nuptse, Everest, Changtse, and Pumori.

Today, we are on the trail to Thaknak today. Thaknak is also sometimes pronounced as Dragnag. We climb out of Gokyo village to a ridge. Then, we take the route through the Ngozumpa Glacier to the mountain on the other side. Continuing further and traversing along the edge of that mountain, we descend down to Thaknak. Enjoy the magnificent views of Cho Oyu, Gokyo Ri, among other high Himalayas.

From Thangnak, trek to the Cho La Pass. ChoLa pass is also another show up of this trip. Today is going to be one of the toughest days, 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 vertical and the rocks glazed by ice add trouble to the trekkers making the trail slippery. Our trail climbs through a ravine and a rocky trail we climb up continuously up from Phedi. We trek through the side of a frozen lake while we come to the top of the pass decorated with prayer flags. We need to pass through some crevasses before we reach Dzongla, another beautiful place with a complete view of Mt. Cholatse, Mt. Ama Dablam, Lobuche peak and the Pheriche village far below.

Today, we head for Lobuche. We climb down from Dzongla and after crossing a bridge and transverse through grassy trail. Enjoying the view of Lobuche Peak we stretch up eventually through a ridge. The mountains of Ama Dablam, Kangtega, Thamserku Taboche are seen looming prominently. Curving round through the wide gravelly river bed, we reach Lobuche.

The 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, etc. A small ascent would 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. Everest actually is not visible from here. By now we have met the ultimate objective of our trip.

However, the sunset view from Kala Patthar is more admirable than the sunrise view, so it is suggested to visit Kala Patthar today during sunset. As the setting sun’s rays strike the snow capped mountains the resulting scenery is indescribable. For those trekkers who wish to continue to Kala Patthar, our guides and Sherpas coordinate your hike to Kala Patthar for amazing sunset view today rather than waiting until the next day. Overnight in Gorak Shep at a local lodge.

If we didn’t cover Kala Patthar yesterday, we do it today. 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) departure beforehand. Plus 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 being 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 Lobuche for a good night’s rest.

From Lobuche, we pass through Khumbu Glacier. Climbing up we reach Kongma La. There is a Pyramid shaped Italian Research Centre at just over 5,000 m. Enjoy the views of the wide basin dotted with frozen lakes. Also enjoy the marvellous views of Cholatse, Pokalde, Nuptse, Lhotse, Makalu and Ama Dablam. Then we turn and walk through the stony trail. Descend down the Niyang Khola valley. Enjoy the great views of Amphu Lapcha Pass and Island Peak. Trekking further we get to Chukkung.

Chhukung is also the starting point for the Island Peak Climbing. Now we are getting closer to the Himalayan civilization of the Khumbu Region. The Imja Khola joins the Dudh Koshi River a little above the Pangboche Village. There is a famous monastery at Pangboche believed to have been the oldest in the Khumbu region. From Pangboche, we descend down the alpine desert and back into greenery of pine forests. The path leads to a steep uphill climb into Tengboche. Visit the famous Tengboche Monastery.

From Tenboche, we make a steep descent and the trail leads us back along the Dudh Kosi River. 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 where we want to take a long last look back to Lhotse, the tip of Everest and Tengboche. The final steep climb traverses the hill side taking us to Namche Bazaar. We take a nice hot shower and have very relaxed sleep in our room in Namche Bazaar.

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 flowing Dudh Koshi and its tributaries the trail becomes more level and natural. 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. We walk through the Sherpa villages’ noticing impressive faith in Buddhism and culture of prayer stones and prayers flag while we walk through the villages. On arrival in Lukla, we 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!

We fly back to Kathmandu after our long mountain journey. The early morning flight drops us at Kathmandu. You can rest and relax throughout the day in your hotel. If get interested to take some gifts home from Nepal for friends and relatives, visit to some nearby shops or venture out in Thamel for typical Nepalese goods which can be assisted by our guides or you can do it yourself too. If you want to explore any other areas of Kathmandu take the time to do that today! Remember, we will be hosting a fantastic celebration dinner together for successfully completing your trek to Everest Three Passes Trek!

It’s your last day in Nepal! Grab some breakfast, and then take in some last-minute shopping in Kathmandu. We’ll make sure you arrive at Kathmandu International Airport with plenty time before your flight home. At this time, we’ll say our goodbyes and bid you farewell, armed with warm memories and gorgeous photos to show your loved ones.
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Namaste !