Everest Cho La Pass Trek

Today, you will take a flight to the starting point of your trek- Lukla. You will take an early morning flight to Lukla. This scenic flight, which will be your first opportunity to view the gorgeous Himalayas of the Everest region, is 35-minutes long. After you land in Lukla, you will meet your porter and guide. After that, you will embark upon your trek.

The initial portion of the trekking trail from Lukla descends to Tharo Koshi. This river is also known as Kusum Kangru Khola (river). You will cross this river on a suspension bridge and trek uphill to Phakding (2804 meters). The duration of your trek from Lukla to Phakding is 3-4 hours.

You will head out to Namche Bazaar this day on a 6-7 hour trekking journey. As you leave Namche Bazaar, you will descend to Dudh-Kosi river. You will cross the waters of this river which you will cross on a suspension bridge. The trail takes you along this river as you ascend and descend the small hills along the way. As you are trekking, you can see some wonderful views of Mt. Thermasarkhu (6,608m).

A couple of hours of trek from Namche Bazaar will take you to the village of Monjo. The entrance of Sagarmatha National Park lies in this village. After you enter the National Park, the trail leads you downhill to Jorsalle village. Walking further, you will cross the Imja Tse river on a suspension bridge.

From the Imja Tse river, the trail takes you uphill to Namche Bazaar(3440 meters), where you will spend your night. Namche Bazaar is often referred to as the Capital of Sherpas. It has some wonderful spots from where you can catch amazing glimpses of Mt. Kwangde, Mt. Kusum Kanguru, Mt. Everest, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Lhotse, and Mt. Tawache.  

Today, you will spend your time strolling to the various parts of Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar is more than 3000 meters in altitude. So an acclimatization day reduces your chances of catching altitude sickness. In order to acclimatize, we have organized a few optional activities for you.

There is a small hiking trail in Namche Bazaar that takes you to the headquarters of Sagarmatha National Park which lies in the top of a hill. You can get some amazing views of the mountains of the Everest region.

You can also go to the historical museum of Sagarmatha National Park Museum this day. The museum answers a lot of queries you might have with regards to the culture, religion, mountaineering history, flora, fauna etc. of the Himalayas. It will take you about 3-4 hours today for completing the hikes around Namche Bazaar for acclimatization.

You will head out on a 5-6 hour journey to Tengboche (3860 meters) from Namche Bazaar this day. A 20-minutes hike from Namche Bazaar will take you to the top of a ridge. This ridge, which is at the top of Namche Bazaar, is a beautiful spot to look at some mountains and enjoy the beauty of Namche Bazaar.

A gentle descent through some winding hills will take you to a village called Phungitenga (3,250m). This village lies in the middle of an alpine forest in Sagarmatha National Park. Various species of blue pines, rhododendron, magnolia and birch trees make up a significant portion of this forest. After trekking for around 2 hours from Phungitenta, you will reach the resting place for today which is the village of Tengboche.

Tengboche Monastery is the best tourist destination in Tengboche. This is the largest which is the largest monastery in the Everest region and has its ties to the Ringboche Monastery in Tibet. Delightful panoramic views of various mountains like Ama Dablam, Everest, Nuptse etc gives a majestic touch to this monastery. You can observe various forms of rituals in this monastery, especially in Mani Ripdam festival.

You can enjoy some wonderful sunrise in Tengboche as the sun rises over the panoramic mountains here. After breakfast, you will head out to Dingboche. The initial part of today’s trek is downhill as you walk through forests that are full of rhododendron, birch, and pine trees. You can also see mountains like Mt Ama Dablam, Mt.Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse as you trek. After crossing this forest, you will cross the narrow gorge of Imja-Tse river on a bridge before heading out to Pangboche village (3,900m). The trail from the gorge to Pangboche village is a gentle uphill.

After you leave Pangboche, you will reach the beautiful village of Shomare, which offers you some close-up views of Mt. Ama-Dablam. The trail from Shomare is on the North Eastern side leading to Imja Tse valley. Finally, the trail from Imja Tse takes you to Dingboche. The trek up to Dingboche (4400 meters) is 5-6 hours long.

Dingboche is the first destination in your trek where you will cross an elevation of 4000 meters. At such a high altitude, you have a lower amount of oxygen than low altitude regions. So you will spend this day acclimatizing in Dingboche.

A short hike up to Nagarjuna Hill will be a perfect way to spend this day. The Nagarjuna hill is a popular spot in Dingboche to observe the astounding beauty of Lhotse, Nuptse, and the Everest. Island Peak and Chukung Ri are two of the smaller peaks in the Everest region whose glimpses you can have from Dingboche. You can also stroll around Dingboche village on your own.

You will head out to Lobuche(4910 meters) today on a 4-5 hour trekking journey. After leaving Dingboche, you will trek to a prayer ridge. This ridge is a beautiful spot from where you can get wonderful views of Pheriche village as well Mt.Tawache, Ama Dablam, Pokalde, Kongma-Tse, Mt. Makalu and the great wall of Nuptse. Trekking further from the ridge will take you to Thugla. A strenuous trek from Thugla and you will get to a ridge at Thugla pass.

Like all other ridges, the ridge at Thugla Pass offers wonderful views of mountains. Thugla Pass also has some memorials of mountaineers who died on the way to climbing Everest. A one hour uphill trek from Thugla Pass and you will reach Lobuche village, which lies at an altitude of 4900 meters. Lobuche lies near the foot of the Khumbu glacier. The name of the village derives out of the names of peaks like Lobuche Far East, Lobuche West, and Lobuche West.

Today you will trek to the Everest Base Camp, which has an altitude of 5,357 meters. The initial one hour of the trek is quite gentle. After a gentle trek for about an hour, you will walk along a steep rocky moraine on your way to Gorak Shep. As you walk in the moraine, you will be able to see glacial ponds and icebergs of Khumbu glacier. The trail from the moraine to Gorak Shep is a gentle descent.

After a much needed break in Gorak Shep, you will head out to Everest Base Camp. You will walk along rocky dunes, moraine, and streams on your way to Everest Base Camp. From the Base Camp, you will get the best views of Mt. Khumbutse and Khumbu glacier and Khumbu Icefall. After spending some quality time in Everest Base Camp, you will head back to Gorak Shep. From Gorak Shep, you will descend to Dzongla (4710 meters). Today’s trek is 8 hours long.

Today the hike starts quite early in the morning. You will head out to Kala Patthar to get some of the most splendid views sunrise. You will head out on a one hour trek to Kala Patthar from Gorak Shep. The views of the sun rising over mountains like Mt.Pumori, Mt. Everest, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Lhotse and other peaks from Kala Pathar will be something you will cherish all your life.

After the hike to Kala Patthar, you will descend to Gorak Shep and have your breakfast. After the breakfast, you will descend further as you lose more than 1000 meters in altitude. Finally, you will get to the village of Dzongla (4620 meters). Today’s trek, including the hike to Kala Patthar and back, is 6-7 hours long.

As you head out to Thangna(4650 meters) from Dzongla this day, you will trek along level track in the beginning. A further walk through these fields takes you to a parched valley. The path up to Cho La pass from there is quite challenging as you have to trek a steep, icy uphill.The trail then descends to Phedi on a different path. After trekking for 5-6 hours, you will get to Thangna (4350 meters). Thangna is a quaint village with delightful views of mountains including Machhermo peak.

After leaving Thangna, you will head out on a glacial route to the river Dudh Koshi. From Dudh Koshi, you will walk along an easy trail without many uphills to Gokyo (4750 meters). After covering a distance of 8 kilometers today and trekking for nearly 6 hours, you will reach Gokyo. In Gokyo, you will walk past the first an second lakes and get to your lodge near the third lake. The third lake is also known as Dudh Pokhari. On clear days, the turquoise waters of the Gokyo lakes and surrounding beauty is simply amazing.

The second major viewpoint in the Gokyo region is Gokyo Ri. It lies opposite to Gokyo valley on the northern side. You will trek for 2 hours to get to Gokyo Ri. The summit of Gokyo Ri has a lot of prayer flags. You can get panoramic views of mountains like  Cho-Oyu, Gyachung Kang, the north face of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, Cholatse, Taboche, Thamserku, Kangtega, Kusum Kanguru amongst others. Gokyo Ri also overlooks the longest glacier in the Himalayas- Ngozumpa Glacier.

You will trek back to Gokyo for breakfast at the hotel. From your hotel in Gokyo, you will follow the trail alongside the Dudh Koshi river. The trail takes you along various pastures. After trekking for 8 hours covering a distance of 8 kilometers, you will reach Machhermo (4410 meters).

As you descend 1000 meters in altitude on your way to Namche Bazaar, your hike will be mostly downhill. You will cover a distance of 10.8 kilometers trekking for 6-7 hours today. The trail initially descends to Phortse Tenga. From there, you will walk along rhododendron, pine, and local incense forests of Sagarmatha National Park. From the forests, you will trek uphill Monglo. From Monglo, the trekking trails to Khumjung is gentle. A gradual descent Khumjung will take you to Namche (3440 meters).

This will be the final day of trekking as you head out to Lukla on a 5-6 hours journey. The trek is mostly downhill which makes today’s trek one of the most pleasant in in the entire trip. As you walk, you will get outside the premises of Sagarmatha National park before eventually reaching to Lukla. You will spend your final night in the Everest region in Lukla. You will also have your final dinner with your guide and porter today.

You will take an early morning flight to Kathmandu this day. If the weather is not quite clear for a flight, you might also have to wait for a delayed flight. This 35 minute scenic flight will be your last chance to catch the views of the mountains of the Everest region. Our representatives will help you transfer to your hotel after you arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport.

This will be your final day in this awesome country of the Himalayas- Nepal. We will drop you at the airport a couple of hours before your scheduled flight. Before leaving for the airport, you need to confirm that you have secured tour air ticket as well as other travel related documents. We wish you have a wonderful departure back home. We can also arrange for another trip in Nepal in case you want to.