Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Lake Trek

Detail Itinerary

Day 01 Arrive in Kathmandu.After landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu from your designated destinations, you will be received by a representative of the travel company at the arrival gate who will then transfer you to you allotted hotels. If the time persists, you can either visit the city or relax at the hotel to overcome your jet lag. O/N at Hotel.

Day 02Kathmandu sightseeing and trip preparation (1300m). The Kathmandu sightseeing trip will begin in the morning. After breakfast, you will be taken towards Kathmandu Durbar (Palace) Square, one of the heritage sites where you can view many historical and cultural monuments. Later, you will visit another heritage site known as Pashupatinath Temple. This is a sacred Hindu Temple of Lord Shiva named which is always crowded by Hindu pilgrims. After lunch, visit to Buddhist pilgrimage Swoyambhunath (famous by the name of Monkey temple among tourists) will be carried forward. Likewise, Boudhanath Shrine will be covered by the evening. After concluding the sightseeing, there will be seminar for you to attend to discuss about the upcoming trekking plans. O/N at Hotel.

Day 03Fly to Lukla (35 min) and trek to Phakding (2652m). 3-4 hrs. Ideally, we will arrive in Lukla between 7 – 9 am, so that you can have breakfast and start walking mostly downhill for a relaxed walk on your first day. The total hike should take 3-5 hours, depending on if you will travel toPhakding or Monjo. If you go to Phakding (2,650m/8,694ft) it will be about 3 hours walking and if you are going to Monjo (2,850m/9,350ft) it will take approximately 5 hours. If we are going to Monjo, we will have lunch in Phakding and then continue ontoMonjo, arriving in the afternoon. When you arrive, you will check into your room and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and starting the acclimatization process. Make sure you keep well hydrated; drinking 3 to 4 liters of water a day is essential all the way through the trek. 9km/ 5.6 miles to Phakding or Monjo will be 13km/ 8.8 miles.

Day 04 Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3440m). 6-7 hrs. For the first couple of hours you will get to cross some of the famous suspension bridges, while gradually moving up-hill towards the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park, the official entrance to the Everest Region. You continue downhill on for a short time before it levels out to flat ground on mixed terrain. The trail then follows the river to the final high suspension bridge before you begin the long ‘Namche Hill’, which can take 2 hours, to reach the Sherpa village of Namche Bazaar. The total for today’s trekking is usually 6 hours long with plenty of breaks and rest along the way. From Phakding to Namche is 11.3 km/ 7.02 miles.

Day 05Acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar. Today is one of our acclimatization trek days. As you trek up behind Namche Bazaar, the trail is quite steep and you can feel the lack of oxygen while you ascend 460m/1,509ft to Shangbouche Airport, then cross the runway and head another 100m/ 328ft up to Shangbouche Hill at 3,900m/ 12,795ft. We will enjoy the stunning views and relax for 30-45 minutes before returning back to Namche. This trek is an essential part of the acclimatization process and usually takes approximately 4 hours. 3km/ 1.8 miles.

Day 06Namche to Tengbuche (3867m). 5-6 hrs. Today we will hike towards Tengbouche, at 3,900m/ 12,795ft. After ascending out of Namche, the first 2 hours are relaxed walking, traversing the left hand side of the valley, high above the valley floor. The trail then descendsdown toward the river for our lunch stop. From here it will take 2 – 3 hours to hike up the long hill to the town of Tengbouche. This is a gradual but long ascent and the total time will be 5/6 hours of hiking today. 12km/ 7.5 miles.

Day 07Tengbouche to Dingbuche (4358m). 5-6 hrs. From Tengbouche, we will travel to Dingbouche, at 4,400m/ 14,436ft. The trail starts down-hill and continues very gradually up and down hills before crossing the river and gradually head up hill towards Pangbouche for lunch (Pangbouche was one of the villages on the trail that suffered most from the recent earthquakes), which usually takes 2-3 hours. From there it is a gradual up-hill trek towards the Imja Valley looking towards Island Peak and an hour later arriving in Dingbouche. The total trekking time today will be 5 to 6 hours. 12km/ 7.5 miles.

Day 08Acclimatization day. Today, we spend another night in Dingbouche to further the acclimatization process. From here we will aim to reach the height of 4,900m/ 16,076ft, gaining 500m/1,640ft, in this acclimatization trek which should take approximately 3 hours. We will enjoy the views and rest for about 30-45 min. at the high point before dropping back down for lunch and an afternoon of relaxing. 3km/ 1.86 miles and 500m/ 1,640ft of ascent and descent.

Day 09Dingboche to Lobuche (4828m) via Kongma la pass (5535m). 6-7 hrs. From Dingbouche we will head to Lobuche, at 4828m. We begin today’s trek very early in the morning to reach the highest part of the entire trip which is Kongma La pass. We can either take a trail over a hill which is to the northwest of Chhukung over the Nuptse Glacier moraines or we can walk to Bibre and trek on the trail above the Niyang Khola. The top of the pass is marked by cairns and Buddhist prayer flags. The final descent from the pass is the most difficult part of today’s journey. After climbing the moraine on the far side, the trail turns north through Khumbu Glacier which takes us to Lobuche. 11km/6.2 miles. Note:Trekking through Kongma La is optional. If we do not want to tackle the strenuous Kongma La pass today and want to go directly to Lobuche from Dingboche, we can do that too.

Day 10Lobuche to Gorakshep-EBC - Gorakshep (5160m-5365m-5160m).7-8 hrs. Today we travel from Lobuche to Gorak Shep at 5,160m. Today’s trek is very beautiful and unique, crossing a lot of loose rock and Glacier moraine. The up and down trail into GorakShep takes approximately 3 hours. We will have lunch here before continuing an additional 3 hours to reach Everest Base Camp, where we will spend some time enjoying the Base Camp of the World’s highest mountain! The hike back to Gorak Shep is an another 2 hours, bringing this long day to end after a total of 7 or 8 hours of hiking. Today is very challenging day for most people. 10km/ 6.2 miles.

Day 11Gorekshep to Dzongla (4830m): 7 - 8 hrs. From Gorekshep, we trek downhill on a trail alongside the Khumbu Glacier. Our trail splits into two and we choose the trail on our right. On the way we can better admire the view of the looming Awi Peak. We pass through a stupa and tombstones in the distance. After walking for a while we begin to ascend. During the ascent, we see Chola Tsho Lake nearby. We continue further and pass another lake which is lot smaller than the Chola Tsho Lake. We cross the Chola Khola on a bridge before reaching Dzongla. Overnight in Dzongla. 12km/7.5 miles.

Day 12Dzongla to Gokyo (4800m) via Cho La pass (5368m): 7 - 8 hrs. As we gain height, the Cho La Lake begins to appear and the Ama Dablam presides over a range of mountains on the south and Cholatse soars on the west. Climbing the incline is not easy; it is steep, but made worse by boulders over some of which we will have to scramble. The final climb to the Cho La can be a little tricky as the trail curves round a crevasse. The top of the pass is marked by prayer flags and cairns. Scenery of majestic peaks on all directions is breathtaking. Although long, the path leading down to Thangnak is not difficult. Our trail brings us to the edge of the Ngozumpa glacier, which is the longest glacier in Nepal. Reaching the other side of the glacier, we see the second Gokyo Lake on the series of six lakes. A shortdistance away is the third Gokyo Lake. On the edge of this lake stands the Gokyo Village where we spend the night. 12.5km/9 miles.

Day 13Rest day in Gokyo: Climb Gokyo Ri (5357m), tour 4th and 5th Gokyo lakes: 4 - 6 hrs. We climb Gokyo Ri today and enjoy views of the incredible mountain vista. We can also tour the fourth Gokyo Lake today which is only 3km north of the Gokyo Village. Next, continue trekking to the 5th lake. The view from ‘Scoundrel's Viewpoint’, located at the edge of the 5th lake, is astonishing. Cho-Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Makulu mountains and the huge Ngozumba Glacier are ours to admire. We trek back to Gokyo and spend the night.

Day 14Gokyo to Phortse Thanga 5-6 hrs. The trail is descending down in a single long day where the route follows the eastern side of the valley with observing Khumbila with a different view. The trail then retraces an upward route to Pangka and turns east then climbs across the terminal moraine of the Ngozumba glacier. After making few ups and downs, the path then enter Phortse. O/N at Lodge. 9km/ 5.7miles.

Day 15Phortse to Namche Bazaar 5-6 hrs. From Phortse, you will head towards Namche Bazaar. You will reach Namche Bazaar, the main trading town also known as the gateway to Mt. Everest in the Khumbu Region before sunset. O/N at Lodge.13km/7.8miles.

Day 16Namche Bazzar to Lukla (2652m). 7-8 hrs. This another long day and can be one of the hardest as your body is tired after the trek. You start the day going back down Namche Hill and then the long stretch back to Lukla. You will pass Phakding before starting the last uphill section into Lukla where we will sleep for one more night. Today’s trek can take 7 to 8 hours. 21km/ 13 miles.

Day 17Fly back to Kathmandu (1300m). 35 min fly. Today your legs get a break as you only have to trek to Lukla Airport and fly back to Kathmandu, which is only about 10 minutes walking! O/N at Hotel

Day 18Departure. Today we departure you to the International terminal by our representative approximately three hours before as per your flight schedule. Have a happy and safe journey!!