Gokyo Ri-Everest Base Camp Trek Via Chola Pass – 17 Days

Namaste and Heartily welcome to Nepal. Our company representatives welcome you warmly at the international airport of Kathmandu and transfer you to the hotel. You take your rest and enjoy your meal in the evening. Also, the trekking guide would do a briefing or explain to you about the trek. Overnight at the hotel. 

After lunch, we drove to Manthali airport, which is located in Ramechhap district, so it is also known as Ramechhap airport, as it faces attractive views of Kathmandu and Manthali. During the trekking season, flights operate via Ramechhap, while in the off-season, direct flights from Kathmandu to Lukla are available. After reaching Manthali, we will stay overnight in a lodge at Manthali. 

Early in the morning, we flew from Manthali to Lukla, experiencing incredible and beautiful views of Manthali and Lukla. After reaching Lukla, we start to trek to a ridge at 2800m, before a gradual ascent to the final ridge from where we descend to Surke, following the path toward Phakding. You will trek on the trail cut deep into the steep rocky side of the valley, where you can come across mule caravans making their way alongside you. At the end, the trekking trail joins back onto the Dudh Koshi River valley, and you can see amazing views of the river below as you stand high above on the steep side of the impenetrable valley. Overnight at a guest house or lodge. 

After breakfast at Phakding, we will pass through the famous Namche Bazaar, where altitude gains as the walk progress morning walk starts following the river and crossing several times to reach Monjo village near Sagarmatha National Park entrance. From here, walking on river valley and gorge, covered with woodland of tall rhododendron, pines and fir trees. After a few hours, we will reach Namche Bazaar, an ideal place for a rest day to acclimatize to the main town/ village of Khumbu, where a colourful and exciting Saturday market takes place once a week. Overnight at a lodge.  

After breakfast, we will go to the viewpoint, just behind the back of Sagarmatha National Park headquarters. The panoramic views of the Everest Himalayan chain, Mt.Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and many more. Then we walk down to the Sherpa Cultural Centre where we can observe the gallery and the documentary of Sherpa’s ascending Mt.Everest. We hike up to the Everest View hotel via Syangboche airport, have a cup of tea and trek to Khyangjuma, where we can see many wonderful mountains as well as not so much crowd, a peaceful place to stay. Overnight at a lodge. 

After having a fresh breakfast with the Everest sunrise view. We will take a gentle walk to Phortse village, which is a very quiet village, situated in the foothills of the mountains in the Everest region, with a settlement of 80 Sherpa houses. We can see beautiful forests covered with greenery and hills, cross beautiful Himalayas,  flowing rivers, and bridges. If we reach in season, we can see hills with snowfall. We can see culture, old instruments, and the lifestyle of the Sherpa people exploring the beautiful nature.  We will see the local wildlife in this area, like pheasants, yaks, musk deer, mountain goats and other animals. Our trail passes through forests, waterfalls and bridges before reaching Dole. We will stay in Dole on top of a hill, enjoying the view overnight.

Today, we will trek to Gokyo after having a fresh breakfast in the morning to reach Gokyo Ri the next day. Today we will be gaining 329 m high. We will pass through snow, rivers and many more glorious views. We will pass through a large cave known as Nilibuk. Then we will start the narrow trail after lunch. Today, you will be treated to the upper Himalayan nature. Gokyo Lake takes 2 hours and 40 min to make a round. You can see the best view of Everest today.

A short hike takes us to the 4th Gokyo Lake and then onward to Gokyo Ri. Reaching the summit takes about 2-3 hours, rewarding us with breathtaking views of the Ngozumpa Glacier, the largest glacier in the region. The panoramic vista includes Cho Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cholatse, and Tawache.

After descending back to Gokyo, we continue onward, crossing several small icy lakes, glaciers, and rocky terrain to reach Thagnak, a small settlement with limited teahouses and the starting point for crossing Cho La Pass the following day.

Today will be a tough day of our trip as we should cross through icy paths offering various views of the Himalayas and hills covered with snow. We will pack lunch today. The trekkers should carry stuff like crampons, an ice axe or necessary gear so that it will be safe to walk on an icy way. We will be offered various views of the Himalayas. Then we will travel to Dzongla through the flat way, seeing the soaring view of Ama Dablam and Kangtega-Thamserku, viewing some villages in the floor of the hills and lakes on the hill, which makes our way move faster to Dzongla, which offers the best view of Cholatse Peak.

After breakfast, we headed to the destination of Lobuche. We will gently walk down a steep route. After reaching the stupa, the trail is gradual. After lunch, we will be crossing through a flat slope and see the upper Himalayan nature and greenery. We will share our route with other Sherpa people and trekkers who are going on an expedition. After reaching Lobuche, we will prepare for our next exciting day trek to Everest Base Camp.

This is an anticipated day of the trekking trip, and we will begin through the rugged trail which goes on the other side of the Khumbu glacier. After an hour, we will walk through the Italian research centre through a rough rocky trail and reach Gorak Shep. After a rest and lunch in Gorak Shep, we will hike to Everest Base Camp through the new moraine route. On the way, we can see Pumori, Nuptse, and other mountains in the background. The Everest view is available before reaching the Everest Base Camp. It is not that difficult, but the high altitude makes it tough. Then we descend to Gorak Shep and stay overnight at the lodge. 

We will be starting the trek for 3 hours early in the morning to Kala Patthar (5,545m) after tea to see the breathtaking panoramic sunrise view of Mt. Everest, Mt. Pumori, Mt. Lingtren, Khumbutse, Mt. Nuptse, Lhotse, Mt. Ama Dablam and many hills and mountains with a cool, windy environment. We will be capturing the beauty of sunrise with the group on camera and our souls that remain for our whole life. Then we will gently walk down to Gorak Shep for breakfast. Then we will trek down to Pheriche, which is the place of farming potatoes, buckwheat and keeping yaks. We can see lots of Mani (prayer stones), stupas and statues on the way. It is also the place where trekkers take acclimatization day. We will stay here in Pheriche with the stunning view of himalayas and hills for the night.

On this third last day of our trip, we will be exploring Tengboche Gompa after a gentle hike of 4 hours, which is one of the oldest and biggest gompas in the Everest region. We will see various old instruments, old architecture, Mani, monks’ instruments, and prayer flags. On this day, we can also explore some of the Sherpa villages along with their culture and beautiful lifestyle. After exploring the gompa, we will have a downhill walk in moderate weather. We will cross the Imja River, Pangboche, and walk on a steep path to reach Namche for the night after a trek of about 8-9 hours.

After having breakfast in Namche, we will slowly move down the steep path crossing the Dudh Koshi river bridge. We will see various small gompas, animals like yaks, prayer flags, and green nature covered with beautiful rhododendron flowers. After walking for a few hours, we will get into some of the villages and on the way, we can see Lukla appearing beautiful and fascinating from a far distance. Then we will finally reach Lukla and enjoy the success of the trip.

Morning transfer to Lukla Tenzing-Hillary airport for a short sweeping flight to Manthali airport located in Ramechhap district, facing scenic views of mountains, green scenery of hills and farm fields with nice villages and towns as the flight lands at Manthali airport and drive back to Kathmandu, stay overnight.

Your adventure in Nepal comes to an end today! We will take you to the airport, approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight. On your way home, you will have plenty of time to plan your next adventure in the wonderful country of Nepal.