EBC Cho La Pass & Gokyo Lake Trek

Arrive at the foothills of the Himalayas and take a deep breath of Nepal's crisp, pristine air.   The first day marks your arrival day in Kathmandu. Clear all the visa requirements and customs clearance, if any, at the arrival section of the airport. As you come out, you will find a representative from World Alpine Treks waiting for you holding a board with your name. You will then be transferred to your hotel. The representative will shortly inform you about the plans ahead.

The second day is a day tour to warm up before your trekking journey. Kathmandu is a city enriched with artistic palaces, beautiful monuments, ancient temples, and other constructions of historical and cultural importance. No wonder the city has seven out of ten UNESCO-listed world heritage sites. Today, you will be guided to the UNESCO-listed heritage sites in Kathmandu. These heritages are perfect examples of the rich history, exceptional culture, and architectural treasures of Nepal. At first, you will be taken to Kathmandu Durbar Square. The art, crafts, and carvings in the palaces, temples, and other monuments of the Durbar Square are excellent. After that, you will be escorted to Swayambhunath stupa (Monkey Temple), Pashupatinath Temple, and Boudhanath stupa, respectively. 

On the third day, you will be headed to the domestic terminal of Tribhuwan Airport for a flight to Lukla. The flight to Lukla in itself is an enriching experience where you will be able to enjoy some beautiful views of the mountains. As you land in Lukla, you will meet our other crew members at the airport. From Lukla, we walk down the trail along with hotels and lodges to the Dudhkoshi River. We cross a long suspension bridge over the river and follow a path that takes us to Phakding. 

We wake up early and enjoy our breakfast. Then we follow our trail that goes through an undulating path up and down via traditional villages, fields, and rhododendron forests. We gradually ascend and enter Sagarmatha National Park with magnificent views of Mt. Thamserku on sight. We pass villages like Jorsale and Monjo on the way to Namche. Namche Bazaar is an old but lively Sherpa village. It is a gateway to all the trekking routes to the Everest region. There are many vibrant shops, cyber cafes, restaurants, hotels, and lodges at this time. Namche Bazaar never rests. It always gets a lot of visitors and is always crowded. 

The narrow streets of Namche are always crowded. Do not be surprised if the yak bells and other horns wake you up. Today is a day set aside for acclimatization purposes. As we gain height, our body needs to be well-adapted to the altitude change. Therefore, we have set aside an extra day in Namche. Today, we hike up to the Everest View Hotel for close-up views of the mountains in the Everest region. From the hotel, we can enjoy some striking views of mountains like Kwangde, Thamserku, Kangtega, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, etc. We can visit a museum and a photo gallery on our way back to Namche from the Everest View Hotel. 

As we ascend, our trail traverses through the forests of rhododendrons with brilliant views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Amadablam, and Mt. Lhotse in sight. After a while, the trail descends to the Dudh Koshi River at Phungi Thanga. From here, the trail further ascends through the forests of pine and rhododendron to Tengboche. Tengboche is accessible from the Tengboche monastery and has astonishing views of Mt. Ama Dablam, along with other peaks in the region. Tengboche monastery is considered the largest monastery in the region. 

We leave Tengboche and start climbing up the trail for around six hours to Dingboche. As we ascend, we can notice the change in vegetation. We can find ourselves moving above the tree line with pastures and meadows along the way. On the way, we can see small fields enclosed by stone walls to protect crops from cold winds. As we open up to the meadows of Dingboche, we will find ourselves in a spectacular location with wonderful views of Lhotse and Nuptse Ridge in sight. If the weather is favorable, one can relish the fantastic views of the sunset over the Ama Dablam Himal in the Everest region. 

We spend another day in Dingboche. This day in Dingboche is a part of acclimatization. As we have already gained enough height, acclimatization is a necessity. Therefore, we enjoy our day in Dingboche today. After breakfast in the guesthouse, we hike up to Nagerjun for close-up views of the mountains in the Everest region. We will be blessed with amazing views of Mt. Makalu, Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Nuptse, and many more. After enjoying the spectacles of the mountains from Nagerjun, we walk back to the guesthouse in Dingboche for the night.

Leaving Dingboche, the trail climbs up a ridge with some magnificent views of Taboche Peak and Cholatse. Further, the trail continues through yak pastures until we cross a wooden bridge over a stream to Duglha. From Duglha, we ascend for an hour along a steep route above the moraine of Khumbu glacier. From here, we ascend the valley to Lobuche, enjoying the views of Khumbutse, Pumori, and Lingtren. Mt. Everest becomes invisible as it is hidden behind the towering peaks of Lhotse and Nuptse. 

Today is one of the most rewarding days of our journey. Our week-long hard work is going to pay off as we will be stepping into the Everest Base Camp – the dream of every single travel lover. From Lobuche, we follow a rocky path to the last village of the trail – Gorekshep. From Gorekshep, we continue towards the world’s highest base camp, i.e., Everest Base Camp, through the Khumbu glacier. It is considered one of the most dangerous sections of the Everest Base Camp Trek. As we reach the base camp, we will be showered with some mesmerizing views of glaciers, lakes, caves, and icefalls. Though the views of Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Nuptse are quite clear, Mt. Everest hides back behind the shades of Lhotse and Nuptse. After spending some time in base camp, we return to Gorekshep via the same route.

Today, we woke up a little early to catch the sunrise views from Kalapatthar. We hike up for around two to three hours from Gorekshep to Kalapatthar. As we ascend, we get the first glimpse of the mighty Mt. Everest along with the other peaks like Mt. Pumori, Mt. Lingtren, Mt. Khumbutse, Mt. Changtse, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Ama Dablam, etc. The golden rays of sunrise glittering over the snow-clad mountains in the region look amazing. After having this fantastic view from Kalapatthar, we retraced our steps back to Gorekshep and descended to Dzongla.

As we move ahead from Dzongla, we come across a stone-paved flat path. We walk along the trail and ascend steeply to the Cho La pass. The trail along the pass is rocky and icy, which makes our walk quite difficult. However, the views of mountains and glaciers that the pass offers are more than enough to overshadow all the difficulties. From the pass, we make a steep descent down to the village of Thangna/ Dragnak. From the village, we can rejoice in some stunning views of the Macchermo peak. 

Leaving the village of Dragnak, we take a route to the Ngozumpa glacier from where we will be able to get some stunning views of the first lake in the Gokyo valley. We walk along an easy path and follow the Dudh Koshi River that takes us to the Gokyo. The views of multiple emerald color lakes at Gokyo are truly reviving. It feels as if we could stay there forever, enjoying the divine glories of the mountain lakes.

Today is one of the most magnificent days of our entire trip. We spend our day in between the Himalayas, enjoying the mesmerizing views of emerald lakes in Gokyo Valley. Early in the morning, after our breakfast, we hiked up steeply for around three to four hours to Gokyo Ri. Gokyo Ri is considered the best vantage point in the Everest region for tantalizing views of mountains and glacial lakes. From the Ri, we can enjoy some magnificent views of Mt. Ngozumpa glacier, Mt. Kusum Kanguru, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Thamserku, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Taboche, Kangtenga, Changtse, Cholatse, Mt. Pumori, etc., with alluring views of Gokyo lakes down below. After enjoying these fantastic views from the Ri, we descend steeply until we reach Dole. 

Today, we descend to the vibrant town of Namche. We descend a scenic path along the forested area, enjoying the views of the mountains to Namche Bazaar. 

The trek from Namche Bazaar to Lukla takes around 7 hours, following a scenic downhill path through rhododendron and pine forests. Passing Sherpa villages such as Monjo and Phakding and crossing the Dudh Koshi River several times, the journey offers final mountain views before reaching Lukla for an overnight stay and the conclusion of the Everest trek.

We take a return flight from Lukla to Kathmandu. Upon arrival, you will be transferred to your hotel room in Kathmandu. You can relax in your room for the rest of the day.

After seventeen days of long journeys, today is a free day in Kathmandu. You have two options for the day – you can either explore some unexplored UNESCO-listed heritage sites around Kathmandu or go to the shopping malls for shopping. You can also collect some souvenirs for your family and friends back home. 

Before a few hours of your scheduled flight, you will be transferred to the international terminal of Tribhuwan International Airport.