Everest Base Camp Trek via Gokyo Lakes and Cho La Pass

Upon your arrival at the Kathmandu airport, you will be greeted by a representative from Rugged Trails Nepal who will take to your hotel. Welcome drinks upon arrival at the hotel, free time until 6 pm. Evening welcome dinner in a traditional Nepali Restaurant with authentic Nepali cuisine and cultural program.Overnight in Kathmandu Hotel. If you arrive late at night then your dinner will be on the next day.

Wake Up early in the morning to take a flight to Lukla, you will receive a packed breakfast. From the Kathmandu domestic airport, we will take a 35- to 40-minute flight to Lukla (9,186 feet). Enjoy one of the most beautiful air routes in the world on a hillside surrounded by mountainous peaks. We will meet the rest of our crew members at the Lukla airport, a gateway destination from where our trek begins. We took a gentle walk to Phakding village, passing through Chaurikharkha village, Mt Khumbila, and the monastery.

This is the day that you hear the most is the trek into Namche Bazaar, walking through a beautiful pine forest Dudh Koshi River and go on passing Chumoa to Monjo, and the entrance to Everest National Park. Then after crossing a suspension bridge, we pass Jorsale village and walk alongside the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers. The path to Namche is very well-traveled so you'll continually come across locals, other tourists and then continue traffic of Yaks and porter. It is infamous for its long consistent steep inclines uphill brings us to the prime heartland of Sherpa village - Namche Bazaar. At one hour’s distance to reaching Namche Bazaar, we can view the sights of Mt. Everest and Mt. Lhotse. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

There are plenty of things to do around Namche Bazaar, we wake up to another spectacular morning and view from our room and sun rose of the breathtaking mountains. Let us make you clear something up that is a big misunderstanding about the Acclimatization day. Acclimatization day is not a rest day, it is something completely different so don’t think that after the huge climb of getting into Namche Bazaar you’ll spend today lazing around the lodges or shopping in local stores. Our team will take you to explore the real charm of Namche Bazaar. So after breakfast, we will start the gentle hike up to Everest view hotel where we can see the views of Mount Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kongde and so on. Day hike up to 3,700 m (12,139 ft)

After breakfast, we ascend to Kyanjuma and climb up further to Chipcho. Then the trail splits and we take the route via Mong and Phortse Tenga and walk gradually to Dole through rhododendron forests. It is an easy walk today, so we can take it easy. Overnight at lodge.

Today, you will trek from Dole to Machhermo. You will have incredible mountain views throughout the trek. Dole to Machhermo takes 4-5 hours walk. The trail is a soft incline to Machhermo. In the afternoon, you can climb a little bit higher than Machhermo for acclimatization.

Today, we will hike from Machhermo to Gokyo Lake. The trail from Machhermo to Gokyo Lake is pleasant and relatively easy. We start by climbing a ridge for an excellent view down the valley to Kangtaiga, as well as Cho Oyu (8153m). The valley now widens as the trail passes through Phangkha. We head to the riverbank before climbing onto the moraine of the Ngazumpa Glacier on a steep trail. Upon crossing a bridge over a stream, the trail follows the valley past the first lake, known as Longpongo. At the sight of the second lake, Taboche Tsho, we become mesmerized by the sheer beauty of the turquoise waters. A little further, we reach the third lake. Gokyo village stands by the third lake with Cho Oyu in the background. The whole scene in jaw-dropping. Overnight in a guest house.Upon arrival, you can explore around Ngozumpa Glacier and Gokyo lakes.

Gokyo is a trade center where Sherpa people run lodges and provide the best services to the trekkers. Gokyo is situated by the side of Ngozumpa Glacier, the biggest glacier in Nepal. Today, we will walk around the lake and we can make the side trip of the fifth lake as well if you are up for it. We will also hike up to Gokyo Ri, a stunning viewpoint to see the glacial lakes and massive peaks. Overnight at guesthouse.

We will head towards Thangnak from Gokyo Lake, crossing the glacier en route. We will take lunch on the way to our destination. Thaknak is a gorgeous alpine village nestled high in the Himalayas. Overnight stay in Thangnak.

Today is going to be one of the toughest days of the trip, but the scenery distracts us from the difficulty. Have caution, as the trail is steep and the path may be icy and slippery. The trail from Phedi climbs through a ravine on a rocky trail. While trekking on the side of a frozen lake, we reach the top of the pass. The pyramid-like Ama Dablam presides over a range of mountains on the south. We pass through some crevasses before we reach Dzongla Village. The village provides great views of Cholatse, Ama Dablam, Lobuche mountains along with the Pheriche Village far below.

Today we follow the gorgeous trail through the remote areas of the Everest region. It is a desolate path until we reach Lobuche. We begin by walking along Chola Lake and continue in the Khumbu Valley, enveloped by high peaks and massive rock formations. It is a short trek, but somewhat difficult due to the altitude. The sunset view of Mt. Nuptse in the evening is marvelous. Overnight at guest house.

We are full of excitement today, ready to make our dreams come true. We have an early breakfast because we’ve got a long day ahead of ourselves. The trail to Gorakshep is mostly uphill and rocky. After having lunch and dropping our bags off at Gorakshep, we head to Everest Base Camp with our day pack. The trail is a steep, rocky incline. Everest Base Camp is located on the Khumbu Glacier, where we can see infamous Khumbu Icefall, Mt. Khumbutse, and Pumori, though we are unable to see Mt. Everest. After we take some snaps and celebrate, we head back down to Gorakshep. Overnight at guest house.

After waking up early in the morning, we begin our climb to Kala Patthar. This is a major highlight of the Everest Base Camp Trek! The breath-taking views of Mt. Everest, Ama Dablam, and many others are right in front of us. After enjoying our time and taking some photos at Kala Patthar, we come back to Gorakshep and have a nice big breakfast. After, we descend to Lobuche. The trail goes downhill via the Khumbu Glacier. Eventually, we arrive at Pheriche. Overnight at guesthouse.

In the morning, we have breakfast and head down to Namche Bazaar. After walking for about one hour, we are back on our previous trail that we took on the way up to Everest Base Camp. The trail is mostly downhill, except a quick climb to Tengboche. If you want, we can revisit the Tengboche monastery. After lunch, we climb up to Kyanjuma for one and a half hours and enjoy the gentle flat trail to Namche Bazaar. Tonight, we celebrate our successful Everest Base Camp Trek!!

After having breakfast, we start to head down to Lukla. We enjoy the last views of Mt. Everest, already looking forward to seeing it again. We cross six suspension bridges and pass several Sherpa villages before arriving in Lukla. After crossing the highest of the bridges, we walk for another 3 hours to Phakding and stop for lunch. We arrive in Lukla after about 2.5 hours of walking after Phakding. Rugged Trails Nepal request to all our trek members to give tips to Sherpa’s because this is what they expect at the end after the successful trip. Evening enjoys the last moment with Sherpa’s and packs for tomorrow's early morning flight back to Kathmandu.

We have breakfast and then walk to Tenzing-Hillary airport and fly back to Kathmandu in the morning, enjoying the scenery during the flight. We’ll have a celebratory dinner in Kathmandu in the evening. Otherwise, the rest of the day is yours. Overnight in the hotel.

Transfer to Tribhuvan Airport. Thank you for choosing Rugged Trails Nepal as your trekking guide! We look forward to your next adventure with us,