Everest Three High Passes Trek Itinerary

Get ready for Everest Adventure! With early sunshine, we’ll drive towards Kathmandu Airport for the flight to Lukla. Lukla(2,860m) is in just 35-minute air distance, while in the air we will enjoy the views like never before. Eyeshot of wide terrains, the snow-capped belt of Himalayas and lush green forests are the happenings of Kathmandu to Lukla flight.

Get all the necessary work done at Lukla; we’ll stretch our legs for the first time in this trek to reach Phakding(2,610m). It will be a 3 to 4 hours trek through the Dudh Koshi valley. At first, we will contact Chheplung and from there move forwards to the swinging suspension bridge to cross the blue-coloured Thado Koshi river.

Walking and sightseeing at Mt Kusam Kangru we’ll reach Ghat. Just before reaching Ghat, we’ll ascend the ridge containing some colourful Mani Stones. Walking some more uphill steps, we’ll arrive at Phakding village. Phakding, a traditional village will host our first overnight. Overnight in Phakding.

On the second day of the trek, we’ll approach the famous Namche Bazaar. On our trail to Namche, we’ll walk over the pleasing forest of pine along the riverbed of Dudh Koshi river. Throughout the day, we’ll cross several rivers by the help of wired suspension bridges. Along with the river, we’ll also pass several Sherpa villages like Monjo, Chimayo, Jorsale and Benker.

At Monjo, we will step into Sagarmatha National Park by showing the entry permits. The trails here are more comfortable to walk as they follow banks of white Dudh Koshi river. Then we will reach the meeting point of two rivers, i.e. Dudh Koshi River and Bhote Koshi River.

And from there, we will climb upwards and cross the suspension bridge named after first climbers of Mt Everest, i.e. Tenzing Norway Sherpa and Sir Edmund Hillary. Along the trail, we’ll enjoy the spectacular display of Mt Everest up towards the north.

After pushing up through the forest for 3 hours, we will finally arrive at Namche Bazaar. It is the main economic centre of the entire Khumbu region; we’ll not arrive at such places any further. In Namche, you can find anything from Trek gear shops to Coffee shops and Bakeries. Overnight in Namche Bazaar

This day will be fully dedicated to acclimatization day, to adjust ourselves with the higher altitude. Getting straight to more upper regions can cause altitude sickness, hence pausing in one range of heights makes us used to the new environment.

On this day, we will not spend the day just by laying in a bed of the hotel; we will do some hiking as well. We can also visit the central office of Sagarmatha National Park, An UNESCO World Heritage Site. There we can find some display items and memorial related to the early Everest pioneers. Also, information and facts related to wildlife and vegetation of the national park.

Alternatively, we can stroll around local communities of Sherpa to explore their lifestyles and culture. Khumjung and Khunde are the two nearest settlements. Khunde is a one-hour steep walk over the Syanboche airport. On our way to Khumjung, we will pass antic monasteries and chorten to reach Khumjung village. Khumjung village is the biggest village of the entire Khumbu region inhabited mostly by the mighty Sherpas.

After the delicious lunch at Khumjung village, we will ascend towards the Everest View Hotel. This hotel is the World’s best hotel to enjoy the awe-inspiring views of the mountains. After the picture, we’ll descend back to Namche which will take 4 to 5 hours of walk. One more Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

After the full acclimatization day at Namche, we’ll get back to the standard trail of Everest Base Camp. Our destination before dusk will be Tengboche, a place that homes the biggest monastery of the entire Khumbu region. This stretch will take the time of around 5 to 6 hours to cover the distance of 10 km. While striving hard to walk, we’ll get inspiring views of whitish Mt Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam and several other peaks.

Then, we’ll proceed towards the tree lushed forest. Walking through the lush forests of Pine, Bamboo, and Rhododendron is the serene trekking experience. We will pass several suspension bridges, water streams and monasteries and then arrive at Tengboche.

Tengboche Monastery, one of the major highlights of this trek, is the site that provides the heart-warming vibes. The evening prayers at the monastery are soul healing, and the view of peaks from its yard is breathtaking. Overnight in Tengboche.

We’ll start with the descent from Tengboche to reach Dingboche. Within a few hours, we will arrive at the river bed of Imja Khola(River) and then to the hill bottom. From here, we will climb the hill to make it to Pangboche. From the hilltop, the Ama Dablam is clearly observable with other peaks as well.

Imja Khola will guide us towards Imja valley, the beautiful valley of Khumbu region. And walking further through the tracks of the valley, we’ll cross several Sherpa villages before entering the Dingboche village. Dingboche, a fair settlement full of the Buddhist Mani walls and Chortens, is the last village of the Everest Base Camp trail. Overnight in Dingboche

This day walk is alluring, leaving Dingboche via stone bordered fields and alpine forest. We will take an uphill route towards the top of Imja Valley where Mt. Ama Dablam and Lhotse will attract you all the way.

Next, after covering 3km, we arrive at Bibre(4570m), the place of Yak stable. Straight from the Bibre to the north lies the most popular trekking peak, Island Peak i.e. Imja Tse(6189m). The view of this peak is quite observable as the peak is covered with the whitish snow.

Then, we will head for our night destination i.e. Chhukung which is only 30 min walk from the top of Bibre. We’ll do lunch herein Chhukung before opting for the Chhukung Ri Pass(5546m). Chhukung Ri hosts the perfect view of Mahalangur Himalayas like Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Makalu etc. After the view, we’ll fall back to Chhukung for the night stay. Overnight in a lodge in Chhukung.

With the first rays of the day, we’ll start one of the long walks of the entire Everest Three High Passes Trek. We will carry some dry foods and water along with us as there are no teahouses until Lobuche. We walk over the most remote yet beautiful place in the world.

To reach Lobuche, we have two trial options: via northwest hill of Chhukung or down the Bibre valley to Niyang Khola. We’ll observe astonishing views of Island Peak and Amphu Lapcha. Trekking down along the eastern edge of Niyang River Valley, we head west by walking over a stony trail. Then we enter a vast valley, the valley with many mini iced lakes.

We head up through the valley route to reach Kongma La Pass(5,535m). Upon the arrival at the top, we will find piles of stones and prayer flags which denotes the point of Kongma La Pass. Turning back there will provide the view of Khumbu Glacier, world’s highest glacier.

Then, we will make one final stretch of the day to reach Lobuche, which is the toughest walk of the entire trek. Most of the walk here will be over the stones and rocks made by the glacier. Our way will turn north midst of Khumbu glacier and finish at Lobuche. Throughout this walk, we have to watch out our way carefully, counting every step. Overnight in Lobuche.

Today, the trails will run through the stony and windy path below the foothills of Mt. Everest, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Khumbutse, Mt. Pumori etc. We will walk side by the side on the Khumbu glacier to reach Gorak Shep. Gorak Shep is the last teahouse area of the Khumbu region. So, we will check in the hotel before going for the Everest Base Camp.

Everest Base Camp, the world's highest base camp, provides the beautiful panoramic view of the mountains and Khumbu glacier. And in peak season, we can observe colorful tents of the climbers. After enough of sightseeing and photographs, we will descend back to the Gorak Shep. Overnight in Gorak Shep.

Today will be the best day of the entire trek as we will get to observe the best sunrise and Mt. Everest view. So, in early morning darkness, we will head towards Kalapathar. It’s only a 2 to 3 hours steep climb from the Gorak Shep.

Upon our arrival at Kalapathar, we will gaze at the breathtaking sunrise just over the most fabulous Mt. Everest. What a sunrise it will be in the best viewpoint of Mt Everest. Kalapathar is the unbeatable place to observe Mt Everest and other peaks of Mahalangur range. It will be a once in a lifetime experience, being fortunate to watch Everest from this close.

The route to Dzongla is separated from the main trail just before reaching Lobuche. Following this trial we’ll connect the gravel and rough riverbed route. Walking several hours through the river bed, we’ll reach the hillbottom of a grassy ridge. Climbing that ridge, we’ll land on a higher trail where we can enjoy the vision of ever-beautiful Mt Ama Dablam, Kantega and Thamserku. As we move ahead, Pheriche village also comes into sight along with our upcoming Chola Pass.

The lakeside routes will guide us to the exit of the vast valley. Then climbing one more hill and ascending that hill makes us arrive at our final destination of the day, Dzonghla. Overnight in Dzonghla.

We will start the trek just after the hot breakfast. The trails are easier and plain initially and later turning into the steep and rocky ones. By climbing the steep hill, we will reach the highest point of Chola Pass(5,420m). The top is nicely decorated with stones and prayer flags. From the above, we can enjoy the sights of Mt.Cholatse, Kyajo RI, Pharilapche, Ama Dablam, and Ngozumpa glacier as well.

After enjoying enough of the time at Chola Pass, we’ll slowly descend downwards.

The trails are a bit difficult to walk on due to the stony ground structure. Firstly, we’ll climb the hill to reach the basin and next descend from the valley to reach Dragnag(4700m). To descend to Dragnag, it will take nearly 2 hours. Overnight in Dragnag.

With early breakfast, we start the hurdle to reach the Gokyo valley as fast as we can. Today, we’ll be touring around the Gokyo Lakes. We’ll come across the Ngozumpa glacier in our midway. The further walk will be challenging as we have to walk over the shades of the iceberg. Then, we’ll finally make our way out of Ngozumpa glacier to reach for the hill descent. And that small, quick descent will bring us to Gokyo Lake.

After checking in at Gokyo’s hotel and lunch, we will do an uphill climb to visit fifth Gokyo Lake. Walking for 2 hours from Gokyo, we will reach fourth lake, Thonak Tsho(4,840m). And continuing the same trail we’ll finally arrive at fifth lake, Ngozumpa Tso(4980m).

The view of the Fifth lake is surreal with the bright color of Lake and stony hills and mountains in the backdrop. Just above the lake, there is a ridge decorated with prayer flags and stones. Standing there, we can observe the astonishing views of numerous peaks starting from Mt. Everest, Cho Oyu, Nuptse and Lhotse. Getting soaked by the overwhelming beauty of lakes and mountains, we return to Gokyo Valley. Overnight in Teahouse of Gokyo.

This will be another long trekking day where we will ascend Renjo La Pass(5,360m). Starting the trek from Gokyo we will touch sides of Dudh Pokhari, another lake in Gokyo valley. Then walking upwards for 3 hours, we reach the Renjo La Pass. The pass hosts the vast and serene views of the mountain vistas.

The views from up there are quite similar to that of other prior passes, watchful views of lakes and mountains. After some chilly stay at the top, we will descend through the west side of Renjo La Pass. The west going route will take us to our overnight destination, Lungdhen. Trial to Lungdhen is severe due to the stone and loose rocks stairways. We’ll pass some other lakes of Gokyo region like Angladumba Lake, Renjo Lake and Relamo Tsho lake. Then we’ll reach Lungdhen before the nightfall. Overnight in Lungdhen.

After a hot breakfast, we began our day trek to Thame village(3,820m). It is the most tranquil trek day of the entire Everest Three High Passes Trek, with only a 4 hours trek. We’ll make gentle descents through Marulung(4210m) to reach the bank of Bhotekoshi River. Cross the river and make some ascends and descends after and we will arrive at Taranga.

From Taranga, we will continue the downhill walk at the usual speed to arrive at Thame village. Thame village shows the bright display of Sherpa culture; we can explore their lifestyle and food. Also, it houses the famous Thame monastery, where we can have some religious exploration. Overnight in Thame village

Leaving the mountain back, we will trek back to Namche Bazaar. We will walk through several villages of sherpas and green forested trails before heading to Namche Bazaar. We’ll try to inhale as much as of rural nature before we arrive at Namche Bazaar, the headquarter of Khumbu region.

Upon our arrival at Namche, we can finally enjoy the sub-urban life by strolling around the hangouts and restaurants of Namche Bazaar. Overnight in Namche Bazaar

It will take 6 to 7hours to reach Lukla from Namche Bazaar. The trail is mostly downhill, which is much easier to walk on. Moving forward to Lukla, we will finally farewell Sagarmatha National Park. The ever-buzzing Dudh Koshi will guide our way to Lukla. Walking along the river beds through the green trails is dream trekking surrounding.

We’ll forget our pain of walking by the sound of mother nature. Forested trails of Rhododendron, Oak and Pines will spread the smell of life. Lost and lust in the beautiful trails of the forest, we’ll finally arrive at Lukla. Lukla will host our final night stay in the Khumbu region. Overnight in Lukla

Our flight to Kathmandu will be in the early morning to dodge the harsh winds. On the plane, we’ll revise the scenic views of the mountains and terrains just like before. We’ll land in Kathmandu airport within 45 minutes of takeoff. The fantastic journey with us ends here at Kathmandu. We will provide the hotel transfer to your hotel. Farewell ! See you next time.