Everest Base Camp 3 High Passes Trekking

Overview

The Everest Three High Pass Trek is the most adventurous trekking package in the Khumbu region of Nepal. It is a perfect trek for adventure lovers who are able to do high altitude trekking. The three high passes of Everest- Renjo La (5360m), Cho La (5420m) and Kongma La (5535m) – make you feel thrilled. Your acclimatization and sense of adventure are very important for the trek.

After you climb over the Dudh Koshi valley and go through the beautiful forest of the Sagarmatha National Park, you reach Namche Bazaar, a bustling market place in the Khumbu region. It is a Sherpa town with monasteries and Chhortens in its side villages. After resting for a day, you will trek to the Tengbuche Monastery and feel the spiritual prosperity. When you reach Dingbuche, the trek continues to Chhukung. Then, you will cross the Kongma La pass to reach Lobuche. From here, you will go to EBC and Kalapatthar and then you’ll head to the Cho La pass and descend to the astounding Gokyo valley. The Himalayan peaks such as Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Thamserku, Makalu and the surrounding peaks can be seen wonderfully. The last high pass is Renjola and once you cross it, you will trek down to Lunden and then to Namche Bazaar and Lukla to conclude the trek.

Spring and autumn are the best trekking seasons because the weather will be clear and there won’t be as much snow. You can contact Malaika Travel to organize the Everest High Passes trek with a customized itinerary.

Day to day itinerary

Day 1: Arrival 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 your allotted hotels. If the time allows, you can either visit the city or relax at the hotel to overcome your jet lag. O/N at Hotel. 

Day 2: Familiarisation walk & trek preparation day

Today after breakfast, meet with the guide and walk around Thamel for familiarization. Today we will also examine your trekking gear and help you pack for the trek. In the evening there will be a group discussion for you to attend to discuss the upcoming trekking plans. O/N at Hotel.

Day 3: Fly 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 hike should take 3-5 hours, depending on if you’re travelling to Phakding or Monjo. If you go to Phakding (2,650m/8,694ft) it will be about 3 hours and if you are going to Monjo (2,850m/9,350ft) it will take approximately 5 hours. If you are going to Monjo, you will have lunch in Phakding and then continue going to Monjo until you arrive 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 stay well hydrated; drinking 3 to 4 litres of water a day is essential all the way throughout the trek.  9km/ 5.6 miles to Phakding or 13km/ 8.8 miles to Monjo. 

Day 4: 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 uphill towards the entrance of Sagarmatha National Park, the official entrance to the Everest Region. You then continue downhill for a short time before it levels out to flat ground and mixed terrain. The trail then follows the river to the final high suspension bridge before you begin the long ‘Namche Hill’ trek, which can take 2 hours, to reach the Sherpa village of Namche Bazaar. Today’s trek is usually 6 hours long with plenty of breaks and time to rest along the way. The distance from Phakding to Namche is 11.3 km/7.02 miles.

Day 5: Acclimatisation day at Namche Bazaar

Today is one of our acclimatisation 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/1509ft to Shangbouche Airport, then cross the runway and head another 100m/ 328ft up to Shangbouche Hill at 3,900m/12795ft. 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 acclimatisation process and usually takes approximately 4 hours. 3km/1.8 miles. 

Day 6: Namche to Tengbouche (3900m) [5-6 hrs]

Today we will hike towards Tengbouche, at 3,900m/12,795ft. After ascending out of Namche, the first 2 hours are just relaxed walking as you traverse the left hand side of the valley, high above the valley floor. The trail then descends down towards the river which is where we will stop for lunch.  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 in total you will do about 5/6 hours of hiking today. 12km/7.5 miles.

Day 7: Tengbouche to Dingbouche (4400m) [5-6 hrs]

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

Day 8: Acclimatisation day

Today, we spent 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 9: Dingboche to Lobuche (4828m) [5-6 hrs]

From Dingbouche we will head to Lobuche, at 4828m. The trail heads back towards the  Khumbu valley and continues on a long and slow trek across a beautiful elevated route towards Dugla, where we will stop for a while to eat lunch and rest. This usually takes 2 hours and after lunch, we will go from Dugla to Lobuche, which will take an additional 3 hours with plenty of rest stops. After stopping at Dugla we have a long uphill hike over the Thukla Pass where we will go by the Everest Memorial, before heading to Lobuche. We will be trekking for a total of 5 hours today. 12km/7.5 miles 

Day 10: Lobuche to Gorak Shep – EBC – Gorak Shep (5100m-5364m-5100m) [7-8 hrs]

Today we will travel from Lobuche to Gorak Shep at 5,160m. Today’s trek is very beautiful and unique. You’ll be crossing a lot of loose rock as well as glacier moraine. The trail into Gorak Shep takes approximately 3 hours. We will have lunch there before walking 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 another 2  hours, bringing this long day to an end after a total of 7 or 8 hours of hiking. Today is a very challenging day for most people. 10km/6.2 miles.

Day 11: Hike to Kalapatthar (5555m) trek to Dzongla (4830m) [7-8 hrs]

After a good night’s rest in Gorak Shep, those who feel ready and able will wake up very early and hike up Kala Phattar to see the sun rise over Everest. This is a difficult 3 hour uphill hike which is hard work, but it’s well worth it for the amazing views of Everest in the early morning. Once you return back to Gorak Shep, you will have breakfast and trek down to Dzongla. 

From Gorak Shep, we trek downhill on a trail alongside the Khumbu Glacier. The trail then splits into two and we will follow the trail on our right. On the way, we can admire the view of the looming Awi Peak. We pass through a stupa and we can see tombstones in the distance. After walking for a while, we begin to ascend. During the ascent, we see Chola Tsho Lake nearby.  When we continue, we pass another lake which is a lot smaller than the Chola Tsho Lake.  We cross the Chola Khola on a bridge to reach Dzongla. Overnight stay in Dzongla. 12km/7.5 miles. 

Day 12: Dzongla to Gokyo (4800m) via Cho La pass (5368m) [7-8 hrs]

As we ascend, we start being able to see the Cho La Lake and the Ama Dablam which presides over a range of mountains on the south. We can also see Cholatse on the west. Climbing the incline is not easy; it is steep, and it is made even 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 around a crevasse. The top of the pass is marked by prayer flags and cairns. The scenery of the majestic peaks all around us is breathtaking. Although it is long, the path leading down to Thangnak is not difficult.  The trail brings us to the edge of the Ngozumpa glacier, which is the longest glacier in Nepal.  When we reach the other side of the glacier, we can see the second Gokyo Lake in the series of six lakes. A short distance away is the third Gokyo Lake. On the edge of this lake stands the Gokyo Village where we will spend the night. 12.5km/9 miles.

Day 13: Exploration day in Gokyo: climb Gokyo Ri (5357m), tour 4th and 5th Gokyo lakes [4-6 hrs]

We will climb Gokyo Ri and enjoy the views of the incredible mountain vista today. We can also tour the fourth Gokyo Lake today. It is only 3km north of the Gokyo Village. Next, we will continue trekking to the 5th lake. The view from ‘Scoundrel’s Viewpoint’, which is located at the edge of the 5th lake, is astonishing. We can admire Cho-Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu Mountains and the huge Ngozumba Glacier. We trek back to Gokyo and spend the night there.

Day 14: Gokyo to Marlung (4210m) via Renjo La Pass (5360m) [7-8 hrs]

We start early in the morning so that we are able to complete the long day’s trek ahead. Our trail goes alongside Dudh Pokhari  (a lake) for a while. We walk for about two hours before descending towards the Renjo La pass. On the way, we are rewarded with extravagant views of the Himalayan and Rolwaling ranges. Views from the Renjo La pass are much like the ones from Gokyo Ri. The third Gokyo Lake and Gokyo Village are beneath the Ngozumpa Glacier. We also get outstanding views of Mt. Everest from the top of the pass.  Continuing on from the pass, our trail winds down a stone staircase and then moves over a loose scree to reach the south bank of Angladumba Tsho Lake. The presence of ice on the trail while descending down can make our descent a bit hazardous. Along the way we can see Relama Tsho and Renjo Lake. We walk down a narrow valley clogged with giant boulders to reach Lumde where there is a support lodge, but it is often closed. We walk almost an hour away from Lumde to get to Marlung on the east bank of the Bhote Koshi River. 11km/7miles.

Day 15: Marlung to Namche Bazaar (3440m) [6-7 hrs]

 The descent from Marulung to Thame follows a traditional route used for centuries by the Tibetan traders. We cross the Bhote Koshi River and descend to Taranga. The trail continues to descend and we cross two bridges before reaching Thame. Overlooking Thame is its famous Gompa situated on a hill to the west. From here, we descend gradually down a trail that passes through a few small villages before reaching Namche Bazaar. Namche Bazaar is probably the biggest town in the Everest region. 15km/9 miles. 

Day 16: Namche Bazaar to Lukla (2652m) [7-8 hrs]

This long day 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 you’ll do the long journey back to Lukla. You will pass Phakding before starting the last part of the hike into Lukla where we will sleep for one more night. 20km/ 13 miles. 

Day 17: Fly back to Kathmandu (1300m) [35 minutes flight]

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. Overnight at Kathmandu Hotel. Today, we will go to one of Nepal’s authentic restaurants & will have Nepali dinner with some traditional Nepali songs and dances. O/N at Hotel.

Day 18: Departure to the Airport

Today, we will take you to the Airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight.