Everest Base Camp with Gokyo Ri Trekking

Overview

The Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Lakes trek is recognized for the series of beautiful turquoise lakes in the Gokyo valley and the famous Cho La Pass, which takes us through the landmarks and the majestically soaring mountains of the Khumbu region. You can experience friendly Sherpas, colorful monasteries, the Namche Bazaar, the Sagarmatha National Park, and, of course, the base of the mighty Everest. The trek to the base of the world’s tallest mountain maps out spectacular vistas from celebrated viewpoints like Kala Patthar and Gokyo Ri. The trek also awards us with great views of the Khumbu Icefall. Trekking to Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Lakes will be a once in a lifetime experience with the help of the enthralling sights of Mt. Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Pumori, and Tengboche Monastery – the largest monastery in the Khumbu region of Nepal.

The Everest Base Camp Trek with Gokyo Lakes itinerary is ideal for hikers who want more of a challenge while treading upon remote Nepalese trails.

Day to day itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu

After landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu from your designated destination, you will be greeted at the arrival gate by a representative of the travel company who will then transfer you to your hotel. If you have any spare time, you can explore the city or relax at the hotel to overcome your jet lag. Overnight at Hotel.

Day 2: Familiarisation walk & trek preparation day

Today after breakfast, you will meet with the guide and walk around Thamel to familiarise yourself with it. 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. Overnight 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 your acclimatization trek days. When you trek behind Namche Bazaar, the trail is quite steep and you can feel the lack of oxygen as you ascend 460m/1,509ft to Shangbouche Airport, then cross the runway and head another 100m/ 328ft up to Shangbouche Hill at 3,900m/ 12,795ft.  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 acclimatization process and usually takes approximately 4 hours. 3km/ 1.8 miles.

Day 6: Namche to Tengbouche (3860m) [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 will spend another night in Dingbouche to help you with the acclimatization process. Here we will aim to reach the height of 4,900m/ 16,076ft, gaining 500m/1,640ft. This acclimatization trek should take approximately 3 hours. We will enjoy the views and rest for about 30-45 min at the high point before going back down for lunch and an afternoon of relaxation. 3km/ 1.86 miles and 500m/ 1,640ft of ascent and descent.

Day 9: Dingboche to Lobuche (4900m) [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 Gorakshep – EBC – Gorakshep (5160m-5365m-5160m) [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 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, 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 round 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 Phortse Thanga (3680m) [5-6 hrs]

The trail descends down and follows the eastern side of the valley so that you can observe Khumbila from a different point of view. The trail then goes upwards towards Pangka and turns east. After that, it goes across the terminal moraine of the Ngozumba glacier. The path then enters Phortse. O/N at Lodge.  9km/ 5.7 miles.

Day 15: Phortse to Namche Bazaar (3440m) [5-6 hrs]

From Phortse, you will head towards Namche Bazaar. You will reach Namche Bazaar, the main trading town, also known as the gateway to Mt. Everest, before sunset. O/N at Lodge. 13km/7.8 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 min 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 of walking. Overnight at Kathmandu Hotel. 

Day 18: Departure to the airport

Today, we will send you to the airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight.