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Everest High Passes Trek comprises three of the passes of the Everest region: Kongma La (5,535/18,159 ft), Cho La (5,420m/17,782ft), and Renjo La (5,340m/17,520ft) which are also the challenging highlights of this trek. Therefore, Everest High Passes Trek is also popularly known as the ‘Everest Circuit Trek’. Everest High Passes Trek is a great way to feel the unique taste of nature and culture of the Himalayas Region. Remote and beautiful landscapes, breathtaking humongous mountains, narrow ridges, and magnificent villages make the trip a memorable experience for a lifetime. Choosing you to go for this trek, you get an opportunity to explore your dream destination: Everest Base Camp (5,364m/17,598ft), Kala Patthar (5,550m/18,208ft), Gokyo Lakes, Gokyo Ri besides the three passes of Khumbu (Everest).
The trek route is approx. 166 kms which takes approx. 17 days to complete. The trek starts after a 30 minutes flight to Lukla: the world's most dangerous airport in the world, passing through Namche (the biggest sherpa village in the region) and numerous small village settlements. The three pass trek can be done both clockwise and anticlockwise after reaching Namche. Anticlockwise direction is the most preferred route as the trekkers can acclimatize more properly for the high passes. The trail to Everest three pass route is the same with Everest Base camp trek up to Dingboche (4430M), afterwards the trail heads towards Chukhung valley towards the Kongma la pass. In the Eastern direction, Kongma la pass is one of the hardest passes at an elevation of 5550M. After the pass, the trail continues towards Lobuche and a one day side trip to Everest Base camp can be done. From Lobuche, The trekking route continues towards Cho-la Pass (5420M), the route is also the part of Everest Base camp with Gokyo lakes trek. Once reaching Gokyo lakes, the trail continues towards the third pass: Renjo la pass (5345M) and then descends down towards Namche.
As the whole trekking trail is located inside Sagarmatha National park, The trekkers can observe various flora and fauna.
Outline Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Nepal, Transfer to Hotel
Day 2: Trip preparation and meeting with guide
Day 3: Flight to Lukla (25 mins); Trek to Phakding (2650m, 4hrs)
Day 4: Trek to Namche Bazaar (3460m, 5hrs)
Day 5: Acclimatization day; Visit Khumjung (3800m)
Day 6: Trek to Deboche (3740m, 6hrs)
Day 7: Trek to Dingboche (4340m, 6hrs)
Day 8: Acclimatization day; hike to Nagarjuna hill (5050m)
Day 9: Trek to chhukung (4730m, 5hrs)
Day 10: Acclimatization day, Hike to Chhukung ri (5546m)
Day 11: Trek to Lobuche (4930m, 7/8hrs), via Kongma la pass (5540M)
Day 12: Trek to Gorakshep (5170m, 3hrs); Visit Everest Base camp (5420m, 3hrs)
Day 13: Morning hike to Kala Patthar (5644m, 3hrs); Trek to Dzongla (4830m, 4hrs)
Day 14: Trek to Thagnak (4700m, 6hrs) via Cho- la pass (5360m)
Day 15: Trek to Gokyo (4650m, 4hrs);
Day 16: Morning hike to Gokyo ri (5357m), Explore Gokyo lakes.
Day 17: Trek to Marlung (4210m, 7hrs) via Renjo la pass (5360m)
Day 18: Trek to Namche Bazaar (3460m, 5hrs)
Day 19: Trek to Lukla (2850m, 6hrs)
Day 20: Flight to Kathmandu/ Ramechhap (20/25 mins), Transfer to hotel.
Day 21: Leisure/ Departure, Transfer to Airport
Itineraries
Day 1
Arrival in Nepal, Transfer to Hotel
Upon your arrival at the Kathmandu airport, you will be greeted by our representative. After completing your custom formalities (Visa, etc.), pick up your luggage and look for our representative with the Altitude Trails & Adventures display board at the arrival gate. You will be then transferred to your hotel, nearby Thamel as per your requirement. Thamel has great food from all over the world, fabulous shopping and Durbar Square with its several temples and markets are nearby Thamel.
Day 2
Trip preparation and meeting with guide
After breakfast, We will have a briefing session about the trip. Our guide will describe the trek, geographic structure, custom and traditions and about the daily events: trek duration, attractions and share other information. We will also assist you with the trekking gears and help you navigate around stores in Thamel to get them. After the preparation, if time permits, we will do a little sightseeing around Kathmandu Durbar square and Thamel.
Day 3
Flight to Lukla (25mins), Trek to phakding (2650m, 4hrs)
We take a breathtaking flight from Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) on a twin-otter plane to the Tenzing-Hillary Airport, at the Sherpa village of Lukla (2840 m), where we begin our trek into the Khumbu region. Throughout the flight, dramatic views of terraced hills and the distant Himalayan range will come into view. After lunch the team will do a light stretching and warm up and start the trek for around Four hours to reach Phakding (2610 m). During the Four-hour hike to Phakding you will pass Mani stone walls, i.e., sacred for Buddhist, made from hundreds of stone tablets and giant carved boulders, brilliantly decorated with colored paints.
- You are going to land at the height of 2840 m from 1350 m (Kathmandu), so we recommend you to keep your fleece jacket, wind resistant jacket and warm hat handy though it feels hot in Kathmandu (1350 m).
Day 4
Trek to Namche (3450m, 6hrs)
Trek along the Dudh Koshi River, passing through beautiful villages of Toc Toc, Benkar, Monjo, Jorsalle crossing suspension bridges and ascending through forests to reach Namche Bazaar, a lively Sherpa town.
We will stop at jarsalle for lunch and rest. Afterwards, we will have to cross the popular Hillary bridge and walk uphill towards Namche bazaar. The ascent is 650m, which takes approx. 2-3 hrs.
Day 5
Acclimatization day, Visit Khumjung (3800m)
Acclimatization plays a key role in preparing our body for trekking in high altitude. As the elevation increases the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere also decreases. As we are trekking up to altitudes of more than 5000m in the coming days, resting at Namche helps us to acclimatize easily. The best way to acclimatize is walking at high altitude and sleeping at lower altitude. So, on our 3rd day of trekking, we will hike up to an elevation of 3850M.
Early in the morning, After breakfast we’ll hike up to the Everest view point. At Namche, From the hotel we will be staying, we can observe Mt. Kantega, Thamserku. From the Everest viewpoint, we’ll get the first glimpse of Mt. Everest along with Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Amadablam, Mt. Thamserku and other surrounding peaks. Afterwards, we’ll visit the Sagarmatha museum and hike towards Khumjung via Syangboche. On the way, we can observe the Syangboche airport, and visit the Everest view hotel.
Day 6
Trek to Deboche (3740m, 6hrs)
At around 0800 AM, The team will depart from Namche Bazaar towards Deboche. On the way we can observe the beautiful Phortse village (the village of Everest summiters) along with the beautiful view of Mountains.
The trail Descends towards Dudh Koshi river via Sansaa village, Phunki Thanga and crosses the river via suspension bridge and winds up towards Tengboche. It will take approx 3 hrs to reach Phunki Thanga where It will be a lunch stop for the team . Afterwards it is an uphill hike till Tengboche. At Tengboche, there is a famous Monastery “Tengboche Monastery” (Thyangboche Monastery), The monastery is also called Dawa choking gompa. It is one of the biggest and famous Monasteries in Khumbu region and in Nepal. Tengboche is the highest elevation hike (3850m) on this day. Afterwards, The trail descends towards Deboche village.
Day 7
Trek to Dingboche (4340m, 6hrs)
Likewise everyday, The team will start the day with warm up, stretch, enjoy breakfast and start the trek at 0800 AM. The trail now continues along the Imja river all the way up to Dingboche village through Millingo, Pangboche and Shomare villages. Spectacular view of Mt. Amadablam and Lhotse can be seen from the trek. The chances to encounter Himalayan thar (Mountain goat ) is also high. After having lunch at Pangboche, There will be little sightseeing of the oldest Monastery in Khumbu region which is more than 350 years old. Afterwards, the team will continue towards dingboche village.
Day 8
Acclimatization day; hike to Nagarjuna hill (5070m)
It is our second acclimatization day during the trek, it will help the team to trek to Everest Base camp and Kala Patthar which is 5364 M and 5660 M respectively. The acclimatization hike will be up to the top of nearby hill, Nangkartshang (Nagarjuna) hill which is 5070m. With packed snacks the hike will start at 0800 am. The ascent of the hill is mildly steep, It will take approx. 3.5 hrs to reach the top. It will be an amazing day with the outstanding view of Mt. Amadablam, Mt, Choyou (8188m, 6ht highest mountain), Kantega, Thamserku, Taboche, Cholatse, Bruntse, Island peak and other peaks. Beside the mountains, From the top of Nangkartshang hill, the dingboche village and Chukhung valley looks spectacular. The total hike duration will be 5 to 6 hrs.
Day 9
Trek to chhukung (4730m, 5hrs)
After completion of our morning routine, We will continue towards Chukhung village following the bank of Imja river. The route is easy and slowly ascends towards Chukhung village. Throughout the trek, Lhotse will dominate the sky on the left and Mt. Ama dablam on the right. In approx. On approx. 3 kms route goes through Bibre yak square (4570m) from where in straight forward direction is the Island peak (Imjatse peak 6165m) which is one of the popular trekking peaks in this region. Beside that, the triangular imjatse lake formed from the glacier of island peak looks picturesque along with the surrounding peaks and mountains.
Day 10
Acclimatization day, Hike to Chhukung ri (5546m)
It is our third acclimatization day during the trek, it will help the team to cross the highest pass which is 5540m. The acclimatization hike will be up to the top of nearby hill, Chukhung ri which is 5546m. With packed snacks the hike will start at 0800 am. The ascent of the hill is mildly steep, It will take approx. 3.5 hrs to reach the top. It will be an amazing day with the outstanding view of Mt. Lhotse(8516m) Mt. Amadablam (6918n), , Kantega, Thamserku, Bruntse, Island peak and other surrounding peaks. Beside the mountains, From the top of Chukhung ri, the Imjatse lake, Chukhung village and Chukhung valley looks spectacular. The total hike duration will be 5 to 6 hrs.
Day 11
Trek to Lobuche (4900m, 7hrs) via Kongma la pass (5535m)
We will start the trek quite earlier than previous days as we have to cross one of the highest and most difficult passes: Kongma la (5540m) in the Everest region as it will be very windy during the afternoon. The pass is located near the peak of Pokalde peak (5750m). Beside the trail near the top of the kongma la pass, there is a small glacial lake that originates from the peak. After the pass, the trail is a steep downhill descent which leads directly to the Lobuche village. The overall hike duration will be 7 to 8 hrs.
Day 12
Trek to Gorakshep (5100m, 4hrs), Visit Kalapathhar (5640m)
It will be quite a hard day, as the team has to walk above the rocky terrain above the glacier. As the glacier will be moving slowly everyday, there will be slight change in the route everyday. And the altitude will also make the walk a little bit hard.Gorakshep is a small village and also known as one of the villages at the highest elevation. The trail to Kala patthar and Everest Base camp splits from Gorakshep. Kala patthar is at an elevation of 5660m which offers the best view of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Pumori along with many mountains in the Everest region. Everest Base camp is the famous landmark in the world, where every year hundreds of mountaineers along with their supporting sherpa and porters camp to summit Mount Everest and surrounding mountains. Also, Throughout the year, Hundreds of thousands of trekkers from all around the world come to see the Base camp of the highest mountain of the world.
Day 13
Morning hike to EBC (5364m, 3hrs)Trek to Dzongla (4830m, 4hrs);
“The best view comes after the hardest climb”. The best view of Mount Everest can be seen from Kala patthar. It will be an early morning hike (around 0300 AM or 0400 AM) to see the sunrise over Mount Everest and surrounding mountains. It will be a 2 to 3 hrs hike up to the top of Kala Patthar and the maximum elevation (5660m) the team will be reaching during the entire trek. After returning to Gorakshep, The team will enjoy Breakfast and return back the same route towards Lobuche village and head towards Dzongla village. The trek on this day will be easier compared to other days. The trail will traverse above the beautiful glacial lake “Chola Tso” which originates from Cholatese and Lobuche. Dzongla is the only village and accommodating place after Lobuche towards Cho la pass.
Day 14
Trek to Thagnak (4700m, 6hrs) via Cho- la pass (5360m)
Cho-la pass is among one of the popular three passes in Everest Region. The trek will commence early in the morning (by 0500 AM). It will take nearly four hours to reach cho la pass and the team needs to carry Packed lunch for this day as there is no tea house in between Dzongla and Thagnak village. The route to cho la pass is hard and crampons are needed to walk over Chola glacier. The trail is safer and well marked than it used to be before. After reaching the pass, the team will enjoy the packed lunch and take some photos to celebrate the achievement of reaching one of the highest passes in the Everest region. After 30-40 minutes spent at the pass, now it’s time for the longest descent towards the Thagnak Village. The downhill route is quite steep and there are fixed ropes that will make the descent quite easier. It takes 2-3 hours to reach the Thagnak Village.
Day 15
Trek to Gokyo (4650m, 4hrs)
The trail is quite tricky as the route passes above the Ngozumpa glacier. Like khumbu glacier, The Ngozumpa glacier is above the loose rocky terrain above the glacier which changes frequently. The trail is hard but the view of Gokyo lakess once crossing the glacial region is rewarding. Once reaching the GOkyo lakes, The team will spend resting in the teahouse.
Day 16
Morning Hike to Gokyo ri (5357m), Explore Gokyo lakes
Gokyo ri at an elevation of 5357M is one of the best viewpoints in Everest region and along with the mountain views, the 5 lakes of Gokyo lakes and the small settlement at Gokyo village can be observed. Like the Kalapathar hike, it is a 3 hours hike from the Gokyo village to reach the top of the Gokyo ri. The hike will start before 0500 AM or earlier if the team decides to watch the sunrise. After hiking to the Gokyo ri, we will return back to the hotel and after having lunch we will explore the gokyo lakes. The gokyo lakes are composed of 6 oligotrophic lakes and they are the world's highest freshwater lake system at an elevation ranging from 4750m to 5000m.
1. Thonak Lake is the largest lake with an area of 65.07 ha (160.8 acres).
2. Gokyo cho (also called Dudh pokhari) is the main lake, and Gokyo village lies on the eastern shore of this lake. The other lakes are:
3. Gyazumpa Cho
4. Tanjung Cho
5. Ngojumba Cho
6. Longbanga Cho
Day 17
Trek to Marlung (4210m, 7 hrs) via Renjo la pass (5360m)
Renjo la pass is going to be the last high pass in the three pass trek from anticlockwise direction. The pass is quite easier than the previous high passes. The trek starts early in the morning, and we will reach the top of Renjo la pass by 7 or 8 am. Like previous days while crossing the passes, we will have breakfast in the hotel and pack afternoon lunch and enjoy our packed lunch at the top of the Renjo la pass enjoying the breathtaking view of Everest and surrounding mountains. Afterwards we will descend down to the Marlung village.
Day 18
Trek to Namche (3450m, 5hrs)
From marlung to thame, the route follows a traditional route which is used to be used by Tibetan traders for centuries, Later the route to tibet is closed by the government. Along the trail, we will cross the bhote koshi river and descend down to Taranga, then the path leads through Langmuche Khola valley. The river flows from Dig Tsho glacial lake. In 1985, The lake brustad and caused a devastating flood. After a few hours of descent, we will reach the thame village where we will enjoy our lunch. The route offers the view of the same mountains we have been observing from day one of our trek but from different points. On our way we will also come across another oldest Monastery which was built 325 years ago. The monastery consists of three big pictures of Chenresig (Avalokiteswara), Guru Rimpoche and Buddha Sakyamuni. In the month of may, there is a big festival in the monastery called Rimdu festival with colorful mask dances. Afterwards we will cross another bridge and descend down towards Samde, and Thamo village. Finally after a few hours we will reach Namche village.
Day 19
Trek to lukla (2850m, 6hrs)
The team will be following the same trail that we took on the first and the second day of the descending down the hill and crossing the Hillary bridge to reach Jarsalle and following the bank of Dudh koshi river and passing by Monjo, Toc Toc, Phakding, Thadokoshi, Cheplung and reach Lukla. At lukla, We will bid farewell to the porters who helped the entire team with carrying heavy backpacks and making it easier to complete the trek.
Day 20
Flight to Kathmandu, Transfer to Hotel
The team will board the earliest flight to Kathmandu after having breakfast at Lukla. Taking off from the shortest runway of Lukla airport (Tenzing- Hillary airport) is quite adrenaline pumping and fun. The flight will be 30-35 minutes. Once we check out from the airport, It will be a 30 minutes drive back to the hotel. The remaining day will be a rest day followed by a team dinner event in the evening.
Day 21
Leisure/ Departure, Transfer to Airport
If you have an Extra day and want to travel to more places in Nepal, we will assist to entertain your further stay. Or If you have a departing flight from Nepal, Our team will accompany you to the airport.
- 1. Airport/Hotel transfer
- 2. 3 star category hotel accommodation in kathmandu (B&B basis)
- 3. Welcome and farewell dinner
- 4. Private ground transportation
- 5. Flight fare : Kathmandu/ Ramechhap to Lukla (Both way)
- 6. Full board tea house accommodation during the trek
- 7. Permit and national park entry fee
- 8. Certified Guides
- 9. Porters during the trek (1 for 2 clients)
- 10. Transportation, Accommodation and insurance of guide and porters.
- 11. Duffle bag and sleeping bags to use during the trek
- 12. Altitude trails T-shirts, Route map and travel completion certificate
- 13. First aid kit
- 1. Visa fees
- 2. International airfare
- 3. Personal expenses (laundry, telephone expenses, snacks,etc)
- 3. All beverages and bar bills
- 4. Travel insurance
- 5. Any loss arising due to unforeseen circumstances (natural disaster)
- 6. Tips for guide and porter
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