Gokyo Lake Cho La Pass Trek takes right into the heart of the mountains and the culture of the Everest region. The best-of-both worlds trek combines the two routes to Gokyo and Base Camp by crossing Ngozumpo Glacier and Cho La pass.From Lukla we take an easy walk to Phakding followed by a treasure across the Dudh Koshi River then into steep ascent to Namche Bazaar. Normally a day is spent here for acclimatization and just soaking up the atmosphere of this bustling village. From here the trail passes through some high Sherpa settlements with tremendous scenery. Climbing towards Gokyo we enjoy superb views down the valley to Kangtega and up towards Cho Oyu mountain.The views at Gokyo are spectacular with the best being obtained after a short climb above the lake on the way to Cho-La pass (5420m). We follow the valley's eastern side to Thagna offering more spectacular views too. After crossing the passed your rest at Dzonglo after long day hiking out trek decent towards Namche. But you may head up to Lobuche village and finally to your highest overnight at Gorakshep; this is the hub point for the climb up to Kala Patter (5545m) for spectacular views of Sagarmatha-Mt. Everest. From here the trail descends to Tyangboche-Namche and return to Lukla.
Highlights of the trek
This unique trek leads you to the home of the legendary Sherpa people, on the foothills of the highest peak of the world, Mt. Everest at 8848m. This 18 days trek follows the highly praised trekking route through the Dudh Koshi to its source the Gokyo Lake to the west of the Everest Base Camp. The excellent trek gives you the opportunity to summit Gokyo peak (5483m) with the rewards of a fantastic panoramic view of Cho Oyo, Everest, Makalu etc. During traveling through Khumbu Himal, Gokyo valley and pass, one is also rewarded with some incredible landscapes.The trek can be treated as one of the most adventurous trails in the Himalayas as it follows the route via a high pass into Khumbu i.e. Cho La pass at 5330m. As we cross the Cho-La pass, we then return back to Lukla following the route through Everest Base Camp, Kala Pathar and Thyangboche monastery, Khumjung village, Namche Bazar.This ideal trek gives enough opportunity to enjoy the breathtaking view of Everest including several other similar peaks and to explore Buddhists monasteries located at the world's highest elevation.
Getting to Kathmandu is an exciting and memorable experience, the panoramic view of the snowcapped Himalayan Mountains can be immediately seen upon your arrival. At the airport there will be our staff waiting for you. You will transfer to the hotel for check-in. After taking a rest, you will visit to the cultural heritage sites in the city: You will be visiting Durbar Square in Kathmandu and walk back to Thamel, through the most authentic Indra Chowk and Ason Chowk of Kathmandu, accompanied by local Spanish speaking guide.
Overnight: Hotel
The 2nd day will be dedicated to visiting historical and cultural places inside the Kathmandu with guide. You will be visiting four major places: Monkey Temple which is located in Swoyambhu and is worshipped by both Hindus and Buddhist, Pashupatinath which is one of the four most important religious sites in Asia for devotees of Shiva, worshipped mostly by the Hindus, Patan which is the oldest of all the three cities of Kathmandu Valley, best known for its artistic heritage and lastly Boudhanath which is the largest stupa in Nepal and one of the holiest places for the Buddhist people.
Overnight: Hotel
After breakfast, you will be having your flight to Lukla. The flight is of about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, you will reach Lukla. This village is the starting point for trekking and expeditions at high altitude. Our bearer staffs will be there at the airport, and after diving the luggage, you will be starting your trek. Today, you will be trekking to Phakding from Lukla. After 5 hours of trek, you will reach Phakding located at 2610 meters above sea level.
Overnight: Lodge
After having your breakfast, you will start trekking towards the Sherpa village of Namche Bazaar (3440 m). Walking through a beautiful pine forest, the track will lead you to DudhKoshi River through many suspension bridges, one of which is the famous Hillary Suspension Bridge. First, you will catch wonderful prospect of the glistening Mt. Thamserku (6618 m). Through the settlement of Benkar, Chumoa, Monjo, you will come to the check post and entrance to Sagarmatha National Park. You will pass through the last village of Jorsale before reaching Namche Bazaar. The trail climbs through the forests and bridges until you reach the confluence of the DudhKoshi and BhoteKoshi rivers. After a final steep ascent of about two hours, you will get to see the first sight of Mt. Everest peering over the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge. Upon this juncture, you will stop at Chautara to admire the view. You will still need to hike about 1.5 hours to reach Namche Bazaar, a gateway to Mt. Everest and main trading center of this region.
Overnight: Tea House
This is the scheduled 'acclimatization' day for this trek. As health experts always recommend us to stay active and move during the rest day too instead of being idle, thus you will be either spending the day by hiking to Thame or visiting Khunde or relaxing and exploring Namche Bazaar itself. Namche Bazar is the main center of the Everest (Khumbu) region and has government offices, ATMs, Internet cafes, shops, restaurants, a bakery and a colorful market each Friday evening and Saturday. If you trek a few hundred vertical feet during the day, it will help you to properly acclimatize. Himalayan Glacier's guides will take you to the Tourist Visitor Center near the headquarter of the Sagarmatha National Park where you can observe an assortment of things related to the first Everest ascenders, Sherpa culture and learn about the various plant and animal life of the Everest region. You can also take an interesting side trip up to Khumjung. You will further climb up to the famous airstrip at Syangboche. Just above the airstrip will be the Everest View Hotel, a Japanese scheme to build a deluxe hotel with great views of the highest mountains on Earth. The Khumjung valley is surrounded by the snowy peaks of Kongde and Thamserku and the sacred peak Khumbila, hosts a well-known monastery that houses a yeti scalp. You will also be visiting Hillary School which is located at the same site. After having lunch and spending some time in Khumjung, you will walk back down to Namche Bazar.
Overnight: Namche Bazar
After having breakfast in Namche Bazar, you will start your trek towards Tengboche and enjoy superb view of Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, AmaDablam and close up view of Thamserku. The trek follows on the gradual trail with few ups and downs overlooking magnificent view of the great Himalaya. Along the way you can spot wild lives like pheasant, musk deer, or a herd of Himalayan Thar. The trail goes gradually down up to Kayangjuma. The path eventually reaches Sansa which is the major trail junction to Gokyo valley and Everest Base Camp. The track then follows through the pine forests and after you cross the prayer flags festooned bridge over DudhKoshi River, you will reach PhunkiThenga, a small settlement with a couple of teahouses and a small army post amidst the alpine woods. After having a relaxed lunch at PhunkiThenga you will then have a little tough climb steep up through the pine forests while before you reach Tengboche. Tengboche is a great place for close up views of Ama-Dablam, Nuptse, and Everest and it has a biggest Buddhist Monastery all over in Khumbu region. You will be paying visit to the monastery the same day at around 3 pm.
Overnight: Lodge at Tengboche
With mountains at its backdrop, the monastery at Tengboche looks more spectacular in the morning. At this juncture, you can take pictures of the monastery and the scenery around and as usual start the journey. You will be going through the upper trail for better views on the way to Pangboche village. You will be passing through several Chortens and Mani walls and small villages. The place where you will be stopping for lunch not only serves delicious food but also allows a fantastic close-up view of Mt AmaDablam. In the afternoon, you will walk north to Pheriche or take the eastward trail beneath the towering north face of Mt AmaDablam. From here onwards, the walk is fairly moderate as you enter the Imja Valley. The valley gradually unfolds as you approach the confluence of the Lobuche River. You will descend into the river and begin the last and steepest climb of the day up to Dingboche. On arrival at Dingboche, you will see beautiful array of fields enclosed by stone walls to protect barley, buckwheat and potatoes from the cold winds and grazing animals.
Overnight: Dingboche
Today is the acclimatization day in Dingboche. Today, you will be walking to exceed 5000 meter altitude so that your body will slowly get used to ‘more and more oxygen’ scarce.
Overnight: Lodge
Today, your trail meanders through high alpine region. You can see panoramic views of Nuptse, Loboche, Pumari, Cholatse, and overnight stay at Lobuche. On the way, you will be passing through Pheriche, which offers a beautiful view of the mountains. On the way, you can also see monuments of climbers, who gave their life while trekking around this region.
Overnight: Lodge
Today will be a busy day as you will be going to Gorak Shep and Kala Patthar. First, you will be reaching Gorak Shep, the last village of the valley which is situated at an altitude of 5160 mt. Here you will settle into the lodge and after a hot lunch, you will begin your ascent to Kala Patthar (5465 mt). Sometimes the quota can be difficult for some of us. Only the thought of enjoying a sunset nothing short of spectacular will be galvanizing you. As you reach the top, you will be seeing top of Everest, the Pumori, Ama Dablam and Nupthse glowing red, making it a very magical moment. You will return back to the lodge for dinner.
Overnight: Lodge
Today morning, you will wake up to see the sunrise and trek about 2 hours to reach the Everest base Camp. In season summit, the curtains of the climbers and the various stupas surrounding them, make the heroic and magical atmosphere. The base of the Everest and Khumbu Glaciers will be there in front of you. You will be returning to the lodge for a quick and protein breakfast and continue trekking to reach Dzonghla. You will be reaching there after 7 hours of trek.
Overnight: Lodge
After breakfast, you will walk to the Cho La pass, located at 5330 meters above sea level. The pass is not technical, but it is tricky for its steep climbs and descents. After the pass, you will descend quickly toward Dragnag, where you will stop for lunch. From there, you will start trekking to the village of Gokio. You will arrive at the Gokio Village in afternoon, and then settle into the lodge. It is a small village in Khumbu region and sitting at 15,580 feet. The main attraction here are the turquoise lake and variety of day hikes.
Overnight: Lodge
Today, you will wake up before the dawn, and start an optional ascent to Gokio Ri, at almost 5400 meters above sea level. From here you can see an amazing view. After taking a few pictures, you will descend back to the valley and prepare for the breakfast. Next, you will be beginning the long descent along the Gokio valley. You will reach the small village Dole in the afternoon.
Overnight: Lodge.
Today after breakfast, you will continue the descent to Namche Bazaar. You will be reaching Namche in the early afternoon after 4 hours of trek. The rest of the day will be free, and you can walk around the Namche Bazaar. There are many excellent bakeries in the village where you can buy delicious cakes.
Overnight: Lodge.
After breakfast, you will be preparing to face your last day of trekking. The distance that separates Namche to Lukla is remarkable but the downhill terrain will allow you to reach your arriving point easily. Although you are travelling the same route down, you will feel completely different views. You will walk through the Sherpa villages' noticing impressive faith in Buddhism and culture of prayer stones and prayers flag while you walk through the villages. Upon arrival in Lukla, you will be experiencing the culmination of a fantastic trek on a happy note with everyone back safe and sound with smile on faces.
Today, you will be flying back to Kathmandu after your long mountain journey. The early morning flight will drop you in Kathmandu. You can either rest or explore Bhaktapur with our City Tour Guide. The old city of Bhaktapur, with its pagoda roofs and its harmonious blend of wood, mud-brick and copper, looks extraordinarily beautiful
Your safety is of paramount concern whilst traveling with Creative Adventure. Please note that your leader has the authority to amend or cancel any part of the itinerary if it is deemed necessary due to safety concerns. Every effort will be made to keep to the above itinerary; However, as this is adventure travel in remote mountain regions, we cannot guarantee it! Weather conditions, health condition of a member, unexpected natural disasters etc, can all contribute to changes in the itinerary. The leader will try to ensure that the trip runs according to plan, but please be prepared to be flexible if required.
Experienced guide and porter one for two guests.
Drinks, beverage water
Donations, tips
Personal expenses
Visa fee on arrival
