Gokyo and Everest Base Camp trek – Explore the area around the world’s highest mountain!

We start early from our hotel to reach the airport in Manthali on time for the morning flight. The road to Manthali takes around 3 hours on the BP Highway along the Sunkoshi River. We fly over the mountains into Lukla in the Khumbu region and we will try to snag seats on the left side of the plane, the view over the mountains is one we’ll never forget. Lukla is a small village with no road, only reachable by flight or foot. We walk straight out of the airport, across the cobbled stone footpath, into the forest trail, officially starting our first day of trekking. Just before exiting Lukla, we stop by a checkpost to obtain your first permit. Keep the permits handy during the trek, as we will need to show them several times. Today’s trek is to an easy start, descending 300m right away and then slowly climbing just under 100m to the village Phakding, where we stay for the night. Along the way, we will pass countless mani walls painted on the rocks lining the trail and boulders carved with Tibetan Buddhist prayer inscriptions. Overnight stay in guesthouse in Phakding.

This will be the first introduction to difficult terrain on the trek. Start by walking along the banks of the Dudhkoshi river, crossing it twice on the high suspension bridges Nepal is famous for. The trail is a series of small, repeated ascents and descents, following along the river and again crossing the engraved Buddhist stones characteristic of the area. We cross the village of Monjo, the gateway to Sagarmatha National Park. Here, you will acquire your second permit. After entering the national park, we descend along an enormous wall painted sky-high with prayers written in Tibetan, and after crossing another suspension bridge we arrive at Jorsalle village. From here the trail gets steeper, passing through dense forests. After a while we cross the last suspension bridge for today, dangling spectacularly high above a sharply-descending gorge. This is the famous Hillary bridge, and if you are keen on some extra adrenaline there is a chance to do a bungy jump here! From Hillary bridge we ascend a forested 600m to Namche Bazaar, the administrative and trade capital of the Khumbu region. If the weather is clear, we might get our first view of Everest along the way. Namche Bazar is a town with many good cafes, restaurants and fun!

In order to have a fun and healthy trek, acclimatization is most important! That is why we have a rest day in Namche where we visit the outstanding project Sagarmatha Next, working with garbage recycling in Everest region. It is located on top of a hill showcasing an interactive exhibition about the project, as well as about the Everest region. There is also a VR film showing the climb to the summit. On the way down we visit the interesting Sherpa Cultural Museum. The afternoon is free to explore Namche Bazar.

From Namche we have an easy start of the day. There is a, for Nepali standards, pretty flat path, before rising back out of the valley, off the main EBC trail. The difference should be noticeable, as we will pass fewer people and have more of the trail to ourself. The trail rises through scrub and trees rounding the side of the mountain upwards until we reach Mongla, a sweet little village perched stunningly on a ridge that divides two valleys, an old stupa welcoming us as we arrive. After a break here, the trail descends 350m through forested switchbacks until it abruptly begins to climb again, 400m back up to reach Dole. We pass through more forests, rhododendrons and by half-frozen waterfalls.

We begin today’s climb along shrubs and small trees of what has now become a more barren landscape. Today marks our first day above the treeline, and the trail here is mostly quiet, save the river thundering far below us. Keep an eye out for Nepal’s national bird, the Himalayan monal, which has been spotted in this area. It’s hard to miss, the bird’s tail is an iridescent rainbow. We might also see the Tibetan snowcock, a slow and cute bird, often wandrering around on the trail in search of food, and the blood pheasant, living in groups in the area. The climb takes us up 400m and on the way we make a stop in the two-housed village of Luza for tea. Before reaching we descend 50m down to Machhermo. Machermo consists of yaks, teahouses and splendid views!

We will climb a lot today, but with stunning views. We ascend 500m, alongside the river gorge below. Pass by yaks grazing on up to cross the bridge over the river, which drains from the first of the Gokyo lakes. After a short climb, we will reach the first of the Gokyo Lakes – Lonspunga Tsho, and soon after that the second one – Taujung Tsho. From here, a continued gradual incline takes us to Gokyo village, resting at the banks of the Lhenjo Tsho, with Cho Oyu in the back.

Today we acclimatize to the altitude while spending a day in the mesmerizing wetland area of Gokyo. We start the morning with a steep climb up on Gokyo Ri, 5350m, which offers majestic views of four of the world’s highest peaks – Cho Oyu, Everest, Lhotse and Makalu along with Ngozumpa Glacier.

We head towards the village of Thagnak by crossing the Ngozumpa Glacier. The day begins with an immediate ascent to the ridge overlooking Gokyo – enjoy the last view of the village, lake, Gokyo Ri and Cho Oyu before descending the terminal moraine onto the glacier. Crossing this section will be a repeated series of ascents and descents around the crevasses of the glacier until we reach the other side. In places the path is very narrow and we walk very slowly. You will be happy to have your walking sticks both today and tomorrow. After having crossed the glacier it is an gradual easy descent into Thagnak where we stay for the night.

Today will test us! We will begin very early in order to cross Cho La Pass and descend into Dzongla for a well-deserved rest. Many argue that this is the most difficult day of the trek, and we begin by following the river and ascending 350m up and out of the valley, immediately descending 150m again down into the next, where we cross moraine, hopping over boulders and ascending again. The ascent to the pass can then be seen, and looks like nothing more than an enormous wall of boulders. This climb is arduous and slow – make sure to follow the guide, as there is no easily visible trail. There is a rope to hold on to as it is icy and slippery. Spikes or crampons may be needed on sections of more firmly packed snow until we reach the top. Down the other side is a steep descent onto the glacier, which we will traverse until we meet the steep, rocky descent section on the other side. This section of boulders descends sharply for 50m before becoming a relatively more gradual ridgeline descent before meeting the valley floor. Enjoy your rest at Dzongla tonight – you’ve earned it.

Hope for clear skies today, because the views as we ascend out of the riverbed lying below Dzongla are one of the trek’s best. As we round the mountain, the huge lake of Cholatse Tso glitters far below us, and further on, Ama Dablam reveals herself alongside a host of other huge mountains. Once this panoramic traverse is complete, we reconnect with the main EBC route and climb a sporadic 200 meters uphill to find Lobuche. The way from Lobuche to Gorakshep consists of gradual ups and downs alongside the Khumbu glacier for the first section. For three kilometers, the trail rises slowly and steadily, before descending 50m down to the glacier of a subsidiary valley. After ascending again sharply from here, we get our first full-fledged view of the Khumbu Glacier itself, and we know Everest is close. Around the ridge, we descend and reach Gorakshep, the last village before Everest Base Camp. We stay here for the night.

Early morning there is an optional sunrise hike up on Kalapatthar, 5545m. From here we get an unforgettable view over Mount Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Changtse. From here we go back to Gorakhshep for breakfast and to meet the ones who prioritized a slow morning. After breakfast we start the hike to Everest Base Camp. It is a mix of descent and ascent, and after an hour and a half hike, we find ourselves on a ridge with the Khumbu Glacier below us to our right. On the glacier, we will see colorful tents resting below Lhotse, Nuptse and Everest itself, and we know we’ve made it to our destination. A short descent down the lateral moraine and we’re on the glacier itself, standing below the tallest mountain in the world! We move back down to Gorakhshep, pick up our luggage and start the walk back to Lobuche.

Following a downhill trail, we descend to Pheriche village via Dughla and walk on rocky terrain. From Pheriche, we walk through terraced fields and rhododendron forests to Tengboche village via Pangboche village. Tengboche is particularly known for its monastery, which is one of the most prominent and the largest monastery in the entire region. It is perched on a hill, at the confluence of Dudh Koshi and Imja Khola rivers, with Mt. Ama Dablam forming a stunning backdrop to the location. We visit the monastery and spend the night in the village.

From Tengboche, we descend to Phortse Tenga and then climb to Namche bazaar for an overnight stay. In the evening we can celebrate our successful trek with an Irish coffee at the Irish pub!

The last day of trekking is here. Now, we will be heading towards where it all begins, Lukla. Then we will take a trail to Lukla, through the same road we hit during the second day of the trek. After 40 minutes, we will arrive at the resting point from where we will get a final view of Mt Everest. The trek will carry on downhill on stone steps. Once in a while, we will cross some colorful hanging bridges. The downhill will turn moderate, and the trail will be flat, and we will walk alongside the Dudh Koshi River. Today is more about downhill sections, but be ready for some uphill as well. We spend our last night in Khumbu at a teahouse next to the airport for an easy departure tomorrow.

We catch an early morning flight, about 30 minutes, to Manthali. Here our driver is waiting to pick us up and take us to Kathmandu. We stay in the Tibetan area of the city, Boudha, at a nice hotel with a swimming pool and a beautiful monastery in the garden. Rest and relax after two demanding weeks!

The flight between Manthali and Lukla is often cancelled due to bad weather. That is why we prefer to keep two buffer days, for you not to miss your international flight. If the flight departs according to schedule we use this day to visit the ancient kingdom of Bhaktapur, as well as the Hindu temple Pashupatinath.

Today is the day when we get to know the capital of the country. We make a city walk to see the old royal palace and the temples around it. In the evening we eat a farewell dinner together at a rooftop restaurant in Boudha and say goodbye to each other. The trip ends here.