EBC and Gokyo Lakes Trek

Arrive Kathmandu. Check in, relax. Last minute shopping at Thamel, sleep and hydrate.

Your journey begins with the exciting 40-minute flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. If you can, sit on the left side of the plane, which affords the best views of the Himalaya.Here, you will meet your Nepali guides and porters who are all Sherpas and Buddhists, adding to your insight of their customs and culture. We begin, bizarrely, by walking downhill! This is a short day to Phakding.

From Phakding it is a steep walk to the largest village in the area: Namche Bazaar. En route you get your first views of Mount Everest, if the weather is kind. Namche has a unique atmosphere which you will have plenty of time to enjoy as you will have an acclimatization day here.

We use the acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar to walk to either Khunde or Khumjung (3800m). We return to Namche for the night.

We climb up to the Syangboche airstrip and then descend to Khumjung. The twin Sherpa villages of Khumjung and Khunde, are home to some of the most famous Everest climbers. We walk to Khunde from Khumjung and visit the hospital, which was established and funded by Sir Edmund Hillary’s Himalayan Trust. Khumjung monastery is interesting as being the store place of one of the alleged Yeti scalps that are to be found in the region. On a small ridge across the valley, the monastery of Thyangboche can be seen, a small speck against the gigantic mountain background. The trail then descends to Khumjung for the overnight stop. Here tourism has hardly changed the life of the Sherpas. The afternoon has been left free to assist with further acclimatization.

As we follow the path, we will get our first really good views of the great peaks of the Khumbu: Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam. Passing by several villages and numerous tea shops, we will cross the DudhKosi River and make a steep climb to Thyangboche monastery. Thyangboche is the spiritual center for the Khumbu, a training center for new monks. The Rimpoche (incarnate Lama) of Thyangboche resides here and the area is considered holy, nothing may be haunted or killed. With the treasures of Ama Dablam and Mount Everest in the background, the spirituality and scenic value of the site never fails to impress.

The trail leaves Devoche and then crosses the river over a suspension bridge which offers a great view of Ama Dablam above the crashing waters of the DudhKosi. It then passes a large mani wall in the middle of the trail and finally levels out to reach Pangboche. The trail follows the ImjaKhola and passes the yak grazing areas of Shomare and then the small tea house of Orsho. The trail then crosses a bridge over the river. The right path leads to Dingboche about 45 minutes from the bridge.

We climb the ridge behind the village and then come onto a level plain with enormous views of Taboche in the background. The trail continues along the plain and then crosses a bridge and climbs gently to Dugla. Dugla is just above 15,000 feet so a night halt here should definitely help acclimatization though many trekkers carry onto Lobuche the same day.

The hill to climb after Dugla can be hard especially if you are having problems with altitude. At the crest are the “Everest memorials” for sherpas and climbers who did not make it down from Everest. From the memorials the gradient eases off and in about an hour you can spot the lodges of Lobuche.

The trail follows the moraine of the Khumbu glacier and there is a lot of hard walking over boulders and scree slopes. Pumori comes into view as one approaches Gorak Shep. We usually reach Gorak Shep by 11 am in the morning. Continue to EBC and return to base by late evening.

The climb to the viewpoint of Kala Pattar would take around two hours depending on the level of acclimatization. From this high point, magnificent 360-degree view unfolds with all the major peaks of the region visible. We come down in an hour to Gorak Shep and after a quick lunch head down the valley to Lobuche which is usually reached by evening. This is a long day but a better alternative to spending two nights at Gorak Shep.

The path leaves Lobuche and heads down the valley the same way to Dugla, Pheriche and then to upper Pangboche. We stop in Pangboche for lunch and then walk the three hours or so to the village of Phortse.

This is a long and tiring day and an early start is advisable. We follow the not so well trodden trail to the village of Na which is about four to five hours from Phortse. We stop for lunch at Na and then complete the three hours walk to Gokyo post lunch. As we are well acclimatised this long day should not be difficult for us. hours down to Thangnak (4850 metres) where we can stop for the night.

Exploration Day, but with options! As the clouds can roll in by late morning, the first option is an early ascent of Gokyo Ri (4 hour round trip). Spectacular views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu, Cholatse and Taboche Peak, to name but a few! The second possibility is “The Sacred Lakes” walk (5 hour round trip) it gains very little altitude, but the views are great, easy optional walk to Scoundrel’s Peak.

The path to Rhenjo La skirts the third lake for about an hour and then follows a series of steep zigzags uphill. It then crosses a snowfield and there is a steep climb just before the pass. In snowy conditions follow the cairns uphill. There is a long staircase down to the valley from the top which is often snow covered. The trail passes a lake, often frozen, until it enters the valley and meets the path to Lungden.

The walk from Lungden to Thami is mostly downhill. Thami is the village of Tenzing Norgay and the monastery here is worth visiting.

Have an early breakfast in Namche and then head down to Monjo. The trail descends steeply to the bridge across the DudhKosi. From the bridge the trail passes through Jorsale and reaches the Sagarmatha Park headquarters where you need to show your permit and check-out of the park. Monjo is five minutes from the Park gates. From Monjo it would be around five hours to Lukla.

This is a long and tiring day and an early start is advisable. We follow the not so well trodden trail to the village of Na which is about four to five hours from Phortse. We stop for lunch at Na and then complete the three hours walk to Gokyo post lunch. As we are well acclimatised this long day should not be difficult for us. hours down to Thangnak (4850 metres) where we can stop for the night.

Fly from Lukla back to Kathmandu and onwards to your destination!