Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri Trek

Gokyo RI Trek Itinerary

Day 1: Arrival at Kathmandu.

Arrive at the historic city of Kathmandu airport pick up and check into the hotel. Our representative will meet you to give the details about the next day’s plans as well as discuss the trekking plan. The remaining part of the day is at leisure, and you can explore the city and its famous shopping street called Thamel.

Day 2: Kathmandu to Lukla (2, 860 m / 9,383 ft, 35 minutes flight), then trek to Phakding (2, 652 m / 8, 700 ft): 3 hours.

Today we will check out early and head to the airport for a flight to Lukla. This is a unique flying experience on a small Dornier aircraft, which is used in these mountain ranges. The total flying time will be 30 minutes. The journey consists of some great views of snow-capped mountains and the Himalayan Ranges. Landing at this tiny airport is a thrilling experience. Our guides and porters will be waiting for you at the Airport. We will have a quick breakfast and start our trek to Phakding. It is a small downhill trek that passes through some scenic villages, monasteries, and Buddhist Stupas. We will be crossing the very first hanging bridge during our trek and it surely is a thrilling experience to cross one of these.

Day 3: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3, 440 m / 11, 286 ft): 6-7 hours.

We will start Gokyo lakes and Gokyo Ri trek after breakfast and it will take us about 6 to 7 hours to reach Namche Bazaar. The trekking trail from Phakding will go alongside the Dudh Koshi River and will pass through several Villages till we cross a place called Monjo. After Monjo, we will get to a village called Jorsale, which is the last village before we reach Namche. We will have our lunch here before the final ascent to Namche Bazaar. We will get many hanging bridges before we reach Namche. The last twin hanging bridges look spectacular. We will enter the Sagarmatha National Park after Monjo and the same park covers the entire Everest and Khumbu Glacier zone. This is a protected zone and just before Namche, there is a check post that will verify our permits before they let us in. The trail between Jorsale and Namche Check Post will be a little tough and we recommend that you walk at your own pace. If the weather permits, you may be able to get your first glimpse of Mt. Everest from a viewpoint before Namche Check Post.

Day 4: Namche to Khumjung Village (3, 790m / 12, 430 ft). 1 hour.

Today we will start a little late around 9 am and hike to Khumjung village. Khumjung is the biggest village in this zone, situated at the foothill of the sacred mountain Khumbila. It will take 1 hour to reach the village from Namche Bazaar, first, we will visit Namche Museum which is famous for the Tenzing Norgay statue followed by an uphill hike to Syangboche airstrip and then follow a flat trail to the village. Today’s view is the most beautiful as you can see a crystal-clear view of Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Amadablam. You can visit the famous Khumjung Monastery which is famous for a Yeti Scalp, in the monastery they have a Scalp and local monks claim it is a Yeti Scalp. You also visit Khumjung high school established by Edmond Hillary.

Day 5: Khumjung to Dole (4, 038m / 13, 248 ft). 6-7 hours.

We will start the Gokyo lakes and Gokyo Ri trek a little early today and head for Dole. We will proceed on a broad trail from Khumjung till after village Kyangjuma. After this point, we will get an inclining trail to Mongla village. The portion between Kyangjuma and Mongla will be the difficult part of today’s trek. The trail to Mongla may seem like an endless hike. Mongla is a very beautiful place. We will get very nice views of Mt. Thamserku and Khangteka. We will have our lunch at Mongla and then proceed further to Phortse Thanga. We will cross the famous Phortse village that comes on our left-hand side. The trail will begin to get tougher once we cross Phortse Thanga; however, it is less difficult in comparison to the Mongla trail. The trail after Phortse Thanga will go through a Rhododendron forest and if you are lucky enough, you may get a chance to sight a muck deer or a Himalayan Monal. We will take about 2.5 hours to reach Dole once we cross Phortse Thanga. Dole is a very small settlement, and the place has some nice views of gigantic mountains.

Day 6: Dole to Machhermo (4,470 m/ 14,663 ft). 3-4 hours.

A very small distance at the beginning of the trek will be a little tough and post that it will be an easy day of trekking. Once we ascend the trail from Dole, we will get a huge view of Mt. Cho Oyu (8,188 m /26,864 ft). In fact, we will get the views of Cho Oyu throughout the trek. We will also get to see Thamserku and Khangteka on our back on this trail while Cho Oyu’s view will be on our front. It will take about 3 to 4 hours to reach Machhermo and it is an easy trail. Once we reach Machhermo, we can either take a rest for the remaining part of the day or explore the surroundings.

Day 7: Machhermo to Gokyo (4, 800 m / 15,744 ft). 5- 6 hours.

We will start early today for Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri trek. This trail is of moderate difficulty level. The views from this trail are beautiful. The trail will descend to a river and get a steep incline till the moraine of Ngozumpa glacier. On the Gokyo lake trek route, we will see 3 Gokyo Lakes. The very first lake is a small one and as we trek further, we will get to the second lake which is relatively bigger. Then we trekked a little more to reach the 3rd lake, which is big and the best-looking lake among all Gokyo Lakes. The tea houses are placed on the bank of this 3rd lake. Stay over at a tea house with mesmerizing views of Gokyo Lake.

Day 8: Day trek to 5th Gokyo Lake.

We will be visiting the 4th and 5th Gokyo Lakes today on our Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri trek. The 4th Gokyo is very close to the 3rd lake. After visiting the 4th lake, we will trek further for another 2 hours to reach the 5th lake. The views from the 5th Lake can be considered the best view in the entire region of Mt. Everest is an experience of a lifetime that you should not miss. From the 5th Gokyo Lake, you can see the complete view of Mount Everest. You get to see the course of the Ngozumpa glacier and some mesmerizing views of Cho Oyu and Gyachung Kang (7,952 m / 26,089 ft). The Ngozumpa Glacier is the longest glacier in the Himalayan zone. We spent some time at the 5th Lake and then returned to our tea house in Gokyo.

Day 9: Thangnak (4,750m / 15,580ft) after hiking Gokyo Ri (5,357m / 17,575 ft). 6-7 hours.

We will start early for the hike to Gokyo Ri in the morning on our Gokyo lakes and Gokyo Ri trek. The views of high peaks are much clearer from Gokyo Ri. The views of Gokyo Lakes are simply breathtaking from Gokyo Ri. The sky-scraping Himalayan ranges, that are placed as a single line will be clearly visible from this point. The 180-degree view of Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, and Gyachung Kang is spectacular from Gokyo Ri! We will return to Gokyo and trek further for 2 to 3 hours to reach Thangnak which is situated on the other side of Ngozumpa Glacier. The trail to the Ngozumpa glacier will pass through the third Gokyo Lake and goes down onto the glacier, the trail goes ups and downs on the glacier. Once we cross the glacier, the trail is mostly flat.

Day 10: Thangnak to Zongla/Dzongla (4, 830m / 15,850 ft) via Chola Pass (5, 368m / 17,611 ft). 7-8 hours.

This is the toughest day of our Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri trekking expedition as we set ourselves to cross the mighty Chola pass. It is one of the highest mountain passes in the Khumbu Region. Therefore, it is best we start early and give ourselves enough time to trek at our pace. Once we cross Thanganak, the trail begins to ascend and goes alongside the stream. After a while, we will get a flagpole and that’s when we will need to come down from this point. The view of the glacier on your left and the Chola Pass is mesmerizing from this point.

The trail then goes over rocks and becomes a steep incline to Chola Pass, making it the toughest part of today’s trek. Please be a little careful as this portion will have a lot of loose scree that can cause you to slip. While it may appear an endless task to reach the Chola pass, the scenic beauty it offers makes this effort a rewarding one. The pass is filled with prayer flags and is a favorite spot for photography. The view of the glacier that is below this pass is spectacular. We will start descending the pass after spending some time at the pass. While descending, it is better to be too careful as some places might be slippery. You need to cross Chola Glacier after summiting the pass. Then the trail is complete downhill till Zongla.

Day 11: Zongla to Lobuche (4, 940 m / 16,207 ft). 2-3 hours.

It is going to be a short and easier trek in comparison to the previous day. We will trek for only 2 to 3 hours and reach Lobuche. On our way, we will get to see the Chola Tso Lake and Thokla Pass memorials. The train then goes past a riverbed and merges with the bigger trekking trail that is coming from Pheriche. The view of Mount Amadablam from the trail looks spectacular, especially when you walk on the trail above Chola Lake. Don’t miss the sunset in Lobuche. Simply come out of your tea house and see the sunset on Mount Nuptse, which is one of the best sunsets in the Himalayas!

Day 12: Lobuche to Gorakshep (5,164 m / 16,942 ft) and visit Everest Base Camp (5,364 m / 17,598 ft). 8-9 hours.

The smallest part of the trek, in the beginning, will be a flat trail till the Lobuche pass. After we cross Lobuche pass, the trail becomes uneven till we reach Gorakshep. You will get some gigantic views of Mt. Nuptse and Pumori from Gorakshep. Once we reach, we will keep our bags at the tea house and proceed to Everest Base Camp. The trail will be very much like the one we just got before Gorakshep. Mt. Everest is not fully visible from the base camp and only a little portion can be seen from the Base Camp. We will get down to the Khumbu Glacier to reach the Base Camp. The base camp is on the glacier and has several flags there. You will always find many trekkers forming a queue to get pictures around the flags and signboards. We will then return to Gorak Shep after spending some time at the Everest base camp.

Day 13: Pheriche (4,371 m / 14,340 ft) after Kala Patthar (5, 645m / 18,520ft) hike. 7-8 hours.

We will start early and hike to Kala Patthar. It will take about 3 hours to reach the summit of Kala Patthar. You will get a panoramic view of the Himalayan ranges from this point and get a broad vertical view of Mt. Everest. If we can reach early, then we can see the beautiful sight of sunrise falling on Mt. Everest. After spending some time at Kala Patthar, we will begin a downhill trek till Dughla and then trek on a flat trail to reach Pheriche.

Day 14: Pheriche to Namche. 6-7 hours.

This is going to be an easy trail, till Namche. The trail will go past the villages of Shomare, Pangboche, Deboche and Tengboche. The trail between Deboche and Tengboche is an uphill trek where we climb several steps to reach Tengboche. The village of Tengboche is very beautiful and is famous for its monastery. We will be having our lunch at Tengboche. The trail will be downhill till Phungi Thanga. We will get a hanging bridge at Phungi Thanga and post that it will be an inclined trail, making it the toughest part of today’s trek. We will cross some more villages like Kyangjuma and reach Namche Bazaar.

Day 15: Namche to Lukla. 6-7 hours.

It is our last day of trekking on this journey. The trail is a downhill trek for most of the park and goes alongside the Dudh Koshi River. We will pass by villages like Jorsale, Monjo, and Phakding before reaching Lukla. While the trail is a very moderate one, the portion just before Lukla may be a little tough as we must climb several steps.

Day 16: Fly back to Kathmandu.

We will fly back to Kathmandu on the same flight that we took while coming. After reaching Kathmandu you can spend the day at leisure and explore the historic city as our 17 days Trek to Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri come to an end.

Day 17: Departure.

Kindly check out before 11 AM and we will drop you at the airport for your further journey.