Everest Three Passes Trek- 17 Days

17 Days

Most Popular-Everest Three Passes Trek

Everest Three Passes Trek is called the ultimate Everest trek for a reason as this route offers one of the most exciting trekking experiences with an extra tinge of adventure about it. As it covers most of the Everest region with its circular route, it is no wonder, this is also termed as one of the most complete treks and one of the favorites among our recurring customers! 

As the name suggests, it involves trekking through three high passes (over 5000m)- Renjo La, Cho La, and Kongma La and for that very reason, it is more challenging than other variations of trekking that the Everest region offers. The route covers most of the highlights of the Everest region and more. If you are seeking a complete Everest experience, are physically fit, and are willing to go towards a unique and challenging adventure then this is the right one for you!

Everest Three Passes Trek is one of the most challenging treks in the Khumbu region that will serve you a complete Khumbu experience with its majestic peaks, high passes, and authentic local culture in its purest form.

Everest three passes trek
Everest three passes trek

The reason why to Everest Three Passes Trek is Demanding-

This circular route traverses through Everest Base Camp (5364 m), a best vantage point to view Mt. Everest called Kalapatthar (5445 m), Gokyo Valley (4700m) (Gokyo blog), and surrounding lakes as well as Gokyo Ri ((5380 m), Ngozumpa Glacier (the longest glacier) and Khumbu Glacier (world’s highest glacier). Throughout the trail, you will be graced by the stunning views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Makalu-Makalu base camp trek, Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Pumori, Mt. Nuptse, and last but not least, one of the most gracious Mt. Amadablam.

You will come across many ancient monasteries that are part and parcel of the way of life in this remote region of Nepal. Here, the religious belief and ways of life of locals mingle and intertwine and we will be lucky to witness it firsthand. The famed Sherpa people open up their hearts and minds to any visitors irrespective of their race, culture, caste, and creed and make you feel part of a whole by accepting you as one of their own for the brief moment you share your existence with them. Their unique language, traditional dresses, age-old traditions, rich delicious food, and drinks will leave a lasting imprint on the psyche of anyone who becomes part of this journey.

Moreover, if you would like to see other treks alternatives of the Everest region, you can visit the official tourism page of, Nepal Tourism Board.

Everest three passes trek
Everest three passes trek

How to start, Everest Three Passes Trek. 

The Everest three passes trek begins with a short flight to Lukla from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. From there we head north towards Namche Bazzar and spend a day acclimatizing. Once we start our hike from there, we will encounter many Sherpa villages. These indigenous people have been living in these valleys and mountains for hundreds of years and Buddhist prayer stones, Gompas, prayer flags, and prayer wheels embellish the trails, for your delight. Once we ascend to the first of three passes- Renjo La (5,370m), we descend down to idyllic Gokyo Lakes and further to the village of Gokyo. We head further towards the second high pass- Cho La Pass (5,420m) before traversing through the all-famous, Everest base camp. The sight of mighty tall mountains will enchant you throughout your hike and it is more so true when you climb the famed Kala Patthar. After traversing the final of the Three Passes – Kongma La Pass (5,545m), we rejoin the classic Everest Base Camp Trek route, finally heading to Lukla for the conclusion of this wonderful trek.

Everest three passes trek
Everest three passes trek

Overview

Everest Three Passes Trek is one of the most challenging treks in the Khumbu region that will serve you a complete Khumbu experience with its majestic peaks, high passes, and authentic local culture in its purest form.

This circular route traverses through Everest Base Camp (5364 m), a best vantage point to view Mt. Everest called Kalapatthar (5445 m), Gokyo Valley (4700m) and surrounding lakes as well as Gokyo Ri ((5380 m), Ngozumpa Glacier (the longest glacier) and Khumbu Glacier (world’s highest glacier). Throughout the trail, you will be graced by the stunning views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Makalu, Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Pumori, Mt. Nuptse, and last but not least, one of the most gracious Mt. Amadablam.

You will come across many ancient monasteries that are part and parcel of the way of life in this remote region of Nepal. Here, the religious belief and ways of life of locals mingle and intertwine and we will be lucky to witness it firsthand. The famed Sherpa people open up their hearts and minds to any visitors irrespective of their race, culture, caste, and creed and make you feel part of a whole by accepting you as one of their own for the brief moment you share your existence with them. Their unique language, traditional dresses, age-old traditions, rich culture, delicious food, and drinks will leave a lasting imprint on the psyche of anyone who becomes part of this journey.

The trek begins with a short flight to Lukla from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. From there we head north towards Namche Bazzar and spend a day acclimatizing. Once we start our hike from there, we will encounter many Sherpa villages. These indigenous people have been living in these valleys and mountains for hundreds of years and Buddhist prayer stones, Gompas, prayer flags, and prayer wheels embellish the trails, for your delight. Once we ascend to the first of three passes- Renjo La (5,370m), we descend down to idyllic Gokyo Lakes and further to the village of Gokyo. We head further towards the second high pass- Cho La Pass (5,420m) before traversing through the all-famous, Everest base camp. The sight of mighty tall mountains will enchant you throughout your hike and it is more so true when you climb the famed Kala Patthar. After traversing the final of the Three Passes – Kongma La Pass (5,545m), we rejoin the classic Everest Base Camp Trek route, finally heading to Lukla for the conclusion of this wonderful trek. 

Itinerary

Welcome to Kathmandu, an ancient city rich in cultural heritages, vibrant and full of diversity in every sense of the word. Our guide will receive you at the gate of Tribhuvan International Airport(TIA) with your name on the board. He/she will brief you about your schedule and information you might need the most while driving towards hotel room. We make sure your are comfortable and leave the rest of the day to yourself to relax.

We start the day by a visiting one of the most revered, ancient and believed to have self-emerged atop green hillock west of Kathmandu, the great stupa of Swayambhunath, a site over 2,500 years old. The pilgrim’s approach to the shrine is through a wooded park up a steep flight of 300 stone steps, lined with stone sculpture of animals and birds, vehicle of gods. Our guide will brief you while exploring the sites.

Afterwards, we drive towards east of Kathmandu valley to one of the important World Heritage Sites “Pashupatinath”, a renowned Hindu temple. The main deity is Lord Shiva, both destroyer and creator of the world according to Hindu belief system. Throughout the year, Shiva is worshipped at Pashupatinath as a lingum(phallus) in his incarnation as the Lord Pashupati. The Bagmati River is lined with many dharmsalas and cremation ghats. There is usually cremation in progress on one of the platforms of the river. The ashes will be scattered in the river, regarded as holy as it flows into the sacred Ganges.

At the end of the day we return back to the hotel and go through pre-briefing about next schedule. Our guide will assist you to prepare your necessary gears as per the need of upcoming trek.

Our early morning flight by Twin Otter aircraft rushes us to Lukla, the most popular as well as notorious mountain airstrip in the world. It was originally conceived by Sir Edmund Hillary’s Himalayan Trust as an runway to transport materials for building schools and hospitals. Lukla is now one of busiest runway in Nepal. On the flight we may witness the magnificent bird eye views of highest mountains peak of the world including Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu (the world’s 3rd,4th,5th highest respectively). On arrival, we meet our Sherpa guide and we pick up our trail after cup of tea. Surprisingly, the high altitude trek begins by descending to the river at Phakding. Further on and we choose one of several good lodge in wooded area at Chumoa, close to the entrance of the Sagarmatha National Park.

The early start of our hike will allow us to ascend the Namche hill first thing in the morning. At about half-way up the hill, the gap between the woods will allow us to get glimpse Mount Everest for the first time. If the weather is clear at the top, the South-West face will be visible behind the long Lhotse-Nuptse ridge.

Namche is the most prosperous and active hub of Khumbu region. A bazzar is held every Friday and Saturday. The wares on display include meat, grains and vegetables, shoes, hand woven aprons, trekking gears with your choice of cafeteria for coffee, bakeries and also pub to hang out for some drinks. Thamserku (6648 m), Kwangde Ri (6187 m) and Khumbila (5707 m) surround the natural bowl that Namche sits in.

We take the day off to allow our bodies to adjust to the rarefied atmosphere before ascending to higher altitudes. The secret to safe acclimatization is to ‘climb high, sleep low’. So, it is safe for the more energetic amongst us to hike up the hill behind the Namche to the airstrip at Syangbouche to Khunde, Khumjung village, or stroll across to the museum behind the police post. Others may prefer to ‘Chill out’ and visit one of the lodges for a freshly-baked cinnamon roll. Namche is busy and bustling trading place and there is always plenty going on.

Our trek begins by heading towards the south, leaving the usual Everest Base Camp and Gokyo trail towards Thame valley. Thame is the main route to Nangpa-La, a trade route to Tibet. Which was used by traders to exchange and sell goods decades ago. We walk through the Rhododendron and Pine trees forest in the shadow of Kongde range to Thamo. The hydro power of Khumjung-Namche VDC has been operated from the Thamo power station. Thame monastery resides on the top of the valley at the top corner of the rock. The Reincarnation of previous high lama is considered the head lama of this place.

More likely than not, early morning bell from Monastery nearby can awake you first in the morning. We pay our visit to the Monastery for the successful trip ahead and trek north to Chyangba ,Tangha and cross the beautiful suspension bridge to Lungde. The summer pasture farm land are now changed into guest houses for the accommodation of visitors.

We start our day early in the morning by hiking to Renjo-La, a ridge point of the day (5350 m). Good clear weather means we will surely have the stunning views of mighty Himalayas on our side. Slowly we trek down to Gokyo lakes, holy lake to the local people of the region. We get necessary rest while savoring the beauty of Gokyo.

What better way to start the day by climbing Gokyo-Ri (5357 m) early morning! We will not only get to see beautiful sunrise but also gain much of the altitude to acclimatize our body. The hike can be 3 hours up if we are slow. We trek down safely to Gokyo and trek 3-4 hours to Thaknag, our base camp before Cho-la.

Our second high pass of the trek ‘Cho-La pass’ is the highest elevation pass among three. It is 5450 meter and the trail is challenging seasonally. Be careful with the rockfalls and losses rocks. Always walk behind the lead of Sardar.
Lobuche is the small tea house valley, our stay for tonight. Depending on our body conditions, we may decide a rest day in Lobuche. Also, we can continue to Everest Base Camp.

A long day and early start. We trek the rough rocky path along the side of the Khumbu glacier to the tea shacks at Gorak Shep. You leave behind some grazing land and few tea-houses as you proceed towards Everest Base Camp from Gorak Shep. The more you head towards the Base Camp the scenery gets more barren and the trail becomes more craggy and difficult to walk. Stone landmarks erected along the trail has to be followed while passing glaciers or when the trail is covered by snow to avoid crevices, which can be fatal sometimes. Though it is only three hours walk from Gorak Shep, it is physically most demanding. The best suggestion would be to walk slowly and carefully and take your Sardar’s help or advise whenever you are doubtful about your physical ability.

Behind rises the attractive 7000m peak of Mount Pumori which dwarfs our trek’s summit of Kalapatthar. The route up is straightforward and takes most people between 90 minutes and 2 hours. All the peaks- Everest, Lhostse, Lingtren, Nuptse, Changtse, Ama Dablam and scores of other lesser peaks can be seen from this wonderful vantage point. We descend back down to Lobuche valley following the same trail for the overnight camp.

Day 13 :
Rest day

Depending on our body fitness and ability, we decide to make a rest day while crossing Kongma- La pass. Relax and hike to the Khumbu glacier for the day.

We head towards the Khumbu Glacier with aim to cross it and also our ultimate high pass ‘Kongma-la’. The maximum elevation of the pass is 5535 meter. The trails can be tricky so it is advised to trek along with your guide. After our effort to pass and trek a long hours trip, we get to the plain valley named ‘Chukung’. A last settlement village before going for higher expedition to the nearby peaks.

Like ascending most of the times, we now descend. We already left most of our feet tracks in most part of Khumbu and we will keep our imprints for few more days. The mesmerizing mountain side walk will allow us to be in the top hill of Tengboche Monastery. A principal monastery of Khumbu region also used by first Mount Everest expeditioners as a base camp.

We wake up to see the nascent golden rays of sun caressing the top of the Mount Everest. Our luck will shine, if the weather is clear on top. The trip starts by descending the Tengboche hill and climbing up until Sanasa, a point where Gokyo trek route takes a turn. Now, we trek down on gradual plain trails beside Thamserku Mountain until Namche. The downhill of Namche bazar is the ultimate downhill challenge you face before getting to Monjo. The walk is mostly in the dense forest of Pine, Juniper, Rhododendron and Orchid trees.

Today will be the last day of trek. We leave behind all the beauties of the Himalaya and take only the memories with pictures to finally climb to Lukla. Our camp is located in good location for a good rest and leisure. Tonight, we may have to bid farewell to our support team. This will be the end of their services.

Yet another chance to experience the domestic flight of Lukla. Please note that the weather of Lukla and Kathmandu can cause delay either fog-bound or wind, be reassured that our staff in Lukla and Kathmandu will be doing everything possible to minimized the inconvenience caused if this happens. Your understanding and patience during the such situation will be greatly appreciated.

After an arduous and rewarding trekking, you deserve a day for proper rest and also shopping plus sightseeing of local attractions.

Day 20 :
Departure

Our staff will drive you to Tribhuvan International Airport(TIA). Airport check-in and flight to onward destination. We end our services here.

This itinerary is only a guideline, and is occasionally subject to change to suit local conditions, particularly on this trek where lot of time is spent above 4000m.

Price Includes

  • Pickups and drop-offs from airport/hotel
  • Accommodation in 3 star or any equivalent hotel in Kathmandu
  • Accommodation at Teahouse/Lodge during the trek
  • All three meals (BLD) per day during the trek/climb
  • Wages, lodging, accommodation, insurance and meals for the guide and porter
  • Professional, well-trained and multilingual guide
  • Strong, experienced and capable porter
  • Domestic flights ticket as well as airport taxes
  • All taxes (government and local), necessary paper works and permits
  • First-aid kit
  • Complimentary trekking map for the group
  • Tented accommodation during trek on twin sharing basis
  • Duffel bag and sleeping bag for using during the trek
  • Extra porters (if need be) to carry all camping supplies during the trek
  • Trek permits, TIMS card and required trek documents
  • Sightseeing in Kathmandu Valley
  • Trekking completion certificate as a memento to all our valued guests
  • Welcome and farewell Nepalese Traditional dinner
  • Company T-shirt or Jumper

Price Excludes

  • Visa fees
  • Travel and Emergency Helicopter Evacuation Insurance
  • Meals( Lunch & Dinner) & other expenses during Kathmandu( breakfast included at Hotel)
  • Any types of bottled/boiled water, soft drinks or Alcoholic drinks during trek
  • Personal expenses like hot shower, laundry, unforeseen cost due to bad weather, flooding, landslide, urgent helicopter evacuation, etc.
  • Trekking gears and clothing
  • Tips for guide, driver and porter
  • Climbing gears & personal Equipment
  • Any other expenses not listed above.

You can send your enquiry via the form below.

Everest Three Passes Trek- 17 Days

Sonam Sherpa

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