Everest Base Camp Via Gokyo Valley

Namaste! Welcome to Nepal

You should book your international flights to arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal on Day 1 of your itinerary.

We recommend choosing a flight that arrives at Tribhuvan International Airport in the morning or early afternoon local time. This gives you plenty of time to settle into the hotel, recover from jet lag and explore Kathmandu at your own pace.

This may also mean that you will need to depart your home country the day before your itinerary begins to allow time for travel and time zone differences.

Once you land in the amazing city of Kathmandu, you’ll have time to unwind after your long journey. Rest, relax, and settle into the sights and sounds of Kathmandu before you embark on your Everest Gokyo Valley trek.

To kick things off, we’ll treat you to a group welcome meal at one of our favourite local restaurants in Kathmandu. Depending on arrival times, this may take place on Day 1 or Day 2 of your trip. Either way, it’s a great chance to meet your fellow trekkers, enjoy traditional Nepali food, and soak up some local culture with live music and dance.

Today you will head out into Kathmandu and visit the cultural and historical sites of the Kathmandu Valley.

You will have plenty of time on Day 2 to visit a number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu before enjoying lunch at one of our favourite viewpoints in the city.

Kathmandu lies at 1300m above sea level, so it’s important to get out and about today to let your body acclimatise. This is essential before attempting the challenging EBC via Gokyo Valley trek!

You will also have the opportunity to grab any last-minute items in the trekking hub of Thamel. Then, it’s time to get an early night ready for the start of your Everest Gokyo Valley trek tomorrow.

Today is the first day of the Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Valley trek. Our destination for the day is Phakding.

We will be escorted in a private vehicle to the Tribhuvan International Airport to board an early morning flight to Lukla. After 30-35 minutes, the plane will finally land at the iconic Lukla Airport (Tenzing Hillary Airport).

While on the flight, make sure to catch a look at the mountains as we descend. This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for many trekkers, and just a small taste of what’s to come!

On reaching Lukla airport, we will be introduced to the other crew members awaiting our arrival. At the same time, your luggage will also be prepared for the porters.

Once everything is set, we’ll leave Lukla behind and begin the ultimate EBC via Gokyo Valley trek. After four hours trekking on a downhill and flat trail, we’ll finally reach Phakding.

Here, you can freshen up and take some time to rest. Then, we will go for a short walk in the village of Phakding to see the Mani prayer stones, or even a hike to nearby Gompas (Tibetan Buddhist monasteries) for acclimatisation purposes. The night will be spent at a lodge in Phakding.

Important note about Lukla flights:

Flights to Lukla sometimes operate from Ramechhap Airport instead of Kathmandu due to aviation regulations and airport congestion. If this happens, EverTrek will arrange transport from Kathmandu to Ramechhap and manage all logistics for you.

Read more about why Lukla flights often depart from Ramechhap in our guide.

Today is the second day of the EBC via Gokyo Valley trek and our destination is Namche Bazaar, a vibrant Sherpa town and the gateway to the Khumbu Himalaya region.

Without wasting a single minute, we leave Phakding and move towards Monju, crossing a few suspension bridges and small, rarely-visited settlements like Zapute, Toktok, Benkar, and Chumoa along the way.

Monju is popularly recognised as the gateway to the Sagarmatha National Park. On reaching Sagarmatha National Park, the team leaders will take care of the necessary national park formalities at entrance, while you can enjoy the small tea houses and shops nearby.

We then enter the national park, where a vertical drop down the hill will bring us across a few suspension bridges. On crossing these bridges, the trail leads uphill towards Namche Bazaar, offering the first breathtaking view of Mt. Everest along with other surrounding peaks like Lhotse, Nuptse, and Mt. Kusum Khangaru.

The night will be spent at a lodge in Namche Bazaar.

Day 5 is all about getting involved with activities that will help us adapt to the change in altitude. The best way to do that? To keep moving!

Remaining active is the best way to acclimatise. So, instead of resting, we will follow the tried and tested trekking method of "climb high, sleep low".

On our first acclimatisation day, we will be visiting the Sherpa museum and the famous Tenzing Norgay statue which is set in front of truly epic views of Everest, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam.

We will then take a steep climb up to the Everest View Hotel at an altitude of 3880 meters above sea level and have some lunch. We then return to Namche Bazaar to enjoy the rest of the day exploring the cafes, bakeries, shops, and restaurants, before getting a good night’s sleep at our comfortable lodge.

The sixth day of the Everest via Gokyo trek will take us to Dole, a small village in the Khumbu region of Nepal.

Leaving Namche Bazaar behind, an easy walk will take us to Kyangjuma, offering one of the best views of the towering peaks ahead.

The walk continues through the rhododendron forest until we reach Sanasa, which is a major trail junction of Gokyo Valley and the Everest Base Camp. Leaving the Everest Base Camp trail, we’ll instead follow the stone steps trail (the longest prayer stone wall in the Khumbu region) and walk towards Mong.

From Mong, a slight descent will take us to the bank of the Dudh Koshi River as we cross Phortse Thanga. We hike upwards until we reach Tenga, following the bank of the Dudh Koshi River.

From here, leaving the bank of the river, we hike up to Dole through birch and rhododendron forests, catching sight of musk deer, Himalayan tahr, and pheasants as we go. The night will be spent at a lodge in Dole.

Today’s destination is Machhermo, the last major settlement on the way to Gokyo.

As we hike up from Dole, we first climb a short scenic ridge before heading north, enjoying the views of the surrounding mountains’ snow-capped peaks along the way.

A gentle ascend will first take us to Luza, from where we walk down to the river. Then, a steep climb will take us to the terminal moraine of Ngozumba glacier. From here, we head towards Machhermo and its cosy tea houses, signifying the last major settlement on the way to Gokyo.

The night will be spent at a lodge in Machhermo.

On the eighth day of the Everest via Gokyo Valley hike, we will finally arrive in Gokyo Valley.

After climbing further up the ridge, we’ll be rewarded with an easy and relatively flat walk, leading us to the bottom of the small rocky mountain. After a short climb, we cross a bridge and get to the first iconic Gokyo lake (Lonspunga Tso), where we walk (literally!) in the footprints of ancient Lamas (Tibetan Buddhist teachers).

We will then continue towards the second Gokyo lake (Taujung Tsho), before following the west bank of the glacier to the third Gokyo lake (Gokyo Tscho). These lakes are renowned for their splendid turquoise waters.

Once we’ve finished marvelling at the highest freshwater lake system in the world, we’ll head to the east bank of the lake, where we will find our lodge for the night.

Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of time to explore the lakes again tomorrow after a good night’s rest.

Today you’ll have plenty of time to explore the Gokyo Valley and its lakes before we continue our trek towards Everest Base Camp.

First, we’ll climb up the Gokyo Ri (5,630m), which sits proudly above the village on the northern edge of the lake. From here, we’ll spend some time relishing the view of the magnificent Mount Everest and Mount Makalu from this incredible vantage point, as well as all six of the iconic Gokyo lakes.

Then, we’ll walk down to the lodge, have a hearty lunch, and hike around the Ngozumba glacier, the longest glacier in the Himalayas. It’s definitely one for the bucket list!

The night will be spent at a lodge in Gokyo Valley.

Day 10 of our trek takes us across icy glaciers to today’s destination of Dragnag.

Leaving the third Gokyo Valley lake behind us, we’ll start our walk early in the morning. Why? Because we’ll need to beat the sun to walk across the grand Ngozumba glacier.

We’ll cross the glacier before the sun gets stronger and the ice starts to melt, as this can make the trail slippery and difficult to navigate.

After crossing the glacier, we’ll continue following its east bank, before gently descending to Dragnag.

The rest of the day will be spent hiking nearby hills, to help the body acclimatise to the increasing altitude. The night will be spent at a lodge nestled in the small hills of Dragnag.

On Day 11, you’ll finally get to see the iconic flapping prayer flags on top of the Chola Pass (after a challenging yet rewarding climb).

Today we’ll reach the second bucket-list destination of the trek, Chola Pass (5,420m).

We’ll start the day by walking on a vertical uphill trail along a small stream crossing. The trail drops then down to the bottom of the pass, which can be quite challenging to navigate. The trail here is icy, slippery, and sometimes difficult to cross.

We’ll then take a steep, rocky ascent, with the reward of the top of Chola Pass waiting for us at the top. Here, you’ll get to see the flapping prayer flags of the region, as well as a wonderful view of the wider Gokyo Valley.

After spending some time here, we’ll take another steep descent using our crampons for support, and then another rocky trail to take us to the valley. From the valley, Dzongla is a fairly easy walk away, where you will spend the night in a lodge.

On Day 12, we’re now on our way to the classic Everest Base Camp trail, surrounded by the splendid views of mountains and glaciers.

From Dzongla, the trail continues to descend east before crossing Chola. Then, we’ll continue to hike up to where our path meets the classic Everest Base Camp trail.

We’ll ascend further, until the trail takes us to Lobuche. Here, we’ll stop for some lunch before hiking to the Khumbu Glacier, where we’ll get to pay respect to the tombstones of trekkers who once lost their lives in the glacier.

The night will be spent at a lodge in Lobuche.

It’s the day you’ve been waiting for. On Day 13 we will finally step foot in Everest Base Camp. A day for celebration!

Following the west bank of the Khumbu Glacier, the trail continues to ascend until we reach Lobuche pass. Shortly after crossing this pass, we’ll come across the junction of Changri Nup and Changri Shar Glacier, which then merge together to create Khumbu Glacier.

We’ll carefully walk across the glacier to reach Gorak Shep, located at the bottom of Kala Patthar. Leaving the trail that leads to Kala Patthar, we’ll then steadily hike up to Everest Base Camp, marked by its colourful prayer flags. Take some time to soak in the views of Mount Pumori, Mount Mahalangur, Mount Lingtern, Mount Khumbutse, and more.

Don’t worry. We’ll spend lots of time here exploring the area, taking photos, and celebrating with your fellow trekkers. We’ll then walk back down to the lodge at Gorak Shep to continue celebrating your mammoth achievement!

Today begins with an optional sunrise hike of Kala Patthar, offering some of the most picturesque views of Mount Everest and the surrounding Himalayan peaks, before descending to the small settlement of Pheriche.

Today is a very early start to ensure that we catch a glimpse of the morning sun’s rays as they strike the surrounding mountains of Mount Everest, Nuptse, Pumori, Amadablam, Thamserku, and Mera Peak.

We’ll first hike up to Kala Patthar, which is considered the best vantage point in the entire Khumbu region. We’ll hike for about two hours to get there, where we will be rewarded with the very best sunrise views of the Himalayan mountains. We’ll take plenty of pictures and relish the view, before hiking down to Gorak Shep for a well-deserved hearty breakfast, meeting back up with anyone who chose to have a lie in this morning instead.

Following the same route used earlier, we’ll then hike down to Lobuche. After walking for some time, we’ll cross Thokla Pass and reach the suspension bridge at Dughla. After crossing the bridge, it’s a short walk down the Pheriche, where we will spend the night in a lodge.

Day 15 leads us back to the trekker’s hub of Namche Bazaar and its surrounding rhododendron and pine forests.

The downhill walk that starts the day is quite easy. We’ll pass through the yak grazing area of Somare, and then cross the villages of Pangboche and Deboche before we reach Tengboche via the rhododendron forest. From Tengboche, we’ll take a vertical descent that will lead us to the bridge crossing the Dudhkoshi river.

After crossing the bridge, we’ll hike up to Kyagjuma, crossing Sanasa. To finish the day, we’ll take a fairly easy, downhill walk before reaching the familiar town of Namche Bazaar.

Day 16 is your very last trekking day on the Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Valley expedition! The hardest part is almost over.

The trail continues downhill towards the bridge over the Dudh Koshi River, where the Bhote Koshi River meets the Dudh Koshi River at Larja Dobhan. A slight descent from here will then take us to Monjo (the entry and exit point of the Sagarmatha National Park).

After our guides conduct the national park exit formalities, we’ll walk down to cross a the Kyashar Khola suspension bridge, before following the east bank of the Bhote Koshi River. Here, we’ll walk towards another bridge over the Bhote Koshi River, following the west bank until we reach Phakding.

From Phakding, the trail descends all the way down to Thado Koshi Gaon, where a gradual ascent will finally take us to Lukla.

Today, after reaching Lukla, you can either spend your time with the other crew members or opt for some alone time to recollect the incredible memories made during the past few days.

The night will be spent at a lodge in Lukla.

Today is your very last day in the Khumbu region of Nepal.

Our porters will carry your luggage to the airport in time for our departing flight. When our flight is ready, we will board the plane and fly back to Kathmandu early in the morning, enjoying the scenic views from the sky for the final time.

A comfortable private vehicle will be awaiting our arrival in Kathmandu Airport, which will safely escort you to our hotel. In the evening, we will meet for some time to discuss your Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Valley trek and celebrate all together with a farewell meal.

At the end of the day, you’ll get to rest and recuperate back in the 5* Hotel Aloft in Kathmandu.

Important note about Lukla flights:

As with your first flight to Lukla, this journey may also be via Ramechhap Airport rather than Kathmandu. Once your short flight lands at Ramechhap, the journey then to Kathmandu will be the long and bumpy drive back to Hotel Aloft, stopping for breaks along the way. This drive, dependent on traffic, will likely be between 5-7 hours

Today is the last day of your trip in Nepal with EverTrek. Take your memories with you, and be proud of your achievements! The Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Valley is a huge challenge.

If your flight is scheduled early in the morning, then one of our EverTrek company representatives will escort you to the airport as per your flight departure time. If your flight is scheduled later in the evening, you can use the spare time to go shopping, collect a few mementos, or simply relax and reflect on your Everest, Gokyo Valley, and Lakes adventure.

Want to extend your adventure? Go a step further and explore a rarely visited part of Nepal on our 3-Night Chitwan National Park Tour.