Menu

Everest Three High Pass Trek

22 Days

Overview

In Everest Region, three are major three passes Kongma La Pass 5540 M, Chola Pass 5335 M, Newly explored Pass RENJO La Pass 5400 M, that are located southern west of Everest Kongma La straight above the Dingboce, Chola Pass situated west of Everest Base Camp, Lobuche and eastern north of Gokyo and Renjo Pass South of Gokyo and straight west-north of Namche/ Thame.

From Lukla to Dinbgboche, we walk along the normal Trekking rout of Everest Base Camp. For Kongma La Pass, trail divides from Dingboche / Chukkung. In a same group for those fit trekkers, we will take over Kongma La pass to Lobuche and others who are unable or unwilling we take them along the normal route to Lobuche. Kongma La is beautiful pass, views from pass is dramatic Mt.Thamserku, Mt Amadablam, Mt. Kongtega numerous mountains and glacial Lakes in front of yours eye with in few kilometers distance.

There are several lakes just below the pass with surrounding meadow. Camping groups Camps beside lakes but for Tea House group must be cross in same day. It will take 8-10 hrs from chukkung to Lobuche. Southern part (Dingboche side) of pass trail is easy ascending but after crossing the pass is hard descending along the moraine for Aprox 100mtrs.If you are trekking in mid winter from November to end of February require couple of hundred meters rope. Other time of the year, no need to put any rope while descending or ascending. Only few peoples heard about this pass, and few trekkers have crossed.Cho La Pass, has become common pass, because during peak season 40 to 50 peoples cross from Gokyo to Everest Base Camp and from base camp to Gokyo.

Difficulty is similar as Kongma La Pass and Cho La Pass, on to the western side of pass, from top (Gokyo Side) is hard ascending for Aprox 100 M. During mid winter hundred to hundred fifty Meter rope is necessary as well as ice-axe and crampon too.Renjo La Pass, from Gokyo to top is easy ascending, it is much easier than the pass of Cho La and Kongma La but descending from pass to about 100M is challenging if snow covering on trail. This pass explored half decade ago. During summer local peoples crosses their yaks from Gokyo to Thame and Thame/ Lunden to Gokyo.

Views of Everest from Renjo pass are much majestic than other passes, north ridge and south ridge of Mt Everest is clearly display. You can shoot the picture from Renjo Pass Gokyo village with charming blue Lake, Huge Glacier, Chola Pass on the Lap of Everest, Mt Makalu at once shot including numerous other mountains.

Itinerary

You will be met by our office representative at Tribhuwan International Airport awaiting you in front of arrival lounge showing yours name Card and will transfer you to the hotel. We offer complimentary dinner at Hotel 7-8 pm, meet other participants to discuss about trip, Hotel B&B.

After Breakfast, Explore Culture tour in Kathmandu, that is includes Boudhanath Stupa perhaps biggest in world's, Monastery, Pashupatinath Temple, Hindu's holiest temple and Patan Durbar Square and Swoyambunath situated on hillock of Kathmandu from entire Kathmandu Visible and amazing Stupa with its beautiful arts. Hotel B&B.

We transfer to the airport for the 45 minute flight to airstrip at Lukla. This was the airstrip built by Sir Edmund Hillary and his friends to service the Everest Region when he began his work of building schools and hospitals for the Sherpa people. It is a memorable flight, with marvelous views of the Eastern Himalaya. At Lukla we are immediately impressed by the scale of the huge peaks that surround the village but this is only a foretaste of what is to come.

We follow the dudh koshi river valley couple of time you cross river by suspension bridge, walk across small sherpa village,below namche bazaar trail steeply ascend for fo r five hundred miters.

From Park Headquarters just above our Sherpa hotel offers a very interesting display of photographs, memorabilia and information on the park, and the hill above is a wonderful vantage point for the spectacular view up the Imja Khola Valley towards Everest and towering Peaks.

The walk to Thyangboche is one of the most pleasant in Nepal. The trail meanders easily around the ridges and Everest can be clearly seen on the horizon ahead before we descend through splendid rhododendron forest for lunch. After lunch we cross the Dudh Kosi and begin the ascent to the top of a long ridge which flows from the summit of Kantega. Our trail takes us through pine and rhododendron forest and as this is a devout Buddhist region, the wildlife is unharmed and not too shy.

The early morning mountain views from the monastery are outstanding. Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse are at the head of the valley, their line of sight flanked by Taweche on one side, and Ama Dablam on the other. Today , we trek couple of hrs to Pangboche in order to acclimatize along the dense rhododendron forest .

From Thyangboche we head down to cross the Imja Khola before an easy climb along a wide, open trail to the small village of Pangboche (3901m) . We may take a slight detour to visit the Pangboche Gompa - the oldest monastery in the Khumbu, said to be over 300 years old. The views today of Ama Dablam, one of the Himalaya's most stunning peaks, are spectacular. Continuing on, we cross the river again and trek up to Dingboche, situated just beneath the impressive Ama Dablam.

An important acclimatisation/rest day today with the option of hiking high up to the ridge overlooking the village, or perhaps up to Chhukung Village. We spend the day exploring or relaxing and taking in the mountain scenery. Excellent views of Nuptse, Lhotse, Chhukung Peak and Imja Tse (6189 m) are had from both in the valley or from the ridge above the camp. Massive glaciers drape beneath cliffs that soar up to 3,500 metres in this dramatic valley. It is from here that we will prepare to make our first crossing of a high pass, the Kongma La Pass at 5300 meters.

We start 6 am after Breakfast and with Pack Lunch towards the pass, a gentle strong along the valley at first, followed by a steep ascent into the deep valley between Pokalde Peak and Chhukung. This will be a big day as we ascend to the Kongma La pass amid the crags of this outlying ridge from nearby Nuptse. From the pass we descend steeply to the Khumbu Glacier which we cross, clambering up the moraines on the far side to reach the meadow by the Italian high altitude research pyramid where we plan to camp the night. The difficulty of today's trek should not be underestimated, particularly in snow conditions where the trek across the glacier at the conclusion of the day can be quite exhausting. Our camp is an hour above the village of Lobuche. We enjoy spectacular views of Pumori and Nuptse. The hill above the town affords fine sunset views of Nuptse.

We get an early start to avoid the "crowds" that can converge on Kala Pattar at some times of the year, and to get the clearest views. We trek alongside the Khumbu Glacier as the path winds over the rocky moraine towards the settlement of Gorak Shep. We are high, among the glaciers of the world's highest peaks, at the junction of two large glaciers and nestled in an amphitheatre of peaks. Pumori (7145 m), Lingtren (6697 m), Nuptse (7745 m) and of course Everest (8848 m) surround us.

We head west towards the Cho La Pass, contouring around a headland towards the picturesque Dzong La Pass which cuts across a jagged spur that descends from the summit of Lobuche Peak. The path takes an obvious, gently ascending line, but is very narrow and in snowy conditions can be slippery. High on the flanks of Lobuche we will lunch beside a glacial lake before a long descent to a magnificent camp at the foot of Cholatse, near the base of the Cho La pass.

The views today are magnificent as we leave the Everest watershed and enter that of Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world. The crossing is hard work, involving a steep scramble up rock boulders and then a walk across the gently ascending, snow-covered glacier that caps the pass. However, the views of the route ahead, and of the glacier itself, are breathtaking. We descend steep boulder strewn slopes to the Gokyo valley below. This is a valley of turquoise lakes and great glaciers. For the first (and steepest) part of the descent there are discernible paths that zigzag down the mountainside - slippery in snow! The ground then levels out and the path all but disappears as we hop across a field of boulders. Finally we climb a gentle slope to the top, from where its all downhill (for today at least!), following a narrow river valley all the way to its base where we overnight at Tangnag, a small Sherpa settlement nestled beneath great rock walls, just a stone's throw from the Ngozumba Glacier.

We cross the glacier and ascend the lateral moraine valley past beautiful lakes with Siberian ducks swimming across the mirror-calm surface, to the village of Gokyo. An easy day. We will have the chance to climb another mountain, Gokyo Ri at 5335m, either this evening or early the next morning (or both!)

An early start is best for the opportunities that the early morning views offer. The steady and unrelenting ascent of Gokyo Ri will take around two hours.You will be elated when you reach the summit with it's spectacular view. Probably the most comprehensive view of 8,000 metre peaks in Nepal, many people consider it to be Nepal's best. Surrounding us are Cho Oyu (8153 m), (a mountain that defeated a British Expedition of climbers, including Hillary, in their lead-up to their successful assault of Everest), Gyangchung Kang (7922 m), Lhotse (8501 m), Makalu (8475 m), Cholatse (6440 m), Taweche (6542 m), Kantega (6685 m), Thamserku (6808 m), Lobuche (6145 m) and Mt Everest (8848 m). Hundreds of other unnamed peaks fill the scene, whilst below us the Ngozumba Glacier, the largest in Nepal, stretches through the valley.

We start at 5 am, a challenging crossing of the Renjo La Pass will be exciting and probably require the use of ropes to descend into remote northern valley about (100mtrs during mid winter(Nov-Feb)) where access is restricted, and the landscape is progressively that of the Tibetan Valleys beyond the border. There is a chance we will meet Tibetan Traders descending from the Nangpa La pass that leads through the Himalayas from Tibet with their caravans of woolly yaks laden with goods.

We turn south and down valley towards Lukla for our return to Kathmandu. But there are Sherpa villages to be explored as we descend the gorge.

The trail takes us down the Dudh Kosi valley to Lukla airstrip for the flight back to Kathmandu. This final day's trekking will be the only day where we cover the same ground twice on this trek.

We usually travel by twin otter aircraft from Lukla to Kathmandu, the flight lasts approx one hour and takes us before many of the well known peaks of the Himalaya including Cho Oyu, Numbur, Gauri Shankar and Langtang. We are met on arrival and transferred to our hotel, rest of time at leisure or take local sight seeing.

Sight seeing tours to world heritage sites another city near by Kathmandu, Patan Durbar Square and Bhaktapur Durbar square.

Day 21 :
Departure

Cost

Please contact us for costing details.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How long do we walk every day trekking?

On average, you walk about 4 to 6 hours per day. One or two days can be as less as 3hrs and one or two days can be as long as 7hrs.

What about battery charging and hot shower facilities?

Yes, you can charge batteries en route. Charger should be brought. There are hot shower facilities as well. You may have to pay a certain amount for both ($1-$2). Negotiate. Also, a hot water facility could be free at a lower elevation.

Are there ATMs on the way?

No. There are no ATMs on this trek route. You will have to draw enough cash in Kathmandu. There are a number of ATMs in these cities. Everything is paid in Nepali rupees. So money should be exchanged before the start of the trek.

What about internet access?

Yes. The Internet can be accessed in most places. Sometimes, there might be some technical problems. The Internet in Nepal is not as fast as you are used to and at times you can just lose connection.

Is it necessary to hire Guides/trekking agency for trekking?

It depends on you. It can be done also independently. But we suggest you to hire a guide and a porter. Not having a guide can be a little problematic during the trek.

It really depends on you. Is it your first time in Nepal? How confident are you of being able to find your way around? How pressed on time are you? If you go through an agency, it will be costlier but everything will be planned. You will only have to come, trek and return.

You can send your enquiry via the form below.

Everest Three High Pass Trek

Trip Fact

  • Drive
  • Tea House
  • 3800m.
  • Mar - May, Sep - Nov
  • All meals during the trek