Everest Three High Passes Trek

Name: Everest Three High Passes Trek
Brand: Trek Guiders
SKU: PKG-10016
Availability: InStock

Trip Overview

The Three Passes Trek is the most complete trek in the Everest region of Nepal where it gives a chance to cover most part of the Everest region in a single visit. This is one of the most ambitious and challenging trekking trail as it involves crossing of all three high passes, Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La, which are above 5000m high passes in a single trip.

Highlights

Great views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Thamserku, and Mt. Pumori
Visit local Sherpas and experience their authentic culture & food
Day trip to Everest Base Camp and morning visit to Kalapatthar for amazing views
Visit numerous monasteries including biggest and oldest monasteries of the region, Tengboche Monastery, and Thame Monastery
Climb Gokyo Ri for the picturesque view of Everest, Lhotse and Cho Oyu
Experience 3 high pass crossing (Kongma La pass: Cho La pass: 5368m and Renjo La pass: 5360m)
Spectacular view of Gokyo Lakes and Ngozumpa glacier (the largest glacier in the Himalayas)

Itinerary

Welcome to Kathmandu. You will be received by one of our office representatives at the TIA exit section and escort you to your hotel afterward.

Depending on your arrival time, you will have the chance to stroll around the places nearby your hotel on your own.

Hotel

Today you will have a free day in Kathmandu while your specialist will take time to arrange permits for your trek. You will have time to explore around the Kathmandu valley on your own or enjoy the cultural tour with an experienced tour guide arranged by Trek Guiders.

In the evening, you will be met by your specialist in your hotel lobby. S/he will introduce you to your guide for the trek and brief you shortly about your trek, things to do/ not to do, and any optional activities you may enjoy during the trip. You can ask any queries or share feelings with your specialist during the briefing.

Hotel

Breakfast

You will be picked up by your guide 1.5 hours prior to your flight time to make sure you will reach the domestic airport on time. Make sure you already have your breakfast by the time your guide reach your hotel lobby.

After a scenic 35 minutes flight to Lukla, your guide will arrange local porters there to help you with your luggage throughout the trip. Today is the first day of the trek. So, intentionally you will be having a short trek today to get used to the altitude. You will be descending to Chaurikharka first and then head up the Dudh Koshi Valley to Phakding where you will be staying overnight.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast in Phakding, you will continue north following the Dudh Koshi River towards Monjo and Jorsale. From here you will enter the Sagarmatha National Park area. Here your guide will complete the check-post work whereas you can enjoy some time clicking pictures. After lunch here, you will get to cross two rivers viz. Imja River and Nangpo Tsangpo (Bhote Koshi) River followed by a steep climb to Namche Bazaar.

Namche Bazaar is the main village in Khumbu area and is renowned for a central market area of this region. It is an important trading centre with a weekly Saturday market locally known as "Haat Bazaar".

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is the first acclimatization day of your trek. So, you can rest and relax in your lodge. Optionally, you can choose to hike to Kunde Hospital set up by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1966 A.D in Kunde Village located at an altitude of 3840m. This hospital serves approximately 8000 people of Khumbu area and carries significant importance in this area.

Or to speed up the acclimatization process, you can hike for an hour to reach Hotel Everest View, located in Khumjung village at an altitude of 3880m. This place is quite popular for a great view of Mt. Everest, Mt. Ama Dablam, and Mt. Lhotse. If you have time, you can also visit the Sherpa Culture Museum which in houses traditional Sherpa household, old artefacts, and everyday objects. It is the perfect place to get a sense of Sherpa life through the ages.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast in Namche, you will follow the trail to the side of the valley, high above the Dudh Koshi. From here, you will start getting amazing views of the Khumbu peaks viz. Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam. Passing through several small villages and tea shops, you will descend to a bridge over the river at Phunki Tenga where you can have lunch. It's good to have adequate rest and collect your energy for a steep climb to Tengboche. No matter how much you get tired of the trail, the beautiful sights of Rhododendron, beautiful birds and superb Himalayas views will make you forget your tiredness in a matter of seconds.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Wake up early morning to explore the Tengboche Monastery and the places around. The monastery at Tengboche looks even more spectacular in the morning with mountains at its back.

Continuing to reach Pangboche, choose the upper trail for better views. You will pass through several Chortens, Mani Walls and small villages. Stop by at the place which offers delicious food with a fantastic close view of Mt. Ama Dablam. After a few rest time, you will walk the eastward trail beneath the towering north face of Mt. Ama Dablam. From here you will enter the Imja Valley walking a fairly moderate trail. The valley gradually unfolds as you descend into the Lobuche River and begin the last and steepest climb to the day leading up to Dingboche. After reaching Dingboche, you will see the beautiful array of fields enclosed by stone walls to protect barley, buckwheat, and potato from the cold winds and grazing animals.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This is going to be the second acclimatization day of your trip. Enjoy your refreshing breakfast admiring the fantastic Ama Dablam to the south.

For ideal acclimatization, climb the ridge on the north behind the village for a better view of Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Makalu and Mt. Cho Oyu, three of the six highest peaks. While on the west you will see the towering peaks of Cholatse and Taboche. Northwest direction will also show an array of peaks rising at the head of the Khumbu Khola Valley.

Rest of the day, you can stroll around the Dingboche village clicking some nice pictures of surroundings.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast in Dingboche, take some time to enjoy the morning views of the Himalayas. Today's trail will pass through stone walled fields and Imja Khola Valley before you enter the glacier moraines amidst the towering Himalayas.

The trail will continue to Bibre from where the trail will get intersected by icy streams. You will get to enjoy the fantastic view of Ama Dablam and Amphu Laptcha Mountains. After walking few more further, you will reach Chhukung.

Climbing Chhukung Ri (5550m) peak to totally optional today. If you are feeling quite energetic, you can walk ahead to this peak after lunch. The climb to this peak is a bit hard and involves some easy scrambling near the summit. But the views of Khumbu valley seen from above is just superb.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

You will need to walk very early today to reach Lobuche on time after crossing a high pass of Kongma La.

You can either take the route over a hill northwest of Chhukung, over the Nuptse Glacier morains or just walk back to Bibre and take the trail above Niyang Khola. The top of pass will be marked by cairns and Buddhist prayer flags. Take some time to enjoy the views from here.

The final descent from here is quite difficult part of the journey. So, be careful on the way. After climbing the moraine on the far side, the trail turns north through Khumbu Glacier which takes us to Lobuche.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is an important day which will take you to the main destination of the trip.

The first section of the trail from Lobuche follows the narrow gap between the glacial moraine and the mountain walls. Take some time to detour to the edge of moraine to look over the Khumbu glacier. Through a windy and rocky path with the wonderful view of Mt. Pumori, Nuptse, and other magnificent peaks, you will reach Gorakshep. Gorakshep is the location of the original Everest Base Camp with the new camp being further up the valley. Have lunch here with some rest.

After lunch, here comes the main highlight of the day, an adventure to the Everest Base Camp. The trail passes through over rocky dunes and moraine and streams. The Base Camp area provides an opportunity to experience the freezing and harsh conditions that are just a beginning for the Mountaineers going for Everest expedition. In Everest Base Camp the climbers gather for summiting Everest during the high expedition season. You will explore base camp and its surroundings glacier for a while and return back to Gorakshep.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Yet another big day of the trip. You will need to wake up early morning today to meet the spectacular Sunrise View from Kalapatthar today.

Mornings are usually sparkling and clear and this is the best time to climb the Kalapathar for great mountain views. You will be rewarded with the 360-degree dramatic panoramic views of Mt Everest and surrounding mountains like Mt. Pumori, Mt. Lingtren, Mt. Khumbetse, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Thamserku along with many other peaks.

You will have an easy walk for about 2 hours to reach Lobuche. You will have more chances to enjoy the scenic vistas as you descend down towards Lobuche.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today you will be starting off for the route to Gokyo Lakes. After early morning breakfast, walk down following the Lobuche River trail. From this route, both Pheriche and Dhugla are visible along with great mountain views. After walking for a while, you will be taking the right direction trail which will take you to Dzongla. You will be crossing numerous small lakes before you cross the Chola Khola bridge reaching Dzongla finally.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

After breakfast in Dzongla, you will be walking for around 3 hours to get to the top of the Cho La. Cho La pass route is not difficult in itself but its steep and tricky involving glacier traverse. You will need to be careful as the trail has the rock glazed with ice making it slippery.

Once you reach the top of Cho La pass, walking a challenging path, you will be rewarded by the breathtaking scenery of Mountain views at all directions. In good weather, you can cross the Cho La with no special equipments except for warm clothing and an ice axe which can keep you in the safe side. After crossing the pass, you will walk the long for easy path to Thagnak.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today will be your short day walk to Gokyo. Its just two hours walk from Thagnak but truly a beautiful walk through the Ngozumpa Glacier, the longest glacier in Nepal. After crossing an iron over a stream, the trail levels out as it follows the valley past the first lake, known as Longpongo located at an altitude of 4690m. Here you will get a chance to observe the Lama footprints on a stone.

The second lake, Taboche Tsho, on the trail mesmerizes with the turquoise blue water sparkling in the sun. The third lake called Dudh Pokhari is linked by a surging stream to the previous one. Gokyo village stands by this third lake and Cho Oyu Mountain. From this village, a panoramic view of Cho Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Lhotse, Makalu, Cholatse, and Tawache can be observed.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

The final rest day of your trip will be today at the Gokyo Valley. You can either choose to rest to conserve your energy for the following day's Renjo La pass crossing or opt to make your day more worthy by either hiking to Gokyo Ri or visiting the 4th and 5th lakes.

Gokyo Ri is a small peak located in the Gokyo Valley which provides fantastic views of entire Khumbu valley. The trail is easy toward this peak and if you have some more extra time, you can take a hike up to the fourth lake of the valley which is located just 3 km north of the Gokyo Village.

Continuing further to the 5th lake, Ngozumpa Tsho, will take some more time to reach. Hence, it's recommended to hike to Gokyo Ri and the fourth lake OR hike to 4th and 5th lake so that you won't get much tired and will have time to rest for next big day.

To adding a note, hike to the 5th lake will depend on your health condition and your speed of walking. The guide will see your walking speed and health condition and advise you if it's recommended to hike up to the 5th lake for you or not. But if you are fit for this trip, you will find that the view from ‘Scoundrel's Viewpoint’, located at the edge of the 5th lake, is astonishing. Cho-Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Makalu mountains and the huge Ngozumba Glacier are the main centers of attraction. Trek back to Gokyo to spend the night.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is the long day trek ahead. You will be starting the walk early in the morning after your quick breakfast and start trail with walking alongside the Dudh Pokhari for a while. You will walk for around two hours before descending towards the Renjo La pass enjoying the extravagant views of the Himalayas and Rolwaling ranges. Views from the Renjo La pass are much like that from Gokyo Ri with the third Gokyo Lake and Gokyo Village beneath the Ngozumpa Glacier. You will also get an outstanding view of Mt. Everest from the top of the pass.

Continuing your trail down a stone staircase, it moves over loose scree to reach the south bank of Angladumba Tsho Lake. The presence of ice on the trail while descending down can make your descent a bit hazardous. Hence, you need to be much careful in this part. Along the way, you will see Relama Tsho and Renjo Lake. You will then walk down a narrow valley clogged with giant boulders to Lumde where there is a support lodge, but it is often closed. You will walk almost for an hour from Lumde to get to Marlung on the east bank of the Bhote Koshi River.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is mostly downhill trail from Marlung. You will first be reaching another most popular village of Thame. The trail to Thame follows a traditional route used for centuries by the Tibetan traders. You will cross the Bhote Koshi River and descend to Taranga. The trails continue to descend towards Thame after crossing two bridges.

Thame is famous for Thame Monastery situated on a hill to the west. From here, you will descend gradually on a trail that passes through a few small villages before reaching Namche Bazaar.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is the last day of your trekking day. You will cross several bridges over the fast flowing Dudh Koshi River. Following the same trail which you used before to climb up to Namche, you will reach Lukla in about 6 to 7 hours.

Tea House

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Today is the return day from Lukla. Your guide will finish all the airport formalities while you are having breakfast at the lodge. The porters will manage your luggage to be transported from your lodge to the airport. Once the guide get news about your flight arrival at Lukla airport, you will be called to see how the airplane gets landed in the small strip of Lukla airport. Afterward, you will get to the airport to get into the plan for flight back to Kathmandu.

Upon reaching Kathmandu, you will be escorted to your hotel. After lunch, the day is free. You can opt to enjoy some scenic cultural tours or relax during the day.

Hotel

Breakfast

Today is an extra day kept as a buffer day in case the flight back to Kathmandu gets disturbed due to any weather contingencies. However, if you succeeded in landing Kathmandu on the previous day, you can enjoy short day tour or have some shopping in the market to purchase a token of memory from Nepal to your home.

Hotel

Breakfast

You will be picked up from your hotel 3.5 hours prior to your international flight time by one of our office representatives to escort you to the TIA. Trip concludes !!

Breakfast

Commencing this trip

A short half an hour flight from Kathmandu will take you to one of the world’s most famous airports at Lukla, which is the starting point for most of the treks undertaken in the Everest region. The trip to Three passes will be organized in a counter-clockwise direction to make sure you will ascend gradually without getting much tired on the very first days of the trek.

Initially, the trek will follow the same route which leads to the Everest Base Camp but for crossing the first pass, the trail deviates towards the Chhukung Valley from Dingboche. Here you can choose to hike further up to Chhukung Ri, which offers memorable views of Lhotse, Island Peak, Ama Dablam, Makalu, and others.

After crossing the very first Kongma La pass, the trail meets again the route of EBC which leads to the world’s famous visit stops of EBC and Kalapatthar. Afterward, the trail leads to Gokyo Lakes and Thame valley after crossing next two high passes, Cho La pass, and Renjo La pass respectively. This trip ends at Lukla from where the flight back to Kathmandu is operated.

Best time to do this trip

Everest region can be visited year-round but the most recommended time to visit for the trek will be between March-May for spring and Mid-September – Mid-December for autumn. Other months can have the high possibility of the flight getting delayed by uncertain days or canceled due to bad weather condition in Lukla which is frequently faced during off-season time. In top winter time, there are very high chances of collecting huge piles of snow in the high passes area making it impossible to cross. In such case, there will be no option other than returning back the same way all the way down to Lukla.

If you want to experience pleasant weather with a good chance to catch a glimpse of Everest and other Himalayan giants, springtime is the best time to go. Top winter month will freeze the Gokyo lake too.

What is included?

4 nights accommodation in Kathmandu with breakfast on twin sharing basis.
17 nights accommodation in standard tea house during the trek on a full board twin sharing basis (Breakfast, Lunch, and dinner with tea/coffee).
Experienced English speaking trek guide and porter/s for the trek (1 porter assigned for 2 travelers).
Kathmandu to Lukla and return airfares.
Trek Guide's airfares.
2 International airport transfers in a private vehicle.
All permit fees required for the trek.
Equipment allowances, salary, and insurance for the trekking staff.
Kit bags/duffle bags for the trek (size 45/55L).
A first aid kit with basic supplies for staff.
All government taxes.

What is not included?

Single room supplement charges for Kathmandu hotel stay.
Lunches and Dinners in Kathmandu.
Additional airport transfers besides mentioned in the 'included' section.
Soft Drinks and Alcoholic beverages like Coke, Beer, etc. and cigarettes.
Any sort of guided/ unguided city tours and transfers for the same.
Entrance fees for monasteries and museums (if any).
Nepal entry visa fee.
International airfares.
Hot shower and hot drinking water during the trek.
Your personal trekking gears and equipment like the sleeping bag, trekking poles, down jackets, etc.
Personal nature expenses related to the phone, wifi, gadget charging, laundry, gratitude/ Tips, snack expenses, extra meals, tea, and coffees, etc.
Your travel insurance and emergency rescue evacuation if any.
Any activities or services not mentioned in "Service included section"

Important points to be noted:

The mentioned trip price is per person price quoted for an open trek* based on 5 travelers group. The trip price will vary depending on the final size of the group. The trip price for a customized private trip arrangement may alter.