Everest High Pass Trek or The Three High Passes Trek is a trek to reach the three high passes of the Everest region, the home to Mt Everest. The three passes that you will climb on tour are Renjo La(5,385M), Kongma La(5,535m), Cho La(5,360m). Not only Choyu and Gokyu Ri, but the walk also goes to Kala Patthar(5,545m) via Everest Base Camp itself. Thus, you can take it as the ultimate trekking trail of the Everest Region when it comes to mountain passes.
You will walk through all the offerings of the Everest Region, through its scenic valleys, traditional Sherpa villages, Buddhist Heritages, lush woods, rough landscapes, and whatnot, by the popular Gokyo Lakes. Mapping out the three passes and EBC trekking, you’ll go about walking most of the region on your feet. And, the breathtaking displays of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Ama Dablam, and Cho Oyu will be too regular on the trek.
However, Everest Three High Passes Trek is not an easy piece of cake. It is one of the most demanding and extended treks in Nepal. The 20 days adventure will start from Lukla and then lead to Namche, Dingboche, Imja Valley, Gokyo Valley, Thame Valley, and more, gaining heights every time. The trek’s highest point is about 5600m, and that is undoubtedly a high altitude for every sort of trekker. In between, there will be rough terrains, challenging weather, and other problems. So, it’s not going to be a simple trek.
If you are an experienced trekker with good preparation, Everest High Passes Trek is just a regular trek for you. You will have a lot to experience and cherish throughout the walk. On the contrary, for those with less or no preparation, it can be a nasty adventure. Thus, we highly recommend this trek to those with prior high-altitude trekking experience and good training.
We, Sabbatical Explore Nepal, are always on the go if you ever think of doing Everest High Passes Trek. Just let us know!
Waking up in Phakding and eating our breakfast, we will move in the direction of Namche. The trek will mainly happen through the packed forest of Sagarmatha National Park. We will also cross one too many suspension bridges across the day. At Jorsale, we will officially enter into the national park by showing permits.
Following the riverbed of the Dudh Koshi River, we will keep on trekking slowly. If the day is clear, we may see the first sight of Mt Everest. We will call it a day in Namche Bazaar, the hub of the Everest Region.
On the fifth day of Everest High Passes Trek, we will have an acclimatization day in Namche. It will be a vital day where we will hike around Namche to get familiar with high altitudes. We will either visit the nearby Sherpa settlements like Khumjung and Khunde or hike up to the Everest View Hotel to use this day appropriately.
Khumjung and Khunde are the two biggest Sherpa communities in the region. We will explore the culture and lifestyle of the locals. Similarly, Everest View Hotel is one of the highest placed hotels in the world. We will hike up to the hotel for delicious dining with breathtaking Mt Everest and adjoining peaks. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.
On this day, we will climb across the first pass of the Everest High Passes Trek. It will be a long day as well, so we will leave Chhukung right after breakfast. We will join a route that heads out of the village to the Niyang Khola Valley. Continuing the trek through the valley, we will come across Nuptse Glacier and Amphu Lapcha. And leaving the canyon down, we will climb to approach Kong Ma La Pass via a steep and rugged trail.
The vision from Kong Ma La is simply breathtaking and can leave us awe-struck for a while. We will be able to view the surrounding mountains, valleys, and glaciers from there. Following, we will descend from the top, walking on a slippery and rough trail to Lobuche. We will also walk side by the side of the Khumbu Glacier. Overnight in Lobuche.
Now, we will scale another pass of the trek, Chola Pass. It is going to be another long day as well. Firstly, the hike will reach Cho La Pass(5368m) via a steep section. The climb is also a little tricky in some areas. Overcoming all of that, we will touch Cho La Pass to enjoy a great panorama of the Everest Region.
Following the moments at Cho La, we will descend to Thangnak. The trail to Thangnak is not that demanding but moving boulders and rocks make it a little risky. Watching our steps and falling gradually, we will reach Thangnak. From there, we will trek along Ngozumpa Glacier to enter Gokyo Valley. We will come across two of six Gokyo Lakes today. Our day will end at Gokyo Village, which is just by the third Gokyo Lake.
It is time for the third and last pass of the Three High Passes Trekking. We will leave Gokyo Village and lakes behind to pursue Renjo La Pass. Soon later, the ascent to the top starts, which takes around 3 hours. Pushing ourselves over the sloppy terrain, we will reach the top to experience the Everest Region from Renjo La Pass. We’ll celebrate the successful climb of all the passes.
Succeeding, we will descend from Renjo La Pass to Lungden, where we will settle for the night. En route, we will explore some other lakes of the region; Renjo, Relamo Tsho, and Angladumba Lake. Overnight in Lungden.
We will wake up to the hustles and bustles of Namche Bazaar. Eating our breakfast, we will join the final trekking day of Everest High Passes Trek. This will be the last chance to witness the beauty of the Everest Region until next time.
On this day, we will push ourselves to reach Lukla by nightfall. Trekking along the same route, we will trace Lukla. Like the other day, we will walk through forests, over suspension bridges, and via villages. It will be a trek of around 6-7 hrs. Overnight in Lukla.
This is when you leave the region and officially complete the trekking part of Everest Three High Passes Trek. After a delicious breakfast in Lukla, we will board a plane to Kathmandu. The flight will take 30 minutes to land us in the capital; the flight is scenic.
Once landed at the airport, we will head to our hotels in Kathmandu for a rest. You can use the rest of the time to explore and buy souvenirs around the city. Overnight in Kathmandu.