Everest Three Pass Trek:

All treks to Everest begin from Luka where we will be flying to early in the morning, right
after breakfast. The flight will be an interesting one since we will be flying amidst the
grand Himalayas in a Twin Otter airplane. We begin our short trek to Phakding
immediately after landing. At one hour’s gradual descent, we will be at a Cheplung
village from where we have a glimpse of Mt. Khumbila (18900ft), a sacred mountain
which has never been climbed. From Cheplung, we continue descending to Phakding
and spend the night.

We begin our trek on uphill and downhill trails with multiple crossings over Dudh Koshi
River and a magnificent view of Mt. Thamserku (21,675ft) from the Benkar village. We
cross more bridges and reach the entrance of Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo,
where our trekking permits are checked. We walk furthermore and pass through Jorsale
village before reaching Namche Bazaar. From here, we get beautiful views of the
Himalayas including Everest, Lhotse, Tawache and others. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

This is the first of the three scheduled rest days which will help us acclimatize to the
high altitude. Since experts believe that it is better to stay active even during rest days
for better trekking experience we are going to spend the day enjoying small hikes in and
around Namche Bazaar. We hike up to Everest View Hotel to enjoy admirable views of

the Himalayan vista. On our way back to Namche we also tour the Khumjung Monastery
(houses a yeti scalp!) and Hillary School. Our guide can also take us to the Tourist Visitor
Center near the headquarter of the Sagarmatha National Park where we can observe an
assortment of things related to the first Everest ascenders, Sherpa culture and learn
about the various plant and animal life in the Everest region. Overnight in Namche
Bazaar.

We begin today’s trek on an easy trail to Phunki Thanga. From here we ascend towards
Tengboche village which is home to the largest monastery in the Everest region. The
monastery is located within the Sagarmatha National Park and provides panoramic
views of the highest mountains on earth including Everest, Ama Dablam, Thamserku,
Nuptse and Lhotse. We try to reach the monastery by 3:00 in the afternoon and may
even be able to witness a religious Buddhist ceremony. Overnight in Tengboche.

We begin today’s trek by walking downhill and pass through lush forests filled with
birch, conifers and rhododendron trees. We continue our trek with views of Mt. Everest,
Lhotse and Ama Dablam to keep us company. The picturesque trail dips down to
Debuche, crosses the Imja River and takes us to Pangboche. While walking the upper
Pangboche trails, we get a more pristine view of the Himalayas and Pangboche
Monastery. We move ahead towards the Imja Valley, Lobuche River and ultimately
climb up to Dingboche. The village is a beautiful windy settlement overlooked by
chortens and prayer flags. Overnight in Dingboche.

Dingboche is a popular stop for trekkers and climbers headed to Mt. Everest, Ama
Dablam or Imja Tse. The village is beautiful with an array of fields enclosed by stone
walls to protect barley, buckwheat and potatoes from the cold wind and grazing
animals. We spend a day at Dingboche for acclimatization. We take a day hike to
Nagarjun Hill for great views of Makalu, Lhotse, Chalotse, Tawache, Ama Dablam and
others.

Our trail passes through stone-walled fields and Imja Khola valley before entering glacier
moraines amidst towering Himalayas. The trail continues to Bibre which is a yak
herdsman place. From here, directly across the valley is the fantastic Ama Dablam and
the Amphu Labsa mountains. The trail ahead is intersected by icy streams. We continue
our walk for around half an hour and reach Chhukung. After lunch, we begin our trek
towards Chhukung Ri. The climb to Chhukung Ri involves some easy scrambling near the
summit. From the top, we can look directly across the valley for a fantastic view of Ama
Dablam and Amphu Labcha peaks. We descend back to Chhukung to spend the night.

We begin today’s trek very early in the morning to reach the highest part of the entire
trip which is Kongma La pass. We can either take a trail over a hill which is to the
northwest of Chhukung over the Nuptse Glacier moraines or we can walk back to Bibre
and trek on the trail above the Niyang Khola. The top of the pass is marked by cairns and
Buddhist prayer flags. The final descent from the pass is the most difficult part of today’s
journey. After climbing the moraine on the far side, the trail turns north through
Khumbu Glacier which takes us to Lobuche. Overnight at Lobuche.

Our trail moves along the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. Ahead on the trail we
see the crest of the north ridge of Everest along with Pumori, Mahalangur, Lingtern,
Khumbutse, Nuptse and other mountains. A small ascent takes us to Thangma Riju.
From here we admire panoramic views of the Himalayan vista. We ascend on a steep
trail up to the top of Changri Glacier. As we reach Gorak Shep, we are surrounded by
the Himalayas. After resting for a short while, we continue to Everest Base Camp. We
pass through rocky dunes, moraines and streams before reaching the base camp of the
world’s tallest mountain, Everest. From here we admire Nuptse, Khumbuste and Pumori
mountains. We trek back to Gorak Shep and spend the night.

We start our trek to Kala Patthar early in the morning in order to catch remarkable
views of the first light of the sun shining on Mt. Everest. However, we need to be
prepared for trekking in the dark and cold temperature (the temperature varies
according to the season). Furthermore, there is always a chance for chilly winds which
are quite common. As we continue our trek, familiar peaks such as Lingtren, Khumbutse,
Changtse, Everest and Nuptse tower above us. After several hours of ascent, we will be
on the top of Kala Patthar. The close-up view of Mt. Everest and other Himalayan peaks
from Kalapathar is amazing. We enjoy the stunning Himalayan vista and descend to
Lobuche where we stay the night.

From Lobuche we trek downhill on a trail alongside the Khumbu Glacier. Our trail splits
into two and we choose the trail on our right. On the way we can better admire the view
of the looming Awi Peak. We pass through a stupa and tombstones in the distance.
After walking for a while we begin to ascend. During the ascent, we see Chola Tsho Lake
nearby. We continue further and pass another lake which is lot smaller than the Chola
Tsho Lake. We cross the Chola Khola on a bridge before reaching Dzongla. Overnight in
Dzongla.

As we gain height, the Cho La Lake begins to appear and the Ama Dablam presides over
a range of mountains on the south and Cholatse soars on the west. Climbing the incline
is not easy; it is steep, but made worse by boulders over some of which we will have to
scramble. The final climb to the Cho La can be a little tricky as the trail curves round a
crevasse. The top of the pass is marked by prayer flags and cairns. Scenery of majestic
peaks on all directions is breathtaking. Although long, the path leading down to
Thangnak is not difficult. Our trail brings us to the edge of the Ngozumpa glacier, which
is the longest glacier in Nepal. Reaching the other side of the glacier, we see the second
Gokyo Lake on the series of six lakes. A short distance away is the third Gokyo Lake. On
the edge of this lake stands the Gokyo Village where we spend the night.