Even among the best of the best treks to the eastern Himalayas, Everest three passes treks probably tops the chart. The trek to the Everest Base camp has never been better. In this beautiful journey, the trekkers get to walk through one of the uncharted and pristine territory of Nangpa valley in the Everest region. In this route, we pass through three different passes that are not included in the original trail to the EBC. These three passes alone makes the worthwhile as they are filled with eternal natural beauty which makes the entire journey one of the greatest that you will ever witness. These three passes are- Cho-La pass (5380m), Renjo-La pass (5,388m) and,Kongma La (5,535m). The upward and downward path through these passes really is a tough one but going from one to another the scenic beauty is enough to make the arduous journey a pleasant one.
The estimate days for the entire journey are 19 days including three days of rest as well as arrival and departure from Kathmandu. Trekkers are estimated to walk for 5-7 hours per day depending upon the altitude.
In this epic journey, trekkers also pass through one of the greatest milestone and highlight to this journey- Kala Patthar (5,643m)- the best place to view the beauty of the majestic Mt. Everest. Similarly, we also visit various Sherpa Villages and get acquainted with various traditions and beauty of Nepalese culture.
As the elevation of the treks through various passes and Kala pathhar is all over 5,300m acclimatization plays a vital role and is a must to prevent from high altitude sickness. A good physical fitness is advised as this trek is rated moderate and although beginners may try on this trek, previous experience on trekking is a plus point.
The first day is reserved for your arrival in Kathmandu valley. Guests will be escorted to their hotel from Tribhuwan International Airport where the entire luggage will be taken care of. All the briefing about the treks will be given. Breakfast included.
Guests will take a flight from Kathmandu to Luklafor a short sightseeing tour after which we will reach our hotel and served with breakfast and lunch.This marks the start of the trek. Trekkers pass DudhkoshiGhat (2530m) and reach Phakding(2,562m) where we will stay the night. Approximately 3-4 hours of walk. BLD included.
The next stop in this journey is the beautiful and culturally rich Namche Bazar. Going through the entrance of one of the world heritage- The Sagarmatha National Park, we cross various paths and bridge with various eye catching mountains at our disposal from Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse and many others. This path leads us to the eccentric Namche Bazar where we stay the night. Approximately 5-6 hours of walk. BLD included
The next day we don't move forward but rest for the process of acclimatization. Although this day is reserved as a rest day, trekkers have an option to go on a 2 hour hiketo Everest view point. Slight trekking is advised to keep the body in shape for the upcoming hurdle. This rest day can be used to get familiar with the friendly Sherpa who often drop helpful suggestions for the upcoming ascend. Sherpa Museum is yet another attraction in Namche Bazar.
This is where the three passes route diverges from the traditional route to EBC. Instead of going through Tengboche, we move northwest to the Thame- a small Sherpa village. Along the way, trekkers can have glorious views of Kongde-Ri (6,187m) and KusumKanguru (6,373m). Walking few extra miles, trekkers reach Thame where we stay overnight. If time permits, we can even visit a hydro power nearby. Approximately 4-5 hours of walk. BLD included
Marlung is name of yet another village pass the canyon of BhoteKoshi river. Through the views of the regalmountains and valley, we reach Marlung. Approximately5-6 hours of walk. BLD included.
The trek from Thame to Lumde could have been made in a single day. However, due to increasing altitude and chances of altitude sickness, the seventh days' trek is cut short. This is for the preparation of the next big step- the Ranjo-La.Approximately 2-3 hours of walk. BLD included.
This is the first real hurdle in this journey. After a tough climb to the Renjo La, the hurdle will be well justified by the beautiful scene of Mt. Everest (8,884m), Mt. Nuptse (7,855m), Mt. Makalu (8,463m)and Cho Oyu (8,201m)right up your alley. From Renjo-La we again move downward to Gokyo Valley. There a well deserved sleep is waiting the guests in the inn in Gokyo.Approximately 8-9 hours of walk.BLD included.
Instead of continuing our trek, we take a day off to make ourselves more adapt to the high altitude. However, instead of just taking a break, we travel to Gokyo-Ri- one of the best place to view the beauty of Mt. Everest. We will also visit one of the major attraction in the Gokyo region- the six lakes. BLD included
We pass through the longest glacier of Nepal- Ngozumpa Glacier spanning massive 36km from the base of Cho Oyu to Gokyo. Although trekking this day is not as difficult, we continue in fast pace as sunlight may melt the ice, so clear the route before that happens. Along the path we get to witness the view of Cho Oyu and GokyoRi.Approximately 5-6 hours of walk. BLD included.
This is yet another difficult day to trek as we have to cross another one of the three main passes The Cho-La. The trail is steep and after few hours trek and traversing over the glacier you can reach Cho-La. The view of mountains is nonetheless magnificent.We descend down the pass to the village of Dzongla where we get a well-deserved rest. Approximately 7-8 hours of walk. BLD included.
This is where we meet up with the normal EBC route from where we diverged from Day 5. We go downhill to Lobuche. This passage gives us the view of Mt. Lobuche, Mt. Everest and others. Approximately 4-5 hours of walk. BLD included.
Heading upwards from Lobuche after few hours trek we reach Gorakshep through a rock trail. But, the view of Mt. Everest, Mt. Nuptse and others make it worthwhile. Going further uphill crossing the Khumbu Glacier we finally reach our destination- Everest Base camp from where we get to witness the mighty Everest at its best. After spending few hours there, we traverse back to Gorakshep where stay overnight.Approximately 6-8 hours of walk. BLD included.
Start early before, we trek to KalaPathar- one of the major highlight of this trek. Kala Pathar translates to "black rock" and is considered the best place to view Mt. Everest. When the sunrise reflects on the Everest, that view from Kala Pathar is priceless and godly.With the view of the mountains such as Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Pumori, Mt. Amadablam, trekking has never been more fun. We move further downhill to Lobuche. Approximately 5-6 hours of walk. BLD included.
We cross the final of the three passes- the Kongma La in this day. Starting your way through the Khumbu glacier we climb atop the highest of the three pass. However, there are no any tea shops or water resources so trekkers are advised to be stock on those items. Moving downhill we move into the valley of NiyangKhola and make our stop at Chukkung. Approximately 6-7 hours of walk. BLD included.
We transverse downhill and pass Dingboche and Pangboche. Through this path, we cross the river via a bridge and finally reach Tenboche.Trekkres can visit the monastery located atop Tenboche and spend the evening there. Approximately 5-6 hours of walk. BLD included.
With our journey nearing its end, trekkers traverse further downhill back to Namche. On our path, we will gaze upon the magnificent Rhododendron forest and after crossing the bridge through the pine forest we reach Namche Bazar late afternoon.Approximately 7-8 hours of walk. BLD included.
Descend downwards through the Hillary SupsensionBridge and head back to Phakding. On the way take a final look at some of the remote Nepali villages as you trek towards Lukla. Be prepared to say farewell to the mountains as you stay overnight at Lukla and reminiscence the past bitter sweet 2 weeks. Approximately 6-7 hours of walk. BLD included.
After a short 40 minute flight from Lukla, guest will be transported to Kathmandu and transferred to the hotel. This is the day you celebrate and recollect the memories you made in last 18 days, look at the pictures you took with the Himalayas and take a good long rest. Breakfast included