New Groups Opened to our latest Ranthan Kharak trek in Kumaon

Difficulty

Difficult

Duration

18 Days

Highest Altitude

18,200 ft

Age

18 to 55 years

Duration

18 Days

Age

18 to 55 years

Difficulty

Difficult

Highest Altitude

18,200 ft

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Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Ri Trek

A More Rewarding Trail to the Base Camp of the Highest Mountain in the World

The world knows of the Everest Base Camp trail. To go to the base camp of the highest mountain in the world is on every mountain lover’s bucket list. However, we believe, to truly do justice to trekking in the Everest region, Everest Base camp- Gokyo Ri circuit is the trek to do! This trail offers you the best of both worlds: the well-trodded Everest region and the lesser-visited Gokyo region. By adding three more days to the itinerary, the trail becomes infinitely more rewarding.

First, the views from the Gokyo Ri summit are much grander than the ones you will see from on top of Kala Patthar in the Everest region. From Kala Patthar, you would see three of the 14 eight-thousanders in the world – the Everest, Makalu and Lhotse. On the Gokyo Ri summit, you not only see these mountains but also see another eight-thousander, Cho Oyu. Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world, is an additional treat you get on the Gokyo trail.

Then, when you look down from the Gokyo Ri summit, you see the Ngozumpa glacier – the longest glacier in the Himalayas. Behind you, you see three blue-green lakes that seem to dwarf everything around them. These are the Gokyo lakes. There are five of them – each grander than the other that you get to visit. All of this, coupled with the seclusion the Gokyo region offers, makes it a stupendous addition to the Everest Base Camp trail.

That being said, Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Ri is a difficult trek. You climb to over 17,000 ft at least thrice on this trek (Gokyo Ri, Chola Pass and Kala Patthar). Going to that altitude three times is not easy at all. Then there is the Ngozumpa glacier and Chola Pass, both of these places with terrain that are tricky to traverse. You must come well-prepared for this trek.

Quick Itinerary

Detailed Itinerary

How difficult is it?

What is the best time?

How to reach the base?

What to pack?

FAQ

Photo Gallery

How to get fit?

Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Ri Videos

Watch these videos to plan and prepare for your trek.

Quick Itinerary

Day 1

Reach Kathmandu. Fly to Lukla

Meet the Indiahikes team at Lukla. You will reach Kathmandu on your own. It is better to take a flight to Lukla on the previous day. This gives you a day's advantage. Even if your flight gets delayed on Day 0, you have a buffer day on reaching Lukla on Day 1 this way.

Day 2

Trek from Lukla to Phakding

Trek Distance: 9 km | Duration: 4-5 hours | Altitude Loss: 9,300 ft to 8,600 ft

Easy. Gradual descent throughout. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 3

Trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar

Trek Distance: 10 km | Duration: 7 hours | Altitude Gain: 8,600 ft to 11,290 ft

Moderate. Initial level walk for 30 minutes followed by an undulating trail for a few hours. Steep climb to Namche hereafter. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 4

Acclimatisation Day at Namche Bazaar

Today, you’ll do anacclimatisationclimb to Everest View Hotel and come back down to Namche for lunch.

Day 5

Trek from Namche Bazaar to Phortse Thanga

Trek Distance: 10 km | Duration: 6 hours | Altitude Gain: 11,290 ft to 12,000 ft

Moderate. 4 km level walk followed by a steep ascent for around 2 km. Descent all the way post-lunch. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 6

Trek from Phortse Thanga to Macchermo via Dole and Lafarma

Duration: 5-6 hours | Altitude Gain: 12,000 ft to 14,600 ft

Difficult. Steep ascent for 3-4 hours followed by a gradual descent for 20 minutes. Ends with a gradual ascent all the way. Start with carrying 2 litres of water. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 7

Trek from Macchermo to Gokyo

Duration: 6-7 hours | Altitude Loss: 14,600 ft to 15,744 ft

Moderate. Level walk for about an hour followed by gradual ascent for 3-4 hours. Last 1 hour on boulders. Start with carrying 2 litres of water. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 8

Trek from Gokyo to Thangna; excursion to Gokyo Ri

Duration: 9 hours | Altitude Gain and Loss: 14,600 ft to 15,580 ft via 17,575 ft

Difficult. Steep ascent to Gokyo Ri. To Thangna, a short steep ascent followed by 1.5 hours glacier walk. Gradual ascent after this. Start with carrying 2 litres of water. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 9

Rest Day at Thangna

This is your rest day.

Day 10

Trek from Thangna to Dzongla via Cho La Pass

Duration: 9-10 hours | Altitude Gain and Loss: 15,580 ft to 15,900 ft via 17,605 ft

Difficult. 4-5 km gradual ascent followed by 1 km of gradual descent. 1-1.5 km of trekking on boulders followed by a 1 km glacier walk. 1 km steep descent on boulders easing off into a gradual descent. Start with carrying at least 2 litres of water. No water sources till you cross Cho La Pass.

Day 11

Trek from Dzongla to Labouche

Duration: 3 hours | Altitude Gain: 15,900 ft to 16,200 ft

Moderate. Level walk throughout. Carry 2 litres of water, you will be covered.

Day 12

Trek from Labouche to Gorakshep (Excursion to EBC)

Duration: 3 hours | Altitude Gain: 16,200 ft to 16,900 ft

Moderate. Short, steep ascent followed by 1.5-2 hours of boulder walk. Ends with a gradually ascending trail. Carry sufficient water. You’ll find teahouses on the way to Gorakshep.

Day 13

Climb Kala Pathar. Trek from Gorakshep to Pheriche

Duration: 3 hours | Altitude Gain and Loss: 16,900 ft to 14,070 ft via 18,200 ft

Difficult. Gradual descent all the way to Pheriche. Carry sufficient water; you can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 14

Trek from Pheriche to Tengboche

Duration: 4-5 hours | Altitude Loss: 14,070 ft to 12,665 ft

Moderate. 3 km gradual ascent to Tengboche. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 15

Trek from Tengboche to Namche Bazaar

Duration: 4 hours | Altitude Loss: 12,665 ft to 11,290 ft

Moderate. Continuous descent followed by a final, short stretch of steep ascent. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 16

Trek from Namche Bazaar to Lukla

Duration: 7-8 hours | Altitude Loss: 11,290 ft to 9,300 ft

Moderate. Continuous descent to Phakding for a few hours followed by gradual ascent to Lukla. You will find tea houses on the way to refill your water bottles.

Day 17

Buffer Day

A buffer day to accommodate for any day lost due to bad weather or other external factors.

Day 18

Fly out of Lukla to Kathmandu

Take the early morning flight out of Lukla. It will take you about 45 mins to reach Kathmandu. Depart from Kathmandu.

IMPORTANT POINTS

➤ Documents required: It is mandatory for trekkers to carry a copy of their ID Card for entry at forest check posts on the trek.

➤ Stay facility: At Lukla, your stay will be arranged in lodges. On the trek, you will be staying at tea houses

➤ Cloakroom facility for excess luggage: We have a cloakroom facility at Lukla. No valuables can be kept. Also, do not carry any excess luggage on the trek.

➤ Insurance: Insurance is not included in the trek fee. If you want to avail insurance for this trek, you can write an email to your Experience Coordinator and apply for insurance.

➤ Food and Water on Trek: Any food you have during your trek or during the travel is at your own expense. This is not included in the trek fee. You will have access to drinking water at the tea houses where you stay. However, if you are buying drinking water, then the charges are extra. This is not included in your trek fee.

Note: A filtered water bottle is highly recommended when going on this trek.

PRO-TIPS

Onward Travel

If you're planning to reach Lukla, take a flight from Kathmandu on Day 0 of your trek. Flights are your only option even though they are unreliable. They can get cancelled if there's bad weather. Planning your flight on Day 0 will give you a day's advantage in case your flight is cancelled.

Example: If your trek date is starting on 1st April, you need to plan on reaching Lukla on 31st March.

Flights to Lukla

Flights from Kathmandu to Lukla have reduced a lot due to traffic. If trekkers cannot get a flight from Kathmandu, they can travel from Ramechap to Lukla. Trekkers can take 6:30 am flight to Lukla.

Ramechap is 4 hours from Kathmandu. They can start from Kathmandu around 2 am and reach Ramechap (It costs 2500 Nepali Rupees).

Note: You are only allowed to carry 15 kg luggage on the flight from Kathmandu to Lukla and return.

Planning your Expenses

Since food is not included in the trek fee, bring INR 35,000 for food only. It costs approx INR 1600-1700 per day. Overall, you can bring INR 45,000-50,000 for the entire journey/trek.

Return Travel

While returning, you will reach Kathmandu by taking an early morning flight from Lukla. Plan your travel any time after 2.00 PM from Kathmandu

Hack for Hot Water

A small hack for hot water is to bring at least one Metal Water bottle. Tea houses always have fireplaces.
If you have a metal water bottle, you can just keep the bottle next to the fireplace and get hot water without paying any money. Hot water otherwise costs INR 200 a liter.

Day 1

Reach Kathmandu. Fly to Lukla

Day 2

Trek from Lukla to Phakding

Trek Distance: 9 km | Duration: 4-5 hours | Altitude Loss: 9,300 ft to 8,600 ft

Easy. Gradual descent throughout. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 3

Trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar

Trek Distance: 10 km | Duration: 7 hours | Altitude Gain: 8,600 ft to 11,290 ft

Moderate. Initial level walk for 30 minutes followed by an undulating trail for a few hours. Steep climb to Namche hereafter. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 4

Acclimatisation Day at Namche Bazaar

Today, you’ll do anacclimatisationclimb to Everest View Hotel and come back down to Namche for lunch.

Day 5

Trek from Namche Bazaar to Phortse Thanga

Trek Distance: 10 km | Duration: 6 hours | Altitude Gain: 11,290 ft to 12,000 ft

Moderate. 4 km level walk followed by a steep ascent for around 2 km. Descent all the way post-lunch. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 6

Trek from Phortse Thanga to Macchermo via Dole and Lafarma

Duration: 5-6 hours | Altitude Gain: 12,000 ft to 14,600 ft

Day 7

Trek from Macchermo to Gokyo

Duration: 6-7 hours | Altitude Loss: 14,600 ft to 15,744 ft

Day 8

Trek from Gokyo to Thangna; excursion to Gokyo Ri

Duration: 9 hours | Altitude Gain and Loss: 14,600 ft to 15,580 ft via 17,575 ft

Day 9

Rest Day at Thangna

This is your rest day.

Day 10

Trek from Thangna to Dzongla via Cho La Pass

Duration: 9-10 hours | Altitude Gain and Loss: 15,580 ft to 15,900 ft via 17,605 ft

Day 11

Trek from Dzongla to Labouche

Duration: 3 hours | Altitude Gain: 15,900 ft to 16,200 ft

Moderate. Level walk throughout. Carry 2 litres of water, you will be covered.

Day 12

Trek from Labouche to Gorakshep (Excursion to EBC)

Duration: 3 hours | Altitude Gain: 16,200 ft to 16,900 ft

Moderate. Short, steep ascent followed by 1.5-2 hours of boulder walk. Ends with a gradually ascending trail. Carry sufficient water. You’ll find teahouses on the way to Gorakshep.

Day 13

Climb Kala Pathar. Trek from Gorakshep to Pheriche

Duration: 3 hours | Altitude Gain and Loss: 16,900 ft to 14,070 ft via 18,200 ft

Difficult. Gradual descent all the way to Pheriche. Carry sufficient water; you can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 14

Trek from Pheriche to Tengboche

Duration: 4-5 hours | Altitude Loss: 14,070 ft to 12,665 ft

Moderate. 3 km gradual ascent to Tengboche. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 15

Trek from Tengboche to Namche Bazaar

Duration: 4 hours | Altitude Loss: 12,665 ft to 11,290 ft

Moderate. Continuous descent followed by a final, short stretch of steep ascent. You can refill your water bottles at tea houses on the way.

Day 16

Trek from Namche Bazaar to Lukla

Duration: 7-8 hours | Altitude Loss: 11,290 ft to 9,300 ft

Moderate. Continuous descent to Phakding for a few hours followed by gradual ascent to Lukla. You will find tea houses on the way to refill your water bottles.

Day 17

Buffer Day

A buffer day to accommodate for any day lost due to bad weather or other external factors.

Day 18

Fly out of Lukla to Kathmandu

Take the early morning flight out of Lukla. It will take you about 45 mins to reach Kathmandu. Depart from Kathmandu.

IMPORTANT POINTS

➤ Documents required: It is mandatory for trekkers to carry a copy of their ID Card for entry at forest check posts on the trek.

➤ Stay facility: At Lukla, your stay will be arranged in lodges. On the trek, you will be staying at tea houses

➤ Cloakroom facility for excess luggage: We have a cloakroom facility at Lukla. No valuables can be kept. Also, do not carry any excess luggage on the trek.

➤ Insurance: Insurance is not included in the trek fee. If you want to avail insurance for this trek, you can write an email to your Experience Coordinator and apply for insurance.

➤ Food and Water on Trek: Any food you have during your trek or during the travel is at your own expense. This is not included in the trek fee. You will have access to drinking water at the tea houses where you stay. However, if you are buying drinking water, then the charges are extra. This is not included in your trek fee.

Note: A filtered water bottle is highly recommended when going on this trek.

PRO-TIPS

Onward Travel

Example: If your trek date is starting on 1st April, you need to plan on reaching Lukla on 31st March.

Flights to Lukla

Flights from Kathmandu to Lukla have reduced a lot due to traffic. If trekkers cannot get a flight from Kathmandu, they can travel from Ramechap to Lukla. Trekkers can take 6:30 am flight to Lukla.

Ramechap is 4 hours from Kathmandu. They can start from Kathmandu around 2 am and reach Ramechap (It costs 2500 Nepali Rupees).

Note: You are only allowed to carry 15 kg luggage on the flight from Kathmandu to Lukla and return.

Planning your Expenses

Since food is not included in the trek fee, bring INR 35,000 for food only. It costs approx INR 1600-1700 per day. Overall, you can bring INR 45,000-50,000 for the entire journey/trek.

Return Travel

While returning, you will reach Kathmandu by taking an early morning flight from Lukla. Plan your travel any time after 2.00 PM from Kathmandu

Hack for Hot Water

Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Ri is Best Discovered Through Pictures

A brilliant play of colours over the big mountains on the EBC-Gokyo Ri.

Picture by: Dushyant Sharma

Sandhya Chandrasekharayya, Co-Founder, COO

Sandhya is a founding partner at Indiahikes. Over the past ten years, she has explored and put on the map a few of the greatest Himalayan treks in India, including Kashmir Great Lakes and Kedarkantha. She is a TedX Speaker and has been awarded the "Women of Worth" Award by Outlook Business in 2017. She believes in sustainable living just as she believes in sustainable trekking.

What I Like About the Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Ri Trek

What I Like About the Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Ri Trek

Sandhya Chandrasekharayya, Co-Founder, COO

Sandhya is a founding partner at Indiahikes. Over the past ten years, she has explored and put on the map a few of the greatest Himalayan treks in India, including Kashmir Great Lakes and Kedarkantha. She is a TedX Speaker and has been awarded the "Women of Worth" Award by Outlook Business in 2017. She believes in sustainable living just as she believes in sustainable trekking.

1. The Everest Base Camp

There is a point on the Gorakshep – Everest Base Camp trail, where you get a bird’s eye view of the base camp, sitting at the edge of the Khumbu icefall. You see the Khumbu glacier, the Western shoulder of Everest and Nuptse. It is a sight that fills you with amazement, and a sense of where you are.

Walking to expedition tents on the Everest Base Camp is an excitement of its own. There is a maze of expedition tents among the unbelievably dangerous Khumbu icefall seracs. Sometimes, you find an Indian expedition tent whose climbers will welcome you to their tents and regale you with stories!

Photo by Dushyant Sharma

2. The different faces of Ama Dablam

Ama Dablam has the distinction of being the most beautiful mountain in the Everest region. You first see it in Namche Bazaar, from the Sherpa Cultural Museum. It disappears from your view as you get deeper into the Gokyo region.

And then, right after you cross Chola Pass, en route to Dzongla, you are greeted with an entirely different face of Ama Dablam. This peak looks so different from different spots on the trek. And to see an entirely new face of this beautiful mountain feels like a privilege.

Photo by Christopher Immanuel

3. Trekking among big mountains

The biggest attraction of trekking in Nepal is its big, precipitous mountains. They surround you! On this trail, you will see Everest, Makalu, Lhotse and Cho Oyu and traverse Himalaya’s largest glaciers like Ngozumpa and see the Khumbu glacier.

The sense of being among big mountains also gives you a sense of the legacies of great mountaineers. You are walking on the same trails they have walked on, filled with landmarks to their memory.

You see the Tenzing Norgay Stupa, on the route beyond Namche. And then, just above Dughla on the Everest highway, you’ll find memorials for eminent mountaineers who gave their lives away on the slopes.

Mt Pumori. Photo by Nand Kishore

4. Crossing Cho La Pass

Cho La Pass is a pass that takes you from the Gokyo region to the Everest region. It is an extremely adventurous pass crossing – with the ascent being on rubble and scree while the descent is on a snowed out glacier and boulders. There is not one moment in this tricky climb and descent that you can afford to lose your attention. It makes for an adrenaline-filled experience.

If you do the Everest Base Camp - Gokyo Ri circuit you have done justice to trekking in the Everest region! For anyone trekking in Nepal for the first time, this trail is infinitely more rewarding.

Chola pass to Zongla. Photo by Vijesh

Know Your Trek

We have always wanted trekkers to be well-informed before they go on a Himalayan trek. Knowledge is the difference between a safe trek and a dangerous one. It’s also the difference between a wholesome experience and a superficial experience.

Use this section to learn about the Everest Base Camp via the Gokyo Ri trek. It has in-depth information about each day of the trek, what to expect, and how you need to prepare for it. Many years of expertise have gone into this content. Trekkers find that extremely useful.