Everest Base Camp Trek via Gokyo Lake

Flying into Kathmandu is a memorable experience with the view of Himalayan spreadings. The flight will land at (TIA) Tribhuwan International Airport at 1350m after you will receive Nepal entry visa which can be obtained in advance or on arrival and for the visa processing at TIA might take around 45min. depending on the number of people in a queue. For the Nepal entry visa information, kindly refer to Nepal government official site Department of Immigration Nepal. After you exit from the gate, you will see our company’s representative waiting for you holding placard written with the company name & logo. Company representative welcomes you by offering the holy Tibetan scarf and transfer to the hotel in a private vehicle.

It takes around 30min to reach at Thamel by a vehicle. The scenes of Pashupatinath(sacred Hindu temple), city, full of various vehicles, peoples make our journey more enjoyable and amazing, then we reach the hotel and take rest. Thamel is full of restaurants, shopping centers, and good accommodation. Our Tour Guide and Trekking Guide will conduct a pre-trip briefing and afterward invited to welcome dinner.

The sightseeing program will start from:

Swoyambhunath Stupa

This is the most ancient and enigmatic of all the holy shrines in Kathmandu valley. Swayambhu has been listed in the World Heritage Sites. The entire valley was an enormous lake, nagdah, out of which grew a lotus with five colored flame (self-arisen). Lotus was transformed into a hill and the flower became the stupa. It is still believed that the self-arisen flame is covered with dome of Stupa. The place is known as Swayambhu, meaning “Self-Created” over which a stupa was later built. Swayambhu is among the oldest religious sites in Nepal known as ‘monkey temple’ because of the large tribe of roaming monkeys. Located at one of the highest elevations in Kathmandu Valley gives panoramic views of the city. The place is praised by Buddha and meditated by several Buddha’s as a pure holy site.

Patan

– City of fine arts
-Three main courtyards

It is one of the three medieval cities in Kathmandu and a destination of fine arts has hundreds of fascinating Hindu and Buddhist monuments scattered in and around. Patan City is an enchanting mixture of palace buildings, artistic courtyards, and former palace complex. Most of the monuments are back to the medieval Malla period 15th to 17th century as the golden period of Nepalese art and architecture. Krishna Mandir- a stone temple of Lord Krishna with its 21 spires and bas-relief art depicting scenes from the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics and surrounding Hindu and Buddhist temples. The main highlights are the Golden Gate and the Golden Window of the old Palace, the beautiful piece of traditional metal crafts, the famed Krishna temple with 21 golden pinnacles, the Royal bath of Sundari Chowk, a perfect piece of the classic work in stone, Royal Taleju temple, Vishwanath Temple and Char Narayan temple are the finest examples of the unique craftsmanship in wood; the temple of Bhimsen with the magnificent golden balcony overlooking the square outside plus many other shrines and sculptures scattered in and around the square.

Pashupatinath Temple

Pashupatinath Temple is one of the most sacred Hindu temples of Nepal located at the banks of holy Bagmati River. Every year this temple attracts hundreds of elderly followers of Hinduism. The place for different festival like Maha Shivaratri and Teej where thousands of devotees celebrate. The temple is the ultimate pilgrimage for Hindus throughout the world. The area is swarmed in by the Hindus from different part of the country. The two-storied pagoda temple of Pashupathinath houses the five-faced statue of Lord Shiva. Apart from the main shrine, there are numerous temples dedicated to different god and goddess in and around the Pashupatinath temple area. This temple is an important destination for art historians. It displays a variety of temple design some of which are Dome style, Pagoda style, Shikhara style and so on. Cremation site here draws attention of many who really thrive to explore cultural & spiritual aspects of death rituals of Hindus.

Bouddhanath stupa

Bouddhanath Stupa is the largest and most sacred Tibetan Buddhist site outside of Tibet forming a religion and culture hub for the Tibetan and people from the Himalayas of Nepal. The Stupa was on the ancient trade route from Tibet. The Stupa is claimed to have the relic of Kasyapa Buddha, the third Buddha of the Bhadrakalpa. Boudha Stupa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site significant for its historic and architectural significance, with sprouting monasteries and craftsmanship. It is said that the stupa is built by the mother Jyajhima, a poultry woman. She was very poor despite her poverty she had an intense desire for building a stupa. The mother passed away after she completed up to the vase, the dome-like structure. She had four sons, and the construction of the rest of the Stupa was completed by four sons. After they finished it, they all stood up in front of it and made prayers. Everyone made their wishes. When they were praying, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas were absorbed into the stupa, which is why the name of the stupa is also “All-Encompassing.” The stupa is a semicircular white dome and the towering spire, with unblinking eyes painted on each side that stares into the four directions. The overall shape represents a Buddhist mandala (a cosmological map) and the path towards enlightenment, as well as the mythical center of the cosmos, Mount Meru. The four Dhyani Buddha signifies the crucial points, and the fifth, Vairocana is enshrined in the central white hemisphere of the stupa. The base of the stupa consists of three large platforms, decreasing in size. The square tower is topped by a pyramid with 13 steps, represents the stages that human beings must pass through to achieve nirvana. The triangular shape is the abstract for the elements of fire. Every portion has a symbolic significance: the base, dome, spire, and pinnacle represent the five elements. It is said that the stupa contains a piece of bone from the skeleton of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha.

This site marks the conclusion of our day-long sightseeing. We’ll then return to the hotel and have a briefing for the trip set to begin the following day.

This is the day for you to kick off your lifetime adventurous trek that will go through higher altitude, wonderful terrains, gorges, higher suspension bridges, Sherpa lifestyles, native Himalayan cultures & many more. Since there is only flight option available for you to reach Lukla airport, your gateway to 13 days long trek, kindly be prepared for chilled & thrilling flight which will be landing on the most extreme high altitude airport in the world. You will have two options depending on the season to fly to Lukla. First one is from Kathmandu to Lukla via direct flight (35min.) which is operational during the months of June, July, August and December, January, February. Another second option is to drive from Kathmandu early morning to Manthali for about four hours and will catch a flight from Manthali to Lukla (25min.) during the months of September, October, November and March, April, May.

The flight will provide you with an extraordinary view of stunning mountain ranges & welcoming green hills. The flight will take off mostly early morning. At the airport, our guide will brief you again regarding the trekking information further and also will introduce your assistance (porters) to you. After your first mountain breakfast at Lukla airport, you will kick off your trekking for the day with 3-4 hours of easy walk to Phakding, a small beautiful village on the bank of Dudhkoshi River. Overnight stay at Phakding.

After the breakfast, we will strive on trails that takes us through forests, traditional villages with ploughed fields & Yak pastures. It’s a quite strenuous walk uphill, however beautiful scenes, pristine air and a quest to reach on top will keep you going. As we reach to the entrance of Sagarmatha National park which is also a home to endangered flora & fauna, stunning Thamserku will be rising above us. On the way we will pass by some attractive Sherpa Villages like Monjo & Jhorsale. A multiple stops on the way to soak up in some stunning view will finally takes us to the magnificent & beautiful Namche Bazar. Known as a gateway to Everest, Namche Bazar is itself a largest Sherpa Village in Khumbu region. Overnight stay at Namche Bazar.

Today is a day to acclimatize that allows your body to adjust in to higher altitude. However we will utilize this day by being active around Namche Bazar, hike up to Everest View Hotel, visit School established by Sir Edmund Hillary in Khumbu village following the panoramic view of highest mountains. The views are clearer as you hike uphill. Enjoy the spectacular views of the majestic mountains, Ama Dablam, Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Thamserku, Khumbila, and Kwangde, from the place near the hotel. And then we head down to Namche, as it’s an acclimatization day, so we won’t be gaining altitude. Later today, you visit the Everest Photo Gallery, Museum, and many more in Namche. Overnight stay at Namche Bazar.

This day we leave a beautiful Namche Bazar behind & continue on our trail to Dole after having energizing mountain breakfast at Namche. Dole is small village and the trail from Namche to Dole is filled with rhododendron, alpine trees surrounded by snowy caps, small villages, sky touching mountains, stupas, monasteries probably the most scenic day in your entire trek. The beginning is quite easy, flattened & straight. We will climb for few and descend again on the level of Dudhkoshi before reaching to our day’s destination, Dole. We will enjoy a beautiful sunrise view from among mountain & spend overnight there.

Macchermo, small and beautiful village which is at the altitude of 4470meter will be waiting for us in the evening. After an energizing & boosting breakfast for the day’s steep uphill trek, we will walk for 6-7 hours accompanied by Dudhkoshi River throughout the day. The glorious view of Mt. Thamserku after passing through Alabama and Luza will completely leave us spellbound. Overnight stay will be in Macchermo village.

As usual post breakfast 5-6 hours trek through narrow & steep trail will take us to Gokyo. On the way to Gokyo village, we will first meet Gokyo Lake which truly lives to its praises for a natural fresh water that emanates from Ngozumpa glacier. Passing through the pastures and beautiful landscapes of shepherds with their livestock, we will finally reach the Gokyo village. It is a small village on the shore of the Dudh Pokhari. The hill nearby allows you to be mesmerized by the view of the glorious Dudh Koshi River and the Ngozumpa glacier. We will spend the night in Gokyo village surrounded by all the beauty, soaking it all in.

Next day you may prefer to hike up to Gokyo Ri (5430m) which is at the same altitude of as Everest Basecamp where you will enjoy the spectacular views of Mt. Everest & many other high mountains, glaciers and get acclimatized. The Gokyo peaks stands tall with their glaciers & lakes providing a majestic view. Overnight stay at Gokyo.

While continuing our trek to Thagnak will we be passing through Ngojumpa glacier & the day will be full of many ups & downs, however we won’t gain any height. Thagnak village sits by the Ngojumpa glacier, a perfect place helping trekkers to reach Cho-La-Pass. Overnight stay at Thagnak.

Today is the most difficult day out of whole trip. The Cho-La-Pass itself is not difficult but it is steep & involves a glacier traverse on eastern side. We need to be very careful as the trail is vertical & rocks glazed by ice might cause trouble by making the trail slippery. After a couple of hours, we will step on top of Cho-La-Pass which will reward us with the magnificent views of Cho-La Lake and Mt. Cholatse (6440m). As we walk downwards crossing Cho La Pass the lake stays with us over a long stretch. The pyramidal Ama Dablam presides over a range of mountains on the south even as Cholatse soars to the west and Lobuche East and Baruntse rises sharply to our right. We need to pass through some crevasses before we reach Dzongla Village. The village provides great views of Cholatse, Ama Dablam, Lobuche Mountains along with the Pheriche Village far below. As we climb down from Dzongla we will walk through a grassy trail while enjoying a beautiful view of Lobuche peak. Overnight stay at Lobuche.

Today, you are in to the most routine day of your entire journey. After an early breakfast we head to Gorakhshep at the height of 5181meters, a sparsely populated place with some guesthouses being operated during tourist seasons. Following a rocky moraine path, we see an icy glacial pond and icebergs down below of Khumbu glacier. After the last rocky moraine dunes, a short downhill trek brings us to Gorak Shep, a dry, sandy lakebed. Once you reach Gorakhshep you will be taken to your guesthouse where you can leave you heavy gear as you are coming back for spending a night here.
Then we make our way to Everest Base Camp. It’s a moment of pride for everyone. It’s been a week since you’ve been waiting for the day. You trek through the Khumbu Glacier, the world’s highest glacier, at a height of 4900 m. The glacier resembles a moon and is 12 kilometers long. As you walk through the ice formations and small pools of water, you will have your best moment. You explore the area and witness the glory of the highest peaks rising just before you. You are now standing in the base camp of the world’s highest mountain, Mt. Everest. You cannot see Mt. Everest from the base camp as it hides between Mt. Lhotse and Mt. Nuptse. After Wandering around the base camp and capture the moment in photos, celebrate the moments with your teammates and guides you will be guided to Gorakhshep where you will spend overnight.

Today we will ascend to Kalapatthar & It’s time to catch the most beautiful view of the entire trek. The views from the top of Kala Patthar is something to cherish for the rest of your life. You will aim to get there for a sunrise view over Everest. From Gorakshep. It’s up, up, and up you go, until you see prayer flags and stunning views. After spending some time you will head back to Gorak Shep for breakfast and walk to the Pheriche.

Wrapping up your climbing up journey, this day you will walk mostly downhill crossing Khumbu Khola on wooden suspension bridge and follow Imja Khola to the village of Pangboche. The trail is long and Mountain View is not yet over. While continuing with River & crossing over it, we will climb slightly up to Tengboche through birch & rhododendron forest. Then we will descend downward to the bridge over Dudhkoshi ultimately leading to Namche, sigh moment!! Spend a warm night recalling basecamp memories.

Today the last day of your trekking, be ready to cover longer distance, descending all the way through Jorsale, Monjo & phakding to finally Lukla. Amazing mountainous terrain & greenery as well as the company of Dudhkoshi River will keep you absolutely engaged throughout the trek. Upon reaching Lukla bazar it is time to celebrate your successful completion of EBC trek, a lifetime experience.

Your long days trek is going to conclude with an adventurous flight back to Kathmandu early morning. Now what you see the highest mountains from the window will be quite familiar to you, recalling them & enjoying the landscape beneath you will be welcome in Kathmandu again.
Our office will organize a farewell dinner in the evening with Nepali cultural performance to add one more last minute amazing experience in your itinerary.

Our office representative will see you off at airport. Time to say ‘See you again’