Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri Trek

Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu | Transfer to Hotel

1. 12h · Admission ticket included
   Welcome to Nepal, the Land of the Himalayas, home to Lord Buddha and the land of Diversity. As you land to the Tribhuwan International Airport and complete the necessary formalities you will be greeted by our representatives and transferred to the respective hotel of your stay. Depending upon your convenience, you may get your jetlagged body some rest or later may explore the busy streets in and around the place of your stay. You may also go for shopping the missing gears and equipment for your trekking expedition. Thamel and Durbar square are some of the nearby preferred places to hang on. Enjoy Nepalese cuisines at the hotel and the hospitality of the hotel staffs. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Day 2: Kathmandu: Sightseeing and Trek Preparation:

1. Pashupatinath Temple
   3h · Admission ticket included
   Sacred and Spiritual highly reputed and respected temple for Hindus. Every year thousands of pilgrims make their way to to this temple from Nepal, India and other countries. Pashupatinath temple is a very important spot to analyze the real meaning of life. And it holds various myths and legends regarding Lord Shiva. Moreover, this temple is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
2. Boudhanath Stupa
   2h · Admission ticket included
   Largest stupa of Nepal which is highly respected and adored by both Hindu and Buddhist people, as well as many western peoples, are also getting attracted to its spiritual beauty. It is also enlisted as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
3. 2h · Admission ticket included
   Swoyabhunath Stupa or Monkey Temple is one of the holy and spiritual spots. With an eye-dazzling view of sunrise and sunset as well as a complete panorama of Kathmandu City from its height and lots of monks, prayer flags and prayer wheels, this is the best place to get rid of hectic crowd and get some peace. This is also a UNESCO World Heritage SIte.

Day 3: Kathmandu to Phakding (2,652 m/8,700 ft) via Lukla [2,800 m/9,184 ft]

1. 4h · Admission ticket included
   Today we shall leave Kathmandu to begin the trekking expedition in the beautiful Gokyo region. After around 35 minutes of flight above the breathtaking green hills and glittering majestic mountains, we reach to the Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla. After the exciting flight, we shall meet the remaining members of our trekking team at the airport, make some further arrangements and packing and begin our trekking experience. We shall have a short trek today for the purpose of acclimatization. We shall be accompanied by the Dudh Koshi River all along the trail through the prosperous Lukla village to the destination of Phakding. We shall descend to the Chaurikharka and gradually climb up the Dudh Koshi valley to reach our destination for today. Overnight in Phakding.
2. Dudh Koshi River
   1h · Admission ticket included
   Further, we descend along the Dudh Koshi River and as the trail gains altitude we pass through the dense forests that have rhododendron, fir and birch in it.
3. 4h · Admission ticket included
   We trek ahead in the trail to reach the settlement of Dole that provides the magnificent views of Kantega and Thamserku Mountain, through the settlements of Tongba and Gyele. We can also observe various flora and fauna in the national park like Lophophorus, rhododendron flower, pine forest and many more.

Day 4: Phakding to Namche Bazaar [3,440 m/11,283 ft]

1. Irish Pub
   7h · Admission ticket included
   We shall traverse through the dense forests dominated by pine groves, awesome view of the Himalayas seen above the tree line along the way, beautiful gorges, suspension bridges and torrential rivers decorate this section of the trail. We trek along the torrential Dudh Koshi River and cross it a couple of times and also have the view of Mt Thamserku from Benkar village. After having our permits checked at Monjo, the entry point of Sagarmatha National Park, we gradually reach to the village of Jorsale. Crossing through the breathtaking suspension bridge in the last leg of our today’s trail, we reach Namche after a couple of hours’ climb on a wide switchback trail. Intermittently, we shall also have the view of mountains including the mighty Everest, Kusum peak, Lhotse, Kangaru peak and others. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

Day 5: Namche Bazaar: Acclimatization Day

1. Everest View Point
   5h · Admission ticket included
   Today is the day set aside for acclimatization so that our body gets adapted to the climatic conditions of the region. An ideal place for acclimatization in terms of altitude, Namche Bazaar provides many options for exploration as well. As recommended by health experts, being active during the day is preferred over resting all day in the hotel room. Side-trip to the Everest View Hotel provides you with the fabulous views of Mount Everest, Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and other peaks. Another hiking to the nearby Khumjung village provides you with the chance to explore the Khunde Hospital and school (also known as the ‘Schoolhouse in the clouds’) built by Sir Edmund Hillary. Surrounded by snowy peaks of Kongde, Thamserku and the sacred Khumbila peak, Khumjung also has a monastery with the skull of Yeti. Another hike to Thame and Khunde is also viable option for the trekkers. The vibrant Namche Bazaar has traditional shops and markets, souvenir shops, museums, cafes and restaurants among the others. The visitor centre near headquarter of Sagarmatha National Park provides information about Sherpa culture, floral and faunal diversity along with observation of things associated with Everest climbers. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

Day 6: Namche Bazaar – Dole[4,200m/13,780 ft]

1. Mt. Ama Dablam
   1h · Admission ticket included
   We start from the ascend up to the small village of Kyangjuma from Namche Bazaar that provides us with the views of Ama Dablam (6856m), Thamserku (6808m) and Katenga (6685m).

Day 7: Dole – Machhermo[4,470 m/ 14,663 ft]

1. 6h · Admission ticket included
   Today we have a relatively shorter trek as compared to the previous day. To reach the overnight destination of Machhermo we pass through the settlements of Lhabarma and the beautiful Luza. We ascend gradually on the initial phase of today’s trek traversing through the scenic ridge above Dole and climb to Lhabarma. Further along the trail, we have the opportunity to explore through the summer settlements and striking Luza village. Ascending ahead in the trail, we pass through the small communities and sandy spurs we reach to our destination of Machhermo. The confluence of streams originating from Kyajo Ri and Pari Lapche mountains along with the views of several of the mountains are the highlights of today’s trek.

Day 8: Machharmo – Gokyo [4800 m/15,744 ft]

1. Gokyo Lakes
   5h · Admission ticket included
   Today we shall end our trekking to the vicinity of Gokyo Ri as we shall get prepared for the ascend to the higher altitudes of Gokyo valley and Gokyo Ri on the following day. We shall have an ascend from Machharmo initially and reach to the settlement of Phangka. Further, the valley starts to open up and we shall climb down towards the river followed by a steep climb to the terminal moraine formed by the Ngozamba Glacier. Crossing the moraines we shall be welcomed by the iron bridge that marks the starting of Gokyo Lake valley. The first lake, Longpongo on a gentle trail leads us to the other lake of the region called by the name Taboche Tso connected through a stream to the third lake called Dudh Pokhari. The village of Gokyo lies on the ban of the third lake. Our destination is reached.

Day 9: Gokyo Valley: Climb Gokyo Ri [5357 m/17,570 ft] and hike to fifth lakes

1. 7h · Admission ticket included
   The most awaited day of this entire expedition awaits today. We shall ascend the Gokyo Ri and view the alpine lakes along with the marvellous glacier and Himalayas. We have a continuous and strenuous ascend to the summit of Gokyo Ri. We shall have a slow and steady climb to the summit. From the top of the summit, we have the breathtaking view of several peaks above 8000 meters including the Cho Oyu (8153m), Lhotse (8501m), Makalu (8475m), Thamserku (6808m), Louche (6145m) and Mount Everest (8848m) among others. Below us lie the marvellous Ngozumba glacier and the Gokyo lakes. We shall also hike to the fourth lake, Thonak Tsho, that lies about 3 km north of Gokyo and further on the trail Is the fifth lake called Ngozuma Tsho. Depending on the ground circumstances, we can also hike to the Scoundrel’s viewpoint. After the awesome experience, we trek back to the Gokyo village.

Day 10: Gokyo to Dole [4,200m/13,780 ft]

1. 5h · Admission ticket included
   The day onward shall mark the ending phase of our trekking expedition as we trail back the path traced earlier on our trek to the Gokyo valley. We shall have a slower and gradual descend from Gokyo village. We pass through the settlements of Machhermo and the attractive village of Luza and Lhabarma before we reach the village of Dole. Along the trail, we shall have the beautiful view of Thamserku, Cho Oyu and Kangtega, pass through the chortens, iron bridge and terraces.

Day 11: Dole – Namche [3,440 m/11,283 ft]

1. Irish Pub
   4h · Admission ticket included
   Another beautiful trekking section waits for us. We shall have a sharp slope to Phortse Tenga and other sections also have descended in the trail. We shall be marvelled by the richness of biodiversity including the wildflowers and rhododendron, wild animals such as pheasants, mountain goats, and musk deer along with others. View of the mountain peaks such as Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kangtega and Cho Oyu range along with others, the enchanting waterfalls and beautifully winding trails leads us to the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar past the army camp hill. We put our tired body to rest in Namche and take time for re-energizing for further trekking expedition sections

Day 12: Namche Bazaar – Lukla [2,800 m/9,184 ft]

1. 8h · Admission ticket included
   Today shall be one of the longer trekking days of the entire expedition as we take enough time to descend down to Lukla due to the strenuous trekking up in the regions of Gokyo. We trail back along the mighty Dudh Koshi River and through the rich forests as the trail becomes easier as we move towards the Lukla. The trail, though already visited some days back, provides the same magic and amusements that we had experienced a few days back on the initial days of our trekking expedition. Buddhist prayer stones and prayer flags, monasteries and chortens, tranquil yet lively villages are the other highlights of the trail back to Lukla, our initial point in the mountainous region for starting the trekking expedition. Marvellous views of mountains are an ever-present companion of this section of trekking as in the other sections of this trek in the Everest region. The completion of a beautiful and memorable trekking experience is further enhanced by the safety of the fellow trekkers.

Day 13: Fly back to Kathmandu

1. Pass by · Admission ticket included
   After a long yet beautiful journey to the mountains of Everest region comes to an end as we fly back to the medieval city of Kathmandu. The remaining day is upon the trekkers who can either have a full day complete rest at the hotel or do some shopping for gifts and souvenirs to the near and dear ones back in their respective place. A farewell dinner to the guests shall mark the official end of the trekking expedition.

Day 14: Departure Day

1. 2h · Admission ticket included
   You shall be transferred to the Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) for your flight to the respective destinations at least 3 hours prior to the time of the scheduled flight.

• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
• Specialized infant seats are available
• Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
• Not recommended for pregnant travelers
• Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness