Everest Gokyo Ri Trekking

We will start our trek with a wonderful 30 minutes of mountain flight into the heart of Everest region from Kathmandu. This flight lands us in the small Himalayan airstrip at Lukla and provides us a spectacular view of mountains in the central and western part of Nepal.

After landing at Lukla airstrip and collecting our luggage we will start our trekking to the beautiful village of Phakding, which is a typical Sherpa village located between dense green forests on all sides. The trek from Lukla to Phakding takes about three hours and provides a glimpse into the lifestyle of the predominantly Buddhist people of the region

We will head towards Namche Bazaar after spending the night in Phakding. Namche Bazaar is the largest settlement in the Khumbu Region and is a converging point for trekkers from and to all parts of the Everest Region.

We will traverse the first of the two river valleys in the Everest Region today – The Dudh Koshi River Valley. Dudh Koshi is one of the tributaries of the Sapta Koshi river, the largest river in Nepal. The other valley in the Everest Region is the Imja Tse valley, made by the Imja river, which is located much further north from here. We will meet the checkpoint of the Sagarmatha National Park after walking a short while from Phakding. We will walk along the beautiful forests of pine, rhododendron, firs, birch and junipers from here and reach Namche Bazaar.

We will stay at Namche Bazaar today and acclimatize for the trek ahead. Namche Bazaar is a colorful and vibrant town that was once a centre for salt and gold traders between Nepal and Tibet. Today, the lure of the mountains bring thousands of visitors to the Khumbu Region each year, thus transforming Namche Bazaar into a tourist hotspot.

There are many things to do while staying at Namche Bazaar. There is a Sherpa museum which helps you glimpse into the age old culture and the tradition of the Sherpa people of the country. You can also take a short lecture on high Himalayan trekking and preparedness delivered by the Mountaineering Rescue Association. The highest altitude hotel in the world, the Everest View Hotel, is also located near Namche Bazaar.

Our target for today is a small but picturesque village of Dole. The trail from Namche Bazaar to Dole is traced along the mountain ridges that stand up from the gorging Dudh Koshi River valley. You will get to witness the best animal and plant diversity of the Sagarmatha National Park today. The forests are full of animals like the Himalyan Tahr, black bear, Jharal, Red Panda, musk deer etc.

We will first reach the village of Kyanjuma, which is a small Sherpa village perched in the mountains. We will then cross Monga La Pass, a relatively lesser altitude pass located at the height of 3,792. We will then go past Khumbila and finally reach the village of Dole. The view of the sunset from Dole is stunning.

Our destination for today is the village of Machhermo, which is a gateway to the Gokyo Valley. The view of the ravine below from the trail, at the foot of which is the Dudh Koshi river, is wonderful. We will walk along the scenic high himalayan landscape and reach Labharma., which is a small settlement located like a nest at the top of the mountains.

We will reach Luza after walking for a short time from Labharma. We can get the best view of mount Thamserku from a ridge near Machhermo. This ridge also provides stunning view of other mountains like Amadamblam, Tabuchi etc. We will continue our walk from the ridge and reach the village of Machhermo at the end of the day.

We will head to the highlight destination of our trek today – the Gokyo Valley. We will walk slowly towards Pangkha first, where we will meet the bank of the Dudh Koshi river. We will get a stunning view of the Kangneta peak just before reaching Pangkha. There are many pastoral lands which are used for Yak herding.

After walking for a short while along the tail of the Ngozumpa glacier, we will reach the mesmerizing Gokyo valley which is home to six crystal blue and otherworldly freshwater lakes. We will walk along the shores of these lakes during the evening and spend our night in a guest house there. The Gokyo village is quite different to other Sherpa villages of the region and has its own unique flavour of culture and lifestyle.

We will conquer the highest altitude during our trek today by climbing the top of the Gokyo Ri mountain. The Gokyo Ri mountain projects upwards directly from the base of the Gokyo Valley. It is not very hard to climb to the top of the Gokyo Ri mountain and can be done with light preparation. The climb is steep because we will have to start from the base of the valley and reach the top of a mountain.

The Gokyo Ri hilltop provides one of the best views of the mountains in the Everest Region. We will spend some time at the top of the Gokyo Ri mountain and start a downward trek towards Machhermo once again. The path is full of spectacular waterfalls and streams. The temperature also changes slightly by the time we reach Machhermo.

We will come back to Namche Bazaar today after completing a wonderful trek to Gokyo Valley and Gokyo Ri mountain. During our way up to Gokyo, the trek from Namche Bazaar to Machhermo took two days with a stop at Dole in between. However, since we are going downhill now, we can easily complete the trek up to Namche Bazaar from Machhermo in a single day.

We will cross the Monga La Pass again and walk along the ridges on the bank of the Dudh Koshi river and finally reach Namche Bazaar in the latter half of the day. We will rest by the firewood and relieve ourselves of the pain of the hard days walk in the evening.

We will trek back to the Lukla airstrip today. The trek takes us along the same path that we took on our way up. We will enjoy the spectacular and verdant surrounding of the lower belt of the Everest region once again.

We will pass by small villages and monasteries in our way. Phakding is the largest village which lies on our way. Once we reach Phakding, the temperature starts to go up slightly. We can buy souvenirs and gifts for our loved ones back home at Lukla. We will rest at a guest house in Lukla for the night.

We will trek back to the Lukla airstrip today. The trek takes us along the same path that we took on our way up. We will enjoy the spectacular and verdant surrounding of the lower belt of the Everest region once again.

We will pass by small villages and monasteries in our way. Phakding is the largest village which lies on our way. Once we reach Phakding, the temperature starts to go up slightly. We can buy souvenirs and gifts for our loved ones back home at Lukla. We will rest at a guest house in Lukla for the night.

We will trek back to Kathmandu today after completing a wonderful trek in high himalayas of the Everest Region. We will once again board on a mountain flight from Lukla and come back to Kathmandu. We will bid farewell to the mountains from up above and land at the international airport in Kathmandu.

You will be transferred back to your hotel in Kathmandu and our trip officially ends from here.