Gokyo Valley Renjo La Pass Trekking

We will start our trek with a 30 minute mountain flight from Kathmandu to the town of Lukla. Lukla is located in the eastern part of Nepal and adjacent to the Sagarmatha National Park. Taking a flight to Lukla is the only option for trekkers to reach the Everest Region except for a long trek from Dolakha to Namche Bazaar.

The latter option was taken by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary, the first climbers of Everest. However, it adds 8-10 days extra in your trek and is not advisable unless you are willing to chart the original route taken by the first Everest climbers. An early mountain flight to Lukla provides end to end view of the Himalayan mountains basking in the glory of the morning sun. We will then trek to the beautiful village of Phakding after landing at Lukla airport and stay at a guest house there for the night.

We will trek towards Namche Bazaar today. Namche Bazaar is a bustling town located in the outskirts of the Sagarmatha National Park. You can buy trek related amenities and find cozy hotels in Namche Bazaar. However, we will have the pleasure of negotiating with the beautiful flora and fauna of the Sagarmatha National Park before reaching Namche Bazaar.

We will reach the entrance of the national park, which was established in 1976 AD, after walking a short while from Phakding. The walk afterwards is an easy stroll among the woods of pine, fir, juniper, birch and rhododendron. We will cross the Dudh Koshi river at the foot of the valley and take a slightly steep climb over the ridge projecting up from the valley. Namche Bazaar looks glorious from the top of the ridge. We will reach the town after a short downward stroll.

We will stay at Namche Bazaar today and acclimatize ourselves for the tough trekking days to come. There are plenty of things to do while staying for acclimatization in Namche Bazaar. You can take an early morning walk of the town and explore the unique lifestyle and culture of the Sherpa people.

After breakfast you can hike to a nearby place called Thame (12,532 ft). This place provides a spectacular view of the mountains in the Everest region. The view of mount Amadablam and Thamserku from Thame are the highlights of the spectacle. We can also explore the Sherpa Museum in Namche Bazaar and learn more about the Sherpa people and their history. If you are interested, then you can also take a short training on altitude preparedness and trekking provided by the Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal.

We will head towards Tengboche today. Tengboche is one of the prominent villages during our trek. It is also home to Tengboche monastery, which is the largest monastery in the Khumbu region. After walking from Namche Bazaar, the wide road starts to narrow down and pavements also become scarce as we move along the mountain ridges.

You will see many stupas and prayer flags on your way. Settlements are often far flung and scarce and in between them are large forests of mostly coniferous plants and Rhododendron. The trail gets harder and steeper as we move towards Tengboche, with the last part being particularly difficult. It is ideal if we reach Tengboche by 3 pm because a special worship is conducted at the Tengboche Monastery by the head Lama at that time. You can also request the head Lama to read special chants on your name, wishing you best of luck for your sojourn in the mountains.

We will trek towards Dole today. First we will walk along the narrow mountain ridges above the Dudh Koshi river. The ravine in the river below starts to get deeper as we move along the mountain ridges more steeply. We will start to see the vegetation get sparser as we move further along. We will reach the Monga La Pass after walking for a short while. The pass is located at an altitude  of 3,792 m. We will rest for a bit at the pass and continue our journey further.

We will reach the village of Khumbilla after walking for a short while from Monga La Pass. Khumbilla is a small village which reflects the typical lifestyle of the Sherpa people. We will entertain ourselves with exotic Himalayan tea at one of the tea houses in Khumbilla and continue our trek further. We will get a beautiful view of the village of Dole after walking for a short while from Khumbilla. We will reach Dole after 5-6 hours of walk and rest at a guest house there.

The path from Dole to Machhermo leads us out of the Dudh Koshi river valley. The first part of the trek is relatively steep. We will come across Labharma and Luza village during the first part of the trek. The Dudh Koshi river below the ridges looks stunning from these heights.

We will then walk slowly towards the village of Machhermo. The path leading up to Machhermo provides spectacular view of the Ama Dablam and Tabuchi mountains. We will rest a guest house in Machhermo for the night.

We will trek towards the Gokyo Valley today. A short walk from Machhermo takes us to the village of Pangkha. This village is known for the close by view of the nearby Kangneta peak. We will walk slightly ahead from Pangkha and get a spectacular first glimpse of the Gokyo Valley. We will walk for a short while towards the foot of the valley and reach the village of Gokyo.

Gokyo Valley is home to six large freshwater lakes which are the crown jewels of the region. The view of all of these lakes at once, just before reaching Gokyo village is awe inspiring. These lakes are sacred to the local people and are a part of their folklore. We will also get a close view of the nearby Ngozumpa glacier from Gokyo village. We will rest a guest house for the night.

We will hike towards the Gokyo Ri mountain today. The climb is not very difficult but is steep throughout. The Gokyo Ri mountain provides a spectacular view of the mountains in the vicinity of Everest. Some of the highest mountains in the world, including Everest, Lhotse, Cho Oyu and Nuptse are visible from Gokyo Ri.

We will get a breathtaking view of the Gokyo Lakes on one side and the Rermo Pokhari (Pokhari meaning lake) on the other  side from the top of Gokyo Ri. We will climb back towards Gokyo village and its lakes after spending some time at the top of Gokyo Ri. The climb down is gentle and easy.

We will head towards the Renjo La Pass today. It is one among the three high himalayan passes in the Everest region. This is the most difficult part of our trek as the weather is often tricky and harsh at that altitude. The path is a less frequented one, making matters worse.

However, we will negotiate these difficulties easily and conquer Renjo La Pass mid way during the day’s trek. We will spend some time at Renjo La Pass and then start a downward trek to Liudhen. The second part of the trek is relatively very easy compared to the first part and we will reach the village of Ludhen in the evening. Ludhen is a small sherpa village and we make it our resort for the night.

We will trek back to Namche Bazaar today. Today’s part of the trek is long but very easy. We will walk along the gentle downward slopes of the mountains for most of the day. The blooming Rhododendron make the entire forest turn red during spring, which also happens to be peak trekking season.

We will explore the core forests of the Sagarmatha National Park today. These forests are abundant in rare flora and fauna. Animals like himalayan tahr, musk deer, mountain fox, asian black bear and himalayan wolf roam these forests. We will reach Namche Bazaar in the evening and spend our night in a guest houser there.

We will trek to Lukla today, the town where the airstrip is located. The trek is very easy. We will cross the Dudh Koshi river multiple times during our trek today. The village of Phakding welcomes us back and so do other myriad beautiful little settlements of the Sherpa people.

The forest turns more dense and the vegetation starts to resemble more sub tropical like as we move further down towards Lukla. We will reach Lukla in the evening and stay for the night there.

We will return back to the capital city Kathmandu by taking an early morning flight from Lukla. We will take full pleasure of the panoramic mountain flight for the second time in two weeks and land at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu.

We will transfer you back to your hotel from the airport and our trip officially ends from here.