Everest Base Camp – Cho La Pass – Gokyo Lake 17 Days

Best Time

There are 2 main optimal periods for undertaking Everest Base Camp with the Gokyo Lake trek via Cho La Pass. The dry season of autumn is in late September, October, and November, which is also the busiest period. There will be no rain, and the weather will be splendid with impeccable mornings.

The second good time is in spring, from mid-March to mid-May. You may see a few more clouds than in the fall, but you will be treated to nature in full bloom.

Summer is monsoon season in Nepal, and let’s just say you definitely won’t want to climb mountains covered in torrents of mud. From December to early March, the inhabitants of Gokyo go back down the valley to avoid the bitter cold of winter.

Elevation and Distance

We outset our journey to Everest Base Camp with the Gokyo Lake trek via Cho La Pass from Lukla, standing at 2860 m above sea level. The awe-inspiring Everest Base Camp is around 300 km away from Kathmandu city, which is erected at 5364 m.

The Gokyo village, whereas, is at a mere distance of 16.5 km from Everest Base Camp, with its hidden gem of Gokyo Lake perched at 4700 to 5000 m heights.

Approximately, we will complete the entire trek within 17 days consisting of 14 days of actual hiking. We will therefore be covering 15 to 20 km each day on average.

Maximum/Minimum walk per day

Our trek includes 14 days of hiking days when you will walk for 5 to 8 hours every day depending on altitude, terrain, pace, and the overnight village. That means, your hiking duration varies each day, sometimes pushing you to a full 7 to 8 hours and sometimes merely walking for 3 to 4 hours.

We will invest only 3 to 4 hours on day 3 when we begin our hike from Lukla to Phakding, which will be our minimum walk in the entire trekking period.

However, day 10 and day 11 will test our endurance when we set off to climb Kala Patthar and cross Cho La Pass to reach Thangnak from Dzong La.

On day 10, we will engage in walking for 6 to 7 hours, while the next day we will hike for 7 to 8 hours, which will be our maximum walk of the whole trekking period. These days are also counted as the major highlights and the toughest days of the whole trip.

Difficulty and Acclimatization

In terms of the difficulty of the Everest Base Camp with Gokyo Lake trek via Cho La Pass, it is considered moderately challenging by Himalayan standards. Saying that you will still be hiking at high altitude and will need to acclimatize properly.

Trekking to the Everest Base Camp, climbing Kala Patthar, and ascending the Cho La Pass and the summit of Gokyo Ri requires no technical training or equipment. The trail is not extremely steep but has a constant gradient throughout the duration, so general fitness is required.

However, if you have already walked all the way to Everest Base Camp, you will have no problem undertaking this journey, provided you have followed proper acclimatization strategies. Regarding this, we will first acclimate in Kathmandu, second at Namche, and third at Dingboche.

Can a beginner trek to EBC with Gokyo Lake via Cho La Pass?

If you have hiking experience in high-altitude regions, especially, it would definitely be an advantage for an overall experience in Everest Base Camp with the Gokyo Lake trek via Cho La Pass. However, having no experience is not a great obstacle to undertaking this trek. However, you should be aware of the uphill and downhill trails and some challenging terrain at the Cho La Pass.

Sometimes, the route can be quite treacherous that can be physically demanding, especially when ascending to Namche from Tengboche, summiting the Kala Patthar, crossing Cho La Pass, and climbing the Gokyo Ri. Therefore, basic physical and mental fitness is a crucial factor for the completion of this trek.

Preparation and training

If you are going on this trek, then physical training is simply necessary for you. Your body should get used to specific loads, which will allow you to enjoy the journey, and not the straining of all muscles. Running is one of the most effective exercises and basic preparations for hiking in the mountains.

In addition to running, we recommend that you definitely devote time to squatting, running up and down the stairs, jogging, swimming, and cycling.

What to expect?

Our Everest Base Camp with Gokyo Lake trek via Cho La Pass is a transformative journey that purifies your spirit and lights up your inner being. From the captivating city of Kathmandu, you will take an exhilarating flight to Lukla. You will then venture into some of the charming and colorful forests with the melodious chirping of birds and animals.

You will rest at some of the authentic Sherpa villages, cross numerous gorges, and hanging bridges, and walk along the roaring Dudh Koshi River. You will reach the renowned Everest Base Camp, meet the daring adventurers, and accomplish the dream of touching Everest at Kala Patthar.

You will then conquer one of the difficult Cho La Pass and discover the heavenly glacial lake of Gokyo. Reach the peak of Gokyo Ri, you will again experience the tranquility of untouched mountains.

Alternate routes

Our trip to Everest Base Camp and Lake Gokyo is a counterclockwise approach. Alternately, you can proceed in a clockwise direction, first conquering the Gokyo Ri, and Gokyo Lake, then traversing to the Everest Base Camp.

Or, you can leave out the Gokyo trek and trek to the Everest Base Camp or ignore the Everest Base Camp and trek to only Gokyo Lake. For a more fearless approach, you can include two more passes on your trip: Renjo La and Kongma La Pass.

Altitude Sickness

Headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness, or lightheadedness. If you experience these symptoms on this trek, you may be suffering from altitude sickness. Regardless of age, medical history, fitness level, or previous experiences at altitude, anyone who travels at an altitude of more than 3000 m is at risk of developing this condition.

The effects of altitude peak on the second or third day. Therefore, a few days before and after arrival, it would be good to eat little and lightly, especially in the evening. Also, physical effort should be avoided as it can trigger a serious crisis of altitude sickness. Another precaution for altitude sickness is sunscreen, a hat, and sunglasses.

One of the treatments for this sickness is the descent to an altitude lower than that at which the first symptoms occurred. In terms of drug treatment, ibuprofen or Diamox are effective in reducing the incidence of altitude sickness.

Transportation, Meals and Drink

Let us take care of all your logistics during the trek and you only immerse in the thrill. Our comprehensive trek package includes hassle-free private transportation via cars, vans, hiaces, and tourist buses from the airport to your hotel and back. We also provide comfortable pick-up and drop-off services for your trekking journey. In addition, your flights from Kathmandu to Lukla and back are included in the package.

During your stay in Kathmandu, you will be accommodated in a 3-star standard hotel for three nights with a delicious breakfast each morning. At the trek, we will provide you with a full board meal plan including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The lunch menu of the lodges is diverse where you can taste Tibetan, Nepali, and Chinese dishes including pizza, momo, chowmen, fried rice, pasta, and dal bhat (boiled unsalted rice and lentils).

Communication, Gadgets charging, and Internet/wifi

The lodges or tea houses in the Sherpa villages are well developed, facilitating comfortable one- or two-night stays. The rooms have plugs that allow you to charge your electric devices with or without the use of the adapter.

You can purchase NTC or NCELL SIMS in Kathmandu, Namche, or Lukla for effortless communication with your loved ones. You can use the same SIMS for activating reliable data packages for a flawless internet connection. You can also buy an Everest Link prepaid card for reliable wifi service in the Everest region.

The lodges also offer WIFI services at a minimal fee of USD 5 to USD 10 per connection.

Permits

Since we will be walking most of the time in the restricted area of Sagarmatha National Park, we will need a Sagarmatha National Park entrance permit that comes at the fee of NPR. 3000. per person.

We also need a Khumbu-Pasang Lamu village municipality permit, and the cost is NPR. 3000. per person that will be used for the community development.

We will obtain these permits, and the cost is included in our package.