Gokyo Lakes and Everest Base Camp Trek via Cho La Pass

You leave Thagnak at about 4 am, walk for an hour on rough ground, then climb a steep boulder gully to the snow line. The last section to the top is a short glacier, flat but slippery, which you cross in microspikes, in some years with a fixed rope. The pass is at 5,420 m, covered in prayer flags and usually windy. The descent on the east side is loose moraine that requires care for two hours, and then the trail becomes easier all the way to Dzongla.

You do not need climbing experience or technical crampons. Microspikes are sufficient in the normal seasons, and we provide them, along with a trekking pole for each person. In February, early March or after heavy snow, full crampons and a rope would be needed, and on those dates we would advise you not to attempt the crossing.

This happens in most seasons, usually after heavy snowfall, and the guide decides on the morning. If we cannot cross, you walk back down the Gokyo valley and up the Khumbu valley to Base Camp instead. This takes two days longer, which is why the itinerary includes spare time. You will still reach Base Camp and Kala Patthar, but you will miss the pass.

Not once you have started up the gully. Thagnak has three basic lodges and Dzongla a few more, and between them there is nothing: no teahouse, no village and no helicopter landing site at the top. This is why we start early, why we turn back a group that is moving too slowly, and why you pack your equipment for the day the night before.

It is four days longer, it costs more, and it covers two valleys rather than one. You see the Gokyo lakes and the view from Gokyo Ri, which is the better view, as well as Base Camp and Kala Patthar, the more famous destinations. You also cross a 5,420 m pass on ice. If you only want to reach Base Camp, the classic route is the better choice, and we will advise you of this.

Choose the Gokyo Lakes trek if you want to see the lakes and the view from Gokyo Ri over fifteen easier days, with no ice. Choose this trek if you also want to reach Base Camp and are prepared for the pass crossing that links the two valleys. A useful question to ask yourself: if the pass were closed and you had to walk down one valley and up the other, would you still be glad you came? If so, this is the right trek for you.

You need to be able to walk four to seven hours a day for fourteen days, with one day of seven to nine hours on rough and icy ground. This is a step above the classic Base Camp trek, and the difference is stamina rather than technical skill. The training plan on this page is what we recommend for a reasonably active person, starting fourteen weeks before departure.

There is no upper age limit, and trekkers in their late sixties have crossed the Cho La with us. The minimum age on this route is sixteen, higher than for the classic trek, because of the pass. Experience of walking on rough ground matters more than age.

Yes, for $2,790 rather than $2,290, because the guide and porter are paid for one person rather than shared. Since 2023, a licensed guide has been compulsory for foreign trekkers in Nepal's national parks, and on this route a guide is essential in any case.

Yes. By the time you cross the Cho La, you will have slept six nights above 3,400 m, climbed Gokyo Ri at 5,357 m and spent two nights at 4,790 m. This is better preparation for 5,420 m than the classic route gives for Base Camp. The direction is important: if we walked the route the other way, you would reach the pass on day 5, which would make it a much harder trek.

At Gorak Shep, the highest overnight stop, expect −10°C to −20°C after dark, depending on the month. On the pass at dawn, -15°C with wind is normal in April, and it is colder in November. During the trekking seasons, daytime temperatures on the trail are 8°C to 15°C and pleasant in the sun. No bedroom on this route is heated.

Your guide measures your oxygen saturation every evening and records it, so any decline is noticed early. Mild cases usually improve with a rest day or a short descent. If they do not, we descend. There are Himalayan Rescue Association clinics at Machhermo on day 6 and Pheriche on day 13, and helicopter evacuation is possible from every village on this route, though not from the pass itself.

You need a policy covering trekking to 6,000 m, helicopter evacuation and repatriation, which does not exclude glacier travel or the use of microspikes. Some policies exclude these, so check carefully. We ask to see your insurance certificate before you fly to Lukla. A rescue costs $3,000 to $5,000, and the helicopter will not fly without a guarantee of payment.

They are basic, and these are the simplest nights of the trek. Thagnak has three lodges and Dzongla has a few, with plywood walls, no shower, solar power that may not be enough to charge your phone, and a short menu. They exist to serve the pass, they are fully booked early in October, and you spend only one night at each.

Everest Link cards work at Namche, Gokyo and Gorak Shep, for about $20 for 10 GB, though the connection is slow. Ncell and NTC cover most of both valleys. There is no signal on the pass and very little at Thagnak, so let people at home know that you will be out of contact for about two days around day 10.

Showers are available as far as Gokyo, for $5 to $10, usually heated by gas. After that, there are no showers until you return to Pheriche on day 13, four nights later. Wet wipes are the practical alternative, and the shower at Namche on day 14 is very welcome.

Your duffel bag is carried by a porter shared with one other trekker, with a maximum of 20 kg between you. You carry a daypack of 6 to 8 kg with water, a warm layer, a camera and snacks. On the day of the pass, your daypack also holds your lunch and an extra litre of water, because there is nowhere to buy anything between Thagnak and Dzongla.

You need two permits, and both are included in your price: the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit at NPR 3,390, issued by the national parks department, and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit at NPR 2,000, checked at Lukla and Monjo. There is no separate permit for the Cho La or the Gokyo valley. A TIMS card is not required here.

Bring $350 to $550 in small notes, changed into rupees in Kathmandu. This covers showers, charging, wifi, drinks, snacks and tips over eighteen days. The highest cash machine is in Namche, and it often runs out of money. Beyond Namche, nobody accepts cards, including the two lodges on either side of the pass.

Day 17 is kept in reserve for this, because cloud closes Lukla airport several times a month in every season. If the airport stays closed for more than three days, we move you to a lower-altitude trek of the same quality at no extra cost, or you can fly out by helicopter for around $500 a seat. Book your flight home with at least one clear day after day 18.

For April and October, book four to six months ahead. Lukla flight seats and beds in the small lodges at Dzongla and Thagnak are the first to sell out on this route, well before anything else. For other months, eight weeks is enough, and two weeks is possible.

Yes, and most travellers make some changes. You can add a day at Gokyo for the fourth and fifth lakes, walk out over the Renjo La instead of returning down the valley, spend the extra night at Dzongla rather than Lobuche, or fly back from Gorak Shep by helicopter. For a group of five or more, a private trek on your own dates costs the same as joining a group departure.

Treat the days before the pass as preparation for it rather than as the easy part. Walk slowly up the Gokyo valley, drink more than you feel like drinking, eat at Thagnak even if you do not want to, and go to bed at 8 pm the night before. Trekkers who struggle on the Cho La have usually not followed at least two of these points.