Gokyo Valley Trek

Flying into Kathmandu is a great experience with the Himalaya mountains in view. Time passes quickly as you enjoy the sights of the marvelous Himalayan ranges, including the world's highest peak, Mount Everest, during the flight. The plane will land at Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) at 1350m. There, you'll get your Nepal entry visa, which you can obtain in advance or upon arrival. The visa process at Kathmandu TIA takes about 45 minutes, depending on the number of people in line. For information on Nepal entry visas, visit the Department of Immigration, the official site of the Nepal government.

After exiting the gate, our representative will be waiting for you with a sign displaying the company name. The representative will welcome you with a Tibetan scarf and transfer you to the hotel in a private vehicle. It takes around 30 minutes to reach Thamel from TIA by private transportation. The scenes of Pashupatinath, the city, various vehicles, and people make your journey enjoyable and amazing. Once we reach the hotel, you can rest.

Thamel is full of restaurants, shopping centers, and good accommodation. We will provide a trek briefing and then invite you to a host family for a welcome dinner. [Included meal: Welcome drink] Overnight at the hotel.

Today, you'll spend the day exploring important cultural sites in Kathmandu, recognized by UNESCO. You'll visit ancient Buddhist and Hindu holy places like Swayambhu (Monkey Temple), the world's tallest Boudha Stupa, the open cremation area, and the sacred Hindu Temple Pashupatinath. After visiting these three places, return to the hotel and get ready for the trek. Explore Thamel, the tourist hub of Nepal, where you can easily find everything you need for trekking. If you prefer to relax, there are many cafes and bakeries offering excellent local tea and coffee. It's a good idea to avoid street food. [Included meals: bed and breakfast] Overnight at the hotel.

In the morning at 6:00 am, we go to Tribhuwan International Airport with packed breakfast. It takes 25 minutes to reach Tenzing–Hillary Airport in Khumbu, also known as Lukla Airport. We enjoy the views of the Himalayan ranges during this flight. The scenery of hills, mountains, different landscapes, settlements at the bottom of hills, and agricultural lands filled with crops makes the journey enjoyable. Once we reach Lukla Airport (2860m), you'll meet our team of Sherpas.

We take a short break while the porters organize your baggage for the trek. To make sure no one carries too much weight, we limit our sherpas to no more than 22kg. On the trail, you'll see many porters carrying three or four times this weight, sometimes even more.

To ease you into the trek, the first day involves three to four hours of walking, mostly downhill to Thado Koshi (about 2 hours), followed by a gentle climb to Phakding. We stop for lunch there and have the afternoon free. If you want to explore more, you can visit Rimijung Monastery, about an hour up the hillside from Phakding village. Overnight at a teahouse.

Now, we go along the Dudh Kosi towards the north. The path leads us through beautiful forests filled with rhododendron, giant fir, and magnolia trees. From Jorsale (2,805m), we cross the west fork of the river, called Bhote Kosi, and begin the steep climb to Namche Bazaar. Along the way, we get amazing views of nearby peaks that are about 6000 meters high. After about 5 hours of walking, we reach Namche Bazaar (3440m), a Sherpa village and the entry point to Everest Base Camp. We will stay overnight at a teahouse.

We leave Namche and go up to the Everest View Hotel. The hotel's outdoor area gives us great views of Everest and Ama Dablam. We keep walking to the villages of Kunde and Khumjung, where we check out the Edmund Hillary hospital. Later, we come back to Namche and spend a laid-back afternoon. We'll stay overnight at a teahouse.

We have a long day ahead with a lot of walking up and down on narrow paths. First, we follow the trail to Everest and then take a sharp left turn into a side valley. After a steep climb, we reach the small village of Dole (4200m). From here, you'll see many Kharkas, which are summer 'settlements' where Sherpas graze their yaks. We'll stay overnight at a teahouse.

Today, we have a relatively short walk to make sure we climb gradually. We go past a few small settlements, and you'll see the landscape becoming more barren. But, there are fantastic views of snow-capped peaks to the east and west. Soon, we come across Chortens and colorful prayer flags on the edges of Machhermo (4,470m). We'll stay overnight at a teahouse.

We go up a steep climb on the Ngozumba Glacier moraine, the biggest glacier in Nepal, passing small lakes to reach the tiny kharka of Gokyo. Today's trek is tough but rewarding. We start with a steep climb to the ridge above Machhermo, where you'll see great views back towards Kantega and ahead towards Cho Oyu. The trail becomes more level as you pass Pangka and Nilibuk. Then, we climb again on a narrow staircase trail to a small bridge leading to the first of the five lakes at Gokyo. The path is flat, but the high altitude of 4700m makes you go a bit slower. After passing the second lake, you'll finally reach Gokyo, next to the much larger third lake. If we still have energy, we might take a short walk up to the ridge overlooking Ngozumba Glacier. We'll stay overnight at a teahouse.

We start early, and it takes about 45 minutes to reach the top of Gokyo Ri (5360m), one of the best parts of your trek. The view is just as amazing as the one from Kala Pattar near Everest Base Camp. Cho Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cholatse, and Tawachee are all visible. The massive ice ridge between Cho Oyu, Ngojumba I and II, and Gyachung Kang is one of the most stunning sights in the Khumbu region – it looks like a folding screen of ice, snow, and rock. Below, you can see the Ngojumba Glacier and calm glacial lakes.

After coming back to Gokyo, you head to Tangnak. Your trail starts by climbing to the top of the moraine overlooking the Ngozumbo Glacier. Our path across the glacier is marked with cairns, but you need to be careful as it's narrow and can be icy. The trail goes up and down as we move to the eastern side of the Gokyo Valley. We spend the night at Tangnak (4,700m), at the foot of the Cho La Pass. We'll stay overnight at a teahouse.

We follow the Gokyo RI trail and then turn south. Going near the lakeshores, the path is marked by piles of stones. It's not too steep at first, but after some steeper rocky areas, the final push is tiring. The views from the Renjo La are incredible, with Everest standing out in the panorama. From here, we follow the descent trail, passing several Yak Kharkas, and reach Lungden. We'll stay overnight at a teahouse.

The trek begins by going downhill to Marulung (4210m), continuing down the west side of the valley. Our path crosses the Langmuche Khola, which comes from the Dig Tso. After that, we follow the Bhote Koshi and climb to Thame. In Thame, we visit the monastery and the surrounding areas along the way. We could choose to stop at Namche instead of Thame, but we might miss the beautiful monastery. Thame is a very traditional place. We'll stay overnight at a teahouse.

From here, we start the trek by going downhill to the Bhote Koshi and crossing a steel box bridge at the end of the canyon section carved by the river. The trail then goes up a bit before settling into an easy downhill path. We cross the Theban Khola and continue on a wide trail through a pine forest all the way to Namche. From Namche, we go back the way we came down to Phakding.

Alternatively, you can make the trip longer by continuing to the Rolwaling Tashi Laptse Pass Trek (5780m) from Thame. Or, if you're interested in peak climbing, you can go for Pharchamo (6187m) Peak Climbing with only a few extra days needed. We'll stay overnight at a teahouse.

After staying overnight in Namche, early in the morning, we will go down to Lukla. The trek along the trail will be both exciting and easier as it goes through the rhododendron and pine forest. We will pass Monjo after a short walk and then head to Phakding. We continue on the same trail, and after about 7-8 hours of trekking, we will finally reach Lukla. We'll stay overnight at a teahouse.

We take a flight back to Manthali (Ramechhap) airport and then go to our hotel in Kathmandu. During this time, there can be a lot of traffic, especially when entering Kathmandu, and the drive is likely to take 5 hours or more. We'll stay overnight at the hotel.

A representative from GTT Will accompany you to the airport using a private vehicle for your convenience. This service ensures a comfortable and hassle-free transfer, allowing you to relax and focus on your journey. The representative will assist with any necessary details and ensure that you reach the airport safely and on time.