Royal Himalayan Holidays

Gokyo Lake EBC Trek via Cho La Pass

Duration
19 days
Max. Elevation
5545m
Group size
Min 2
Level
ADVANCE
Transportation
All ground transportation and domestic flights as per itinerary
Best Season
Mar-May and Sep-Dec
Accomodation
5/4-star Hotel in Kathmandu and standard tea house/lodge during the trek
Meals
Breakfast in Kathmandu and all meals during the trek
Starts at
Kathmandu
Ends at
Kathmandu
Trip Route
Kathmandu-Lukla-Phakding-Namche Bazaar-Dhole-Machhermo-Gokyo Ri-Cho La-Dzongla-Lobuche-Gorakshep-EBC-Kala Patthar-Pheriche-Tengboche-Monjo-Lukla-Kathmandu

Highlights

    • Scenic flight to and from Lukla
    • Enter the Sagarmatha National Park
    • Visit the Sherpa museum in Namche Bazaar
    • Explore around Gokyo Lake and hike up to Gokyo Ri
    • Cross the Cho La Pass
    • Remarkable views of the Khumbu Icefall and Glacier
    • Explore Everest Base Camp
    • Learn about the unique Sherpa culture
    • See the highest mountains in the world including Mt Everest
    • Sunrise view from Kala Patthar

Overview

Considered one of the most rewarding treks to Everest Base Camp (EBC), the Gokyo Lake EBC via Cho La really lives up to its name. Royal Himalayan Holidays takes you on a 19-day journey traveling around the Everest region and visiting Gokyo Lake (4,790m/15,715ft) and Everest Base Camp (5,364m/17,598ft) via the high-altitude mountain pass Cho La (5,368m/17,612ft). See some of the highest mountains in the world up close and visit one of the world’s most pristine high-altitude lakes at Gokyo! The Gokyo Lake EBC via Cho La is recommended for experienced trekkers but can be accomplished by novice trekkers as well.

Royal Himalayan Holidays receive you at the airport in Kathmandu to start your 19 days at Gokyo Lake EBC via Cho La package. We’ll enjoy a welcome dinner later that evening in a traditional Nepalese restaurant and introduce you to your trekking guide for the Gokyo Lake EBC via Cho La trek. On the second day of your holiday, we go sightseeing around Kathmandu and hold a trek safety and preparation briefing. Once we are ready we set out the next morning and fly to Lukla (2,850m/9,350ft). At the airport, in Lukla, we meet up with our Royal Himalayan Holidays porter team and set out for Phakding village (2,610m/8,563ft). We descend for most of the way and follow the Dudh Khosi River up to Phakding, where we’ll spend our first night in the mountains. On the second day of the Gokyo Lake EBC via Cho La trek we head for Namche Bazaar. This is the biggest village in the entire Everest region and we’ll spend an extra day here to acclimatize. During the Gokyo Lake EBC via Cho La trek, we’ll ascend to a max elevation of 5,545m (18,192ft)! So it’s very important to hold a few acclimatization days to get used to the higher altitudes and prevent the risk of getting acute mountain syndrome (AMS). This is where we head away from the traditional Everest Base Camp trail and head west to Phortse Thanga and our overnight destination at Dhole (4,200m/13,779ft). From here it’s a two-day trek to Gokyo (4,790m/15,715ft). Along the way, we’ll pass by various smaller lakes also considered as Holy Lakes. Gokyo is just amazing. Hidden in between glaciers and snow-white mountains and resting just at the shores of Gokyo Lake this is one incredible scenic village! Exploring around the lake and enjoying the sights is how we’ll spend the afternoon as the next day we’ll hike up to Gokyo Ri (5,360m/17,585ft) for a sunrise view! From the top of Gokyo Ri, you’ll see 360° panoramic views of Mt. Everest (8,848m/29,028ft), Mt Lhotse (8,516m/27,940ft), Mt Cho Oyu (8,188m/26,864ft), and Mt Makalu (8,485m/27,838ft) in the backdrop. Having enjoyed this amazing sunrise view we head back down to Gokyo for breakfast and leave to continue the Gokyo Lake EBC via the Cho La trek by heading to Thagnak also known as Dragnak village (4,700m/14,420ft). This is our final stop before crossing the Cho La Pass at 5,368m (17,612ft)! The trek up the pass can get windy but the views are equally powerful. We spend some time atop the pass before heading down the east side towards Dzongla village at 4,830m (15,846ft). The next day the Gokyo Lake EBC via Cho La trek continues back on the traditional Everest Base Camp trail by heading to Lobuche (4,910m/16,109ft). From Lobuche, a short trek takes us to Gorakshep (5,170m/16,962ft). After settling in the tea house we back up light and make a hike to Everest Base Camp (5,364m/17,598ft). While the views of Mt Everest aren’t the best form at the foot, the views of the Khumbu Glacier (Nepal’s longest ice glacier) are incredible! The next day we hike up to Kala Patthar hill (5,545m/18,192ft) early in the morning to catch a spectacular sunrise view over Mt Everest and its neighbors. This is also the highest point of the Gokyo Lake EBC via the Cho La trek! We’ll spend the next four days trekking back down a southern route to Lukla before flying back to Kathmandu. 

Join Royal Himalayan Holidays on of the best treks in Nepal to Everest Base Camp with the Gokyo Lake EBC via Cho La trek of 19 days. We do recommend booking a few additional days on top of this trekking package as flights to and from Lukla can get delayed due to weather circumstances.

Trip Itinerary

  • Meet and greet at the airport
  • Hotel transfer by private vehicle and check-in
  • Welcome drinks 
  • Welcome dinner
  • Overnight at your hotel

  • Hotel breakfast
  • Trek briefing at the hotel
  • Pick-up by your tour guide
  • Arrival at Bishal Bazaar and start walking tour
  • Explore Kathmandu Durbar Square
  • Continue walking tour to Thamel via Asan local bazaar
  • Pick up from Thamel and drive to your hotel (in case the hotel is out of Thamel)
  • Overnight at your hotel

  • Hotel/packed breakfast depending on your flight schedule
  • Pick up and transfer to the airport
  • Take off to Lukla
  • Meet and greet with your full trekking team
  • Final trek preparation
  • Start to trek to Chhiplung
  • Continue northwards to Thado Koshi
  • Head along the trail to Ghat for lunch
  • Follow the trail up to Phakding
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake-up call (optional)
  • Breakfast
  • Start to trek
  • Head to Monjo
  • Enter the Sagarmatha National Park
  • Checking of TIMS & permits
  • Continue to Jorsalle for lunch
  • Cross the suspension bridge at Larja Dobhan
  • Ascend further Namche Bazaar
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake-up call (optional) 
  • Breakfast
  • Day hike 
  • Acclimatization hike to Syangboche airport
  • Hotel Everest View visit
  • Short hike to Khumjung
  • Lunch at Khumjung 
  • Trek to Khunde and back to Namche Bazaar 
  • Explore Namche Bazaar 
  • Dinner & stay overnight in the same tea house

  • Wake-up call (optional)
  • Breakfast
  • Start to trek
  • Head northwards to Phortse Thanga via the Mong La Pass
  • Lunch
  • Ascend further up to Dhole
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake-up call (optional)
  • Breakfast
  • Start to trek
  • Head north towards Machhermo
  • Tea house check-in + lunch
  • Small acclimatization hike
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake up call (optional)
  • Breakfast
  •  Start to trek
  • Follow the trail further north to Phangga
  • Continue on directly to Gokyo
  • Tea house check-in + lunch
  • Afternoon Lake excursion
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake up call
  • Hike up to Gokyo Ri
  • Enjoy the 360° view from Gokyo Ri
  • Hike back to Gokyo
  • Breakfast
  • Start to trek
  • Trek to Thagnak
  • Lunch
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house
  • Rest and get ready for the next big day

  • Early morning wake-up and breakfast
  • Start to trek 
  • The trail climbs up through a narrow valley and a rocky trail to climb up continuously from Phedi
  • Trek through the side of the frozen lake towards the top of Cho La  
  • Snow-covered glacier on the pass
  • A beautiful glimpse of Mt. Cho Oyu (8,153m/26,749ft), the sixth-highest mountain in the world
  • After Cho La, a steep descent passing through some crevasses towards Dzongla 
  • Beautiful view of Ama Dablam, Cholatse, Lobuche, and the Pheriche village from Dzongla 
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake-up call (optional)
  • Breakfast
  • Start to trek
  • The easy trail from Dzongla to Lobuche after the hard crossing of Cho La
  • Trek descends and ascends gently and level walk to Lobuche
  • Excellent views of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Nuptse , Pumori, Lobuche, etc.
  • Amazing sunset on Nuptse form Lobuche
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake up call
  • Breakfast
  • Start to trek
  • Continue on to the Lobuche Pass (5,110m/16,765ft)
  • Reach Gorakshep and check in to the tea house
  • Lunch
  • Hike up to EBC (5,364m/17,598ft)
  • Enjoy the views at EBC for about 30min
  • Head back down to Gorakshep
  • Early Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake up call
  • Hike up to Kala Patthar
  • Enjoy the sunrise view over Mt.Everest
  • Head back down to Gorakshep
  • Breakfast
  • Start to trek
  • Follow the same trail in reverse back to Lobuche
  • Lunch 
  • Head south towards Dugha (Thukla)
  • Continue on towards Pheriche
  • Dinner and overnight stay at the tea house

  • Breakfast
  • Visit the Pheriche Health post
  • Start to trek
  • Continue back on the EBC trail south to Pangboche
  • Lunch
  • Descend further down to Deboche (Deuche)
  • Ascend to Tengboche
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake-up call (optional)
  • Breakfast
  • Start to trek
  • Visit the famous Tengboche Monastery
  • Head back down to Namche Bazaar
  • Lunch
  • Follow the same trail back to Monjo
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake-up call (optional)
  • Breakfast
  • Start to trek
  • Continue back to Phakding
  • Lunch
  • Ascend upwards back to Lukla
  • Dinner and stay overnight in the tea house

  • Wake up call
  • Breakfast
  • Flight back to Kathmandu
  • Arrival in Kathmandu + transfer to your hotel
  • Hotel check-in
  • Overnight at the hotel

  • Trip review & feedback
  • Overnight at the hotel

  • Check-out
  • Our team will transfer you to the airport approx. 3hrs before departure

Not satisfied with this itinerary? Make your own.
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Includes

    • All ground transportation as per itinerary
    • Kathmandu - Lukla - Kathmandu flight
    • 5/4-star Hotel in Kathmandu
    • Tea house/lodge during the trek
    • Breakfast in Kathmandu
    • All meals during the trek
    • Welcome dinner
    • Licensed English-speaking trek guide/leader
    • Guide and porter service during the trek
    • All government and local taxes as per the itinerary
    • All permits as per the itinerary
    • All entry fees as per the itinerary
    • All official expenses as per the itinerary
    • Successful trek certificate
    • 1 basic medical kit per group

Exclude

    • Meals in Kathmandu
    • Tips for guide

Frequently Asked Questions

With the thousands of travel and trekking agents to choose from in Nepal, why book a holiday with Royal Himalayan Holidays? Well first off, at RHH we take care in organizing any type of tour, trek, or adventure activity in Nepal. Furthermore, we provide a unique service by hiring only local and licensed guides. But the real reason you should book with RHH is, because of that touch of luxury that we provide in Nepal. All of our packages come with an All-Inclusive package, giving you more time to just enjoy your holiday. We provide luxury holidays in the Himalayas!

Booking with RHH has never been easier! Just use our easy-to-use website, select your package for Nepal, Bhutan, or Tibet and click Book Now to fill up your booking form. After receiving your booking form by auto email, our team will contact you back via email, to finalize your booking. It’s that easy!

Yes, all of our packages are based on luxury trips and can get pricy for the average budget trekker. We do however can change this during your booking should you wish. By lowering the accommodation type and switching to the public instead of private transport you can enjoy trips or treks with RHH without the luxury element. But then again would you sacrifice comfort for the price during a holiday? Enjoy the best of the Himalayas with our luxury packages. 

If you wish to book a budget trip with Royal Himalayan Holidays, you can just make any booking, but a request for a budget trip. Then after receiving your request our team can send you a budget itinerary for that package with a new and lower calculated rate per person. 

Almost all of our trips are family and child friendly. Of course, you’ll need to see a bit yourself, we think it’s logical that you can’t book a hard and strenuous trek while bringing children with you. For family and child-friendly trips or treks, we do recommend any of our tour packages or one of our short treks in Nepal that don’t reach too such high altitudes. 

No, Royal Himalayan Holidays do not have any hidden or additional fees after booking a trip. With us, full transparency is an important part of our customer relations! Hence, all rates are included within your package, of course, these do not include your personal expenses, such as drinks, souvenirs, tips, etc. 

Yes with RHH you have the option to book a non-English guide for your trip. If you would like to have a different language guide during your holiday we do insist on mentioning this during your booking so we have the time to organize, find, check and hire said guide for your trip. There are French, German, Dutch, and Spanish-speaking guides available.

Royal Himalayan Holidays does take great care of booking your accommodation during your holiday in Nepal. We book only the best available 4 to 5-star category hotel. These hotels are based on All-Inclusive plans and have luxury rooms as well as other facilities available for you to enjoy during your holiday. During treks, accommodation is limited to standard guest or tea houses, but at some overnight locations where there is luxury accommodation available, we plan to stay at those. 

Well, since ATMs don’t exist up high in the mountains we do recommend bringing some additional cash with you, preferably Nepalese Rupees or US Dollars. Calculate a 15 to 25 USD per day in the Himalayas. This way you can use extra facilities in the guesthouses such as WIFI usage. 

Yes, with RHH you have the option to tailor-make or customize an itinerary before booking a holiday. If you want to change a part of your itinerary during your holiday then RHH can organize for you, but at additional cost depending on the changes that have to be made. 

No, international flights are not included in the package rate. With so many flight options nowadays we give you the freedom of choosing the best available flights from and to Nepal yourself. If you do require international flight tickets we can arrange this, but by experience, we found that our customers can get better international flight rates by themselves from their own respective countries. 

So Nepal has 4 seasons. Starting with spring, followed by the monsoon or rainy season going into fall/autumn and ultimately winter. The best times to book a trip or trek in Nepal will either be during spring or fall/autumn. Spring starts in March and ends at the end of May. During this season the winter cold is gone and the skies are clear blue with a few clouds here and there. Perfect for seeing those incredible mountain and valley views! Fall or autumn starts in September and runs until the end of November. This season is extra special in Nepal, not because of the clear skies and comfortable weather, but due to being the festival season. In October the biggest festival takes place in Nepal, namely Dashain and Tihar. To get the best experience in Nepal we do recommend booking either for the spring or fall/autumn seasons.

Almost all guesthouses have WIFI available and phone reception. Do note that this is not high-speed WIFI or perfect reception, you’re still in the remote Himalayas. During the trek, there will be areas with no reception or WIFI, meaning you’ll be completely cut out from the world and surrounded by nature! Exactly what a trek should be.

While tipping is not mandatory in Nepal, due to being a low-income country many of the workers do depend on it as a secondary income. Hence we do ask our travelers to give some gratuities at the end of your trip to your guide or driver. Common tips in Nepal for a service well performed are about 5 to 10USD a day. But once again it is not mandatory.

Yes with RHH you can extend or add extra days on your holiday to enjoy your trip further. We do also provide assistance in VISA extension should it be required as well as helping you choose new and different activities. You can even combine multiple tours or treks with each other, as well as doing additional activities such as hiking, or adventure packages such as rafting or paragliding. 

With Royal Himalayan Holidays you can even hold a special event such as a birthday celebration, company team building, anniversary celebration, marriage proposal and even hold a traditional Nepalese wedding. Do request us during your booking if you want us to organize such an event during your trip to Nepal.

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Art representing various natural and cultutal heritages of Nepal