Map
Everest High Passes trek is the most thrilling and adventurous trek in the Everest region of Nepal. The main highlight of this trek is crossing three high-altitude mountain passes in the Everest region, including Kongma La (5,535m), Cho La (5,420m), and Renjo La (5,340m). You & also set foot on the Everest Base Camp, hike to Kala Patthar, and explore pristine Goky Lakes. Throughout the journey, incredible mountain panoramas and legendary Sherpa culture and traditions will fascinate you.
Your 3 high passes trek journey starts with a scenic flight to Lukla. Later, slowly acclimatizing with the thin air, you will hike to Phakding. Crossing the small settlements of Monjo, you will’ll enter Sagarmatha National Park and reach Namche. You will spend a day at Namche acclimatizing with an optional hike to Khumjung, Khunde, Hotel Everest View, and Syangboche Airport.Later continuing your trek, you will head to Chukhung village, passing through the famous Sherpa villages of Tengboche and Dingboche. At Dingboche, you will spend another day acclimatizing.Next, you will cross the Kongma La Pass and enter the classic trail leading to Everest Base Camp.
Crossing Lobuche village, you will reach Gorak Shep. From here, you will hike to Everest Base Camp. After enjoying the 360-degree panoramic mountain vistas from the base camp, you will return to Gorak Shep. The next day, early morning, you will hike to Kala Patthar and catch the best sunrise view over Mt. Everest and other mighty peaks, including Ama Dablam, Lhotse,Nuptse, Cho Oyu, and Pumori.You will also get to admire a splendid view of Khumbu Glacier.
Likewise,you will trek to Dzongla and cross Cho La Pass. Though challenging, no wonder you will savor the beauty of several high mountain peaks and glaciers from this mountain pass. After that you will enter the Gokyo lake region.You will halt for a day at Gokyo valley for acclimatization.You can hike to Gokyo Ri or explore the 4th and 5th Gokyo Lakes. After spending a day at Gokyo, you willll head to Lungden village, crossing via Renjo La Pass. You and you will trek back to Lukla via Namche to catch a flight back to Kathmandu.
Major Highlights
-Exhilarating till most scenic mountain flights from Kathmandu to Lukla and vice versa
-Walk through the high altitude Sagarmatha national park and witness wildlife like musk
deer, snow leopard, and Himalayan tahr
-Hike to Syangboche airport, one of the world's highest airport
-Explore twin villages of the Khumbu region; Khumjung and Khunde
-A side trip to Hotel Everest View (3,960m/13,000ft), the highest-placed hotel in the world
-Visit Tengboche Monastery, the biggest monastery in the Khumbu region
-Traverse through the magnificent Khumbu Glacier
-Trek to Gokyo Lake, one of the beautiful highest-altitude lakes in Nepal
-An exciting climb to Gokyo Ri, the best vantages point to get the majestic mountain
scenery of the Everest region
-An alluring view of Ngozumpa Glacier, the longest glacier in the world
-Crossing three high passes in the Everest region; Kongma La, Renjo La, and Cho La
-Hike to the foot of the world’s tallest peak, Everest Base Camp (5,380m)
-Climb a Kala Patthar (5,545m), the best vantage point to get a close-up view of mighty
Mt. Everest
You will be met by our office representative and transferred to the hotel.Remainder day at leisure at Hotel. A pre-trek briefing will be given where arrangements will be made for the distribution of your kit bag, sleeping bag and down/fiberfill jacket
We transfer to the airport for the 45 minute flight to airstrip at Lukla. This was the airstrip built by Sir Edmund Hillary and his friends to service the Everest Region when he began his work of building schools and hospitals for the Sherpa people. It is a memorable flight, with marvelous views of the Eastern Himalaya. At Lukla we are immediately impressed by the scale of the huge peaks that surround the village but this is only a foretaste of what is to come.
We follow the dudh koshi river valley couple of time you cross river by suspension bridge, walk across small sherpa village,below namche bazaar trail steeply ascend for fo r five hundred miters.
From Park Headquarters just above our Sherpa hotel offers a very interesting display of photographs, memorabilia and information on the park, and the hill above is a wonderful vantage point for the spectacular view up the Imja Khola Valley towards Everest and towering Peaks.
The walk to Thyangboche is one of the most pleasant in Nepal. The trail meanders easily around the ridges and Everest can be clearly seen on the horizon ahead before we descend through splendid rhododendron forest for lunch. After lunch we cross the Dudh Kosi and begin the ascent to the top of a long ridge which flows from the summit of Kantega. Our trail takes us through pine and rhododendron forest and as this is a devout Buddhist region, the wildlife is unharmed and not too shy.
The trail descends down from Tengboche,winding through the rhododendron forest to Deboche and crossing a bridge over the raging Imja Khol River. Hug the valley wall, and then traverse the plains to Dingboche, the start of the Imja Tse Valley . Dingboche is also the gateway to Chukung and farther beyond for the most challenging traverses towards Makalu area and Hinko Valley via Sherpani col 6,100m and Amphu Laptsa pass 5,780m.
On this day you will rest before the last leg of the journey. You may have full day rest or there are some places where you can go for a day walk like trek to Chhukung (4,730m) is worth while which takes approx. 3-4 hours from Dingboche, towards east with in the Imjatse Valley, although the trek is gradual, however you can feel the thin air as the altitude gains slowly coming towards Chhukung. At Chhukung, there are few teahouses overlooking superb view of the snow capped peaks and glaciers After enjoy stroll back to Dingboche for overnight.
An important acclimatisation/rest day today with the option of hiking high up to the ridge overlooking the village, or perhaps up to Chhukung Village. We spend the day exploring or relaxing and taking in the mountain scenery. Excellent views of Nuptse, Lhotse, Chhukung Peak and Imja Tse (6189 m) are had from both in the valley or from the ridge above the camp. Massive glaciers drape beneath cliffs that soar up to 3,500 metres in this dramatic valley. It is from here that we will prepare to make our first crossing of a high pass, the Kongma La Pass at 5300 meters.
We start 6 am after Breakfast and with Pack Lunch towards the pass, a gentle strong along the valley at first, followed by a steep ascent into the deep valley between Pokalde Peak and Chhukung. This will be a big day as we ascend to the Kongma La pass amid the crags of this outlying ridge from nearby Nuptse. From the pass we descend steeply to the Khumbu Glacier which we cross, clambering up the moraines on the far side to reach the meadow by the Italian high altitude research pyramid where we plan to camp the night. The difficulty of today's trek should not be underestimated, particularly in snow conditions where the trek across the glacier at the conclusion of the day can be quite exhausting. Our camp is an hour above the village of Lobuche. We enjoy spectacular views of Pumori and Nuptse. The hill above the town affords fine sunset views of Nuptse.
We get an early start to avoid the "crowds" that can converge on Kala Pattar at some times of the year, and to get the clearest views. We trek alongside the Khumbu Glacier as the path winds over the rocky moraine towards the settlement of Gorak Shep. We are high, among the glaciers of the world's highest peaks, at the junction of two large glaciers and nestled in an amphitheatre of peaks. Pumori (7145 m), Lingtren (6697 m), Nuptse (7745 m) and of course Everest (8848 m) surround us.
We head west towards the Cho La Pass, contouring around a headland towards the picturesque Dzong La Pass which cuts across a jagged spur that descends from the summit of Lobuche Peak. The path takes an obvious, gently ascending line, but is very narrow and in snowy conditions can be slippery. High on the flanks of Lobuche we will lunch beside a glacial lake before a long descent to a magnificent camp at the foot of Cholatse, near the base of the Cho La pass.
The views today are magnificent as we leave the Everest watershed and enter that of Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world. The crossing is hard work, involving a steep scramble up rock boulders and then a walk across the gently ascending, snow-covered glacier that caps the pass. However, the views of the route ahead, and of the glacier itself, are breathtaking. We descend steep boulder strewn slopes to the Gokyo valley below. This is a valley of turquoise lakes and great glaciers. For the first (and steepest) part of the descent there are discernible paths that zigzag down the mountainside - slippery in snow! The ground then levels out and the path all but disappears as we hop across a field of boulders. Finally we climb a gentle slope to the top, from where its all downhill (for today at least!), following a narrow river valley all the way to its base where we overnight at Tangnag, a small Sherpa settlement nestled beneath great rock walls, just a stone's throw from the Ngozumba Glacier.
We cross the glacier and ascend the lateral moraine valley past beautiful lakes with Siberian ducks swimming across the mirror-calm surface, to the village of Gokyo. An easy day. We will have the chance to climb another mountain, Gokyo Ri at 5335m, either this evening or early the next morning (or both!)
An early start is best for the opportunities that the early morning views offer. The steady and unrelenting ascent of Gokyo Ri will take around two hours.
You will be elated when you reach the summit with it's spectacular view. Probably the most comprehensive view of 8,000 metre peaks in Nepal, many people consider it to be Nepal's best. Surrounding us are Cho Oyu (8153 m), (a mountain that defeated a British Expedition of climbers, including Hillary, in their lead-up to their successful assault of Everest), Gyangchung Kang (7922 m), Lhotse (8501 m), Makalu (8475 m), Cholatse (6440 m), Taweche (6542 m), Kantega (6685 m), Thamserku (6808 m), Lobuche (6145 m) and Mt Everest (8848 m). Hundreds of other unnamed peaks fill the scene, whilst below us the Ngozumba Glacier, the largest in Nepal, stretches through the valley.
We start at 5 am, a challenging crossing of the Renjo La Pass will be exciting and probably require the use of ropes to descend into remote northern valley about (100mtrs during mid winter(Nov-Feb)) where access is restricted, and the landscape is progressively that of the Tibetan Valleys beyond the border. There is a chance we will meet Tibetan Traders descending from the Nangpa La pass that leads through the Himalayas from Tibet with their caravans of woolly yaks laden with goods.
We turn south and down valley towards Lukla for our return to Kathmandu. But there are Sherpa villages to be explored as we descend the gorge.
The trail takes us down the Dudh Kosi valley to Lukla airstrip for the flight back to Kathmandu. This final day's trekking will be the only day where we cover the same ground twice on this trek.
We usually travel by twin otter aircraft from Lukla to Kathmandu, the flight lasts approx one hour and takes us before many of the well known peaks of the Himalaya including Cho Oyu, Numbur, Gauri Shankar and Langtang. We are met on arrival and transferred to our hotel, rest of time at leisure or take local sight seeing.
Before Airport Transfers, time at yours own self activities and transfer to Airport .
A Day on Trek
Each morning after packing our bags and a hearty breakfast, we set off on the day’s walk. After walking for 3-4 hours we stop for lunch at around midday. The afternoon’s walk is generally shorter and we usually arrive at our destination in time for afternoon tea. The remainder of the afternoon can be spent exploring the village, doing a bit of washing or simply relaxing with a good book. On some days we will arrive at our destination by lunchtime and the entire afternoon will be free. After dinner, the evening will often be spent playing cards and reliving the day’s adventures, before retiring for a well-earned sleep.
Meals and Accommodation
In Kathmandu we use 3-star hotel to ensure a comfortable stay and relaxed environment before and after your trip. All breakfasts are included at the hotel in Kathmandu. Rooms are generally twin share - depending on group size and room availability, triple share may be offered to your request.
While on the trek, we provide good quality food in sufficient quantities from Tea Houses/Mt. lodges. We provide all meals on full board (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and tea & coffee) from the teahouse menu during the trekking period. Whilst trekking on the Everest, the accommodation is in guesthouses which are basic structures, generally with shared facilities but very comfortable. In some guesthouses, showers are available; where there are no showers; there are private facilities in which you can sponge bath.
Luggage while on Trekking
During trek your main luggage will be carried by porters or pack animals (usually yaks or cross breeds). You simply carry a day pack with water bottle, camera, sun-screen, spare jacket, etc. - a small load that allows full enjoyment of the trek. A trek bag is ideal for your main luggage, plus a small lockable bag for travel clothes or anything that you do not need during trek which you can leave at hotel’s locker room/safe deposit box in Kathmandu for free of charge. Weight allowance at Nepal’s domestic airlines is 15 Kgs, excess weight is chargeable at USD 1 or more per Kilo depending on sectors.
Ground Leader and Crew
1) Trained Nepali Trek leader (experienced and knowledgeable)
2) Sherpa Guide (handles the logistics and guides you and your team on the trek)
The Sherpa guide (commonly called Sirdar) will be accompanied by a crew of porters. On camping trek, there will be 2/3 porters for each members while on GAP and on Lodge trek 1 porter for 2 members.
Join a group or private Trip:
Our trips are available on both fixed departure and private basis. If you are looking for a group to join this trip please check our ‘departures’ link for availability, dates and price. If you would like to travel independently, or with your friends, families & colleagues you are invited to choose any of the trips at your convenient timeframe for any number of people (minimum 1 & maximum 100 at a time).
If you want to do something that is not included in our trip list we are ready to tailor a trip to suit your exact requirements. In short, we will make every effort to get you on the trip you want, when you want.
Group Size and Fixed Departure Date:
If you opt to join our ‘fixed departure trip’, you are likely to be joining people from different countries of any age group except minors. The size of group varies, minimum no of persons required to operate a trip is 2 the maximum is 15 people.
Personal Expenses
All meals will be provided. You only need extra money for table drinks (alcoholic/non alcoholic beverages), snacks while walking (a few smaller shops are available along the trail in some areas) tips, souvenirs, hot shower (available in some places).
Tips are appreciated by your support team after the trip. The amount depends on your budget and appreciation of their work. As a suggestion, we advise you to allocate 5 - 10% of the total tour cost as tips.
Flight and Transfers
You will flight to and from Lukla as there is no other option unless you take Heli copter or drive to Jiri and start your trek. Kathmandu -lukla senic flight will be 30 munites.
Communication and Electricity:
While trekking in the remote parts, you may not have an access to telephone facility for some days or weeks. However, en route there may be few places where telephone facilities may be available and likely to be working. There is electricity facility entire trekking trails in Nepal thus there won’t be any problem to re-charge your battery and cameras.
How do you find us in Kathmandu ?
You need to pass on your International flight details to us for a “meeting and greeting” service at airport. You just pass on the Customs and come out of the Terminal building where you will see someone standing with a placard with either ‘Adventure Magic Treks’ or your name written on it. Our airport representative or tour officer will greet you and welcome you with a garland.
Climate and Best Time to go .
The best seasons to trek in the Annapurna region are Autumn (from mid-September till November end) and Spring (from the beginning of March until mid-May). Temperatures will drop considerably as you trek higher everyday. The nights are cold (between -20 C to 5C) but the days are sunny and hot (between 10C to 30C). The mornings are usually clear, with clouds building up during the afternoon, disappearing at night. Trekking during the monsoon is not recommended, as the visibility during monsoon is limited. Trekking in the winter is possible; however, it is much colder than Autumn and Spring.
March, April, October and November are the most popular and favored months for traveling. Please choose the date that is convenient for you.
Itinerary Changes
The itineraries for each trip should be taken as a guideline only. Depending on the prevailing situation, you can modify it to some extent after consulting with your guide. However, the date of trek completion should always coincide with the original itinerary.
You should keep in mind that this is an adventure trip into the remotest region, where many unforeseen events may contribute to the need for a change in itinerary. In such cases, we or your guide will suggest the best alternative similar to your original.
Trek Duration
We ensure liability as per indicated itinerary and list of services. If the holiday is cut short or completed earlier than the projected period upon client’s wish, we shall not be responsible or make refund against unutilized days or services. Clients need to pay extra for Hotels/services incurred in Kathmandu or elsewhere in such cases.
Visa
All visitors except the Indian nationals must hold passport and valid visa. Visa can be obtained at the Nepalese diplomatic missions and consulates abroad. Visa is also issued at the entry points. It can be extended at the Department of Immigration, Bhrikutimandap, Kathmandu. Children under 10 years need not pay any visa fee. People willing to get entry Visa at the air port or any of the land entry points are required to fill a visa form with passport photograph. So, please download form from the link below (visa form) and get ready while you are passing through the immigration Point.Gratis visa for 30 days available only for tourists of SAARC countries
Multiple entry 15 days - US$ 25 or equivalent convertible currency
Multiple entry 30 days - US$ 40 or equivalent convertible currency
Multiple entry 90 days - US$ 100 or equivalent convertible currency
Tourist Visa Extension
If you plan to obtain your visa in your country, you can download the application form from the website at: www.immi.gov.np
Vaccinations
As vaccination requirements change frequently, we suggest you to consult your doctor at least 2 months prior to the beginning of your trip. We recommend protection against malaria, tetanus, typhoid, hepatitis and polio.
First Aid Kid
We supply a medical bag with standard medicines prescribed by trekking doctors. Since our staffs/guides are not qualified for suggesting medications to western clients, we would request you to use the medicines upon your own risk. It is safer and more reliable if you have your own medicine kit and not depend on what we have.
Altitude :
Altitude Sickness has the potential to affect all travelers from 2500m and higher our itinerary is planned in such a way that you make very gradual ascend, spending some days at a low elevation to build necessary acclimatization before walking up to Annapurna south base camp at 4130m (the highest point on this trek). When you are at high altitude, your body needs time to adjust to smaller quantities of oxygen in the air at 5500m/18,044ft; the air pressure is approximately half that of sea level, i.e. there is half the amount of oxygen.
Rescue and Evacuations
In case of a serious sickness or a casualty, which we believe will not happen; we will do everything to transfer you to the nearest hospital. Since you are entirely liable for all the expenses incurred in evacuation please make sure that it is covered by your insurance before assigning for it or be prepared to pay on your own after getting back to Kathmandu.
Insurance
Before joining a tour, we recommend you to take a travel insurance which should cover cancellation, medical expenses, helicopter evacuation and emergency repatriation.
Trip Extensions
In addition to your trek, we can organize extensions both within Nepal and other neighboring countries. You may want to try water rafting or a jungle safari in Nepal or Nepal Cultural Tour. You may as well take a trip to Tibet, India or Bhutan, whichever seems more appealing to you. Since the trek ends in Pokhara, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Nepal, it would be nice and relaxing for you to spend a day or two taking in the sights and sounds of this scenic city.
Social Responsibility
Adventure Magic Treks works with the motto ‘Development through Tourism’. Keeping in line with this motto, Adventure Magic Community Service Project was imagine to authorize deprived, marginalized, poor and minority section of Nepal.
Staff’s Care:
We ensure that all the porters and other staffs going into high altitude conditions are provided with adequate clothing and equipment. We are the first ever company to supply high-altitude porters with crampons. Therefore we are lifetime member of Keep.
Clothing and Equipment List for Trekking in Himalayas:
Our main paramount is to offer safe and enjoyable trek for your clients.As part of the booking process, we will provide you with a comprehensive clothing and equipment list for proposed trekking .Experienced trekkers will often take only a selection of these items based on what has worked in the past.Please find the equipment list below for your personal use during your traveling period.
Foot wear:Walking boots, Wool and liner socks, sandals
Clothing:
Waterproof jacket and trousers, Trekking trousers, Long sleeve shirts, Micro fleece, Mid to heavyweight fleece, Sleeveless or body warmer type fleece, Thermals or base layer for top & bottom (merino wool or synthetic), Fleece pants, Medium weight down jacket
Hand wear: Fleece gloves, Warms mittens and/or gloves
Head wear: Wool or fleece hat, Sun hat, Scarf, Head torch and extra batteries,Sunglasses
Personal Equipment:
Sleeping bag, Backpack large enough to carry water bottles, camera and extra clothing, Stuff sacks for keeping your gear dry and organized, two water bottles (Nalgene wide mouth bottles are the best), Sunscreen and lip salve with a high SPF, Insect repellent, Water purification tablets (Pristine, Biox Aqua or Aqua Mira), Favorite snack food, Books, iPod and cards etc, Trekking poles, Camera with spare batteries and memory cards, Insurance certificate.
Travelling:
Duffle bag or large backpack for your personal gear on the trek (carried by a porter), Bring a small combination padlock to secure the bag, Travel clothes. You will need casual clothing for air travel days and time spent in Kathmandu, Toiletry bag include toilet paper, soap, towel, toothbrush, etc.
Personal first aid kit:
Any personal medications, Diamox (optional) helps with acclimatization.
Adventure Magic Treks always provide down jackets and down sleeping bags for all our trips.The above list is one 'rough guide' of kit which you'll need to consider before leaving home. Each trekker should carry one backpack for items required during the day.Your day backpack will contain items such as warm clothes, jacket, camera, water bottles, and personal first aid kit and day snacks. The rest of your personal equipment packed in a duffel bag or backpack will be carried by a porter.The maximum weight allowance is 15kgs/33 pounds that we strongly care of porter rights and solely against any exploitation on its operation.