GOKYO VALLEY TREK – 14 Days

As you arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, you finish the custom formalities. Our representative will receive you with a placard displaying your name. After welcoming you to Kathmandu, we will drive you to the hotel.

As you will be transferred to the hotel in a private vehicle, you can have some rest. Once you freshen up, we will brief you about the itinerary. We introduce you to the crew members and other trekkers. You can stroll around the hotel and explore the place.

In the evening, we enjoy our welcome dinner. You can taste some authentic Nepali dinner.

After that, you can enjoy the nightlife of Kathmandu.

Overnight in Kathmandu

After breakfast in the morning, we shall organise a sightseeing day tour. Kathmandu has many UNESCO Heritage sites that are worth visiting. We can take a whole day off to explore some of them.

The tour begins from Swoyambhunath Stupa. Also known as “Money Temple,” this is a 2500-year-old Buddhist monastery. Suited in the hilltop, this is an important pilgrimage for Buddhist people.

From the top of the hill, you can see the entire Kathmandu Valley below your feet. Then, we drive to the Pashupatinath Temple. This is a famous temple of Lord Shiva. Hindu people from different parts of the world visit the temple every year. You can take your time to explore the huge premises of Pashupatinath Temple.

Then, we will head towards Boudhanath Stupa. This is Nepal’s largest stupa and also the most beautiful one. The area is decorated with lights, colourful prayer flags, and rotating wheels.

Finally, we will drive to Patan Durbar Square. Patan is the centre of art and craft. The Durbar Square area has a palace, a temple, and a museum. You can learn about the architecture of Nepal from this place.

In the afternoon, we will return to the hotel. If you need to do some shopping and get the missing items, you can roam around Thamel.

You have time to complete your packing and get ready for the trip before bed.

Overnight in Kathmandu

After early morning preparations and flight to Lukla (2,800m/9,186ft), the trekking starts. 

It will be an adventurous start to the day as the Tenzing/Hillary airport is a steep airstrip that is hanging off the side of a mountain and is one of the most famous airports worldwide, and sits at an altitude of 2,800m.

The flight to Lukla is a lifetime experience in itself.

From Lukla, you’ll pass Chaurikharka village and make a descent towards the Dudhkosi Ghat (2,530m/8,300ft). The trail follows the bank of the Dudhkosi River until Phakding (2,652m/8,700ft) is reached.

Overnight at Phakding.

During the trek today we cross several suspension bridges and pass several villages and monasteries.

Our trekking permits will be checked at Monjo as we enter the Sagarmatha National Park. A descent and a gradual walk brings us to Jorsale, the last village until Namche Bazaar. The walk is enjoyable as we pass through a river bed and we reach the Hillary Suspension Bridge. 

As we climb up towards Namche Bazaar, the magnificent sights of Kwangde Peak, Kusum peak, Kangaru peak, Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Tawache, and many other fabulous mountains greet us.

Overnight at Namche bazaar.

This is the first of your scheduled rest days which will help us acclimatise to the high altitude. Experts believe that it is better to stay active even during rest days for a better trekking experience, and for this reason, we are going to spend the day enjoying small hikes in and around Namche Bazaar. 

You can spend it taking a day hike to Thame, visiting Khunde or relaxing and exploring Namche Bazaar itself which is known as the gateway to Mt. Everest.

Our guide can also take us to the Tourist Visitor Centre near the headquarter of the Sagarmatha National Park where we can observe a variety of things related to the first Everest ascenders, Sherpa culture and learn about the various plant and animal life in the Everest region.

Overnight at Namche bazaar.

Today we start our walk to reach altitudes of over 4000m, we leave early in the morning to get clear views of mountain ranges including Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Thamserku. A glorious view of Everest and Lhotse can be viewed after a little climb to the ridge top out of Namche.

Passing Kayangjuma after a downhill section, we reach the junction to EBC(Everest Base Camp) and Gokyo Valley which lies considerably high all above the Dudh Koshi. From here, we climb to Mong La pass where the sacred Khumbila is a charming presence. Passing Mong La, Rhododendron forests and wildflowers get more abundant, and so does animal life. 

All through the trail, you can witness vendors selling Tibetan handwork and you will be able to experience the unique cretinism of Nepalese and Tibetan Buddhism.

Passing a few waterfalls and bridges, we reach the small village of Dole which offers you with a spectacular view of Khumbila and Tawache (6,542m).

Overnight at Dole.

Today is one of the most scenic days as we start early and make our way towards Machermo.

Most of the way you will follow the melt river waters from the Ngozumba glacier

Straight ahead during the trek you will amazing views of the Cho Oyu and Cholaste peaks. Todays walk is gentle with a slow altitude gain until you reach the shoreline of the first of the five Holy Lakes which starts with a steep rocky incline.

Passing two of the five lakes, as we approach the 3rd lake you will arrive at Gokyo Village.

Overnight at Gokyo.

This is the last of your scheduled rest days and we spend another day in Gokyo to acclimatise to the high altitude. 

If the weather is good, we climb Gokyo Ri(peak) today. From the top of Gokyo Ri, we admire the Himalayan vista and the tranquil Gokyo Lakes. 

We also hike to the fourth and the fifth Gokyo Lakes. The 4th lake is only about 3km north of Gokyo. It is marked by high cliffs and Himalayan peaks rising above it. We continue walking a little further and reach the 5th lake. 

We climb up a nearby hill called Scoundrels viewpoint that will guarantee us(weather permitting) remarkable views of Cho-Oyu, Gyachung Kang, Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Makulu.

From the northern part of the 5th lake, we see the Cho Oyu base camp and Ngazumpa Glacier which is the biggest glacier the world. We walk back to Gokyo to spend the night.

Overnight at Gokyo.

We descend on a trail along the Dudh Koshi River and pass the first Gokyo Lake. On the way, we also enjoy views of the Cholatse and Taboche peaks. Our trail descends before climbing a hill. 

After reaching the Chorten at the edge, we see great views of Thamserku, Cho Oyu, and Kangtega mountains. 

We walk further on to reach Machhermo,

Overnight at Machhermo.

We descend further down in altitude on a trail along the Dudh Koshi River and enjoy the rising oxygen levels.

Your lungs will start to feel the increase and you will automatically start feeling better as you descend.

The traditional village of Khumjung is just above Namche. This town with rock walls dividing stony fields has beautiful vistas on all sides.

Khumjung is the largest village in the Khumbu at the foot of the sacred peak Khumbila. 

Another place to visit is Khumjung School which is the original Hillary School established in 1960.

Overnight at Khumjung.

Today we continue our descend of approx 1,200m in altitude to Phakding Village.

Our trek descends via Namche Bazar along the Dudh Koshi River and you will have plenty of time to enjoy the views along the trail and take to scenic photos as your trek comes to the end.

We will cross some suspension bridges today after some rocky trails before the trail levels out.

We will exit the Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo before arriving at Phakding.

Overnight at Phakding.

Our penultimate day continues with a short trek retracing our steps back to Lukla.

Our trek takes us via Ghat where we can see several mani walls and boulders engraved with Buddhist prayers.

At Lukla, you will have time to relax and unwind, stretch our your sole legs while having a celebratory drink reminiscing about your achievements of your time on the mountain.

Overnight at Lukla.

After an early morning flight back to Kathmandu, you will be collected from the airport and taken to your hotel.

After reaching Kathmandu Hotel,  you will have the rest of the day off to rest by the pool, do some laundry or last shopping in the city. 

There will be a complimentary farewell dinner to enjoy with your trek leader and fellow trekkers to mark the end of our trip in Nepal

Overnight in Kathmandu.

According to the flight schedule, we will transfer you to  the airport three hours before and you will fly to your next destination.