Gokyo Lake Trekking

01 / THE EXPERIENCE

Discover the journey

This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see some of the most unbelievable scenery imaginable. Nepal is a beautiful country, not only for its outstanding scenery, but for its peopleas well. The trek through the Khumbu region will allow you to experience both. You will pass through small Sherpa villages meeting friendly people at every turn, while at the same time gazing in awe at the many surrounding Himalayan peaks. Our ascent is well paced to allow time to experience and enjoy all the surroundings as well as to acclimatize. This trek is for those who love a sense of adventure, trekking at high elevations and wanting to push themselves to the limit. It is a tough, challenging, but exciting adventure. We begin our adventure with a short, but scenic flight from Katmandu, the capital of Nepal, to the small mountain village of Lukla. You will experience the thrill of approaching and landing on its tiny runway! Once leaving Lukla, and until we return, we spend our time trekking through the heartland of the Sherpa people, staying in their villages, experiencing their cultures and visiting Buddhist monasteries. Our trek follows the Dudh Koshi River, and along its route you will see distant views of Everest and neighboring Ama Dablam, considered by many to be among the most beautiful mountains in Nepal. A rest day will be spent at Namche Bazaar, the busy market town in the heart of Sherpa country and Gokeyo.These rest days allow time to explore the surrounding areas and to acclimatize. The trail to Gokyo is a gradual ascent up the valley passing through patches of birch and rhododendron forest where the elusive musk deer can sometimes be seen. Through small yak-grazing settlements we reach the Gokyo lakes where we climb the Gokyo Peak (5480 m) and enjoy stunning summit mountain scenery including Everest, Makalu and Cho Oyo. After the Cho La pass, we reach Dzongla and further up the base camp. Leaving Gokyo, we spend the next few days retracing our route down to Namche Bazaar. The trek down will be equally exciting, as you take in the views and reflect on your accomplishments and experiences. From Namche Bazaar, it is a very pleasant days walk to Lukla and your flight to Katmandu.

02 / WHY GO

The memorable moments

Dramatic take on/off in Lukla gateway to Everest Base Camp Experienced local guide and porter Sherpa Culture and tradition High suspension Hanging Bridges Tibetan Buddhism and practice Gokyo Lake and stunning view from Gokyo Ri inlcuding Cho oyu Rest and acclimatization days before conquer Gokyo Ri Breathtaking view of Mount Everest and Himalayan wide range Comfortable Accommodation and hygiene meals everyday

03 / YOUR ROUTE

Journey at a glance

Day 1: Kathamandu-Lukla- Ghat- Phakding ( 2650m./8745ft.) 3 hrs. walk — A magnificent 35 minute flight to Lukla (2800m./9240ft.)an exciting landing on a steep mountain runway brings us to the start of our trek. We head up the Dudh Koshi Valley on a well-marked trail to our first stay at a lodge in Phakding (2650m./8745 ft.) . Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 2: Phakding-Manju-Joresalle-Namche Bazzar ( 3440m./11352ft. ) 5 hrs. walk — We continue north following the Dudh Kosi river and on to Jorsale where we enter the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park. From here it is a short walk to the confluence of two rivers, the lmja Drangpa (Imja Khola) and the Nangpo Tsangpo (Bhote Kosi) followed by a steep climb (for about 2hrs.) to Namche Bazaar, the main town in the Khumbu region. Namche is a prosperous Sherpa town and an important trading centre with a weekly Saturday market. Stay there overnight at lodge. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 3: Rest day for Acclimatization in Namche Bazzar. — Rest day and overnight. Namche Bazaar is tucked away between two ridges amongst the giant peaks of the Khumbu. Once named the 'Trekkers Mecca of Nepal’, Namche now boasts plenty of lodges and souvenir shops. It is an ideal place to spend a rest day, acclimatizing to the new altitude before heading off towards Everest Base Camp. Options for acclimatization walks include a visit to Khumjung Village and Khumjung gompa which has a Yeti skull, and also the one hour walk up to the Everest Hotel (3850m./12705ft.) above Namche for the sunset view of Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest. Stay at same Lodge. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 4: Namche Bazar - Phortse Thanga ( 3600m./11880ft.) 5 hrs. walk — Beautiful view of the Tengpoche monastery and the verdant Phortse plateau on east. Stunning vista of the Thamserku (6608 m) and Kang Taïga (6685 m) on south-east and the Laboche (6367 m) on north-east. We reach Phortse Tanga then we stay there overnight at lodge. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 5: Phortse Thanga – Dole-Machhermo ( 4410m./14553ft.) 5 hrs. walk — Rhododendrons forests give way to junipers and tall conifers. After Dole the landscape gets rocky. First sights of the Cho Oyu (8153 m). Stay at Machermo overnight at lodge. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 6: Machhermo - Gokyo ( 4750m./15675ft.) 3 hrs. walk — We follow the immense frontal moraine of the Ngozumpa glacier to the Gokyo lakes. Climbing up we will discover one by one those emerald drops lost into black rocks and snow. Stay overnight at Gokyo at lodge. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 7: Gokyo Peak ascent and explore around ( 5480m./18084ft. — We ascent early morning to Gokyo peak to walk down. A breathtaking 360 º view with Lhotse, Everest, Makalu, Cho Oyu, four of the forteen 8000 m on earth, dominating the myriad lesser peaks. Explore around during the day. We stay at same lodge overnight. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 8: Gokyo – Machhemo- Dole ( 4010m./13233ft.) 5 hrs. walk — We head down to Dole. We stay there overnight at lodge . Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 9: Dole- Mungla Danda- Namche Bazzar ( 3440m./11352ft.) 5 hrs. walk — Our trek takes us downhill from Dole to the Dudh Kosi river. We reach near the river and make our way through Phortse Thanga and from there, after many steep switchbacks uphill, to Mong. Again, the views from this elevation are outstanding as you look down the valleys to the west and admire the surrounding peaks. We descend and pass through Kenjoma on our way to Namche Bazzar and stay overnight at lodge. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 10: Namche bazzar-Manju-Phakding- Lukla ( 2800m./9240ft.) 6 hrs. walk — From Namche Bazaar the trail descends steeply to the village of Jorsale. Passing the villages of Phakding and Choplung, we reach Chaunrikharka and the trail that leads up to the airport at Lukla. This is a long, but pleasant day of trekking ! This will be the final day of your trek and an opportunity to gather with your comrades, guides and porters to celebrate your achievement! Enjoy your last evening in the Khumbu region by relaxing at the lodge. Stay overnight. Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner Day 11: Lukla- Kathmandu by flight — In the morning, we rise early for breakfast, then walk to the airport. Before boarding the flight to Katmandu, you say goodbye to the porters and also goodbye to the mountains. The plane rolls down the short runway, then soars across the Dudh Kosi River and makes its way back to Katmandu. Meals included: Breakfast

YOUR DAY-BY-DAY ROUTE

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1Kathamandu-Lukla- Ghat- Phakding ( 2650m./8745ft.) 3 hrs. walk — A magnificent 35 minute flight to Lukla (2800m./9240ft.)an exciting landing on a steep mountain runway brings us to the start of our trek. We head up the Dudh Koshi Valley on a well-marked trail to our first stay at a lodge in Phakding (2650m./8745 ft.) .+