Everest Gokyo Lakes and Ri Trek

We greet you upon your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport and transfer you to your hotel in Kathmandu. Our team conducts a pre-trek briefing in the evening to review gear, safety protocols, and the days ahead.

We spend today in Kathmandu allowing time for final gear checks, permit finalisation, and independent exploration of the city. This day also serves as a weather buffer for upcoming mountain flights.

We take an early morning flight to Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla at 2,860 m, or via Manthali Airport during peak seasons. From Lukla, we begin our descent along the stone-paved trail past Mani stones to Phakding.

Our trail follows the Dudh Koshi river, crossing several suspension bridges festooned with prayer flags before we enter Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo. We face a sustained uphill climb through pine forests to reach the trading hub of Namche Bazaar.

We hike up to the Everest View Hotel at 3,880 m to assist with high-altitude adaptation. The morning walk provides our first clear panoramas of Thamserku, Kongde Ri, and Everest before we return to Namche for the afternoon.

We leave the main Everest Base Camp trail behind, contouring high above the Dudh Koshi valley through rhododendron forests and past small yak pastures. A steady climb brings us to the settlement of Dole.

The landscape opens up as we climb past scrub juniper and stone herders' huts above the river gorge. We arrive in Machhermo by early afternoon, leaving time to attend the afternoon altitude lecture at the local rescue post.

We ascend past scenic glacial ablation valleys and skirt the edge of the Ngozumpa Glacier's lateral moraine. We reach the first and second Gokyo lakes before arriving at the third lake village beneath the peak of Gokyo Ri.

We start before dawn for the steep, gravelly switchback climb up Gokyo Ri at 5,360 m. From the summit cairn, we watch the sunrise illuminate the surrounding peaks of Cho Oyu, Makalu, and Everest before descending back to Gokyo.

We retrace our steps down the valley, enjoying descending views of the Dudh Koshi drainage and surrounding snow-capped ridges. Our knees absorb the steady downhill grade as we return to Dole for the night.

We continue our descent through alpine scrub and pine forests, passing waterfalls and small suspension bridges. We arrive back in Namche Bazaar in time for a hot shower and celebration dinner with our support crew.

Our final day of walking takes us all the way down the steep stone stairs to the Dudh Koshi river and back through Monjo and Phakding. We complete our trek in Lukla, where we tip our porters and spend our final mountain night.

We board our morning flight from Lukla back to Kathmandu or Ramechhap, followed by a private transfer to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to rest or explore Thamel.

We keep this day open as a contingency for mountain flight delays from Lukla, or for personal sightseeing and shopping around Kathmandu Valley.

We transfer you to Tribhuvan International Airport three hours prior to your international flight home, concluding our services.