Everest High Passes Circuit Trek

We welcome you at Tribhuvan International Airport upon your arrival and drive you to your hotel in Kathmandu. Our team conducts a full trek briefing in the afternoon to check gear and discuss the days ahead.

We spend the day in Kathmandu allowing you to rest, complete final shopping, and prepare your duffels for the mountain journey.

We take an early morning mountain flight to Lukla airstrip, where our porters meet us. We begin walking downhill along the Dudh Koshi River through small farming hamlets to reach Phakding after about three hours.

The trail crosses several suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi before entering Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo. We face a long, steady uphill climb through pine forests to reach the trading hub of Namche Bazaar.

We hike up to the Everest View Hotel and the village of Khumjung to help our bodies adjust to the rising altitude. This short trek provides our first clear sightings of Everest, Lhotse, and Ama Dablam.

We descend to the Dudh Koshi at Phunki Tenga before climbing steeply through rhododendron forests to Tengboche. Here we visit the famous monastery and observe evening prayers if timing permits.

The path drops through birch forests to Pangboche before leaving the tree line behind. We walk through open yak pastures beneath the massive south face of Ama Dablam until we reach Dingboche.

A short, gradual ascent takes us up the Imja Khola valley through stone-walled fields. We arrive in Chhukung by midday to rest and hydrate before our upcoming pass crossing.

We climb the steep rocky slopes of Chhukung Ri to reach 5,550 m for expansive views of Lhotse, Makalu, and Baruntse. We then return to Chhukung for the night.

We cross our first high pass, Kongma La, navigating moraine ridges and a frozen lakebed above the Khumbu Glacier. The descent leads us down to the scattered lodges of Lobuche.

We follow the rocky edge of the Khumbu Glacier past ice pinnacles to reach Everest Base Camp. After spending time among the prayer flags and moraine, we retrace our steps to sleep in Gorak Shep.

We start before dawn to climb the black ridge of Kala Patthar for sunrise over Everest and Pumori. Afterward, we return to Gorak Shep for breakfast, then traverse the high trail across to Dzongla.

Our route crosses the steep and icy boulders of Cho La Pass, requiring careful footing and microspikes where necessary. We descend along the Ngozumpa Glacier edge to reach Dragnak.

We cross the lateral moraine of the Ngozumpa Glacier—the longest glacier in the Himalayas—and walk past the sacred emerald-green Gokyo lakes to reach the lakeside village.

We make a morning ascent of Gokyo Ri to look out over the expanse of the glacier and surrounding giants including Cho Oyu and Makalu. The afternoon is free to rest by the lakes.

Our final pass takes us up Renjo La, offering a retrospective view of Gokyo and the lakes below. We descend stone staircases past remote wetlands down to the herder settlement of Lunden.

The trail follows the Bhote Koshi River downstream through ancient trade routes, bringing us to the traditional Sherpa village of Thame and its cliffside monastery.

We continue descending through pine forests and small farming hamlets, crossing suspension bridges until we reenter Namche Bazaar.

Our final day on the trail retraces our steps down the Dudh Koshi valley past Monjo and Phakding, ending with a final uphill push into Lukla.

We take the morning flight from Lukla back to Kathmandu (or Manthali Airport during peak seasons) and transfer to our hotel for a well-earned rest.

A free day in the capital allows you to catch up on laundry, explore cultural sites, or relax at a café.

We transfer you to Tribhuvan International Airport in time for your international flight home.