Gokyo Lake and Ri Alpine Trek

Our team welcomes you at Tribhuvan International Airport (1350 m) and transfers you to your hotel in Kathmandu. We use the afternoon to conduct a pre-trip briefing and inspect your trekking gear.

We take an early morning flight from Kathmandu to Lukla (2860 m), landing on its famously steep mountain airstrip. From there, we begin our descent along the Dudh Koshi river, passing stone mani walls and pine forests before reaching Phakding (2640 m) after 3 to 4 hours of walking.

The trail follows the Dudh Koshi, crossing several suspension bridges festooned with prayer flags before entering Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo. After crossing the high Hillary Suspension Bridge, we make a steep, sustained 3-hour ascent through pine forests to reach Namche Bazaar (3440 m).

We spend today supporting our red blood cell production by hiking up to the Everest View Hotel (3880 m) and visiting the Sherpa village of Khumjung. We return to Namche in the afternoon to rest and explore the local market streets.

We leave the main Everest Base Camp trail, contouring high above the Dudh Koshi through rhododendron forests before dropping to Phortse Tenga. A steep climb up through birch and pine woods brings us out onto open hillsides leading to Dole (4010 m).

We climb steadily along a ridge above the valley, surrounded by scrub juniper and sweeping views of Cho Oyu and Kantega. The valley widens as we approach Machhermo (4470 m), where we arrive by early afternoon to rest and hydrate.

We walk past the second glacial lake and traverse the lateral moraine of the Ngozumpa Glacier, the longest glacier in the Himalayas. We descend to the shore of the third lake, Longpongo, and check into our teahouse in Gokyo (4790 m).

We start before sunrise for a demanding 1-hour climb up the loose scree of Gokyo Ri (5357 m) to watch the dawn light on Everest and Makalu. After descending to Gokyo for breakfast, we pack our bags and retrace our steps down the valley to Dole (4015 m).

Our path leads downwards through alpine scrub, crossing streams and climbing briefly back up to Phortse Tenga before the final pull to Namche Bazaar (3440 m) for a comfortable night in a teahouse.

We make our final long descent down the stone steps from Namche, crossing the suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi for the last time. We celebrate our final night on the trail with our guides and porters in Lukla (2860 m).

We board our morning flight from Lukla back to Kathmandu, enjoying one final aerial view of the Khumbu valleys. Upon arrival, we transfer you to your hotel for a free afternoon.

We provide a private transfer from your hotel to Tribhuvan International Airport (130 m) in time for your flight home.