Everest Three Pass Trek

You arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu (1,400 m) and are met by our representative for the transfer to your hotel in Thamel.

Your guide runs the pre-trek briefing, and for this itinerary it matters more than most. The Everest Three Passes trek is the most demanding teahouse route in the Khumbu: it crosses Kongma La (5,535 m), Cho La (5,420 m) and Renjo La (5,360 m), takes in Everest Base Camp, Kala Patthar and the Gokyo lakes, and spends the better part of two weeks above 4,000 m.

The passes involve glacier moraine, boulder fields and, depending on season, snow and ice — crampons are sometimes needed on Cho La. Your guide checks kit thoroughly: a four-season sleeping bag, a serious down jacket, insulated gloves and stiff boots are all required. Previous high-altitude experience is strongly recommended. Overnight in Kathmandu.

A pre-dawn transfer for the mountain flight, from Kathmandu itself or from Ramechhap after an early road transfer, depending on the season. The 30-minute flight runs along the flank of the Himalaya with an unbroken line of peaks out of the left-hand windows.

The landing at Lukla (2,860 m) is justly famous — a 527 m runway on a 12% uphill gradient with a mountainside at one end and a drop at the other.

After tea while the porters sort loads, the walking begins, and helpfully it goes downhill. The trail follows the Dudh Koshi through Chheplung and Ghat, past mani walls carved in Tibetan script, spinning prayer wheels and suspension bridges hung with faded flags. Phakding (2,651 m) is reached in the early afternoon, 200 m lower than Lukla — exactly the right way to begin a trek that will spend two weeks up high. Overnight in a teahouse.

The first hard day. The trail follows the Dudh Koshi upstream through pine forest, crossing the river repeatedly on high suspension bridges. At Monjo you register at the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park, the UNESCO World Heritage site that covers the whole Everest region.

Past Jorsalle the valley narrows and the route crosses the Hillary Bridge, strung high above the confluence of the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi. From the far side comes the climb everyone remembers — roughly 600 m of switchbacks through forest, steep and sustained, and the point at which most people first feel the altitude.

Around halfway up, a clearing gives the first distant view of Mount Everest (8,849 m) behind the Nuptse ridge. Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) fills a natural horseshoe amphitheatre and is the commercial heart of Sherpa country. Overnight in Namche.

The first acclimatisation day, and the pattern for the whole trek: climb high, sleep low.

The morning excursion climbs to the Everest View Hotel (3,880 m), whose terrace looks straight out at Everest, Lhotse, Thamserku and the extraordinary spire of Ama Dablam (6,812 m). From there we walk on to the Sherpa villages of Khumjung and Khunde beneath the sacred peak of Khumbila — Khumjung's monastery is said to hold a yeti scalp, and its school was founded by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1961.

Back in Namche for the afternoon, the Sherpa Culture Museum and the national park visitor centre are both worth an hour. This is also the last place with reliable gear shops, so it is the moment to buy or hire anything the passes will need. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

One of the most scenic days on the whole route. The trail leaves Namche and contours high along the valley wall with an almost continuous view of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam ahead.

At Kyangjuma the path drops steeply to the Dudh Koshi at Phunki Thanga (3,250 m), where water-driven prayer wheels turn in the river. Then comes the climb: around 700 m of steady ascent through rhododendron and birch to the ridge at Tengboche. It is a long pull, and it comes in the afternoon.

Tengboche (3,956 m) is the spiritual centre of the Khumbu. Its monastery, rebuilt after a fire in 1989, sits on a saddle with Ama Dablam framed behind it, and visitors are welcome at the late-afternoon prayer ceremony — monks, horns and chanting, with the mountain going pink outside. Overnight in Tengboche.

Step outside at dawn for sunrise on Ama Dablam from the monastery lawn — from this angle it is arguably the most beautiful mountain in Nepal.

The trail descends through rhododendron forest to Deboche, crosses the Imja Khola on a bridge slung high above a gorge, and climbs to Pangboche (3,930 m), the oldest Sherpa settlement in the valley, whose monastery is worth the short detour. Above Pangboche the vegetation gives out almost entirely and the landscape turns high alpine — dwarf juniper, scrub and rock.

The route continues up the Imja valley through Shomare and climbs to Dingboche (4,380 m), a summer settlement of stone-walled potato and barley fields at the junction of the Imja and Khumbu valleys. Above 4,000 m the air is noticeably thin and the nights are properly cold. Overnight in Dingboche.

The second acclimatisation day, and the one that sets up the first pass. With Kongma La at 5,535 m only two days away, this rest day is doing serious work.

The standard walk climbs the ridge of Nangkartshang Peak above the village, gaining 400 to 600 m over two or three hours. It is steep, and it will feel harder than the numbers suggest, but the reward from the top is a genuinely enormous panorama: Makalu (8,485 m) to the east, along with Lhotse, Island Peak, Ama Dablam from a new angle and the ice wall of Cho Polu.

We descend to Dingboche for a long lunch and an easy afternoon. Your guide will check how everyone is coping before committing to the Kongma La crossing — it is the highest of the three passes and the least forgiving. Overnight in Dingboche.

The first and highest pass, and one of the hardest days on any teahouse trek in Nepal. We start before dawn.

The trail climbs steeply out of Dingboche onto a broad shoulder and then works up a long valley of boulder fields and small frozen tarns toward the pass. It is a sustained ascent of over 1,150 m with no shelter and no water, on rough ground where route-finding matters — your guide leads throughout.

Kongma La (5,535 m) is a narrow notch strung with prayer flags, with Makalu visible far to the east and the Khumbu Glacier below to the west. The descent is the crux: a steep, loose drop to the edge of the Khumbu Glacier, followed by a genuinely awkward traverse across the glacier's rubble-covered surface, which is slow going and demands concentration.

The far side climbs onto the moraine and reaches Lobuche (4,938 m) after eight to ten hours. Overnight in Lobuche.

A demanding day at serious altitude, and a shorter one than yesterday, which is just as well.

The morning follows the Khumbu Glacier's lateral moraine — uneven, rocky and slow, with several short climbs — for two to three hours to Gorakshep (5,160 m), the last settlement on the route and the highest place you will sleep.

After lunch and a rest we climb Kala Patthar (5,545 m), the brown hill above Gorakshep. It is a steep 400 m ascent on loose rock and at this altitude it is genuinely hard — three breaths per step near the top is normal.

It is worth every one of them. Kala Patthar gives the finest view of Mount Everest (8,849 m) anywhere in Nepal: from base camp the summit hides behind the west shoulder, but from here the whole south-west face stands clear, with Nuptse, Changtse, Pumori and the Khumbu Icefall below. We descend to Gorakshep. Overnight there.

A long day with two distinct halves. After an early breakfast we set out across the Khumbu Glacier to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m), two to three hours over rock, rubble and ice that undulates far more than the map suggests.

Base camp is a sprawl of moraine at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall — a frozen cataract of house-sized séracs tumbling out of the Western Cwm, and the most dangerous section of the standard route up Everest. In spring the site is a small city of tents; outside the season it is bare rock, prayer flags and enormous silence.

We return to Gorakshep for lunch, then descend past Lobuche and turn west off the main trail toward Dzongla (4,830 m), a tiny settlement of two or three lodges on a shelf beneath Cholatse. Leaving the base camp crowds behind here is a distinct change of mood. Overnight in Dzongla.

The second pass, and the most technical day of the trek. We start before dawn, because the crossing is long and the weather deteriorates through the afternoon.

The trail climbs steadily from Dzongla over boulder fields toward the pass. The final approach to Cho La (5,420 m) involves a steep scramble up loose rock and then a crossing of a small glacier — crevassed in places, and often icy enough to need crampons or microspikes, which your guide will advise on before you leave Kathmandu.

The pass itself is a narrow saddle hung with prayer flags, with a superb view of Ama Dablam, Cholatse and Baruntse. The descent is steep and loose at first, then eases across moraine to Thangnak, where we usually stop for tea.

The last stretch crosses the rubble of the Ngozumpa Glacier, the longest in Nepal, and reaches Gokyo (4,800 m) beside its third lake. Eight to ten hours in total. Overnight in Gokyo.

A well-earned day at Gokyo after two passes, and one that still involves climbing — but at your own pace.

The main option is Gokyo Ri (5,357 m), a steep 550 m ascent above the village taking two to three hours. The summit panorama is arguably the finest in Nepal: four eight-thousanders in one view — Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu — with the Ngozumpa Glacier and the chain of turquoise lakes laid out below.

The alternative, and for many people the better one, is the walk north along the shore to the fourth (Thonak Tsho) and fifth (Ngozumpa Tsho) lakes — an easy couple of hours each way, far quieter, with a direct view of Cho Oyu's north face from the ridge above the fifth lake.

Either way you sleep at Gokyo. Overnight in the village.

The third and final pass, and the one most trekkers remember best. Another pre-dawn start.

The trail climbs west from Gokyo along the northern shore of Dudh Pokhari and then up a long series of stone staircases and switchbacks — steep but straightforward, with no glacier crossing. The lakes shrink below you as you climb.

The view from Renjo La (5,360 m) is the classic image of the Khumbu: Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu ranged across the eastern horizon, with Gokyo village and the turquoise third lake directly below and the grey sweep of the Ngozumpa Glacier beside them. Many people rate this above both Kala Patthar and Gokyo Ri.

The descent west is long — steep stone steps at first, then open valley — passing Lumde and following the Bhote Koshi down to Marlung (4,210 m). You are now in a valley almost nobody walks. Overnight in Marlung.

A long descending day down the Bhote Koshi valley, and a quiet one — this side of the Khumbu sees a fraction of the traffic of the main trail.

The path follows the river south through Taranga to Thame (3,820 m), an old Sherpa village that was the childhood home of Tenzing Norgay and of several generations of Everest summiteers since. Its monastery, set on the hillside above, is one of the oldest in the Khumbu and worth the short climb.

Below Thame the trail descends through juniper and then rhododendron, and the return of trees after a week above the treeline is genuinely welcome. The valley narrows and joins the main Dudh Koshi route just above Namche.

Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) feels like a metropolis after Marlung — hot showers, bakeries, and a beer if you want one. Overnight in Namche.

The final walking day. From Namche the trail drops steeply down the switchbacks you climbed two weeks ago, losing 600 m to the Hillary Bridge. Descending is faster but harder on the knees, and poles earn their keep.

From the bridge the route follows the Dudh Koshi through Jorsalle and Monjo, where you check out of Sagarmatha National Park, and continues through Phakding. The valley is green and warm again, thick with pine and rhododendron, and busier with villages, mani walls and prayer wheels than the high country has been for a fortnight.

A final undulating section — with one climb near the end that always feels unfair — brings you into Lukla (2,860 m). Tonight is the celebration dinner with your guide and porters, and after three passes above 5,300 m it is a properly earned one. Overnight in Lukla.

An early flight out, because Lukla's weather window is a morning one and the airstrip routinely closes by midday. The take-off — accelerating downhill toward the edge of the shelf — is as memorable as the landing was.

The 30-minute flight returns you to Kathmandu (1,400 m), or to Ramechhap with a road transfer, depending on the season. On a clear morning the Himalaya line the northern horizon the whole way.

Lukla flights depend entirely on weather and delays of a day or more are common, which is why we always recommend a buffer day before an international connection. Once in Kathmandu you transfer to your hotel with the afternoon free — after two weeks and three 5,000 m passes, a hot shower and a proper meal are memorable in their own right. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Your final day in Nepal. If your flight is later there is time for one more part of the Kathmandu Valley — Boudhanath Stupa is a fitting close after two weeks in Sherpa country, being the centre of the city's Tibetan Buddhist community, with Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath nearby.

Our representative collects you from your hotel and transfers you to Tribhuvan International Airport around three hours before departure.

The Everest Three Passes trek is the complete Khumbu: Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La, plus Everest Base Camp, Kala Patthar at 5,545 m, the Gokyo lakes and Gokyo Ri, and the quiet Bhote Koshi valley on the way out. Very few trekking routes anywhere pack in this much. If you want a comparable challenge elsewhere in Nepal, the Kanchenjunga Circuit and Makalu Base Camp are the obvious candidates. Safe travels.