Everest Three Passes Trek | 17 Days

You arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, where our team greets you and takes you to your hotel. After check-in, you have time to rest, freshen up, or enjoy a short walk around Thamel.

Later, your trekking guide meets you for the trip briefing. The session explains the Lukla flight plan, required permits, packing checklist, altitude safety, three high passes, and the day-by-day walking schedule.

After breakfast, you take an early flight to Lukla, the starting point of many Everest region treks. On a clear morning, the flight gives beautiful views of hills, valleys, and distant Himalayan peaks. After landing at Tenzing-Hillary Airport, you meet the trekking crew and begin walking through Lukla’s stone lanes toward the lower trail.

The path then descends toward Chaurikharka and Cheplung before following the Dudh Koshi Valley. Along the way, prayer flags, mani stones, chortens, and Sherpa settlements give the first real feel of the Khumbu before you reach Phakding.

From Phakding, the trail follows the Dudh Koshi River through small villages, forest paths, and quiet riverside sections. The route passes Toktok, Benkar, Chumoa, Monjo, and Jorsalle while crossing suspension bridges and walking beside prayer wheels and stone walls. At Monjo, you enter Sagarmatha National Park, which gives the day a stronger mountain feel.

After Jorsalle, the day becomes more demanding. You cross the high suspension bridge near Larja Dobhan, then climb steadily through pine forest toward Namche Bazaar. As you arrive, the trail opens into a lively Sherpa town filled with shops, bakeries, teahouses, and wide valley views.

Namche Bazaar is your first acclimatization stop. However, instead of resting all day, you take a short hike above the town toward the Everest View Hotel area. This helps your body adjust while giving you clear views of Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kongde Ri, and the valleys below.

After enjoying the view, you can return to Namche or continue toward Khumjung and Khunde. These nearby Sherpa villages add more culture to the day, with stone houses, quiet lanes, and mountain views. Later, you head back to Namche for a relaxed afternoon with time to visit the market, cafés, gear shops, or local museum areas.

Leaving Namche Bazaar, the trail turns away from the busy Everest Base Camp route and follows the Bhote Koshi Valley toward Thame. The walk feels calmer with fewer trekkers, softer village scenes, and open views across the Bhote Koshi Valley. Along the way, you pass stone houses, prayer flags, mani walls, and old trading paths once used between Nepal and Tibet.

As the valley widens, Thame gradually comes into view. This old Sherpa village is known for its quiet setting, traditional homes, and monastery above the settlement. It gives a peaceful overnight stop before you move higher toward Lungden.

From Thame, the trail leads deeper into the Bhote Koshi Valley. The village scenery slowly changes into dry slopes, stone walls, yak pastures, and open mountain country. You pass smaller settlements around the Marlung side, where the old trade route of this valley still remains strong.

By the time Lungden appears, the setting feels more remote, and the altitude becomes more noticeable. This village is the main stop before Renjo La Pass, your first high pass crossing, so the afternoon is kept simple and restful.

This is your first high pass day, so you leave Lungden early while the weather is still clear. The path climbs toward Renjo La Pass through open slopes, rocky sections, and wide mountain terrain. At the top, prayer flags mark the pass, and you get sweeping views of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, and the distant Khumbu ridges.

After Renjo La, the descent brings a dramatic change in scenery. The blue lakes of Gokyo appear below, with Dudh Pokhari shining beside Gokyo village. This is one of the most beautiful sections of the trek because it connects a remote pass crossing with the calm lake valley in a single day. By late afternoon, you reach Gokyo and rest near the main lake.

After the long crossing over Renjo La, Gokyo is the second acclimatization day of your trek. Still, the day remains active with the morning hike toward Gokyo Ri. Here, the path is steep, but the view keeps improving as Dudh Pokhari and the lake valley appear below.

From the summit, you get to see Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu, and the snowy ridges around the Gokyo Valley. After enjoying the view, you descend to Gokyo and keep the rest of the day easy.

The journey continues toward the Cho La side of the trek. You leave the lake village and cross the Ngozumpa Glacier area, where the ground is rough, uneven, and covered with loose moraine. This wide glacier system separates Gokyo from the valley leading to Cho La Pass.

By the end of the crossing, you reach Thangnak, also known as Dragnag. This small settlement sits just below the Cho La crossing and works as the main stop before the next high pass. The village is small and simple, with basic lodges and a quiet mountain setting.

Your morning starts early from Thangnak, with a steady climb over rough stones, boulder fields, and high alpine ground. Near the pass, the terrain often includes snow or ice, so each step needs focus and balance. At the top, the prayer flags mark the crossing between the Gokyo side and the Everest Base Camp side of the Khumbu.

After the pass, the descent heads toward Dzongla through rocky slopes and open mountain terrain. This side gives you strong views of Cholatse, Ama Dablam, Lobuche Peak, and sharp ridgelines around the valley.

The day after Cho La is shorter and gentler. From Dzongla, the trail crosses open highland slopes with views of Cholatse, Taboche, Lobuche Peak, and the upper Khumbu area. Since the distance is moderate, you move at an easier pace and recover from the previous day's pass.

As the route joins the main Everest Base Camp trail near Lobuche, the area becomes livelier again. Trekkers, yak trains, stone lodges, and glacier-side scenery bring back the busy feel of the classic base camp route. After reaching Lobuche, you rest, eat well, and prepare for the next day’s visit to Everest Base Camp.

The route leaves Lobuche and moves toward Gorak Shep through rocky moraine and glacier-side terrain. The landscape feels raw and open, with views of Pumori, Nuptse, and the Khumbu Glacier area. After reaching Gorak Shep, you take a short rest before heading toward Everest Base Camp.

The walk to base camp crosses rough moraine beside the Khumbu Glacier. At Everest Base Camp, you stand near the Khumbu Icefall and the seasonal expedition area. After spending time there, you follow the same rugged path back to Gorak Shep for the night.

Before sunrise, the climb to Kala Patthar begins from Gorak Shep. As the sky brightens, Everest, Nuptse, Pumori, Lingtren, and the Khumbu Glacier area come into clear view. This viewpoint gives one of the best close-up views of Everest on the whole trek.

After returning to Gorak Shep, you have breakfast and continue down toward Lobuche. The lower sleeping altitude feels more comfortable after a night above 5,000m. This stage also gives your body time to recover before the final high pass crossing toward Chhukung.

The final pass day crosses Kongma La, the highest of the three passes. From Lobuche, the route moves across glacier moraine and rocky ground before climbing toward the pass. The landscape feels wild and remote, with no teahouses between Lobuche and Chhukung.

At Kongma La, the views open toward Makalu, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, and the surrounding high ridges. The descent into the Imja Valley is long and rough, so careful steps matter after the pass. Chhukung appears at the end of the valley, giving a welcome rest after the hardest crossing of the trek.

With the three high passes now behind you, the day feels more open and less tense. The route drops from Chhukung through the Imja Valley and returns toward Dingboche. From there, the path continues past Orsho, Somare, and Pangboche, where old Sherpa houses, stone walls, and mountain views bring back the cultural side of the Khumbu.

After Pangboche, the journey crosses the Imja Khola and moves through greener sections near Deboche before reaching Tengboche. This village is best known for Tengboche Monastery, one of the most important Buddhist centers in the Everest region.

From Tengboche, the trail descends through pine and rhododendron forest toward Phunki Tenga. Prayer wheels, river sounds, and forest shade make this section peaceful. After crossing the river, the path climbs again toward Sanasa and Kyangjuma.

The final section brings you back to Namche Bazaar along a familiar hillside path. The town feels lively after the remote high valleys, with better facilities, cafés, bakeries, and shops. This evening gives time to rest and enjoy the comfort of the main Khumbu town.

The final trekking day takes you back through the lower Dudh Koshi Valley. From Namche, the descent reaches the river area and crosses familiar suspension bridges before passing Jorsalle, Monjo, Benkar, and Phakding. After many days above the high valleys, the warmer air, greener hills, and village paths make the return feel easier.

Beyond Phakding, the route continues through Ghat, Thado Koshi, Cheplung, and Chaurikharka before the last climb into Lukla. This final uphill section feels tiring, but reaching Lukla brings a clear sense of completion.

An early flight takes you from Lukla back to Kathmandu. As the aircraft leaves the mountain runway, the Everest region slowly fades into hills, valleys, and distant snowy ridges. After landing, our team transfers you to the hotel.

The afternoon is free for rest, a warm shower, laundry, or a short walk around the city. In the evening, you enjoy a farewell dinner and celebrate the completion of the Everest Three Passes Trek. After crossing Renjo La, Cho La, and Kongma La, this final night in Kathmandu feels well-earned.

Your Everest Three Passes Trek ends in Kathmandu. Our team transfers you from the hotel to Tribhuvan International Airport according to your international flight schedule. If the flight is later in the day, you get time for breakfast, shopping, or a short walk.

As you leave Nepal, the journey closes with memories of Sherpa villages, high passes, Everest Base Camp, Kala Patthar, Gokyo Lakes, and the remote valleys of the Khumbu.