Everest Three Passes Trek is an adventurous and challenging route in the Everest region of Nepal, designed for experienced trekkers seeking an immersive experience in the Himalayas. This trek covers three high-altitude passes: Renjo La (5340 m), Cho La (5330 m) and Kongma La (5535 m), each offering breathtaking views of iconic peaks like Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse, Mount Nuiptse, Ama Dablam, Makalu, Cho Oyu and so on. With that, we will also visit must explore destination of Everest like: Gokyo Lake, Gokyo Ri (5360 m), Everest Base Camp (5380 m) and Kala Patthar (5545 m). During this trek we can explore the amiable Sherpa village and monasteries in the village of Thame.
Everest Three Passes Trek combines remote trails, diverse landscapes, and cultural experiences, including visits to monasteries, Sherpa villages, and bustling markets. Due to the high altitude and strenuous nature of the passes, proper acclimatization, physical fitness, and preparation are crucial for a successful and safe journey.
The route of the Everest Three Passes Trek begins with a scenic flight to Lukla, from where the adventure kicks off. We begin the trek via Namche Bazaar, the bustling Sherpa town. From Namche, we trek towards Thame and onwards to the first challenge, Renjo La Pass (5,360m), which offers panoramic views of the Everest region. After crossing Renjo La, the path descends to the beautiful Gokyo Valley, where trekkers can explore the stunning Gokyo Lakes. The trek then ascends to the second pass, Cho La Pass (5,330m), which involves a glacier crossing and leads to the Everest Base Camp trail. Following a visit to Everest Base Camp and the viewpoint of Kala Patthar, trekkers face the final challenge, Kongma La Pass (5,535m), before descending to Chhukung and continuing to Tengboche, Namche Bazaar, and finally back to Lukla. This route offers a comprehensive and immersive experience of the Everest region's high passes, remote valleys, and majestic peaks.
The best time for the Everest Three Passes Trek is during the Spring season from March to May and the Autumn season from late September to November. These periods offer stable weather, clear skies, and moderate temperatures, making the trek more enjoyable and providing excellent visibility of the stunning Himalayan vistas. The spring season is also when the rhododendrons bloom, adding vibrant colours to the landscape, while the autumn season offers crisp, clear air after the monsoon rains.
The Everest Three Passes Trek is suitable for experienced and physically fit trekkers who seek a challenging and adventurous journey in the Himalayas. Due to the high altitudes and demanding nature of the three passes— Renjo La (5,360m), Cho La (5,420m) and Kongma La (5,535m) —this trek requires good acclimatization, stamina, and preparation. It is ideal for those who have previous high-altitude trekking experience and are looking for an immersive experience with diverse landscapes, remote trails, and panoramic mountain views.
Upon arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, you will be greeted by our correspondent who will assist with your transfer to the hotel. Once checked in, you can relax and acclimate to the altitude, spending the rest of the day at your leisure. Stay overnight at the hotel.
In the morning, take a spectacular 40-minute flight from Kathmandu to Lukla - 2840 meters in the Khumbu region of Eastern Nepal - providing unforgettable views of the terraced landscape and river valleys below, as well as up-close perspectives of some of the world's highest mountains followed by a trip to Phakding (2610m). After an easy afternoon's scenic 3 hours walk to Phakding. Overnight at lodge/hotel/resort/guest house.
This day we will have breakfast in early morning and head towards Namche Bazar. At the beginning of the we have to walk straight uphill path which is a low-rise and we will cross the Dhud Khosi river several times. After walking about 1.5 hours we will reach Monjo village (2835 m). Then we will continue our trek with a steep zig-zag path from where we will observe one of the curves of Mount Everest. After almost 5 to 6 hours of walking we will reach Namche Bazar, the capital of Sherpa people. The first view of Namche Bazar with the stupa, monastery, lodges and the beautiful gates is amazing. Stay overnight at Lodge.
Today will be the acclimatization day in Namche Bazar. As trekking in higher elevations can lead to altitude sickness, we have to make sure to acclimatize so that our body can adapt with increasing elevation.
In the morning, we will have breakfast in the hotel and get ready to hike for about 4 hours to the monastery above Namche Bazar, then after we will go to Syangboche and Khumjung village and finally to the luxurious hotel at highest altitude: Hotel Everest View. From the hotel, we can see first view of Mount Everest, and other beautiful Himalayas like: Mount Ama Dablam, Mount Lhotse, Mount Nuptse and so on.
Today’s hike will serve us for acclimatization and where we will enjoy magnificent views of Everest. As we return back to Namche Bazar, in the afternoon we will have free time to wander around and visit the markets, purchase trekking equipment’s (if needed), local handicrafts and so on around Namche Bazar. Stay overnight at Lodge.
This day we will have breakfast at the lodge and then begin our trek to Thame which takes about 5/6 hours. We will be following Bhote Koshi along the pine and rhododendron forests. On the way we can see large set of prayer flags, Chorten, carved stones, stupa at Phurte and so on. Thame is located at the end of the Khumbu Valley and the iconic value of Thame is its terrain of peoples who are untouched by the effects of modern civilization. Stay overnight at Lodge.
This day we will have breakfast at the lodge and then trek towards Lungden which takes about 5/6 hours. We will be walking mostly uphill trials enjoying the view of landscape, vegetation and mountains. During the trek we pass through old Sherpa walled villages like Taranga, then Marulung (4200 m) and finally reach Lungden. Today we will be able to observe Sherpa culture en route. We can also visit Nakpa valley which used to be old trade route to Tibet and also share the road with Tibetan Yak Canavan as it is the road to and from Namche with trade to Tibet with the villagers. Stay overnight at Lodge.
This day we will have breakfast in the early morning and get ready to cross one of the first pass of this treks, Renjo Las Pass (5340 m). Today we will have to trek for about 6 hours to reach Gokyo. We will have to walk uphill trial until we reach Renjo Las Pass. Upon reaching Renjo La Pass, we can see majestic views of towering peaks such as Mt. Everest (8,848m), Mt. Lhotse (8,516m), Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Makalu (8,463m), and Mt. Cho Oyu (8,201m). Additionally, we can admire the Gokyo Lake with the picturesque Gokyo village nestled along its shores. After enjoying the views from Renjola we start to descend back to Gokyo valley. Stay overnight at Lodge.
Today in the early morning we will wake up to trek to Gokyo Ri (5360 m). We will have to walk straight uphill trials for about 3 hours to reach Gokyo Ri. Upon reaching Gokyo Ri we can enjoy a wonderful panoramic view of the Himalayas like Mount Everest, Mount Makalu, Mount Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and so on. After enjoying the view from Gokyo Ri, we will descend back to Gokyo in lodge. And then we will have breakfast in Gokyo and rest for a while. After having breakfast, we will continue the trek to Thagnang. We will have to walk little uphill and then descend and walk through the glacier trials for about 40 minutes and then again walk uphill and straight trials to reach Thagnang. Stay overnight at Lodge.
This day is very important as we will be crossing the Chola Pass. Today we will wake up early in the morning and have our breakfast. Then we start the trek with a steep climb uphill, and after walking about 1.5 hours we reach a pass at 5000 m from where we can see the Chola Pass. We continue climbing for about 3 hours in the rock and then we will cross the Chola Pass, (5330 m). We will rest for a while in Chola Pass from where we can see the Choyu and many other mountains of more than 7000 m. After resting for a while in Chola Pass, we will descend back through a long valley until we reach Dzonglha. Stay overnight at Lodge.
This day we will have breakfast in lodge and then start trekking to Lobuche which takes about 3/ 4 hours. We have to uphill trial on the way and on right side we can see beautiful view of Taboche peak. Stay overnight at Lodge.
This day we will have breakfast in lodge and then trek to Gorakshep which takes about 2 hours. We will have to walk steep uphill on the rocky trials until we reach Gorakshep. We can rest for a while and then we will climb up to Kala Pathar which takes about 3 hours uphill. We can see breathtaking 360-degree views of Mount Everest, Mount Nuptse, Mount Lhotse, Mount Pumori, Amadablam, Cho Oyu and so on. We will descend back in about 1.5 after enjoying the scenery from the top. Stay overnight at Lodge.
This day we will have breakfast in the early morning and then go the main destination which is Everest Base Camp (EBC). We can see mesmerizing view of Mount Everest and other several Everest range from here. Also, we can see spectacular view of Khumbu Icefall and many camps being set for the climbers who will go for expeditions to Everest Summit. We can take the pictures, enjoy the scenery and then return back to Lobuche. Today we will trek for about 5/6 hours to reach Lobuche via EBC. Stay overnight at Lodge.
Today will be one of the important days as we will be crossing Kongma La Pass which is our final pass of this trek. This pass is considered to be difficult than other passes of this trek. We will wake up in early morning and have breakfast and start ascending straight uphill for about 3-4 hours until we reach Kongma La Pass. The route to pass is steep uphill and we have to cross Khumbu glacier and climb moraines to reach Kongma pass. From the pass we can see amazing view of Mount Lhotse, Mount Nuptse, Mount Makalu, Mount Baruntse, Ama Dablam and so on. Near the pass, we can also explore around Kongma lake.
After enjoying the view from the pass, we start to descend straight downhill and reach Chukkung which takes about 2 hours. Chukkung is a destination from where climbers go to summit Island peak. If we keep an extra day in Chukkung then we can also explore around Chukkung Ri (5400 m) or hike to Island Peak Base Camp (5300 m).
The difficulty of today's hike should not be underestimated, especially in snowy conditions across the glacier at the end of the day it can be very tiring as our lodge is located in the village of Lobuche. Stay overnight at Lodge.
This day we will have breakfast in the lodge and then begin to descend towards Tengboche which takes about 5 hours. As we will be descending back, we have no rush we will slowly descend via different Sherpa villages like: Dingboche, Pangboche, Debuche and finally reach Tengboche. Tengboche is one of the important destinations which has the oldest monastery – Tengboche Gompa. We can visit around the gompa while we are in Tengboche. Stay overnight at Lodge.
This day we will have breakfast and start the day with beautiful views of Everest and Lhotse. The trek begins with a steep descent until crossing the river in the town of Phumki. We continue going up to Namche Bazar which takes about 3 hours. As we reach NamcheBazar we can explore around buy gifts of souvenir if you want. Stay overnight at Lodge.
After having breakfast in the lodge, we will descend back towards Lukla through the same trial. As we trek back to Lukla we get to spend the last night in the Khumbu region of Everest. We will descend towards Phakding from Lukla in about 3.5 hours have lunch in Phakding. From here, we will again descend towards Lukla through the zigzag trial in another 4.5 hours. Stay overnight at Lodge.
We will take a flight from Tenzing Hillary Airport (an "eagle's nest") to fly to Kathmandu. The time of the flight will depend on the weather conditions. Arrival in Kathmandu and you can rest whole day. Stay overnight at hotel.
We will keep an extra day in Kathmandu just incase
Enjoy your last day in Kathmandu before departure. At your scheduled departure time, our correspondent will pick you up from the hotel, transfer you to the airport, and bid you farewell with warm hearts.