Everest Region Treks

The Everest Base Camp Trek follows the Dudh Koshi valley from Lukla into the high Khumbu, climbing over roughly ten days to the foot of the Khumbu Icefall at about 5,364 m. Most people also climb Kala Patthar, a rocky viewpoint above Gorak Shep, for a closer look at Everest than base camp itself allows. The route passes through Sherpa villages, monasteries and suspension bridges strung with prayer flags. Namche Bazaar is the trading hub of the region, Tengboche has the area's best-known monastery, and above Dingboche the landscape opens into moraine and glacier with Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Nuptse close by. Days are rarely long in distance but the altitude sets the pace. The itinerary builds in two acclimatisation days, and most walking finishes by early afternoon, leaving time to rest and adjust. Nights are spent in teahouses: simple lodges with shared dining rooms heated by a stove, and rooms that get colder the higher you go. You don't need climbing experience, but you do need good fitness, a willingness to walk five to seven hours on consecutive days, and patience with flight delays at Lukla. A licence-verified guide you contact directly can adjust the pace to how your group is acclimatising and handle lodges and permits along the way.

📅 Duration: 12-14 Days

🏔️ Max Altitude: 5644m

📝 Permit: Standard Parks

The Everest Three Passes Trek is a long loop through the Khumbu that crosses its three high trekking passes: Kongma La (about 5,535 m), Cho La (about 5,420 m) and Renjo La (about 5,360 m). Along the way it takes in Everest Base Camp, Kala Patthar, the Gokyo Lakes and the quiet Thame valley, so it covers almost every viewpoint the region is known for. Most groups walk it anticlockwise: up to Dingboche and Chhukung, over Kongma La to Lobuche, on to Gorak Shep for base camp and Kala Patthar, west over Cho La to Gokyo, then over Renjo La and down through Thame to Namche Bazaar. Each pass day is long, starts before dawn and can involve snow, ice and loose rock, and Cho La usually crosses a small glacier. This is a trek for people who already have multi-day hiking experience and are comfortable with long, cold days above 5,000 m. The route spends many nights high, so a gradual itinerary and well-placed acclimatisation days matter more than speed. Licence-verified guides you contact directly can advise on the direction to walk, current conditions on the passes and whether crampons or microspikes are needed.

📅 Duration: 18-22 Days

🏔️ Max Altitude: 5644m

📝 Permit: Standard Parks

The Everest View Trek is the short way into the Khumbu. It follows the same trail as the base camp route from Lukla up the Dudh Koshi valley to Namche Bazaar, then climbs to the ridge above town at Syangboche, where the Hotel Everest View (about 3,880 m) looks up the valley to Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. Most itineraries spend a night in Khumjung or Khunde before turning back down. Because it stays below 4,000 m, the altitude is manageable for most fit walkers, though the climb to Namche is steep and the first night there is often when people feel the height. Days are short, which leaves time to wander Namche's market, visit the monastery in Khumjung and the school Edmund Hillary helped found, and stop at teahouses along the way. It suits travellers with a week to spare, families with older children, and anyone who wants to see the Khumbu and its Sherpa villages without committing to two weeks at high altitude. The flight to Lukla is part of the experience and also its biggest variable: weather delays are common, so it is worth leaving a spare day at the end. Licence-verified guides you contact directly can tell you how they plan around flight delays and acclimatisation.

📅 Duration: 5-7 Days

🏔️ Max Altitude: 3880m

📝 Permit: Standard Parks

The Gokyo Ri Trek leaves the main Everest Base Camp trail above Namche Bazaar and heads up the quieter Dudh Koshi valley instead, past the villages of Dole and Machhermo to a chain of turquoise glacial lakes at Gokyo. From the lakeside village you climb Gokyo Ri, a 5,357 m viewpoint that looks across the Ngozumpa glacier, the longest in Nepal, to Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu. The route sees fewer trekkers than the base camp trail, and the lodges in Dole, Machhermo and Gokyo are smaller and more spread out. The scenery changes from rhododendron and pine forest below Dole to open yak pasture and moraine as you gain height, and the lakes themselves are frozen at the edges for much of the season. It suits trekkers who want big Himalayan views without the crowds, and who have time to acclimatise properly: Gokyo sits close to 4,800 m, and the itinerary gains height slowly for that reason. Walking days are moderate, usually four to six hours, with one early start for the Gokyo Ri sunrise. Licence-verified guides you contact directly can adjust the pace or add the fifth lake and an extra night in Gokyo.

📅 Duration: 10-12 Days

🏔️ Max Altitude: 5357m

📝 Permit: Standard Parks

Pikey Peak is a 4,065 m hill in the lower Solukhumbu district, south-west of the Everest region, known for a long view of the eastern Himalaya: Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Kanchenjunga and the Numbur range on a clear morning. The peak is sacred to the local Sherpa community, and its summit is strung with prayer flags. The trek reaches it without a flight to Lukla. A road from Kathmandu runs to Dhap, and from there the route climbs through rhododendron and pine forest, yak pastures and small settlements to the base of the peak, then descends via Junbesi, a Sherpa village with an old monastery, before returning by road from Phaplu or Salleri. Lodges are simpler and fewer than in the Khumbu, and some are seasonal. It suits trekkers with a week who want Himalayan panoramas and village culture away from the busy Everest trail, and anyone wary of mountain flights. The altitude is moderate, so a careful pace is still wise near the top. Licence-verified guides you contact directly can tell you which lodges are open and plan the timing for the summit sunrise.

📅 Duration: 7-9 Days

🏔️ Max Altitude: 4065m

📝 Permit: Standard Parks

The Tashi Lapcha Pass Trek links the remote Rolwaling valley, west of the Everest region, with the Khumbu. It follows the Rolwaling Khola past Beding and Na to the glacial lake Tsho Rolpa, then climbs the Trakarding and Drolambao glaciers to the Tashi Lapcha (about 5,755 m) before descending to Thame and Namche Bazaar. This is not a teahouse trek. Above Na there are no lodges, so nights are spent in tents, and the pass itself involves glacier travel, crevasses and rockfall-prone sections that usually need crampons, ropes and a guide with mountaineering experience. Weather can close the pass for days. The lower valley is the reward for the effort: Gauri Shankar rises above Simigaon, Beding's monastery sits among stone houses, and Tsho Rolpa spreads below the Trakarding glacier. Because Rolwaling is a restricted area, the trek is arranged through a registered agency, and the crossing usually takes about two weeks with a spare day for weather. It suits trekkers who have already done high-altitude routes and want a quiet, demanding traverse rather than a well-trodden trail. Expect long, cold days, a careful acclimatisation schedule and a team carrying camping and climbing equipment. Licence-verified guides you contact directly can tell you how they run the crossing and what experience they ask for.

📅 Duration: 16-20 Days

🏔️ Max Altitude: 5755m

📝 Permit: Restricted (≈ US$90 in permits)