Three High Pass Trek

Three High Pass Trek

Discover unique flora and fauna in Sagarmatha National Park

18 Days
Nepal
Altitude 5,545m
Region Everest Region
Difficulty Challenging
Group Size 1+
Best Season Spring and Autumn
Inquiry Book Now
Whatsapp +9779860630783
Email info@thesummitforce.com

Overview

Everest Three High Passes Trek is one of the longest and most adventurous trekking journeys that include three challenging high passes over 5000 meters - Khongma La Pass (5540 m), Cho La Pass (5,400m) and Renjo La Pass (5340 m). This trek got well recognized in the world as one of the most daring trekking routes. It is definitely challenging but it is doable for those who are fit and have mountain and altitude experience. This trek is also one of the best ways to explore the Everest region.

The journey begins with 5 to 6-hour drive from Kathmandu to Ramechhap airport to take a flight to Lukla , the gateway to the Everest region and then trek to Phakding. After staying overnight at Phakding, we commence our trek next morning passing through beautiful farmland, traditional Sherpa settlements, the fast- flowing rivers, Sagarmatha National Park and Buddhist monasteries. You will need to spend one extra day at Namche Bazaar for getting properly acclimated. It is the popular busy market town with hotels and restaurants. During your stay at Namche bazaar, you will enjoy the spectacular Himalayan Mountain views and have an opportunity to visit Buddhist monasteries, Sherpa museum. Namche, a hub of all trekkers and climbers, looks like a horse-shoe shape around the valley. After lunch you will spend some time walking up to Everest View Hotel to enjoy a glimpse of Mt Everest all through the way.

The list of places that you are going to explore is extensive during the trek. Leaving Namche, you will head to Thame village where you will visit the oldest Tibetan Buddhist Monastery in the Khumbu area. From Thame you will enjoy the extraordinary views of the Himalayas. Next, you will visit the large Sherpa village called Marlung at the elevation of 4,210 metre. Then, you will head towards the Renjo La pass, (5,340m). After you cross the pass, you will trek beside the turquoise Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri and keep going until you cross another snow-covered Cho La, 5,400m, the second higher pass. It brings you closer to the base camp of Everest. From Kala Patthar you will enjoy the stunning close-up views of Mount Everest and sunrise. The last challenge is to cross the Khongma La pass (5,540m). From top of the pass you will be rewarded with a breathtaking panoramic view of many of the highest peaks in the Himalaya. We suggest you to get an early start on the days when you cross each pass to give yourself enough time and better to avoid the afternoon weather.

During the Everest Three High Passes Trekking you will experience the unique cultures, customs, and values of the villages mainly belong to Sherpa community. While trekking, you will frequently come across along the trekking route- monasteries, stupa, chortens, prayer wheels, and mani walls, which are symbolic of Buddhist fine arts, vibrant prayer flags, and Buddhist chants.

The best time to undertake the Everest Three Pass Trek are in the fall (September–November) and spring (March–May). The beautiful blue sky throughout these peak seasons make for breathtaking views, and the seasons are also noted for their pleasant and reliable weather. Summit Force is happy to customize this trek to suit your convenience.

 

Trip Highlights: 

Embark on a scenic journey through the trails of Sagarmatha National Park, tracing the path alongside the Dudh Koshi River. Immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of the Sherpa community as you explore Namche Bazaar, the bustling hub of the region. Continue your adventure to Everest Base Camp and ascend Kalapathar for unparalleled views of the surrounding peaks, including Mt. Everest and Mt. Lhotse.

Challenge yourself as you cross three high passes above 5,000 meters, each offering breathtaking vistas of the Himalayas. Take a moment to revel in the beauty of Gokyo Lakes from Gokyo Ri, a vantage point like no other. Throughout your journey, encounter unique flora and fauna native to the region, adding depth to your experience.

As you trek, immerse yourself in the local way of life, enjoying the warm hospitality of the Sherpa people. Gain insight into their customs, traditions, and daily rituals, enriching your understanding of this remarkable community. This expedition promises not only adventure but also a profound connection with the majestic landscape and the resilient people who call it home.

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Altitude 5,545m
Region Everest Region
Difficulty Challenging
Group Size 1+
Best Season Spring and Autumn

Itinerary

Day 1

  • 1,400m
Upon arrival at the Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu, you will be welcomed by Summit Force’s representative and transferred to your hotel. Today is simply an arrival day and there will be no any organized activities. So, you will have some free time to explore around the local attractions. Stay overnight in hotel
Day 2

  • 1,400m
After obtaining all necessary permits for trekking, we want to make sure you are well-equipped with necessary trekking gear and clothing. Also, we want to make sure whether your travel insurance covers up to at least 6000 meters, as you will be spending over an altitude of 5,364m meters. Stay overnight in hotel
Day 3

  • 2,661m
Today you wake up early at around 1:30 A.M get read and start your drive from Kathmandu to Manthali airport in Ramechap district at around 2 A.M by private transport to catch a flight to Lukla. It takes around 3.5 hrs to reach Manthali airport. Because of growing traffic congestion at Kathmandu Airport and Lukla also has become the busiest domestic flight sector in Nepal, we avoid the traffic congestion at Kathmandu Airport, and take you directly to Manthali airport for easy flight access to Lukla.
Start a 15-minute flight journey to Lukla experiencing picturesque mountain views and scenery. After landing at Lukla airport, we will take a rapid climb to Phakding (2,661m) by following the path along the bank of the Dudhkoshi River. In the late afternoon, we will visit nearby attractions of Phakding.
Day 4

  • 3,440m
On the second day, after early breakfast at Phakding we leave for our next destination, Namche Bazaar. The trail condition in the beginning is comfortable. After at least two and a half hours walk makes us a bit difficult as we ascend all the way uphill until we reach Namche bazaar. On the way to Namche, we cross four suspension bridges, which give us an amazing experience. Afterwards, we pass through narrow trails along with wide stone trail beside suspension bridge, enjoying the view of Mt. Kongde (6168 m), Mt. Thamserku (6608 m) and Kusum Kangaru (6367 m) and reach Monjo, the last village before making entry into the Sagarmatha National Park.
After showing National Park permit the trail leads further up and down and reach Jorsalle. Here we stop for lunch. Then, we continue our walk for two and a half hours and cross Hillary Bridge . We enjoy our walk viewing Mount Everest, Mount Lhotse and Nuptse from Tope Danda, and finally we reach Namche bazaar. It is a bustling mountain town, the heart of Khumbu. Namche is the largest of all Sherpa settlements in the Everest region. This is the place where we stop for overnight stay and for acclimatization as well. Namche is a prosperous village spread in a horse-shoe shape around the valley. In Namche you may like to spend time looking through the shops in search of a bargain.
Day 5

  • 3,440m
In the early morning you hike up to the Sagarmatha National Park Headquarters to watch the breathtaking panoramic views of Ama Dablam, Mount Everest, Lhotse, Thamserku, and other majestic peaks if a clear weather permits on this day. You really feel as if you are deep in the mountains here.
After that, you will visit the Everest Documentary Visitor Center and the Sherpa Culture Museum. The Sherpa Culture Museum was built in indigenous Sherpa architectural styles. It has shown all of the ancient and lost Sherpa artifacts in their original, authentic form, reflecting the Sherpa way of life in the past.
The Museum consists of a family living room in the first floor with a separate family praying chapel.
In the traditional Sherpa family home, the cow stable, yak dung, wood, and hay store are all located below. We must visit this place in Namche Bazaar. You may see a variety of things at the Tourist Visitor Center connected to the history of Everest Sherpa climbers. You can also see an afternoon slide show that gives you information about Sherpa culture and daily life in the Everest region.
Then, we will visit Everest View Hotel, the one and only luxury hotel located at altitude of 3,800 m. You may also have wonderful views of Everest and other beautiful mountains from the hotel. After spending couple of hours, you will descend to Namche bazaar for overnight stay.
Day 6

  • 3,820m
Thame is an alternate route to Everest Base Camp. On this route you will find less crowd and quite peaceful. It gives you some of the best views of mountains while trekking across the fields and past the old Sherpa villages and forest. Your trekking guide will brief you about Sherpa homeland and their culture and lifestyle.
Namche to Thame hike along the Khumbu valley is a great experience for all trekkers visiting Khumbu region. The distance you will cover between Namche and Thame is 8.5 km. Situated at 3,820m, Thame village is on the way to old trade route to Tibet via Nangpa la pass.
Most of the trekking trails to Thame are straight and fairly except short uphill walk close to Thame village. The breathtaking sunrise view atop Mount Thamserku and the Sunder peak over the Thame are truly amazing.
Apa Sherpa and other well-known Sherpa mountain climbers who hold world records belong to Thame village.
Day 7

  • 4,210m
Following a delightful stay in Thame, you will proceed into the forest close to the Tibet border, at Nangpa-La, where some Tibetans travel to engage in business with Nepal. To reach Mingbo, the route goes up a steep incline. After a strenuous five hours of hike through a rugged terrain, you will reach Murlung village, situated in a remote valley. Along the way, you may encounter herds of yaks and see some of the unique wildlife that inhabits this area. Overnight at lodge
Day 8

  • 5,340m
Today you will cross the Renjo Pass which provides amazing views of the Himalayas. It is medium-hard ascent to the Pass and trekking trail over the pass is wider and this is the reason even yak caravans can also cross the pass without any difficulty. You can gently climb to the summit and then head downhill to the picturesque village of Gokyo, which is perched on the edge of a glacier lake. Gokyo Lake is the main highlight of this trek, situated at the west of Everest Base Camp.
Day 9

  • 5,300m
Rise early, have breakfast, and head out.. If the weather favours, you can hike to Gokyo Ri, a small hilltop that rises above Lake Dudh Pokhari's northern side. Prayer flags and massive cairns mark the top. Gokyo's turquoise lake, which is located far below, offers a lovely view from the summit as well. Gokyo's proximity to the border between Nepal and Tibet allows for close-up views of Tibetan peaks.
To help in your acclimatization to the high altitude, we stay in Gokyo for two nights. You can take photos and have your lunch. After lunch, we will head to Thagnak (4,750m). It takes around 3-4 hours and on the way you will enjoy the best views of the entire region.
Day 10

  • 5,357m
Rise early, have breakfast, and head out.. If the weather favours, you can hike to Gokyo Ri, a small hilltop that rises above Lake Dudh Pokhari's northern side. Prayer flags and massive cairns mark the top. Gokyo's turquoise lake, which is located far below, offers a lovely view from the summit as well. Gokyo's proximity to the border between Nepal and Tibet allows for close-up views of Tibetan peaks.
To help in your acclimatization to the high altitude, we stay in Gokyo for two nights. You can take photos and have your lunch. After lunch, we will head to Thagnak (4,750m). It takes around 3-4 hours and on the way you will enjoy the best views of the entire region.
Day 11

  • 4,820m.
Today we take a long, steep ascent from Dragnak and cross a grassy saddle before dropping down to Chyugima . Then we make the actual ascent to the Cho-La pass. Depending on the weather, the ascent's steep scree, pebbles, and massive boulders can be challenging to manoeuvre. The route steepens significantly to reach the pass. The scenery is amazing when you get to the top of the snow field. Again, the decent must be cautiously done. The snowfield descends softly at first, but as you follow the cairns to guide you, the journey becomes more difficult as you walk and struggle over massive rocks and boulders. The last valley descent to Dzongla is easier and more gradual. There, you will spend the night
Day 12

  • 5,170m.
Today will mark the completion of the Everest Base Camp. Being thrilled to be so close to the summit of Mt. Everest, your heart will fill with pride. The trail is really easy to navigate, both up and down. In contrast, the trail is not too difficult. However, today's hike would be the hardest day due to elevation. Now, exactly at six in the morning, after breakfast, we will begin our three-hour journey to Gorakshep on a broad track that begins in the middle of two rocky hills, from where we can enjoy views of the Khumbu glacier and surrounding mountains.
We drop off all of our belongings at the lodge in Gorakshep and take lunch. We then climb for five hours up and down to reach Everest Base Camp. Today our hike's main highlights include numerous mountain views, including the summit of Mount Everest (8848 m), which is followed by Mt. Nuptse (7861 m), Mt. Pumori (7138 m), Lingtren (6749 m), Changtse (7543 m) in Tibet, a rocky landscape, the magnificent Khumbu glacier, birds (Himalayan Raven), and Pica (a small mountain rat). Gorakhse is the end of lodges as well as for the trip to Everest Base Camp and Kalapatthar (5550 m).
Day 13

  • 4,910m.
Early in the morning before breakfast we will have tea with cookies and hike upwards for 2 hrs to Kalapatthar (5545 m). You just need to carry a daypack instead of all of your gear. After leaving the little settlement of Gorakhse, you will climb down to the sandy area right below Kala Patthar. From this sandy spot it is easy to view the twisting path up the mountain with Pumori Mountain in the distance. When you get to the top of Kalapathar, it would be like – 20 degree Celsius. Shivery cold! Mount Everest, a top of the planet from the sea level looks perfectly stunning from Kalapathar. We will enjoy the best view of Mountains much better than Everest Base Camp. After getting back from Kalapathar we will have our breakfast around at 8 am and at 9 am and then we begin our trek downhill. As we descend by retracing the same route and reach to Lobuche, where we feel very relief and calm. After lunch at lodge in Gorakshep and descend towards Lobuche where you will stay for overnight at teahouse
Day 14

  • 4,730m.
After breakfast in Lobuche, we will carry a packed lunch and leave for Chhukung via Kongma La Pass, the third and the highest of the three high passes of this trek .
You will trek slowly to the Khumbu glacier's lateral moraine by taking the track that splits off from the main Everest Base Camp trail and traverse southeast. To reach the other moraine, you will hike across the Khumbu glacier from the moraine, following the stone cairns. While traversing the glacier, you will truly appreciate the breathtaking views of Pumori, Lingtren, Khumbutse, Cholatse, and Taboche. You will trek up the scree and freezing boulder route to Kongma La Pass (5,535m) after crossing the glacier. The pass is marked by a prayer flag-wrapped cairn. The panorama of the ice ridges and glacial lakes is breathtaking, like the view of Lhotse,
While trekking, you will enjoy the vista for a while. You will reach the stunning lake at the base of the pass by using a switchback track that descends steeply from Kongma La over rocky scree. The track then continues into a broad valley that is dotted with little ice lakes. You will climb through the stones and descend the slope abruptly from the basin.
After that, you will climb to Langbo and then go down the eastern edge of the Niyang Khola Valley to cross the outflow of the Nuptse Glacier and arrive in Chhukung. Chukkung welcomes you with an amazing vista of Amphu Lapcha and the Island Peak. You will arrive in Chhukung and check into the lodge before dusk. Stay overnight in a teahouse
Day 15

  • 3,440m
After you feel well-acclimatized, you will easily retrace your steps back down to Namche Bazaar. After breakfast in Chhukung , you will continue a downward hike and then climb back up through a beautiful birch and rhododendron forest to reach Tengboche. From here, you will descend to the bridge over the Dudh Kosi river while admiring the Himalayan Mountains around you. At Phunki Tenga, you'll get to see the water-driven prayer wheels before making your way back to Namche for the night stay.
Day 16

  • 2,800m
Following breakfast, we continue walking from Namche downwards to the Dudh Koshi River bridge, which is close to the spot where the Bhote Koshi and Dudh Koshi rivers converge. Next, we stroll in the direction of Monjo, from which we will go to Phakding after completing the necessary requirements at the National Park checkpoint. We make our lunch halt in Phakding, and shortly afterward we continue our journey towards Lukla along the path. Prayer flags, prayer stones, a rhododendron and pine forest, a Sherpa settlement, and vast plains can all be seen along this level path. Today is the last day of Everest Three High Passes Trekking. When you reach Lukla, you will celebrate your accomplishments with the other trekking crew members or find some lonely time to summon up the amazing moments of the previous few days. Stay overnight in teahouse.
Day 17

  • 1,400m
Today we will catch flight to Ramechhap easily and from there we will take you in a jeep to Kathmandu. You don’t need to stay in Ramechhap. It takes around 5-6 hours to reach Kathmandu.
Day 18

  • 1,400m.
Final departure to your home country according to your flight schedule

Service Includes

  • Meet and greet at Tribhuvan International Airport by Summit Force’s representative and transfer to the hotel.
  • 3 nights of standard accommodation at a hotel in Kathmandu on a twin-sharing basis with breakfast (Single rooms available at an extra cost).
  • Land transport from Kathmandu to Manthali Airport and back.
  • Best available clean and neat hotels/teahouse accommodation during the trek.
  • A licensed and experienced English-speaking trekking guide.
  • An assistant guide will be provided for support if the group size exceeds 5 people.
  • Experienced mountain porters (1 porter for 2 people) including all their expenses, salary, and insurance.
  • Medical/Emergency rescue insurance for the guide and porters.
  • Full board meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) during trekking. In Kathmandu, only breakfast is included.
  • Medical kit box during the trek.
  • Sagarmatha National Park Permit.
  • Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Permit.
  • All other applicable taxes as per Nepal government rules and regulations.
  • In case of emergency, facilitation of rescue and evacuation by helicopter (guests must have their insurance).
  • Sleeping bags and down jackets will be provided if required by guests (on rental basis and needed to be returned after the trekking trip is completed).
  • A farewell dinner in Kathmandu (Alcoholic beverages are excluded).

Service Excludes

  • International airfare
  • Nepal entry visa fee
  • Personal trekking gear
  • Drone and special filming permits
  • Travel insurance (Nepali agencies can't insure international guests, so consider a policy covering helicopter rescue)
  • Alcoholic beverages, internet, phone calls, bottled or canned beverages, laundry, tips, and battery recharge during treks

Trip Notes

Preparation

Physical Fitness: Start a training regimen at least 2 weeks before the trek. Focus on cardiovascular fitness, strength training, and hiking with a backpack.

 

Permits

Sagarmatha National Park Entry  and Permit

Travel Insurance: Ensure it covers high-altitude trekking and emergency evacuation.

 

Health and Safety

Acclimatization: Follow the "climb high, sleep low" principle and take rest days as needed.

Hydration and Nutrition: Drink plenty of water, eat a balanced diet, and avoid alcohol.

Altitude Sickness: Be aware of symptoms (headache, nausea, dizziness) and descend if severe.

Weather: Be prepared for sudden weather changes; always carry extra layers and waterproof gear.

 

Cultural Considerations

Respect Local Customs: Greet with "Namaste," ask permission before taking photos, and dress modestly.

Environmental Responsibility: Follow Leave No Trace principles; do not litter and minimize waste.

 

Tips

Pacing: Trek at a steady, comfortable pace to conserve energy and prevent altitude sickness.

Hydration: Use purification methods for water from streams or lodges; carry a hydration bladder or bottles.

Charging Electronics: Carry extra batteries or a solar charger; charging facilities are limited and often at a cost.

Cash: ATMs are scarce; bring sufficient cash for the trek (Nepalese Rupees).

These notes should help in preparing for and enjoying a successful Everest Base Camp trek.

Departures

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