Last Updated on May 26, 2023 by Treks Planner Nepal
Trek to the Everest Three Passes: 7 Reasons Why you should opt for it. For those seeking a comprehensive trekking experience in the Everest area, the Everest Three Passes Trek offers an outstanding itinerary. One of the toughest and most rewarding trips that can be done in the Himalayas is the Everest Three Passes Trek, which lasts 18 to 20 days. The trekkers may explore the perennially famous Everest Base Camp while also traveling off the beaten road to some of Nepal’s most breathtaking (and sometimes underrated) places.
The Cho La (5400 m), the Kongma La (5535 m), and the Renjo La (5360 m) are three of the trek’s three passes as you make your way over the diverse landscape. Gokyo Lakes, traditional settlements, the large Ngozumpa Glacier, and, of course, breathtaking vistas of four of the ten highest mountains in the world, Cho Oyu (8,201 m), Makalu (8,463 m), Lhotse (8,516 m), and Everest (8,850 m), are the sights that await you.
The trek starts with an exhilarating flight to Lukla. From Namche, the trip turns anticlockwise, towards Tengboche. From there, it continues on to Kalapatthar and Everest Base Camp via Kongma-la Pass. The trek continues as you cross Cho-la and Renjo-la passes and ascend to Gokyo-Ri. Experience the monastery life, the old trading route, and the culture, tradition, and way of life of the highland Sherpas.
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1. Greater nature, fewer people
With so many companies offering a regular trek to Everest Base Camp, the popular Everest dream is one that many people may now easily fulfill. 500 people per day may travel to the Base Camp during the peak season. This large and stunning area does, however, nonetheless contain certain areas that are more tranquil and unaltered. After Namche, The Three Passes departs from the conventional and busier Everest Base Camp route and leads you through the spectacular Khumbu Region’s terrain.
2. With Great Challenge Comes a Great Reward.
In addition to being longer, the trip is more challenging than the standard Everest Base Camp route because it entails crossing the three high passes that give it its name: Renjo La, Cho La, and Kongma La, each of which is higher than 5,000 m (16,500 ft). Although the trek includes two days for rest and acclimatization, you’ll still spend most of your days trekking for roughly 5-8 hours each day at high elevations, necessitating a specific level of fitness, willpower, and stamina. Even for seasoned Himalayan trekkers, this path is a real struggle. The Three Passes trek, on the other hand, truly offers the finest of the Khumbu region if you are prepared for the challenge.
3. Thame: A Unique Sherpa Village
The opportunity to see Thame, a typical Sherpa settlement, is one of this trek’s special parts. Thame has a very excellent and deep history for such a tiny community that doesn’t see many visitors.
One of the oldest monasteries in the Khumbu area, acknowledged for its yearly Mani Rimdu celebration, is also located near Thame. There is nowhere else like Thame. It is a community of perseverance, beauty, spirituality, and strength, and visiting it can be a memorable experience.
4. Witness Exceptional Views from the Summit of Gokyo Ri and Kala Patthar
On this trek, you’ll get the chance to climb two summits, Kala Patthar (5,545 m) and Gokyo Ri (5,357 m), from where you’ll get the most breathtaking views of the Himalayas’ greatest peaks.
The Everest Base Camp trek’s highest point is Kala Patthar, which means “black rock” and is the tallest of the two summits. It is the highest point in the Himalayas that can be reached without the need for technical climbing skills, which makes it the most popular mountain for trekking. It also has stunning vistas. Since Base Camp can’t view the Everest summit, most trekkers choose to hike Kala Patthar in order to see it. In addition to spectacular views of the neighboring peaks Nuptse Nup, Changtse, and Lhotse, Kala Patthar offers the “official” and boastful up-close and personal perspective of Everest.
Gokyo Ri is less visited than Kala Patthar, although having attractions that may compete with the more well-known summit. Many people consider the view from Gokyo Ri to be even greater than the one you get from Kala Patthar, despite the fact that the mountain vistas are farther away. Four of the 14 highest peaks in the world, totaling more than 8,000 meters, are visible from there: Everest (8850 m), Lhotse (8501 m), Makalu (8475 m), Cho Oyu (8153 m), and more.
5. Witness the Ngozumpa glacier
The Khumbu Glacier at the foot of Everest is what most people picture, but the Ngozumpa Glacier in the Gokyo Valley is really bigger and more magnificent. The glacier itself, which flows from Cho Oyu’s face, is the longest in the Himalayas and extends 36 kilometers (22 miles) into the Gokyo Valley. In recent years, the glacier’s lower end has been melting, and multiple lakes have emerged on the glacier’s surface. The ice is still there behind the heavy layer of moraine material (rocks) that covers much of the bottom portion of the glacier.
6. Cross three challenging 5,000 m passes: Renjo La, Cho La, and Kongma La
The Everest or Khumbu area of eastern Nepal is where you’ll undertake the Everest Three Passes Trek. There are three high passes in the Everest area to cross on the way to Gokyo and Everest Base Camp: Renjo La (5360m), Cho La (5420m), and Kongma La (5535m). All three crossings offer stunning views of the Khumbu region’s many mountain peaks, including Everest (8848.86m), Cho Oyu (8201m), Makalu (8481m), Pumori (7161m), Ama Dablam (6856m), Lhotse (8516m), and Nuptse (7861m).
The trekkers get a glimpse of Buddhism in the Himalayas by passing through a number of historic monasteries along the way. The trekkers reach the beautiful Gokyo Lakes and Ngozumpa Glacier, the biggest glacier in the Khumbu area, after passing through the first pass, Renjo La (5360m). The route over the second pass, Cho La (5420m), leads to Kalapatthar (5550m) and Everest Base Camp (5364m), both of which provide breathtaking views of the spectacular Khumbu Himalayas and the Khumbu Icefall. The trip back to Namche, Lukla, and a flight back to Kathmandu begins with the ascent of the 5535-meter Khongma La Pass. The three passes trip is the ideal way to see both breathtaking natural beauty and profound cross-cultural discovery.
7. Make A Circuit To Discover More
Since it traverses the Everest region, The Three Passes, and Everest Base Camp is considered the most comprehensive trek in Nepal. Travelers who undertake the standard Everest Base Camp trip follow the same route both up and down. The Three Passes and Everest Base Camp journey, however, is completed in a loop. As a result, you spend considerably less time going back and repeating yourself and much more time admiring the Himalayas’ beautiful scenery.
You can go either clockwise or counterclockwise on the trek. However, it is important to note that when you go counterclockwise, going up northeast to Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar first before taking Cho La Pass to Gokyo and snaking back down through Renjo La and Thame to Namche Bazar, the scenery gets progressively better and acclimatization is easier, it is also possible to complete the trek faster. But ultimately, everything comes down to personal choice. The Everest Base Camp is the first stop on our typical route since it has a simpler acclimatization pattern.
Everest Three Passes Trek Itinerary – Anticlock Wise
Outline Itinerary:
Day 01: Fly to Lukla (Altitude: 2860 m), trek to Phakding Altitude: 2610 m/8613 ft. | Flight: 30 minutes | Trek: 3/4 hrs. Day 02: Trek to Namche Altitude; 3440 m/11352 ft. | Trek: 5/6 hrs. Day 03: Rest day for acclimatization Altitude; 3440 m/11352 ft. Day 04: Trek to Tengboche Altitude: 3860 m/ 12738 ft. | Trek: 5/6 hrs. Day 05: Trek to Dingboche Altitude: 4410 m/14553 ft. | Trek: 5/6 hrs. Day 06: Trek to Chhukung Altitude: 4750 m/15675 ft. | Trek: 5/6 hrs. Day 07: Rest Day Altitude: 4750 m/15675 ft. Day 08: Trek to Lobuche via Kongma-la pass Altitude: Kongma-la: 5535 m/18265 ft. Lobuche: 4910 m/16203 ft. | Trek: 6/7 hrs. Day 09: Trek to Everest Base Camp Altitude: 5357m/17678 ft | back to Gorekshep - Altitude: 5140 m/16960 ft. | Trek: 6/7 hrs. Day 10: Trek to Kalapatthar back to Dzongla Altitude: Kalapatthar: 5550 m/18315 ft. Dzongla: 4830 m/15939 ft. | Trek: 6/7 hrs. Day 11: Trek to Tragnang via Cho-la pass Altitude: Cho-la pass: 5330 m/17589 ft. | Tragnang: 4700 m/15510 ft. | Trek: 5/6 hrs. Day 12: Trek to Gokyo Altitude: 4790 m/15805 ft. Trek: 4/5 hrs. Day 13: Gokyo Valley: Acclimatization Day - Optional Hike to 5th Lake Altitude: 5000 m/33000 ft. | Trek: 5/6 hrs. Day 14: Trek to Lumde via Renjo-La Pass Altitude: 5360 m/17685 ft. | Lumde - Altitude: 4380 m/14455 ft. | Trek: 5/6 hrs. Day 15: Trek to Thame Altitude: 3800 m/12540 ft. | Trek: 4/5 hrs. Day 16: Trek to Namche Altitude: 3440 m/11352 ft. | Trek: 4/5 hrs. Day 17: Trek to Lukla Altitude: 2840/ 9372 ft. | Trek: 4/5 hrs. Day 18: Fly to Kathmandu Altitude: 1350/4428 ft. | Flight: 30 minutes
Everest Three Passes Trek Itinerary – Counter clock Wise
Outline Itinerary:
Day 01:Fly to Lukla, trek to Phakding Altitude: 2840/ 9372 ft | Phakding: 2610 m/8613 ft. | Flight: 30 minutes | Trek: 3/4 hrs. Day 02 Trek to Namche Altitude | 3440 m/11352 ft | Trek: 5/6 hrs Day 03: Hike to Hotel Everest View Altitude: 3,790 m| Trek: 1 hr Day 04: Trek Namche Bazaar to Tengboche Altitude: 3860 m | Trek: 5/6 hrs Day 05: Trek to Dingboche Altitude: 4410 m | Trek: 5/6 hrs. Day 06: Rest day for acclimatization | Nangkartshang Peak Altitude: 4410 m | Hike to Nangkartshang Peak - Altitude: 5,083 m | Trek: 4 hours. Day 07: Trek to Chhukung Altitude: 4750 m/15675 ft. | Trek: 5/6 hrs. Day 08: Chukkung Ri Day 09: Trek to Lobuche via Kongma-la pass Altitude: Kongma-la: 5535 m/18265 ft. | Trek: 6/7 hrs. Day 10: Trek to Everest Base Camp Altitude: 5357m, back to Gorakshep - Altitude: 5140 m | Trek: 6/7 hrs. Day 11: Excursion to Kalapatthar and back to Gorekshep to Dzongla Altitude: Kalapatthar: 5550 m/18315 ft. | Gorakshep: 5140 m/16960 ft. | Dzongla: 4830 m/15939 ft. | Trek: 6/7 hrs. Day 12: Trek to Gokyo via Cho La pass Altitude: Cho-la pass: 5330 m/17589 ft. | Gokyo: 4,800 m/15840 ft. | Trek: 6/7 hrs. Day 13: Morning Excursion to Gokyo Ri Altitude: 5483m/18094 ft. | Trek: 4/5 hrs. Day 14: Gokyo Lakes IV & V Day 15: Trek to Lungde via Renjo-la Pass Altitude: 5360 m/17685 ft. | Trek: 6/7 hours Day 16: Trek to Namche Bazaar Altitude: 3,441 m | Trek: 7 hours Day 17: Trek to Lukla Altitude: 2,804 m | Trek: 6 hours Day 18: Fly to Kathmandu Altitude: 1350/4428 ft. | Flight: 30 minutes