Everest Base Camp Chola Pass Trek

The trek to Namche is often designated as strenuous because the altitude plays its part here. The terrain is usual uphill and downhill and the views are not as fascinating as those from rest of the viewpoints, except the first view of Everest. Still, it is a nice walk to carry on.

From Phakding, we will traverse a suspension bridge, spanning across the Dudh Koshi River, and head towards the village of Toctoc where a nice and exhilarating waterfall triggers your soul of an adventurer. Within a short while, another waterfall welcomes us to a village of Bengkar, famous for its crispy apple pies. Then, the trail continues to the Sagarmatha National Park (SNP), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where the wildernesses are exposed and vibrant throughout the trail. An occasional sighting of the red panda is rumored, but it is a rare glimpse as red panda are a shy creature and hide in the dense bushes of the forest.

When we battle with the final ascent through the forest of SNP, the first view of Everest could be seen on a clear day. It is an inspiring view. Once we are out of the forest, a beautiful Kani Gate, with paintings of Buddhist deities, welcomes us to a vibrant village of Namche.

Namche is indeed a lively village. Its hundreds of years of trading history have paid a great deal in establishing this place as one of the epic stay stations in the Everest region. The beautiful street vendors and the smiling little Sherpas, across the village alleys, enhance the tone of this Everest town. It is worth exploring every single hotspot of Namche to gain worthwhile and real-life experiences.

In the day-time, we will catch a side-trip to the village of Khumjung and Khunde. These are the traditional cultural hamlets of Sherpas and still, have that classic charm to entice a city soul. The aesthetic monastery of Khumjung and historical Hillary hospital are the highlights of this hiking. Nevertheless, it is the Sherpas who make this region so beautiful and pure. Later, return to Namche for the overnight stay.

From Namche, we will follow the rightmost trail through the Tenzing Norgay Memorial Stupa to a place that gives the best views of the Ama Dablam, Lhotse Shar, Taboche, Kangtega, and Thamserku peaks. The uphill and downhill are frequent throughout the journey. Just before we cross a suspension bridge at Phunke Tenga, a chain of 7 water-driven prayer wheels surprises us. We will proceed through the pastures of Saso Kharka to make an appearance at the Tengboche.

Pay a visit to the Tengboche Monastery, the largest monastery of the Khumbu Region, and explore its artistically rich décor of the interiors and the exteriors. The Lamas are friendly enough to explain to you the history of the temple.

A trek to Dingboche is often considered as one of the best treks of the Everest Region. The trails are exposed uncovering the hidden beauties of the Himalayas. This trek is when the mountains fully introduce themselves in their best majesty. It is incredible.

For a while from Tengboche, the trails are quite boring with no views of the incredible mountains. But, as you cross the suspension bridge to be on the west side of the river, the whole panorama of the mountains appears visible to the eyes. It is unbelievable to expect such a heavenly place on Earth. The trails are narrow and often rise over the steep bluffs to take you to some of the more exquisite viewpoints. Most of the time, you walk parallel to the Imja Khola until arriving at Dengboche.

At a glance, Dingboche is a stone village as all the houses appear to be made from the piles of stones, stacked one over the other. Every single house and the farm fields are bordered by the stone walls to protect them from the heavy winds. Among them, a long continuous wall, with a broad base, fencing the farm fields has a unique story. Its formation is considered unintentional; when the farmers plowed their field in the past, they separated the stones on the side of their field. Later, these stones got piled up one over the other to form a strong wall.

From Dingboche, we will catch a side trip to Nangkar Tshang Hill through a pleasant forest of rhododendron and pine. We will encounter a small monastery, perhaps closed, during the first half of our hike. The views of the Makalu, Chopulu, Lhotse, Lhotse Shar and island peak are mesmerizing from the top.

The trail from Lobuche climbs over the grassy moraine from where the views of the lower valley and the few unnamed mountains appear mesmerizing. As in other days of trekking, the frequent ups and downs are ubiquitous. We will continue along the ridge until Dughla. From there, the trail, suddenly, turns into a steep bluff. Each step feels like running in a marathon, but the serene views of the glaciers and mountains will keep you engaged. By the time we arrive at Lobuche, a beautiful peak of Nuptse would be waiting to welcome us.

From Lobuche, we will leave our hotel in the darkness itself because the icy winds from the glaciers will gain high speed in the morning, and it becomes difficult to cross the ridge. Most of today’s walk is along the ridge with views covered by the darkness. A shiny snowy pyramid, on the north, will make your day very exciting one.

When we finally arrive at Gorakshep, we will proceed towards the Kalapatthar for the sunset glimpse of the whole mountain panorama of the Everest region. The view from the Kalapatthar is so amazing that each of the explorers has a distinct way of expressing beauty. The prominent peak of Everest is the highlight from the Kalapatthar, while other countless peaks, of uneven heights, are interspersed randomly below it on the east, west and the south. These mountains create a vibrant atmosphere. Later, we will return to Gorakshep.

Early in the morning, we will hike to the Everest Base Camp. At a glance, the base camp appears to be a vast meadow, covered by the thick layer of snow. All the views will be covered by the haze. The only thing that is visible will be the tents of the Everest summitters, who are preparing for their final ascent to the top. However, these facts are ignorable in front of the feeling of being on top of the world.

Later, we will return to Gorakshep, have lunch, and then, proceed downwards towards the Lobuche. Instead of retracing the steps back to Dingboche, we will follow the other path that leads to the Dzongla. This way, the views grow beautiful and even more thrilling as you will encounter a cool blue lake of Chola Tsho on the way. The Chortens, lined up on the trail, will enhance the quality of the views, all around.

The first part of the trail is quite daunting, but as you progress over the rocky trails, your fear gets overpowered by the exhilarating views of the mountains. The closer you approach the Cho La Pass, the trail turns icy and slippery. Many trekkers require crampons to pass through this, but with great care and concentration, you can cross this in your hiking boots as well (in good weather conditions). As you rise to the top of the Cho La pass, the views are worthwhile. The peaks of Gokyo, Kyajo Ri, Lobuche, Everest, Nuptse, and Lhotse are excellent from this point. Without a much delay, we will progress, gradually, downwards towards the moraine. Through the Thangnak Kharka (pasture), we will make an appearance at the Dragnag.

From Dragnag, the trail descends for a while and then ascends to the Ngozumpa glacier, the longest glacier of Nepal. Across the glacier, there is a beautiful valley of Gokyo, where blue lakes rule the hearts of the explorers. The lake system of Gokyo is the highest lake system in the world. In this lake system, there are many turquoise ice lakes to see, but the Dudh Pokhari is considered to be the most serene and sacred lake. The water is clean and is surrounded by the snowy rocks on all sides. Being on Gokyo feels like being out of the world.

Gokyo Ri is the Kalapatthar of the Gokyo region. The views of the Cho Oyu, Ngozumba, and Gyachung Kang appear peaceful, undisturbed, and isolated from the worldly urbanization and pollution. The views are good all around. The peaks of Taboche and Everest are one of the highlights of this viewpoint. Later, we will descend to the Gokyo valley, have lunch, and then, descend to the Dole. The descent is much easier than the ascent. While going down the Gokyo, the incredible peaks of Cholatse, Taboche, and Kangtega will keep you engaged with the mountains.

This is a long day. To reach Namche from Dole, it takes over 6 hours of continuous walking. From Dole, we will walk down to the Phortse Thanga and then, to the classic village of Mong La, the birthplace of Lama Sange Dorje. We will follow the stone steps and Mani walls until we arrive at the Khumjung, a nice and warm village which we have visited earlier. From there, Namche is just a couple of kilometers away.

Namche to Lukla is the same trail that we have passed earlier. It is an easy day through the tranquil woods of the Sagarmatha National Park.

From Lukla, catch the earliest possible flight to Kathmandu. The flight is still thrilling.