EBC Gokyo Circuit Trek

The Everest Base Camp trek with the Gokyo Lakes, also called the EBC Gokyo Circuit, climbs the Khumbu valley to Everest Base Camp at 5,364 m, crosses the Cho La at 5,420 m and descends to the Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri. You see Everest from both sides of the region. The high point of the trek is Kala Patthar at 5,554 m.

You fly to Lukla and walk down to Phakding, then climb beside the Dudh Koshi to Namche Bazaar. In spring rhododendrons colour the lower trail. A full day in Namche, with a walk up to Everest View Hotel, comes before Tengboche, Pangboche and Dingboche, where a rest day comes before the high camps. After a short step to Dughla and the moraine climb to Lobuche, you reach Gorakshep for Kala Patthar at dusk. Next morning you walk to Everest Base Camp.

Then the trek turns west. A short walk to Dzongla puts you at the foot of the Cho La, crossed in a day to Gokyo. The lakes lie beside the Ngozumpa Glacier, with Cho Oyu above them, and a full day covers the upper lakes and Gokyo Ri at 5,357 m. The way back runs through Machermo and Dole to Phortse Thanga, over Mong La to Namche and down to Lukla.

• Duration: 19 days, 18 nights, Kathmandu to Kathmandu, plus two flexible reserve days
• Grade: strenuous, 5 to 8 hours of walking on most days
• Best months: March to May and September to November

Your group stays private, and we arrange all permits. Pickup and drop at Kathmandu airport are part of the trek.

• Everest from both sides: Kala Patthar and Everest Base Camp on the Khumbu side, then Gokyo Ri across the Ngozumpa Glacier, in one continuous route.
• Cho La, 5,420 m: A standalone crossing day from Dzongla to Gokyo, steep and rocky, with a few icy sections, after a short walk the day before to set you up for it.
• The Gokyo Lakes: Six lakes from 4,661 m to 5,150 m, with the Ngozumpa Glacier beside them and Cho Oyu above.
• Gokyo Ri, 5,357 m: Climbed in the evening on a full day at Gokyo, after a morning at the 4th and 5th lakes, for Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse across the glacier.
• Kala Patthar, 5,554 m: The high point of the trek, climbed from Gorakshep at dusk. Everest is hidden from base camp, so this is where you see it.
• Everest Base Camp, 5,364 m: The walk over the Khumbu Glacier moraine from Gorakshep to the base of the highest mountain in the world.
• Namche Bazaar and Everest View Hotel: A full acclimatisation day, climbing to 3,880 m for Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kangtega, Everest and Lhotse, then back to sleep in Namche.
• Ama Dablam above Pangboche: The peak dominates the walk from Tengboche to Pangboche and on to Dingboche, where a rest day sits before the high camps.
• A different way down: Machermo, Dole and Mong La bring you back to Namche by a quieter trail than the one you climbed.
• Two reserve days for Lukla flights: They sit in Kathmandu after the flight back, so a weather delay does not touch your flight home.

The EBC Gokyo Circuit takes 19 days and 18 nights from Kathmandu to Kathmandu, plus two flexible reserve days. It is a long trek at height, so the days are built around where you sleep, not only where you walk.

Lukla to Namche (days 2 and 3). Lukla is at 2,860 m and the first night is at Phakding, 2,652 m, so the first day is short and mostly downhill. Namche Bazaar at 3,440 m is the biggest rise in sleeping height of the trek, about 790 m. It is the standard route, and we take it slowly.

Namche (day 4). We walk up to Everest View Hotel at 3,880 m and come back to sleep in Namche. Climb high, sleep low is the logic of the whole trek.

Tengboche, Dingboche and the rest day (days 5 to 7). Tengboche is at 3,870 m and Dingboche at 4,360 m, so each day adds about 450 m. Day 7 is a rest day at Dingboche before the high camps.

Dughla, Lobuche, Gorakshep (days 8 to 10). Dughla at 4,600 m is a deliberately short day, since you are now above 4,500 m. Lobuche is at 4,940 m and Gorakshep at 5,170 m, where you sleep before Kala Patthar at 5,554 m.

Base camp and back to Lobuche (day 11). Everest Base Camp is at 5,364 m. You return to sleep at Lobuche, 230 m below Gorakshep.

Dzongla, Cho La, Gokyo (days 12 to 14). Day 12 is a short walk to Dzongla, 4,827 m, lower than Lobuche. The Cho La is crossed on day 13 and you sleep at Gokyo, 4,750 m. Day 14 is a full day at Gokyo, so nobody crosses a pass and climbs a summit on consecutive mornings.

Coming down (days 15 to 18). Phortse Thanga at 3,680 m, Namche, Lukla and the flight to Kathmandu.

Where you sleep matters more than how high you walk. The trek leader checks in with everyone morning and evening, and we slow the day or turn it around when that is the right call. If you compare itineraries, count the rest days and look at the sleeping altitudes, not only the total days.

The first ten days follow our Everest Base Camp trek. Tell us your fitness and your dates and we will shape the days with you.

The Cho La, at 5,420 m, is what turns Everest Base Camp into a circuit. It links the Khumbu valley with the Gokyo valley, and on this trek it is a day of its own, from Dzongla at 4,827 m to Gokyo at 4,750 m.

The night before. Day 12 is a short walk from Lobuche to Dzongla, which stands at the foot of the pass. You sleep a little lower than the night before, rest, and look over the route. The early start matters.

The climb. The climb to the pass is steep, over rocky ground. A few sections can be icy and need a careful step. It is a pass crossing, not a technical climb. We carry the gear the conditions call for, and we use it as a short practice on the way if it is needed. You do not have to bring any.

The view from the top. The mountains of the Khumbu stand all round you. Take a few minutes at the top, then put your layers back on.

The descent. The way down is steep as far as Thangnak, at 4,718 m. From there it is a flat, easy walk to the Gokyo 3rd Lake and the village of Gokyo at 4,750 m, where you sleep.

Planning for it. The steep sections and any ice mean your pace is set by the group and the conditions, so keep the day free of other plans. Start early, carry lunch and water, and keep a windproof layer and gloves on top of the daypack.

Season. Spring and autumn both work for the pass. The window is March to May and September to November. Snow and ice on the pass vary with the season and the year, and the trek leader makes the call on the morning.

If you want to cross more than one pass on the way, see the Three Passes trek, which includes the same Cho La.

Gokyo sits at 4,750 m beside the third of the Gokyo Lakes. Day 14 is a full day here and it is the reason many people choose this route over the straight trek to Everest Base Camp.

The lakes. Six lakes are mapped in the Gokyo chain, from the 1st at 4,661 m to the 6th at 5,150 m. In between are the 2nd at 4,702 m, the 3rd at 4,759 m, the 4th at 4,817 m and the 5th at 4,951 m. The lakes lie beside the Ngozumpa Glacier, the longest in the Nepal Himalaya, and the glacier and the lakes are one landscape: rough moraine, ice and blue water.

The morning. After breakfast we walk up the valley to the 4th and 5th lakes and the Ngozumpa Glacier viewpoint. The 6th lake is an option for the group that feels strong, and it adds height and time. Cho Oyu, at 8,201 m, stands above the lakes.

The evening. We climb Gokyo Ri, at 5,357 m. Across the glacier stand Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Pumori. This is the view of Everest from the other side of the Khumbu, and a different picture to the one from Kala Patthar. The walking time of the day is long, 8 to 9 hours across both outings, and the wind is often strong in the valley. Carry warm layers, a headlamp and water, and pace yourself between the two.

Why a full day. Gokyo is a place where you want time. A day of its own means the lakes and the summit are not squeezed between a pass and a long walk down, and you sleep a second night at 4,750 m.

Going down. On day 15 the trail leaves the glacier valley and descends by Machermo, at 4,470 m, and Dole, at 4,110 m, to Phortse Thanga at 3,680 m. Machermo peak, Cholatse, Tobuche, Kangtega and Thamserku show on the way.

Gokyo is quieter than the Everest Base Camp trail, and the circuit lets you see both. If you only want the Khumbu side, see our Everest Base Camp trek.

The flight to Lukla decides the first and last days of this trek. With 18 nights, a pass and a summit day, it is worth understanding before you plan your flights home.

Where the flight leaves from. Lukla is at about 2,860 m and has no road. Its airport, Tenzing-Hillary, has a short, steeply sloping runway for small aircraft, and flights go in the early morning before the wind picks up. In the spring and autumn peaks, roughly mid-March to mid-May and late September to November, most flights leave from Manthali (Ramechhap), about 130 km from Kathmandu. The transfer usually leaves Kathmandu around 1 to 2 am for a 4 to 6 hour drive, and the flight takes about 20 minutes. At other times flights normally leave from Kathmandu, about 35 to 40 minutes in the air.

Baggage. Expect a combined limit of about 15 kg, 10 kg checked plus 5 kg hand luggage.

Weather. Cloud and wind ground Lukla flights often, sometimes for days at a stretch. If a flight is cancelled, do not cancel your ticket; the airline normally puts you on the next flight at no cost.

Why two reserve days. The itinerary has two flexible reserve days in Kathmandu after the flight back, before the departure day. If a flight is delayed on the way out of Lukla, the reserve days absorb it. Do not book an onward international flight tightly.

Permits and ID. We arrange them. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit is collected in Lukla or Monjo, and the Sagarmatha National Park permit is checked at Monjo. Keep your passport or the ID you entered Nepal on in your daypack.

Airport to airport. We meet you at Kathmandu airport on day 1 and take you back on the last day, with the hotel nights in Kathmandu included.

Tell us your dates and your flight home, and we will plan the reserve days around them.

This trek is strenuous. Most days are 5 to 8 hours of walking, with a few longer ones, and the trail has steep ascents and descents. Sleeping altitude goes above 4,000 m and reaches 5,170 m at Gorakshep. The trail itself reaches 5,554 m at Kala Patthar. It suits people who walk regularly, who train with cardio work before the trek and who are happy to go slowly.

The grade text on the page also says that this is remote country, and evacuation might not be possible from every camp. It is one more reason the acclimatisation days are built in.

How we run it. It is a private trek: your group, a trek leader and a local team. The pace is set by the group. The itinerary has acclimatisation at Namche and Dingboche, a short day to Dughla, a short walk to Dzongla before the Cho La, and a full day at Gokyo. You walk with a daypack, and the nights are in tea houses along the trail.

What the circuit adds. The straight trek to Everest Base Camp turns back down the valley from base camp. The circuit adds the Cho La and the Gokyo valley, and a different trail home. If a pass and the lakes are what you want, this is the one. If base camp alone is enough, see our Everest Base Camp trek. If you want more passes, see the Three Passes trek.

Season. March to May and September to November are the months to go. Spring brings rhododendrons on the lower trail; autumn brings clearer skies. Flights from Manthali run in these peaks, so plan early.

Who it doesn't suit. If you want a fast schedule, this is not the trek for you. It needs time at height, and the reserve days are part of that.

Tell us your dates, your experience and the pace you like, and we will shape the days with you.