Overview
The Everest Three High Passes trek is a nineteen-day teahouse trek that links Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La, the three great passes of the Khumbu, into one complete high-altitude loop around Everest. From the Lukla flight it climbs through Namche Bazaar, Tengboche and Dingboche, then crosses Kongma La at 5,535 metres to reach Everest Base Camp at 5,364 metres and the sunrise viewpoint of Kala Patthar at 5,545 metres. It then traverses the glaciated Cho La at 5,420 metres to the turquoise Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri, and finishes over Renjo La at 5,360 metres before descending through Thame to Lukla. This is a strenuous route for fit and experienced trekkers, walked on teahouse trails but with long days, three genuine pass crossings and repeated nights above 4,500 metres. There is no peak climbing on the trek; the passes are crossed on foot.
The itinerary
- Morning mountain flight from Kathmandu to Lukla
- Trek along the Dudh Koshi River through Sherpa settlements
- Overnight at Phakding (2,610 m)
- Cross several suspension bridges, including the Hillary bridge
- Enter Sagarmatha National Park and climb to Namche
- Overnight at Namche Bazaar (3,440 m)
- Acclimatisation hike to the Everest View Hotel viewpoint at 3,880 m
- First panoramas of Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Thamserku
- Second night at Namche to adjust to the altitude
- Descend to the Dudh Koshi, then climb through forest to Tengboche
- Visit Tengboche monastery beneath Ama Dablam
- Overnight at Tengboche (3,860 m)
- Climb through Pangboche and into the broad Imja valley
- Leave the tree line behind for open alpine terrain
- Overnight at Dingboche (4,410 m)
- Acclimatisation hike up the Nangkartshang ridge above the village
- Wide views of Makalu, Lhotse and Ama Dablam
- Second night at Dingboche to prepare for the passes
- Gentle ascent up the Imja valley towards the Lhotse wall
- Optional afternoon hike towards Chukhung Ri for the views
- Overnight at Chukhung (4,730 m)
- Early start for the highest of the three passes, Kongma La at 5,535 m
- A long, demanding day over boulder fields and the Khumbu Glacier moraine
- Descend to Lobuche (4,940 m) for the night
- Follow the glacial trail to Gorakshep, then on to Everest Base Camp
- Stand beneath the Khumbu Icefall at 5,364 m
- Return to Gorakshep (5,164 m) for the night
- Pre-dawn climb of Kala Patthar (5,545 m) for sunrise on Everest
- Return to Gorakshep, then trek down and across to Dzongla
- Overnight at Dzongla (4,830 m)
- Early start for the glaciated crossing of the Cho La at 5,420 m
- Sections of ice and steep rock, one of the toughest days of the trek
- Descend to Thangnak (4,700 m) for the night
- Cross the Ngozumpa Glacier, the largest glacier in Nepal
- Reach Gokyo village beside the third lake with its mountain reflections
- Overnight at Gokyo (4,790 m)
- Pre-dawn climb of Gokyo Ri (5,357 m) for a panorama of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu
- Afternoon walk to the fourth and fifth Gokyo lakes
- Second night at Gokyo
- Climb the last of the three passes, Renjo La at 5,360 m
- A final wide view back over the Gokyo Lakes and Everest
- Descend to Lungden (4,380 m) for the night
- Follow the Bhote Koshi valley down towards the Thame area
- Visit the hillside Thame monastery, one of the oldest in the Khumbu
- Overnight at Thame (3,820 m)
- Rejoin the main trail and descend to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m)
- Easier walking as the altitude drops
- Time to rest in the Sherpa capital
- Final trekking day along the Dudh Koshi through villages and bridges
- Recross the suspension bridges towards Lukla
- Celebrate the trek in Lukla (2,860 m)
- A spare day held in Lukla in case cloud delays the flights
- Rest, explore the town or use the buffer if an earlier day ran long
- Overnight in Lukla
- Scenic morning flight from Lukla back to Kathmandu (1,400 m)
- Transfer to your hotel on arrival
Things to carry
- A warm four-season sleeping bag and a down jacket for the cold at altitude
- Layered clothing, broken-in trekking boots and warm socks
- Trekking poles plus microspikes or crampons for the Cho La, a warm hat, buff and sturdy gloves
- Sunglasses, sun hat, high-factor sunscreen and lip balm
- A soft duffel kept within the Lukla flight weight limit, plus a daypack, a refillable water bottle with purification and a power bank
Good to know
Complete guide
The Everest Three High Passes trek is the most complete way to walk the Khumbu: every major valley, all three of the region's great passes, and both of its famous viewpoints on one long loop around Everest. It is a bigger, wilder and harder trip than the direct route to base camp, and it rewards trekkers who want the fullest possible experience of the region rather than the shortest line to it. Here is how the trek works and what to know before you commit.
What the Everest Three High Passes trek covers
From the Lukla flight the route climbs through Namche Bazaar, Tengboche and Dingboche, then crosses Kongma La at 5,535 metres to reach Everest Base Camp at 5,364 metres and Kala Patthar at 5,545 metres for sunrise on Everest. It traverses the glaciated Cho La at 5,420 metres to the turquoise Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri, and finishes over Renjo La at 5,360 metres before descending through Thame to Lukla. If you would rather skip the passes altogether, the standard Everest Base Camp trek reaches the same base camp on a shorter, more direct itinerary.
How hard it is and how the altitude feels
This is a strenuous trek and should not be underestimated. You spend close to three weeks at altitude, walk six to eight hours on many days, and cross three passes that all top 5,300 metres, one of them, the Cho La, on a mix of ice and steep rock. Altitude sickness is a real risk on a route with this much time up high, which is why the acclimatisation days at Namche and Dingboche are built in. Come with solid fitness and ideally some high-altitude trekking behind you, walk slowly, hydrate well, and be ready to tell your guide the moment you feel unwell.
Permits, guides and teahouses
You need the Sagarmatha National Park permit and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality entry permit, and since April 2023 a licensed guide is mandatory in Nepal's national parks; the old TIMS card is not used in the Khumbu. We arrange the permits and the guide, whose judgement matters most on the passes and at altitude. Nights are spent in teahouses, family-run Sherpa lodges that grow simpler and colder as you climb, so bring a warm sleeping bag and carry only a daypack while your guide's team helps with the load.
If the full circuit is too much
Three passes and nineteen days at altitude is a serious undertaking, and it is not the only way to see this side of Everest. Trekkers who want the Gokyo Lakes and a single genuine pass without the full loop can take the Everest Base Camp trek via Gokyo Lakes and Cho La, which reaches base camp and the lakes on a shorter route. For those with the fitness and the time, though, the three passes remain the definitive Khumbu trek.