GOKYO LAKES
& EVEREST BASE CAMP
Grade: Moderate-Challenging
Duration: 20 days
(15 days tented trek, 5 days Kathmandu)
The Gokyo route gets you
off the beaten track to Everest and offers a better
view of the peak and a number of other giants.
Gokyo lake sits at an
altitude of of 4750m at the side of the Ngozumpa Glacier,
the largest in Nepal Himalaya. From a ridge above the
lake, the great peaks of Cho Oyu(8153m), Everest, Lhotse
and Malkalu(8481m, the fifth highest mountain in the
world) can be taken in at one sweep. The emerald surface
of the lake spreads out far below and there are stone-walled
pastures on its shores.
The trail starts at the air strips of Kukla and follows
the Dudh Koshi River through stretches of forest and
over log bridges. Load-carrying yaks grunt past and
you have your first glimpse of Everest through a clump
of trees. Namche Bazaar is the sherpa capital and the
center of activity in the Khumbu region. Its terrace
houses set I a horseshoe-shaped hollow dramatically
comes into view as you round a bend.
The Sherpas have historically herders and traders and
Namche Bazaar was the staging point for business trips
into Tibet. We will also be visiting the school in Khumjung
valley which was built by Sir Edmund Hillary for the
Sherpa children.
After exploring around Gokyo, we descend to Phortse
and make tracks for Gorakshep(5160m) via Pheriche and
Lobuche along the Khumbu glacier. Kalapathar(5545m)
offers the best vantage pont for viewing Mt. Everest.
Tengboche Monastery, the focus of Sherpa Buddhist devotion,
sits at an elevation of 3867m with Ama Bablam(6856m)
as a magnificent backdrop.
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