The Gokyo Valley offers a complete experience of the Everest region as you will witness Himalayan lakes, forests, gorges and peaks all in one place. The whole place is like one big garden and it is a wonder how life can spring up this high in the mountains.
The summit of the Gokyo Ri is considered to be the best vantage point for staring at the Himalayas so there is no doubt that you are in for a treat. The journey is a mix of trekking and mountaineering which will test your legs and body but scenes of life surviving at such a climate and with such elegance will please your senses. The Gokyo Ri route presents the Himalayas in a nutshell, packing everything you need out of an Himalayan expedition in 17 days.
Ground zero of your big Himalayan trek is Kathmandu at 4,600 feet. Everything will be taken care of as you land into the country. We will pick you up at the airport and drop you off to your hotel.
This day is for looking around Kathmandu. Like you may have seen in pictures, Kathmandu is a melting pot of tradition and modernity where you will see western-style hangouts nestling among ancient temples and palaces. There are seven World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu so you will encounter culture aplenty. We will have a pre-trip meeting in the evening to prep you on your big journey.
Lukla, which is right inside the Everest region, is just a half-an-hour flight away. We begin our Gokyo Valley trek here from a five-hour downhill walk to Monjo village. The first day of the trip is never easy as you will be quite rusty. So rest well.
We will climb up for six hours through forests and past gorges to reach Namche Bazaar. This small town bustling with tourists is a must-see place on its own and is famous for its night clubs and bars.
We will rest up at Namche for a day for acclimatization purposes. In the middle of the Everest region and at temperature nearing or below 30 °F, you will need it. But you can spend the day leisurely walking around town talking to the local Sherpas or fellow travellers. And if you want to go for a last minute shopping, you will find almost everything at the Bazaar.
Dole village is another stop in the Gokyo route. This is a tough day of hiking through stone stairs carved on the side of mountains which is covered with snow and surrounded by forest. It takes about five hours to reach Dole from Namche.
The terrain starts getting more rugged and barren this high from sea level. It’s only bare mountains and valleys for four hours till we reach Maccherma village. View from up here is amazing as you will see the Dudh Koshi River Valley below and Himalayan peaks above.
We will reach the Gokyo Valley after six hours of trekking. There are mountain streams and lakes to watch as we reach the beautiful valley that is surrounded by the Himalayas. Fatigue starts to creep in this far and this high in your journey but the amazing view of Mount Everest and the Himalayas make the trip worth it.
In the Gokyo Valley, we will walk to the base of Gokyo Ri or the Gokyo Peak (17,575 feet). You can make to the summit in three hours if you wish to. You will be treated with clear views of Mount Everest, Mount Makalu, Mount Lhotse and Mount Cho Oyu from there. The mountain is located just next to the largest glacier in the Himalayas, the Ngozumpa Glacier. After gazing at the Himalayas for a few hours, we will walk back to Machherma and rest for the day.
We start getting downhill from here. It’s a half-day trek to Phortse, a model ecotourism village surrounded by exotic trees, birds, and animals. The Sherpas here are always happy to perform cultural shows for tourists.
You have to trek for close to six hours to reach Tengboche. You start to feeling warmer here. Tengboche is located at the confluence of the Imja River and the Dudh Koshi River and the largest monastery in the region, the Tengboche monastery, lies here.
Downhill treks such as these are relatively easier now. We will have to cross rivers at a few places to get back to Namche Bazaar, the place you were at on the fourth and the fifth day of your trekking trip.It’s a great place to share your experience with fellow trekkers and recollect the exotic views of the Himalayas from up close.
Phakding is further downhill and you will feel very far away from the snow-capped mountains you were walking among a few days ago. A couple hours of climbing down and a lot of resting is what we do this day.
We are so down in Phakding that we actually have to climb up to Lukla. But this is the last climb you have to make as the trekking ends in Lukla. You have completed the trek to and back from the Gokyo Ri.
You will back to Kathmandu in no time. The city will be quite a change in scene from the exotic Himalayas you were conquering a few days ago. But every good thing comes to an end, doesn’t it?
This is a leisure day so go partying, sightseeing or just rest. You will be back home the next day so we will host a farewell dinner for you to cap off your Himalayan adventure.
We will see you off at the airport. It will be a happy-sad moment as we know that it is hard to leave this wonderful country but you will be leaving with very rich memories.
In Kathmandu, you will stay in a three-star hotel while you will be staying at standard guesthouses during your travel. There will be electricity, internet, laundry and hot showers in all of the places you stay. You will have to share your room with a fellow traveller in our typical package. Single supplement will be served on request and will cost an additional USD 220.Also note that single rooms is easily available in Kathmandu and the trekking regions at lower elevation but it might be difficult to find them at higher elevations.
General
We give you the power to choose the departure date that suits your group best. A private trip is a perfect solution if you can’t find a published departure date that you and your companions agree on. You can set up a private departure for most of the trips we offer.
We never force our customers to follow our set itinerary.You can customize your itinerary exactly the way you want. Please share with us your ideas.
As one of the core guiding principles for Mountain Kick, we always give back to the mountain community in any way we can as a means of gratitude. The people who live in the Himalayas and share their homes with us deserve to have all their little problems fixed which seem very basic for outsiders but are commonplace in rural Nepal. The people lack proper access to healthcare, sanitation and education but a little effort from travellers goes on a long way to solve these issues. Mountain Kick has made it its corporate social responsibility to help improve the living standards of the local community. We make donations to their cause, organize social campaigns and programs and also have a few trips designed to mix a little volunteer work in your holiday.
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