Gokyo Lakes & Ri Trek

Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu (1,400m)

• Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu.
• Transfer to hotel, trek briefing and gear check with your Summit Routes guide.
• Permits processed: Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit and TIMS card collected. Lukla flight timing confirmed — if peak season, Manthali departure briefed in full including early-morning logistics.
• Evening free to explore Thamel or rest.
• Overnight: Hotel in Kathmandu.

Day 2: Fly to Lukla (2,840m) — Trek to Phakding (2,610m)

• Flight: 30–35 minutes from Kathmandu (or Manthali in peak season).
• Trek Distance: ~8 km | 3–4 hours.
• The Lukla landing — on a 527m runway with a 12% gradient cut into a mountain at 2,840m — is one of the world’s most dramatic airport approaches. Composure returns quickly once you’re on the trail.
• Descend gently along the Dudh Koshi River through pine and rhododendron forest, crossing the first of many suspension bridges strung with prayer flags. The pace is deliberately gentle — an easy first day in thin air.
• Phakding is a pleasant riverside village with good teahouses and a warming sense of having arrived somewhere genuinely far from ordinary life.
• Overnight: Teahouse in Phakding.

Day 3: Trek Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,446m)

• Trek Distance: ~11 km | 5–6 hours.
• The classic Khumbu approach — climbing through Monjo and the national park gate at Jorsalle, crossing the dramatic Hillary Suspension Bridge (3,420m) high above the Dudh Koshi gorge, and grinding up the long final climb to Namche.
• The Hillary Bridge crossing delivers the first view of Everest — a triangular white peak appearing above the Lhotse-Nuptse wall. Trekkers stop here without exception.
• Namche Bazaar is the Khumbu’s commercial heart: a horseshoe-shaped Sherpa town of bakeries, gear shops, wifi cafes, and guesthouses stepping up a steep hillside. Arrive, eat well, sleep early.
• Overnight: Teahouse in Namche Bazaar.

Day 4: Acclimatisation Day in Namche Bazaar — Hike to Everest View Hotel (3,880m)

• Mandatory rest day — the body needs 24 hours at 3,446m before ascending further.
• Acclimatisation hike to the Everest View Hotel at 3,880m — the world’s highest-altitude hotel, with a broad deck and unobstructed views of Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku. One of the finest viewpoints reachable in a short hike from anywhere in Nepal.
• Optional extension to Khumjung village — home to the Hillary school, a yeti skull at the monastery, and one of the most authentic Sherpa communities on the circuit.
• Read our altitude sickness guide before departing Namche — from tomorrow, the altitude becomes consequential.
• Overnight: Teahouse in Namche Bazaar.

Day 5: Trek Namche to Dole (4,200m) via Mong La Ridge

• Trek Distance: ~10 km | 5–6 hours.
• Here the Gokyo route diverges from the EBC trail. From the junction at Sanasa, the path climbs steeply to the Mong La ridge at 3,973m — the first real test of acclimatisation — then drops to Phortse Thanga before the long climb to Dole.
• The reward for leaving the main trail is immediate: the Gokyo valley is quieter, greener, and more open than the Khumbu corridor. Yaks are everywhere; other trekkers considerably fewer.
• Dole is a small cluster of teahouses at the treeline, with Cho Oyu (8,188m) appearing on the northern horizon for the first time.
• Overnight: Teahouse in Dole.

Day 6: Trek Dole to Machhermo (4,470m)

• Trek Distance: ~7 km | 4–5 hours.
• Gentle ascent through the upper Gokyo Valley as the treeline falls behind and the landscape opens into high alpine pasture. Yak herds graze on wide grass slopes. The air is noticeably thinner but the pace is manageable on a short day.
• Pass through the small settlement of Lhabarma and the hamlet of Luza before the final climb to Machhermo.
• Machhermo is the designated acclimatisation checkpoint on the Gokyo route — stay hydrated, avoid exertion after arrival, and eat well. A mild headache on arrival is normal; anything beyond mild, report to your guide immediately.
• Overnight: Teahouse in Machhermo.

Day 7: Trek Machhermo to Gokyo (4,790m) — First, Second & Third Lakes

• Trek Distance: ~10 km | 4–5 hours.
• The valley narrows and the Ngozumpa Glacier — Nepal’s longest at over 36km — fills the view to the east, a vast grey-and-white river of ice stretching toward Cho Oyu’s base. The glacier’s lateral moraine defines the eastern wall of the trail for the rest of the route.
• Cross a bridge over the outlet stream of the first lake (Longponga Tsho, 4,690m) and the second lake (Taboche Tsho) before arriving at Gokyo village beside the third and largest lake — Dudh Pokhari (4,790m). The colour of the water — a deep, opaque turquoise produced by glacial flour — is unlike any lake most trekkers have seen.
• Cho Oyu’s full face dominates the head of the valley. Gokyo Ri rises steeply to the west. The setting of this camp is one of the great natural amphitheatres in the Himalayan world.
• Afternoon free — explore the lakeshore, rest, or walk to the edge of the Ngozumpa Glacier moraine.
• Overnight: Teahouse in Gokyo.

Day 8: Acclimatisation Day at Gokyo — Hike to 4th & 5th Lakes (4,990m)

• A full day at Gokyo before the Ri summit attempt. The body needs 24 hours at 4,790m before pushing to 5,357m the following morning.
• Hike north along the glacier moraine to the 4th lake (Thonak Tsho, 4,830m) and the 5th lake (Ngozumpa Tsho, 4,990m) — the highest in the chain and the finest viewpoint of Everest’s west face available without summiting Gokyo Ri. The view here is considered by many to surpass Kala Patthar for pure Everest sight-lines.
• The 6th lake — Himalaya Tsho — can be reached by fit trekkers in a further 1.5 hours. Cho Oyu looms at close range from the 6th lake basin.
• Return to Gokyo for an early dinner and a strict 8:00pm bedtime. Tomorrow’s start is pre-dawn.
• Overnight: Teahouse in Gokyo.

Day 9: Summit Gokyo Ri (5,357m) — Return to Gokyo

• Trek Distance: ~6 km | 4–6 hours return.
• Depart 5:00–5:30am for the pre-dawn summit push. The ascent gains approximately 600m over 1.5–2 hours — steep, rocky, and demanding at altitude, but non-technical throughout.
• The Gokyo Ri summit at 5,357m delivers the defining moment of the trek. At first light, four 8,000m peaks appear simultaneously: Everest (8,848m) in the northeast, Lhotse (8,516m) beside it, Makalu (8,485m) in the east, and Cho Oyu (8,188m) to the northwest — the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 6th highest mountains on earth in a single sweep. Beneath the summit, the Ngozumpa Glacier stretches the full length of the valley. Below and to the south, the three Gokyo lakes reflect the morning light.
• Descend to Gokyo for breakfast. Afternoon free to rest, explore, or revisit the lakeshore. Many trekkers find the afternoon at Gokyo — after the summit, without an immediate departure — the most peaceful hours of the entire trip.
• Overnight: Teahouse in Gokyo.

Day 10: Trek Gokyo to Namche Bazaar (3,446m) via Dole

• Trek Distance: ~17 km | 6–7 hours.
• The descent from Gokyo is swift — altitude drops fast and the body responds with a noticeable surge of energy as the oxygen thickens. Retrace the ascent route through Machhermo, Dole, and Phortse Thanga.
• The return to Namche feels like re-entering civilisation: hot showers, bakeries, and a choice of restaurants serving everything from wood-fired pizza to Nepali daal bhat.
• Evening: final night in the Khumbu. Well-earned.
• Overnight: Teahouse in Namche Bazaar.

Day 11: Trek Namche Bazaar to Lukla (2,840m)

• Trek Distance: ~19 km | 6–7 hours.
• Long but manageable final day on the trail — descending the full approach route from Namche through Monjo, Phakding, and the Dudh Koshi gorge back to Lukla. The descent is steep in places on the same trail that felt punishing on Day 3; it passes quickly going down.
• Arrive Lukla in the afternoon. Final group dinner with guide and porter.
• Tips for guide and porter customary and appreciated tonight.
• Overnight: Teahouse in Lukla.

Day 12: Fly Lukla to Kathmandu (or Manthali) — Transfer to Hotel

• Flight: 30–35 minutes (morning departure — flights operate before 9:00am due to wind conditions).
• Transfer to hotel on arrival in Kathmandu. Rest afternoon — shower, laundry, and the particular pleasure of being at sea level again.
• Overnight: Hotel in Kathmandu.

Weather delays on the Lukla flight are common, particularly in spring. Day 13 is built into the itinerary specifically as a buffer. International flights should not be booked before Day 14.

Day 13: Buffer Day / Kathmandu Sightseeing

• Contingency day for weather-related Lukla flight delays.
• If travel runs on schedule: Kathmandu sightseeing — Boudhanath Stupa (the largest stupa in Nepal, in its own right one of the great Buddhist monuments of Asia), Pashupatinath Temple on the Bagmati River, or the medieval squares of Patan and Bhaktapur.
• Overnight: Hotel in Kathmandu.

Day 14: Departure from Kathmandu

• Transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport for onward travel.