Gokyo Lake Trekking

Gokyo Valley is directly west of the classic Everest trekking route encompassed by the Khumbu region, with Gokyo Ri (5,357m) on the west side of Ngozumpa, reputed to be the largest glacier in the Himalayas. Trekking in Gokyo weaves and wanders through a number of glaciers, glaciated lakes, high mountain passes, the oldest and most superb of ancient Buddhist architecture and one of the highest hamlets in the world, which is composed of a few stone houses at the base of Gokyo Ri. The supreme 8000m plus peaks will be our constant companions through the valley and beyond, never more than heads turn away. Some trekkers even believe that the views here surpass that of Gorak Shep, the uppermost village perch high upon the path to Everest.

The Gokyo valley winds through a number of small mountain villages, beautiful pastures of grazing yaks and crystalline turquoise lakes whose colors captivate the imagination and inspire the artist. After a short flight from Kathmandu to Lukla we will be trekking to the tea houses of Kenjoma, where the trail from Khumjung joins the main trail. The next step is to make our way to Mong La pass with a steep drop down onto the banks of the Dudh Kashi River. Great oak forests and steep waterfalls abound in this area. The cascading waters are often frozen and after a few hours along this trail you may feel as if time itself is standing still. The final stretch before Climbing Gokyo Ri take us past the tea houses at Pangkha and acends through Ngozumpa opening into the first of the glacial lakes of which Gokyo is so renowned.

There are multiple high passes zigzagging out of Gokyo valley, the most popular being Cho La which connects to the Khumbu Valley near to Lobuche; the path less travelled is the high pass of Renjo La, joining the trails of Thame and Nangpa La pass. The Gokyo valley trek is a wonderful trek in its own right or as an extension of the Everest base camp trek.