Rolwaling and Everest High Passes Trek

Today we explore Kathmandu on an organized sightseeing tour. This will include a visit to the Boudhanath Stupa, one of the biggest Buddhist shrines in the world. We also visit Pashupatinath, located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River and home to the most famous Hindu temple in the country. Here we will see Hindu holy men (sadhus) and pilgrims performing ritual bathing, and occasionally, funeral pyres burning on the ghats. The cremation site here is used by the royal family and also for the simple man living next door. Your early afternoon will be free to relax in the hotel garden or visit Thamel for some curious shopping. You will be given your trek departure orientation in the evening by your trek leader at hotel lobby.

We will leave Kathmandu early in the morning and drive to Dolakha. The route is scenic with views of GauriShankar and other Mountains and peaks. From Dolakha, we will continue to drive towards Charikot where we can get close observation into the life of locals. We will reach Gongar Khola in about 8hrs. Gongor River is the starting point for Four High Passes trek in Everest.

We will prepare ourselves for trekking early in the morning. We will leave Gongar and follow the rugged path along the western edge of Tama Koshi River. After almost an hour of descend, we will pass through gorge to reach Chetchet that greets us with picturesque waterfall. We will descend to lower elevation where we can feel humid climate. We will cross Tama Koshi River and climb all the way to Simgaon village. We will set our camp near to the Gompa which is located about 20minutes above village.

Leaving our camp in Simigaon, we will head northeast and take the moderate climb through the green forest of blooming rhododendron and other alpine flowers. The path is scenic with views that stretch from Tama Koshi Valley to Rolwaling Valley. We will follow the normal route and follow the escalating path to Sambur Danda and kyalche. Crossing the wooden bridge, we will reach Dhonkhang where we will set our camp in the clearing area in forest.

After breakfast, we will leave our camp and walk to the Rolwaling River. Crossing the river, we will follow the path that takes us to the forest on the northern side. Taking slow climb, we will pass through the clearing area and arrive at the dispersed tea house in Nyimare. Moving further through farmland in Ramding, we will reach the Sherpa village of Beding which is located in a narrow gorge.

The path takes us into bit higher altitude on this day where we will experience cold climate. Leaving the Sherpa village of Beding, we will take long and slow walk along Rolwaling River for better acclimatization. We will be blessed with close-up views of surrounding mountains and peaks and awe-inspiring natural scenery. We will reach to our campsite in Na. This is a temporary settlement used by locals for cattle grazing. We can get stunning view of Chobutse Peak (6689m) that rises above Tsho Rolpa.

It is strongly recommended that you take rest in Na before continuing the trek for acclimatization

There is no settlement after Na until we traverse the pass and enter Thame valley. We will cross the pass at Chukima and reach the famous glacier lake of Tsho Rolpa. Following the trail through moraine valley, we will we will reach to the area near sandy area that exists in between Tsho Rolpa Lake and Trakarding glacier where we will stay overnight in a camp.

From Chukima, we will head towards Tolomban on this day. This is a short yet tiring walk as we need to follow the escalating trail for most of the day. The journey continues through the eroded valley where there is no trace of habitat. Experience the sheer wilderness of being in a distant land on this day.

We need to start our trek quite early in the morning before sunrise. Walking through the glacier, we will pass through spur that allows easy access to upper section of glaciated region. We might need use of ropes to climb Tashi Lapcha Pass. After 4hrs of strenuous climbing, we will reach to the top of Tashi Lapcha which rewards us with views of awe-inspiring sceneries. The summit is marked with cairn and prayer flags. We will lower down to the other side and walk along glaciated pond to Tashi Phuk where we will stay overnight.

Leaving our campsite, we will head east over snow slopes. The trail lowers down to Thame River and then to Thengpo. The path is scenic with views of Ama Dablam, Makalu and other peaks and mountains that rise high above Thame River. We will pass along dispersed temporary settlement to Thengpo. Moving along pasture field, we will follow the trail to Thame.

This is a contingency day. Disturbance may arise in itinerary due to unforeseen circumstances and in such case, our schedule might get affected. This contingency day will help us to make sure that our schedule will go on smoothly without interruption even if there occur complications while crossing pass.

After breakfast, we will leave Thame and walk along the remote and desolate territory. In about an hour, we will reach Yellajung village that is located near Bhotekoshi River. In an hour, we will arrive at another pretty tiny village of Marlung. Lungde is located couple of hours of trek far from Marlung.

This is going to be the challenging day. We will climb the first among famous Everest Three High Passes on this day. From Lungde, we will take short hike to the base of Renjo La Pass (5411m). The summit of Renjo La rewards us with gratifying views of Kyajo Ri and other peaks and mountains in Nepal and Tibet. From the summit, we will descend to the other end of Renjo La and reach Gokyo Valley where we will set our camp and stay overnight.

It is wise to take a day of rest in Gokyo. The valley is home to six glacier lakes and Gokyo Ri peak. We need to save our energy to climb other two high passes. Upon your interest, we can take short hike to Gokyo Ri which allows mesmerizing views of surrounding peaks and mountains. Side trip can also be arranged to fourth and fifth lakes.

Weather plays decisive role in climbing Gokyo Ri. We will visit Gokyo Ri early in the morning. After breakfast, we will leave Gokyo village and follow the path through Nepal’s largest glaciated system of Ngazumpa Glacier to the other edge of mountain. From the edge of mountain, we will follow the rugged trail to Thangnak where we will stay overnight.

This is going to be another challenging day. Although not a technical climb, we need to proceed through the slopes and glaciated route to conquer Chola Pass. Extreme caution is required as the route is slippery. Once we reach Phedi (foot of Chola Pass), we will follow the rock strewn path. Walking along the frozen lake, we will arrive at the top of Chola Pass. The summit is marked with cairns and prayer flag. We will enjoy the panoramic views of Ama Dablam to the south while we can view Cholatse to the west and Lobuche to the East. Walking through tapered crevasses, we will make it to Dzongla where we will stay overnight.

Dzongla is a scenic place that allows picturesque views of Cholatse, Ama Dablam and Lobuche Peak while the view of Pheriche Village located below Dzongla is simply stunning. We will lower down from Dzongla and reach the pasture field. Brief walk along river will take us to Lobuche where we will stay overnight. We can get view of Lobuche peak from most of the point on this day.

From Lobuche, we will follow the meandering path to Gorakshep Lake. After spending some time in the beautiful Gorakshep Lake, we will make it to Everest Base Camp. Walking further through rocky dunes and moraine, we will reach the Everest Base Camp. The camp site greets us with views of Nuptse Mountain, Khumbuste Mountain and Pumori Mountain. We will return to Gorakshep for overnight stay.

Be prepared to tackle thin air at this high altitude. We will leave our camp in Gorakshep pretty early in the morning as our target will be to get sunrise view over Everest from Kalapattar. The route offers us the views of Lingtren, Khumbutse, and Changtse peaks. Once we arrive at Kalapattar, we will get unobstructed views of Mount Everest. After spending memorable time at Kalapattar and capturing the memories in photographs, we will return to Lobuche where we will stay overnight.

We will cross the last High Pass of the trek on this day. We will wake up early in the morning. After breakfast, we will leave Lobuche and reach the foothill of Kongma La. The summit greets us with views of Amphu Lapcha and Island Peak Valley. We will descend from the other side of Kongma La Pass to reach Chukung where we will set our camp in the clear area for overnight stay.

Passing through the village of Dingboche, we will cross river and pass through the path decorated with Mani wall to the tiny village of Pangboche. From Pangboche, we will descend further to Tengboche. We will visit Khumbu’s largest Tengboche monastery and stay overnight in Tengboche.

We will follow the trail through forest of blooming rhododendron to the bridge. We will cross the bridge over Dudh Koshi River and move through Dudh Koshi gorge and pine forest to Sansa village. The region is rich in Himalayan wildlife like mountain goats, Thars and local birds. We will pass through the chorten to the army camp at Namche Bazaar.

Our last day of trek following the Dudh Kosi River down to Lukla. It’s only a gradual walk along the Dudhkhosi river after our steep descent from Namche. We’ll have lunch on our way and we make the final climb up to the airstrip at Lukla. Rest of the day is free and you can relax under the warm sun & reflect on the emotional experiences we had while hiking through these massive mountains that have probably helped us re-discover ourselves in ways least expected. This is our final day on these fantastic mountains. Later we celebrate our successful completion of trek with our Sherpa guides and porters who we’ve got to know so well & are now good friends. It’s a pleasure to end this wonderful trip on a happy note. We then slumber into blissful sleep.

Take an early morning flight from Lukla to Kathmandu. We will be transferred to hotel in a private vehicle in Kathmandu. Take leisure and soothe your aching limbs from difficult trekking.

Free and easy day to spend, perhaps doing shopping or rest at hotel’s beautiful court-yard. At eventide, we will relish a farewell dinner to celebrate your successful completion of the ‘Everest the Hard Way.’ While enjoying our supper, we will also be entertained to a scintillating cultural dance performed by the local belles
Please do not hesitate to let us know if you would like to extend your stay. Kindly email us for more details on extensions.

Thank you for joining us on this trek and it has been a pleasure getting to know you during this time. You will be assisted in your last minute preparation. Our representative will take you to Tribhuvan International Airport three hours before your scheduled flight We hope this venture has enriched your experience with happy memories. Keep in touch and hope to hear from you soon. Bon voyage for a safe and pleasant trip home.