EBC via Cho-La Pass Trek is a 17-day moderate trek in Nepal, reaching a maximum altitude of 5,550m. This adventurous route offers stunning views of four 8,000m+ peaks, including Everest, and explores the Sherpa culture, ancient monasteries, and the breathtaking Gokyo Lakes. The trek crosses the challenging Cho La Pass (5,420m) and visits Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar for unparalleled mountain vistas.
EBC via Cho-La Pass trek is for those willing to try something different from the hype others are usually after. No matter, if you have already tried the regular Everest Base Camp trek or not, we recommend you this trip. The alternative trail we follow during this trip is equally enjoyable for it leads to the eminent cliffs surrounding a picturesque valley. It also offers dreamlike views of four eight-thousanders, while we also see the rich culture of the world-famous Sherpa people.
Everest Cho La Pass trek is completely an adventure trekking through the challenging landscapes of the Great Himalayas. It combines almost all the best vantage points situated in the Everest region which gives you a 360-degree panoramic view of Mt. Everest. The diverse flora and fauna of Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site captivates you at a glance. The lush rhododendron and pine forests inside the highest altitude conservation area in the world welcome you to their vicinity.
On Acclimatization Day in Namche Bazaar, you have a chance to reach the highest-altitude hotel, Hotel Everest View. It is one of the best viewpoints of Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotese, Mt. Cho Oyu, Mt. Ama Dablam and many more. Similarly, to learn more about various Sherpa expeditions to Everest, you can visit the Sherpa Museum in Namche Bazaar. The Hall of Fame of this museum has protected the photos of the 1953 Everest Expedition made by Hillary and Tenzing.
The ancient monasteries like Phakding Monastery, Namche Monastery, and Tengboche Monastery are important landmarks of Tibetan Buddhist culture and tradition. Tengboche Monastery which is closely connected with Rongbuk Monastery of Tibet, is the largest Buddhist shrine of the whole Solukhumbu region. Visiting this shrine not only gives you peace of mind but true insight about Buddhist art and artifacts carved on the pillars and painted on the walls. If you plan an Everest trip in November, you can observe the Mani Rimdu Festival with the local Sherpa people at Tengboche Monastery.
Another significant natural site of EBC trek via Cho La Pass is Gokyo Lakes Valley where you will have another acclimatization day. The group of six glacial lakes interlinked with one another and the Gokyo Village are fascinating things to observe. The view from the Fifth Gokyo Lake is extraordinary in that it shows the four 8,000m+ peaks of eastern Nepal. Gokyo Ri climbing is another vantage point that shows more breathtaking vistas of the Mountain Giants and amazing Himalayan landscapes. The Sacred Lakes of Gokyo Valley make a pilgrimage especially, in August when thousands of Hindus gather here for holy dips.
Crossing Cho La Pass, one of the three high passes of the Mount Everest region makes your Everest Base Camp trek more meaningful. Although it is quite a challenging Himalayan pass, the scenery of the snowcapped peaks, the glacial lakes and the valleys are the rewards. If you are making Gokyo Lakes Cho La Pass Everest trek, it proves to be more challenging due to the snow-covered path. This trek takes you to the base camp of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, the closest place from the summit.
Some of the Alternative Treks are Everest Base Camp Short Trek, Gokyo Lake Trek, Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return, Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour, and Everest Panorama Treks.
Trek to Everest Base Camp via Cho La Pass follows a well-established trail leading to deep valleys in the Khumbu region. You also traverse to Kalapatthar (5,545m), undoubtedly the best viewpoint on earth from where you can almost touch Mt. Everest. Moreover, this trek involves exploration of lovely Sherpa settlements and ancient monasteries including the incredibly warm hospitality of the Sherpa community.
Upon your arrival in Kathmandu, our staff will greet you and transfer to your hotel. After check-in, you will freshen up. Spend the rest of the day at leisure.
After breakfast, the tour guide of Orbit Alpine Adventure takes you to explore Kathmandu Valley visiting its religious, cultural and historical attractions. You will visit Swayambhunath Stupa, Pashupatinath Temple, Bouddhanath Stupa and Patan Durbar Square which are the World Heritage Sites. A short hike to Swayambhunath Stupa (the Monkey Temple) rewards you with the top view of the Kathmandu Valley. Another archaeological site to visit is Patan Durbar Square which is famous for the ancient palaces of Malla Kings. Tour to Patan Durbar Square helps you learn about the authentic Newar architecture which is reflected by various temples and idols.
Pashupatinath Temple is the holiest pilgrimage site for the Hindus who come to worship Lord Shiva from all over the world. Located on the northeast of Kathmandu, Bouddhanath Stupa is one of the largest stupas having typical structures in the world. As it is located on the ancient trading route between Kathmandu and Tibet, for centuries, the Tibetan merchants rested and offered prayers here. After visiting the most significant sites of the Kathmandu Valley, you come to the hotel. In the evening, the trekking guide of Orbit Alpine Adventure gives you briefing all about EBC via Cho La Pass trek itinerary.
In the morning, we will take a scenic flight from Kathmandu to Lukla (2,827 m). The flight is a little under 40 minutes. In the afternoon, will we start our trek first by descending to Dudh Koshi river and then following the track to Namche. From there, the trail to Phakding is an easy one. Stay overnight in Phakding.
After breakfast, we will make an early start. Today we will do a scenic walk for around 7 hours to reach Namche Bazaar. After dinner, you will spend the night in a lodge.
Today you will relax, but make sure you take short hikes around Namche Bazaar to adjust yourself to the altitude. You have a few choices to do for the acclimatization purpose like Namche Monastery, Sherpa Museum or visiting Everest View Hotel. Namche Monastery is about 300 years old Buddhist shrine established in this region, thus, one of the ancient monasteries. The attraction of this monastery is the interior shrine that has the images of many deities painted brightly.
Everest View Hotel, the highest placed hotel in the world is about 1.4 kilometres (two hours’ walk) away from Namche Bazaar. Opened in 1971 by a Japanese avid traveller, Takashi Miyahara, this hotel lies within Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A hike to Everest View Hotel from Namche Bazaar rewards you with a 360-degree panoramic view of the jaw-dropping peaks of Everest region. The Sherpa Museum located at the main Sherpa trading centre of Solukhumbu district, Namche Bazaar is the other must-visit site. You can know all about the Sherpa Expeditions to Everest in different years and thieir culture tradition in this museum. The photos of Hillary and Tenzing from the 1953 Everest Expedition are preserved in the Hall of Fame in this museum.
We begin early today. As we follow the main track north, we will have fascinating views of the area. Our trail to Everest now descends and then ascends to Mon-La before reaching Phortse Tenga. On the wat we will pass rhododendron and birch forests. Ahead from Phortse Tenga, our trail ascends abruptly to Dole.
Today you will trek from Dole and gain a bit of altitude to reach Machchhermo. The walking time is around 6 hours with perfect views of glaciers along the route. Stay overnight in Machchhermo.
The walking duration today is a little less than 6 hours. The scenic route will make you forget all your tiredness and reward you will beautiful views of mountains everywhere until you reach Gokyo. The first view of turquoise waters of Lake Gokyo nestled in the mountains is an iconic scene that will last in your memory forever.
The beauty of the place is such that it demands you to stay and savour the beauty for at least a day. We recommend you to do an easy climb of Gokyo Peak, which will reward you with captivating panoramic scenes of the mountain valley. Later, we cross over Ngozumpa Glacier and arrive at Thaknak, a tiny settlement with a handful of tea-houses. Cho-La Pass from here is quite a steep climb, but provides great views of Mt. Ama Dablam and Lobuche East. Due to snow, this pass remains closed during winter.
Today is one of the thrilling days as you are going to climb Gokyo Ri, a natural vantage point of Everest region. Gokyo Ri (5,357m) is popular sunrise viewpoint of the four eight-thousanders: Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Makalu and Mt. Cho Oyu including other peaks.
Spending some time by relishing the stunning mountain view from the top of Gokyo Peak, you descend to the hotel. After having lunch there, you continue the journey out of Gokyo Lakes Valley towards Thangna. You have to cross the moraine of the Ngozumpa Glacier to reach Thangna for the night station at a lodge.
Today we walk along Khumbu Glacier and climb up to Everest Base Camp. This is as far as you can get near Mt. Everest without using climbing equipment. The views from Base Camp are spellbinding. As we slowly trek ahead, we arrive at Changri-Nup Glacier, and more slow trek will bring us to Gorakshep at 5,160 meters where we stay for the night.
Early in the morning, we will climb to Kalapatthar for closeup views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Pumori, and Khumbu Glacier. From Kalapatthar at 5,545 meters, the climb ahead gets more amazing with panoramas at every corner. Mt. Everest, the highest peak on the planet, will appear directly at the front and on all sides. From here we trek down to Pheriche and stay overnight.
We take a detour from Pheriche and arrive at Pangboche. We will visit a monastery and then leave the mountains behind us while we descend to Tengboche. After a brief rest there we continue on towards the town of Namche Bazaar. We will spend the night in the bustling town.
After breakfast, we follow the main track down to Dudh Koshi. The scenic trek will make you forget how tired your legs are. Crossing several villages here and there along the way, we reach Lukla after crossing a suspension bridge. We stay at a lodge in Lukla.
The scenic flight from Lukla takes around 35 minutes after which we will arrive at Kathmandu. Checking in to a hotel, we will spend the rest of the day at leisure. In the evening, you are invited to join a Nepalese dinner hosted by us.
After breakfast, we will take you to the airport for your scheduled flight ahead.
For a detailed information about the price and services included in this package, please contact us.
According to the Guinness Book of World Records 2004, Everest View Hotel is the highest-placed hotel in the world. Established by a Japanese traveler, Takashi Miyahara in 1971, it is located at 13,00 feet within Sagarmatha National Park. It is popular for the 360-degree panoramic view of the snowcapped peaks of the Everest region. Most of the trekkers hike to Everest View Hotel during the acclimatization day in Namche Bazaar to relish the jaw-dropping vistas of the Great Himalayas.
Kala Patthar (Black Rock) at an altitude of 5,550m is the highest altitude place you can reach without any permit. Located on the south ridge of Mt. Pumori, it is the must-not-miss place to have a magnificent view of the Everest Summit.
You can’t see the Everest Summit from other parts of Everest region because Mt. Nuptse blocks it. This is the result of the geographical structure of the Everest Massif.
The Hall of Fame is the additional attraction of the Sherpa Museum which has a gallery of the photos of different Everest expeditions. The photos of Hillary and Tenzing right from the 1953 Everest Expedition are preserved in this section. Looking at the antique photos gives you enough mental strength to complete the Everest Base Camp trek successfully.