Everest Three High Passes Trek Itinerary –

A representative from Three Jewels Adventures will meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and transfer you to your hotel. After check-in, you can rest and settle in before the Everest Three High Passes Trek begins.

Later, you will meet the trekking representative or guide for a briefing on the 20-day route. The team will review the itinerary, discuss the Lukla flight, check the required documents and permits, and confirm whether any trekking equipment needs attention before departure.

You will stay overnight in Kathmandu and prepare for the introductory sightseeing program on Day 2. 

After breakfast, you will spend the day on an introductory sightseeing program in Kathmandu. The day provides time to visit selected cultural and historical sites in Kathmandu before leaving the city for the Everest Three High Passes Trek.

After the sightseeing program, you will return to your hotel and prepare for the mountain journey. You can organize your trekking equipment, check personal supplies, and complete the final preparation needed before travelling to Lukla.

You will stay overnight in Kathmandu. The following morning, you will fly from Kathmandu toward Lukla and begin the trek to Phakding on Day 3.

After breakfast, we will meet you at the hotel and accompany you to the airport for the flight to Lukla. Depending on seasonal flight operations, the Lukla flight may depart from Kathmandu or require a road transfer to Ramechhap Airport.

After landing at Lukla, you will meet the trekking crew and porters before starting the trek to Phakding. The trail descends through the lower Khumbu and follows the Dudh Koshi Valley through Chiplung, Thado Koshi, and Ghat before reaching Phakding.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Phakding. This short walking day marks the start of the trekking route and prepares you for the next day's climb to Namche Bazaar.

The trail leaves Phakding and continues north through the Dudh Koshi Valley toward Namche Bazaar. You pass small settlements and cross several suspension bridges before reaching Monjo, the entrance point to Sagarmatha National Park. From Monjo, the route continues to Jorsalle and follows the river deeper into the Khumbu.

Beyond Jorsalle, you cross the Hillary Suspension Bridge and begin the long uphill climb to Namche Bazaar. As the trail gains elevation, clear conditions may provide an early view of Mt. Everest before you reach Namche.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Namche Bazaar. This is the first of three nights spent in Namche Bazaar across the complete itinerary and begins the main acclimatization stage before the Everest Three High Passes Trek continues into the higher Khumbu. 

Day 5 remains based in Namche Bazaar and serves as an active acclimatization day before the trek moves to higher elevations. You will take a selected acclimatization hike above Namche, gain some elevation during the day, and return to the same sleeping altitude in the evening. This follows the common “hike high, sleep low” approach used during high-altitude trekking.

The hike also gives you time to become familiar with the upper Khumbu route and assess how your body is responding before continuing toward Tengboche and Dingboche. Back in Namche, you can prepare equipment, organize personal supplies, and get ready for the higher sections of the Everest Three High Passes Trek.

From Namche Bazaar, the trail proceeds through the Khumbu Valley toward Tengboche. The route follows the mountainside with views toward Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam before descending toward the Dudh Koshi River.

After crossing the river, the trail climbs through forest toward Tengboche. The village is home to Tengboche Monastery and sits along the main route toward Pangboche and the higher Khumbu.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Tengboche. From here, the Everest Three High Passes Trek continues toward Pangboche and Dingboche, bringing you closer to the Imja Valley and the approach to Kongma La.

Leaving Tengboche, the trail descends through forest toward Deboche and crosses the Imja Khola before climbing to Pangboche. From Pangboche, the trek proceeds through the upper Khumbu as the valley becomes more open and the route moves closer to the Imja Valley.

The trail continues toward Dingboche with views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse, and other surrounding peaks. As you gain elevation, the forested landscape gives way to more open high-altitude terrain.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Dingboche. The village serves as the next acclimatization base, where you spend Day 8 preparing for Chhukung and the first high-pass crossing at Kongma La. 

Day 8 is the second main acclimatization day of the Everest Three High Passes Trek. You remain based in Dingboche and take an acclimatization hike above the village, gaining elevation during the day before returning to Dingboche for the night.

The day helps you adjust to the higher altitude before the route proceeds to Chhukung and Kongma La. During the hike, maintain a steady pace, drink enough water, and pay attention to how your body responds to the increased elevation.

Back in Dingboche, you can rest and check the clothing and trekking equipment needed for the higher sections ahead. You will stay overnight at a lodge in Dingboche before continuing toward Chhukung on Day 9.

From Dingboche, the trail proceeds east into the Imja Valley toward Chhukung. The route gains elevation gradually as you move beneath Lhotse and toward the higher terrain below Island Peak and the Kongma La approach. The trek to Chhukung takes about four hours, leaving the remaining half of the day for rest and preparation.

After reaching Chhukung, you can rest and prepare for the first major pass crossing. Our guide will review the route conditions, expected walking time, clothing, water, and any traction equipment needed for the following day.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Chhukung. The village is the final overnight stop before crossing Kongma La (5,535 m) on Day 10 and entering the upper Khumbu toward Lobuche.

The first high-pass crossing begins early from Chhukung as the trail climbs toward Kongma La (5,535 m). The route moves through steep, rocky, and moraine terrain, and snow or ice may affect sections of the pass depending on current conditions.

From the top of Kongma La, the trail drops toward the upper Khumbu. The descent crosses rough moraine and glacier-related terrain before joining the Everest Base Camp route near Lobuche. This is one of the longer trekking days, so a steady pace and careful footing are important throughout the crossing.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Lobuche. Completing Kongma La brings you across the first of the three high passes and positions you for the trek toward Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp.

From Lobuche, the trail proceeds toward Gorak Shep through the upper Khumbu, following rocky and moraine terrain beside the Khumbu Glacier. Gorak Shep is the last lodge settlement before Everest Base Camp and serves as the overnight stop for this stage of the trek.

After reaching Gorak Shep, you continue to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m). The trail crosses glacier-related and moraine terrain before reaching the base camp area beside the Khumbu Glacier, with the Khumbu Icefall rising farther ahead.

After spending time at Everest Base Camp, you retrace the trail to Gorak Shep and stay overnight at a lodge. The next morning, the route climbs to Kala Patthar before continuing toward the Cho La section of the Three Passes Circuit.

An early climb from Gorak Shep takes you toward Kala Patthar, one of the main viewpoints for Mt. Everest. From the viewpoint, clear conditions can reveal Everest, Nuptse, Pumori, the Khumbu Glacier, and surrounding peaks across the upper Khumbu.

After descending to Gorak Shep, the trek returns toward Lobuche before leaving the main Everest Base Camp trail for Dzongla. This section positions you closer to the eastern approach of Cho La (5,420 m), the second high pass of the circuit.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Dzongla. The evening is used for rest and preparation before the Cho La crossing on Day 13. 

The second high-pass crossing starts from Dzongla as the trail climbs toward Cho La (5,420 m). Cho La connects the Khumbu Valley in the east with the Gokyo Valley in the west and forms the middle pass of the Everest Three High Passes Trek.

The crossing involves steep, rocky, and glacier-related terrain. Snow and ice can affect sections of Cho La, so our guide will assess the conditions and determine whether traction equipment is needed for the crossing.

After crossing the pass, the trail descends toward Thangnak, the overnight stop on the Gokyo side of Cho La. You will stay at a lodge in Thangnak before crossing the Ngozumpa Glacier sector toward Gokyo on Day 14.

From Thangnak, the trail proceeds toward the Ngozumpa Glacier and crosses its moraine-covered section on the way to Gokyo. The route passes over uneven glacier and moraine terrain, where careful footing and a steady pace help with the crossing.

After leaving the glacier sector, the trail reaches the lower Gokyo Lakes and continues toward Gokyo village. The settlement sits beside the lake in the Gokyo Valley, below the high mountains extending toward Cho Oyu.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Gokyo. The remaining time provides an opportunity to rest and prepare before the final high-pass crossing at Renjo La on Day 15.

The final high-pass crossing begins from Gokyo as the trail climbs toward Renjo La (5,360 m). Among the three passes, Renjo La provides one of the clearest views back toward Mt. Everest, Gokyo Lake, and the Ngozumpa Glacier when conditions are clear.

After crossing Renjo La, the trail drops into the Thame Valley and continues toward Lungden. The descent involves steep and rocky sections before the route reaches lower terrain on the western side of the pass.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Lungden. Crossing Renjo La completes all three high passes of the circuit, and the following stage continues through the Thame Valley toward Namche Bazaar.

Leaving Lungden, the trail descends through the Thame Valley toward Thame. The route follows the western side of the Three Passes Circuit through Sherpa settlements before continuing toward Namche Bazaar.

At Thame, one of the old Sherpa villages of the Everest region, the route reconnects with the trail leading back toward Namche. This section brings you into lower elevations after completing Kongma La, Cho La, and Renjo La.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Namche Bazaar, completing the third night spent in Namche Bazaar across the 20-day itinerary. Returning to Namche completes the main loop of the Three Passes Circuit before the descent toward Lukla begins. 

From Namche Bazaar, the trail descends through the lower Khumbu and returns toward the Dudh Koshi Valley. You cross the Hillary Suspension Bridge and continue through Jorsalle and Monjo before following the familiar trail toward Phakding.

The route continues through Ghat and other small settlements before making the final approach to Lukla. This stage completes the walking section of the Everest Three High Passes Trek after the circuit through the Khumbu, Gokyo, and Thame valleys.

You will stay overnight at a lodge in Lukla. The evening provides time to rest with the trekking crew before the return flight to Kathmandu on Day 18.

The trekking section ends in Lukla, and today you return to Kathmandu by air. Depending on current flight operations, the flight may operate directly to Kathmandu or land at Ramechhap, followed by a road transfer back to Kathmandu.

Lukla flights depend heavily on mountain weather, so departure times can change even after check-in. Once the flight operates, you leave the Khumbu behind and return to the Kathmandu Valley.

After arrival, we will transfer you to your hotel in Kathmandu. The rest of the day is free for rest after completing the trekking section of the Everest Three High Passes Trek. Day 19 remains available as an additional day for bad weather or flight disruption before your international departure. 

Day 19 provides additional time in the 20-day Everest Three High Passes Trek itinerary for bad weather or flight disruption that may affect the return from Lukla. Mountain weather can influence Lukla flight schedules, so keeping this day between the planned return to Kathmandu and the international departure provides more flexibility.

If the Lukla flight operates as scheduled on Day 18, you can use the day in Kathmandu for rest and final preparation before your international departure. If earlier weather or flight conditions affect the schedule, this additional day provides time to adjust the itinerary where possible.

You will stay overnight in Kathmandu and prepare for your international departure on Day 20.

Day 20 marks the end of the 20-day Everest Three High Passes Trek itinerary. You can prepare for your international departure and check out from the hotel according to your flight schedule.

Our team will arrange your transfer from the hotel to Tribhuvan International Airport for your departing flight. This completes the Kathmandu-to-Kathmandu journey after crossing Kongma La, Cho La, and Renjo La and completing the Three Passes Circuit.