Kathmandu → Lukla → Phakding
Early-morning STOL flight into Lukla, then descend gently to Phakding on the Dudh Kosi. The trek starts immediately — there is no road.
Note. Lukla flights cancel frequently. Build buffer days at both ends of your trek.
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg · CC BY 4.0National Parks / Mountain / Sagarmatha / Itineraries / Gokyo Lakes
Sagarmatha Itinerary · 11 days
Gokyo Lakes
The other great Everest-region trek — a chain of turquoise glacial lakes at 4,700–4,990 m, with the panoramic Gokyo Ri viewpoint (5,357 m) replacing Kala Patthar. Eleven days door-to-door from Kathmandu, with the same Lukla flight constraint and the same acclimatisation discipline as Everest Base Camp.
11
Days
Very hard
Difficulty
11
Stops
Before you book
What this itinerary assumes
Read this before committing. The day-by-day plan only works if these conditions are met.
Prerequisites
- Comfort at altitude — prior trekking above 3,500 m strongly recommended, ideally above 4,000 m
- No serious cardiopulmonary condition (consult a doctor if uncertain)
- Reasonable fitness — 4–7 hours of walking on most days
- Travel insurance that explicitly covers helicopter evacuation above 5,000 m
- A registered Nepali trekking agency or experienced independent trekking team
What this itinerary includes
- Lukla–Gokyo–Lukla on the standard Dudh Kosi valley route
- One scheduled acclimatisation day at Namche (3,440 m)
- Climb of Gokyo Ri (5,357 m) for the panorama of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu
- Visits to Gokyo Lakes 1–3, with optional walks to the 4th and 5th lakes
- Sherpa villages of the lower Khumbu — Namche, Khumjung
What it doesn't cover
- Lukla flight cost (changes seasonally; verify with your operator)
- Park entry fee, Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee, TIMS — all paid separately
- Cho La pass crossing to EBC (a separate, more demanding combined itinerary)
Day by day · 11 days
The itinerary
From Kathmandu and back, 11 days in total. Late September to November (sharp lake colour and clear peak views) or March to May.
Phakding → Namche Bazaar
Cross suspension bridges over the Dudh Kosi, enter the park at Monjo, then climb the long final pull to Namche. First Everest views from the upper trail if the sky is clear.
Acclimatisation day in Namche
Climb to the Everest View Hotel (3,880 m) and the Sherpa village of Khumjung. Walk high, sleep low. This rest day is the only acclimatisation stop scheduled before the high-altitude push — it is not optional.
Note. Watch for AMS symptoms — headache, nausea, sleeping difficulty. If they appear, stay longer rather than push on.
Namche → Dole
The Gokyo route diverges from the EBC trail here, climbing northwest into the Gokyo Valley. Out of the rhododendron forest and into yak pasture; Cho Oyu (8,188 m) comes into view ahead.
Dole → Machhermo
A deliberately short day — keeps daily altitude gain inside safe acclimatisation limits. Machhermo is famous in Khumbu folklore as the site of a yeti story; in practice it's a small basic village with a Himalayan Rescue Association AMS aid post.
Note. Stop at the HRA post for the free afternoon altitude-sickness briefing if you have time. It's the best on the route.
Machhermo → Gokyo
Climb past the first two glacial lakes (Longpongo and Taboche) and arrive at the third lake (Dudh Pokhari) — Gokyo village sits at its shore. The lakes are a striking pale turquoise; the air is genuinely thin.
Gokyo Ri (5,357 m) and the 4th/5th lakes
Pre-dawn climb of Gokyo Ri (5,357 m) for sunrise over Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cho Oyu and the Ngozumpa glacier — widely considered the best mountain panorama in the Khumbu. Afternoon options: walk on to the 4th (Thonak Tsho) and 5th (Ngozumpa Tsho) lakes for the closest possible view of the Ngozumpa Glacier.
Note. Cold and windy at altitude — pack proper insulation for the pre-dawn climb.
Gokyo → Dole
Retrace the route down the valley. Descending feels markedly easier — your body recovers fast in thicker air.
Dole → Namche Bazaar
Long descent back to Namche. The forest and rhododendron belt feels lush after a week at altitude.
Namche → Lukla
Final long day back to Lukla, retracing the early-trek path through Monjo and Phakding.
Lukla → Kathmandu
Morning STOL flight back to Kathmandu. Build at least one buffer day before any onward international flight.
Note. If the flight cancels, options are a Manthali/Ramechhap reroute, a helicopter charter (expensive), or sitting it out. Your operator should have a plan.
Honest framing
Things we want you to know before you go
Editorial caveats — the stuff a brochure leaves out.
- Gokyo and EBC look like swap-equivalents on paper but the experiences differ: Gokyo gives you the lake landscape and arguably the better summit panorama; EBC gives you the iconic 'I was there' destination and the busier trail.
- Altitudes here are comparable to EBC. Gokyo Ri at 5,357 m needs the same acclimatisation respect as Kala Patthar.
- Only one scheduled acclimatisation day on this itinerary (at Namche). If you're feeling slow, add a second day at Machhermo before pushing on to Gokyo.
- Combining Gokyo + EBC via the Cho La pass adds 4–5 days and substantial difficulty. It's a separate itinerary, not an upgrade to this one.
- Lukla flight unreliability applies identically to this route. Plan as if at least one of your flights will be delayed.
Source. Standard Gokyo Lakes itinerary as published across reputable Nepali trekking agencies and major guidebooks (Lonely Planet Trekking in the Nepal Himalaya, Trailblazer Everest, Cicerone Everest). Editorial review: 4 June 2026.
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