Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Ri Trek

torsa.in:To stand at the base camp of the highest mountain in the world is a discovery. Everest Base Camp trail is known to the world. However, Everest Base camp-Gokyo Ri circuit is the trek to experience that magic and realism at the same time. The well-trodded Everest region and the lesser-visited Gokyo region combine in this circuit. Three days more would be required to complete Everest Base camp-Gokyo Ri circuit trek.

The views from the Gokyo Ri summit are much grander than one sees from on top of Kala Patthar in the Everest region. From Kala Patthar, you would see three of the 14 eight-thousanders in the world – the Everest, Makalu and Lhotse. From the Gokyo Ri summit, you will see these mountains and another eight-thousander, Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world.

While you look down from the Gokyo Ri summit, you will see the Ngozumpa glacier, the longest glacier in the Himalayas. Now turn around and, magically will appear three blue-green lakes. These are the Gokyo lakes. There are five of them. Sights around the beholder and solitude Gokyo region offers will be a worthy addition to the Everest Base Camp trail.

Is it difficult to trek Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Ri. You climb to over 17,000 ft at least thrice on this trek (Gokyo Ri, Chola Pass and Kala Patthar). Going to that altitude three times can not be very easy. You will have to traverse tricky terrain of Ngozumpa glacier and Chola Pass. You must get yourself prepared for this trek.

What I Like About the Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Ri Trek

Sandhya Chandrasekharayya,
Co-Founder, COO

Sandhya is a founding partner at Indiahikes. Over the past ten years, she has explored and put on the map a few of the greatest Himalayan treks in India, including Kashmir Great Lakes and Kedarkantha. She is a TedX Speaker and has been awarded the “Women of Worth” Award by Outlook Business in 2017. She believes in sustainable living just as she believes in sustainable trekking.

“The Everest Base Camp
There is a point on the Gorakshep – Everest Base Camp trail, where you get a bird’s eye view of the base camp, sitting at the edge of the Khumbu icefall. You see the Khumbu glacier, the Western shoulder of Everest and Nuptse. It is a sight that fills you with amazement, and a sense of where you are.

Walking to expedition tents on the Everest Base Camp is an excitement of its own. There is a maze of expedition tents among the unbelievably dangerous Khumbu icefall seracs. Sometimes, you find an Indian expedition tent whose climbers will welcome you to their tents and regale you with stories!

The different faces of Ama Dablam
Ama Dablam has the distinction of being the most beautiful mountain in the Everest region. You first see it in Namche Bazaar, from the Sherpa Cultural Museum. It disappears from your view as you get deeper into the Gokyo region.

And then, right after you cross Chola Pass, en route to Dzongla, you are greeted with an entirely different face of Ama Dablam. This peak looks so different from different spots on the trek. And to see an entirely new face of this beautiful mountain feels like a privilege.

Trekking among big mountains
The biggest attraction of trekking in Nepal is its big, precipitous mountains. They surround you! On this trail, you will see Everest, Makalu, Lhotse and Cho Oyu and traverse Himalaya’s largest glaciers like Ngozumpa and see the Khumbu glacier.

The sense of being among big mountains also gives you a sense of the legacies of great mountaineers. You are walking on the same trails they have walked on, filled with landmarks to their memory.

You see the Tenzing Norgay Stupa, on the route beyond Namche. And then, just above Dughla on the Everest highway, you’ll find memorials for eminent mountaineers who gave their lives away on the slopes.

Crossing Cho La Pass
Cho La Pass is a pass that takes you from the Gokyo region to the Everest region. It is an extremely adventurous pass crossing – with the ascent being on rubble and scree while the descent is on a snowed out glacier and boulders. There is not one moment in this tricky climb and descent that you can afford to lose your attention. It makes for an adrenaline-filled experience.

If you do the Everest Base Camp – Gokyo Ri circuit you have done justice to trekking in the Everest region! For anyone trekking in Nepal for the first time, this trail is infinitely more rewarding.”

Trekking organization Indiahikes conducts Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Ri Trek. It is 106 km long and takes about 18 days to and from Kathmandu including a buffer day and a acclimatization day. Trek fee: Rs.56,650. GST will be added @ 5%.
Indiahikes
Dehradun Office: No.85/10, Neshvilla Road, Dehradun – 248001
Bengaluru Office: 139, Defence Colony Road, Defence Layout, Sahakar Nagar, Bengaluru, Karnataka- 560092
Contact No.: 080 468 01269
https://indiahikes.com/everest-base-camp-via-gokyo-ri/

Photo courtesy
Camping at Everest Base Camp: CNN
Gokyo lake (two photos) and Tea House for resting on the way: Gaurav Nandi (Indiahikes)
Map: wekipedia