Three passes. Three glacier crossings. Three mornings where you stand above 5,300 metres and watch the sun ignite an entirely different wall of the Khumbu. The Everest Three Passes Trek is not a variation of the Base Camp route, it is the complete circuit, connecting every major valley in the Everest region into a single continuous loop through the highest inhabited landscape on earth.
Over seventeen days you will cross Renjo La (5,360m / 17,585ft), Cho La (5,420m / 17,782ft), and Kongma La (5,535m / 18,159ft), three glacial passes that link the western Khumbu, the Gokyo Valley, the Everest Base Camp corridor, and the Imja Valley into one unbroken journey. You will stand at Kala Patthar (5,545m / 18,192ft) at sunrise, climb Gokyo Ri (5,357m / 17,575ft) above turquoise glacial lakes, walk to Everest Base Camp (5,364m / 17,598ft) on the edge of the Khumbu Icefall, sleep in teahouses where Sherpa families have lived for centuries, and eat dal bhat at altitudes where the air holds barely half the oxygen you are used to. By the time you land back at Lukla, you will not just have visited Everest. You will have walked a full circle around the highest corner of the earth.
What Makes This Trek Special
- Cross three glacial passes above 5,300 metres, Renjo La (5,360m), Cho La (5,420m), and Kongma La (5,535m), the most demanding and rewarding high-pass circuit in the Himalayas
- Stand at Kala Patthar (5,545m / 18,192ft) at sunrise, the most famous viewpoint of Everest, where four of the world’s highest peaks surround you
- Climb Gokyo Ri (5,357m / 17,575ft) at dawn, where Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu line the horizon above turquoise glacial lakes
- Walk to Everest Base Camp (5,364m / 17,598ft) across the Khumbu Glacier, where the world’s greatest mountaineering expeditions begin
- Trek through Thame, the quiet western Sherpa trading village most Everest trekkers never reach
- See the sacred Gokyo Lakes, five turquoise pools fed by the Ngozumpa Glacier, the longest glacier in the Himalayas
- Descend into the Chhukung Valley after Kongma La, with Island Peak, Ama Dablam, and the southern wall of Lhotse filling the horizon
- Visit Tengboche Monastery, the spiritual heart of the Khumbu, with Everest framed behind it
- Walk a near-complete circuit of the Khumbu, almost never retracing your steps, every day revealing new terrain
- Acclimatise in Namche Bazaar (3,440m / 11,286ft), the Sherpa capital with markets, bakeries, and the best apple pie in the Himalayas
- Land at Lukla (2,860m / 9,383ft), one of the world’s most dramatic airports, where the runway ends at a mountain wall
17-Day Everest Three Passes Trek Overview
Seventeen days. Three passes. Two summit viewpoints. One complete circuit of the Khumbu. This is the trek for people who find the classic Everest Base Camp route insufficient, who want to see every face of the mountain, cross every major valley, and walk a route where almost no two days follow the same trail.
The route begins at Lukla and climbs through Phakding (2,610m / 8,563ft) to Namche Bazaar (3,440m / 11,286ft), where your first acclimatisation day lets your body adjust. Instead of heading north toward Tengboche, you turn west to Thame, a quiet trading village in the western Khumbu that most trekkers never see. From Thame, you climb to Lungden and cross Renjo La (5,360m / 17,585ft), where the entire Gokyo lake system spreads out below you in shades of turquoise and emerald, with Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu standing on the horizon.
You descend into the Gokyo Valley, climb Gokyo Ri (5,357m / 17,575ft) at dawn for a panorama that many trekkers say is even more spectacular than Kala Patthar, then push east to Thangnak and cross Cho La (5,420m / 17,782ft), the most technical of the three passes, involving glacier travel, steep rock, and sometimes fixed ropes. On the far side, you drop into Dzongla and join the classic Everest corridor through Lobuche and Gorak Shep to Everest Base Camp. The following morning, you climb Kala Patthar (5,545m / 18,192ft) before dawn and watch the sun hit the south face of Everest.
The final pass, Kongma La (5,535m / 18,159ft), is the highest and most remote. You climb through boulder fields and across a small glacier, with Island Peak and the southern wall of Lhotse filling the view. The descent into Chhukung and then Dingboche feels almost gentle after what you have crossed. From there, you walk south through Tengboche and Namche back to Lukla, familiar villages where teahouse owners now greet you by name.
Before You Arrive
Please arrive in Kathmandu by 4 PM the day before your trek. This gives you time for a final gear check, a briefing with your guide, and a good night’s rest before the early morning start.
Your Online Briefing
Think of this as our first coffee together, but online. After you book, we schedule a video call where we walk you through every detail: what to pack, what each day on the trail looks like, how the altitude will feel, the glacier crossings at Cho La and Kongma La, and anything else on your mind. No question is too small.
This is also when we learn about you. Our trek itinerary does not include your hotel in Kathmandu, during the briefing, share your preferences and budget, and we will arrange accommodation that fits. Whether you want a simple guesthouse in Thamel or a five-star hotel, we will set it up for you.
Lukla Flight — What You Need to Know
The flight to Lukla is one of the most dramatic in the world, a short ride between mountain peaks that ends on a runway carved into a hillside at 2,860m (9,383ft). From Kathmandu, it takes about 40 minutes. From Manthali, it takes about 20 minutes. It is also weather-dependent. Flights can be delayed by fog, cloud, or wind, sometimes for a full day. This is normal in the Himalayas and nothing to worry about, but it is something to plan for.
We strongly recommend keeping two buffer days at the end of your trip before your international flight home. This protects your connection if weather delays your return from Lukla.
During peak trekking season (March–May and October–November), flights to Lukla operate from Manthali Airport (Ramechhap) instead of Kathmandu, to reduce congestion on Kathmandu’s single runway. If your flight departs from Manthali, we will pick you up from your hotel around midnight and drive you there (4–6 hours).
For your return, you fly from Lukla back to Kathmandu or Manthali. If your return flight lands at Manthali, we drive you back to Kathmandu (4–6 hours). All ground transportation is included in every package.
Your Trek, Your Way
Every trek we run is private, your group only, no strangers added. Whether you choose Budget, Standard, or Luxury, the mountains are yours and your companions’ alone. This is not a conveyor belt. This is your personal Himalayan experience.
Your hotel in Kathmandu is not included in the trek package, and that is intentional. Kathmandu has everything from USD 10 guesthouses in Thamel to five-star hotels with rooftop views of the city. During the online briefing, tell us what you prefer and we will arrange it for you. Your trek package begins the moment you leave Kathmandu for the mountains.
Difficulty: Very Challenging (5 out of 5)
This is the hardest standard trek we offer in the Everest region. You will walk 5-9 hours a day over mountain trails, crossing three glacial passes above 5,300 metres with significant altitude gain on consecutive days. The Cho La crossing involves glacier travel, steep ascents on loose rock, and possible fixed ropes. Kongma La involves boulder fields and a small glacier. Previous high-altitude trekking experience is strongly recommended, along with good cardiovascular fitness and comfort on uneven, technical terrain. Two acclimatisation days are built into the itinerary, at Namche Bazaar and Gokyo, and our guides monitor your condition with pulse oximeters daily.
Compare Our Three Packages
| Budget | Standard | Luxury | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price from | USD 1,180 | USD 1,590 | USD 3,199 |
| Meals | Choose your own (approx. USD 15-25/day) | 3 meals + tea + fruits + 2L water daily | All meals + all drinks anytime (except alcohol) |
| Room | Shared teahouse | Private twin w/ bathroom | Private deluxe w/ bed heater |
| Porter | Not included | 1 per 2 trekkers | 1 per trekker (carry nothing) |
| Guide | 1 guide, assistant at 8+ | 1 guide per 6, assistant at 6+ | 1 guide per 2 trekkers |
| Transport | Bus/jeep to Manthali + flight to Lukla | Private vehicle + flight to Lukla | Helicopter Kathmandu–Lukla both ways |
| SIM data | SIM only | Limited data | Unlimited data |
| Best for | Experienced backpackers | Comfort trekkers, couples, families | Premium experience seekers |
Himalayas for Every Budget, same expert guides, same safety, three comfort levels.
Difficulty: Very Challenging (5 out of 5)
This trek earns a 5 out of 5 rating because of the three consecutive glacial pass crossings, sustained high altitude over seventeen days, and five summit days above 5,000 metres. You need to be comfortable walking 5-9 hours per day over uneven, sometimes technical terrain with significant altitude gain. The Cho La crossing involves glacial ice, fixed ropes, and steep descents on loose rock. Kongma La involves boulder fields and a small glacier crossing. Renjo La is the most scenic but still demands a steep, sustained climb through loose rock and patchy snow.
Previous high-altitude trekking experience is strongly recommended, this is not a beginner’s route. Cardiovascular training for at least 10-12 weeks before departure will make a meaningful difference. We build two acclimatisation days into the itinerary (Namche Bazaar and Gokyo) and our guides monitor altitude sickness symptoms with pulse oximeters daily. If conditions on any pass are unsafe, heavy snow, ice instability, or poor visibility, your guide will take an alternative route. We will never risk your life for a pass.
The trek that funds the longest school year
Three glacial passes — Renjo La, Cho La and Kongma La — make this the most physically demanding trek we sell, and the price reflects that. A larger price means a larger contribution to the Nagarjun Learning Center, the village school in Saldum that my mother runs. Around seventy children attend free of charge and receive two meals a day. We register the school with the Nepalese government and you can find it on the UN Partner Portal. Booking the Three Passes covers more than a year of one child’s education.
