Trekking in The Three Passes

Everyone walks to Everest Base Camp. The Three Passes loop takes the same region and turns the tourist highway into a genuine circuit, adding Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La — each over 5,300 metres — along with the turquoise Gokyo lakes and a valley or two with almost nobody on them.

Over about eighteen days in the Khumbu you get everything the standard trek offers and a great deal it doesn't: the view from Renjo La at dawn, arguably the finest in the whole region; the ice of the Ngozumpa glacier; and the quiet satisfaction of linking it all on foot rather than walking in and back out the same way. Teahouses keep the load light throughout.

Sagarmatha park and municipality permits are required, and Nepal's guide rules for trekkers have changed recently and are enforced unevenly. Verify the current requirements before booking, and build in real acclimatisation days — three passes above 5,300 metres punish anyone who rushes the altitude.

Sagarmatha park and municipality permits are required, and Nepal's guide rules for trekkers have changed recently and are enforced unevenly — verify before booking.