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.

Everyone walks to Everest Base Camp; the Three Passes loop turns that tourist highway into a genuine circuit, adding Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La — each over 5,300 metres — plus 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 much it does not: the dawn view from Renjo La, arguably the finest in the region; the ice of the Ngozumpa glacier; and the 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, so verify the current requirements before booking. Trek in the stable windows, March–May or October–November.

Build in real acclimatisation days — three passes above 5,300 metres punish anyone who rushes the altitude — and structure the loop to gain height gradually. Fly into Lukla to start, weather permitting.

This is advanced-to-expert altitude trekking; teahouses mean a light pack, but bring serious cold-weather layers for the passes. Come fit, patient with the height, and ready for flight delays into and out of Lukla.