Gokyo Ri Trek – Grace Trekking

Gokyo Ri Trek (15 Days)

This trek is less travelled and certainly challenging. Gokyo Ri (5,357m) is a mountain to respect and the aim is to summit it.

The trail is like a wide verdant funnel through archways of 8,000m mountains that make you feel insignificant at one remove and exalted at another.

The mountain is on the east side of Ngozumpa glacier, the largest glacier in the Himalayas. Other high mountains in the area are: Mount Everest (8,849m), Lhotse (8,516m), Makalu (8,485m) and Cho You (8,188m). You’ll see the magnificent Gokyo Lakes from the summit.

If ever you wanted to know yourself and your group, to take home an adventure of reflection, this is the trek for you.

Day 1 Kathmandu

Arrive in Kathmandu and be met at the airport.

Day 2 Kathmandu

Breakfast briefing and preparation for the trek. Enjoy a few hours touring Kathmandu. Welcome Nepali dinner.

Day 3 Flight to Lukla and trek to Phakding (2,652m)

After an early morning breakfast, we fly to the Tenzing-Hillary airport in Lukla. On arrival in Lukla we’ll trek to Phakding, a nice calm walk along the Dudh Kosi river valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Day 4 Namche (3,466m)

Our trek undulates uphill and downhill. We’ll trek across the rivers, through villages and get the first view of Mount Everest. Namche is a colourful town with small shops selling Tibetan and Nepali artifacts, climbing gear and trekking gear.

Day 5 Namche (3,466m)

In Namche we’ll acclimatize and explore the Sherpa villages and the Visitor Centre which has fabulous displays of local climbs, memorabilia from previous expeditions and information on the Sherpa people. It will get you into the aura of Everest.

At this stage taking a half-tablet of Diomox this evening and over the next two days will alleviate altitude sickness.

Day 6 Dole (3,500m)
The village primarily supports the tourism sector and provides lodging in a number of guesthouses. Dole is the perfect place for nature enthusiasts and explorers to visit since, despite its tiny size, it provides a breathtaking view of the nearby mountains and valleys. The Dole Hospital, a healthcare institution for both locals and trekkers, is also located in the area.

The hamlet is open for visitors to explore, interact with, and learn about the people’ way of life.

Day 7 Macchermo (4,410m)

It’s about 6 hours of trekking. Maccchermo lies in the Dudh Kosi River valley just below the terminal moraine of the Ngozumpa glacier, the longest glacier in the Himalayas.

You’ll be well above the treeline though the open terrain compensates with incredible views of ice capped mountains.. Looking up the valley, the huge white mass of Cho Oyu (8201m), the sixth highest mountain in the world, dominates.

The twin peaks of Taboche (6542m) and Cholatse (6443m) tower high up above you, rising straight up from the valley below, and several sharp rocky peaks between 5,000 and 6,000 metres rise above the trail. Looking back down the valley, Kantega (6,685m) still dominates the skyline. It is an awesome trek.

Day 8 Gokyo Village (4,750m)

It’s about 5 hours of trekking. Gokyo is a small village at the foot of Gokyo Ri making it one of the highest settlements in Nepal and in the world. Almost all the buildings are guest houses for trekkers. The people who live in the village leave during the winter and move to lower villages such as Namche Bazaar.

Cho Oyu (8,188) can be seen towards the north. Apart from this, Gokyo is also renowned for having the world’s highest altitude ice skating range.

Day 9 Gokyo Ri summit (5,357m)

An early morning ascent of Gokyo Ri takes 4 to 5 hours. It provides a 360 degree view of the Himalayas including Everest, Makalu, Lhotse, Island Peak and other many gigantic peaks. There are many great views all around the valley, including the pristine Gokyo lakes which are of religious significance to the Hindus and Buddhists. These lakes also provide refuge to the migratory birds on their trans- Himalayan migration, twice annually.

Day 10 Dole (4,200m)

It’s about 5 hours of trekking to Dole. Here we have basic guesthouses that are well-liked by trekkers getting to and from Gokyo Ri. But bear in mind you are trekking in stunning scenery that forgives a basic guesthouse. The locals are there for your comfort and move lower down in the off-season.

Dole is the perfect place for nature enthusiasts and explorers to visit since, despite its tiny size, it provides a breathtaking view of the nearby mountains and valleys. The Dole Hospital, a healthcare institution for both locals and trekkers, is located in the village.

Day 11 Namche (3,466m)

It’s about 6 hours of trekking to Namche Bazaar. We’ll trek across the rivers, through villages and get the first view of Mount Everest. Namche is a colourful town with small shops selling Tibetan and Nepali artifacts, and lots of other interesting nick-knacks.

Day 12 Mondzo (2,800m)

It’s about 4 hours of trekking. We’ll walk past Everest View hotel and Syangboche which is a very small airport with some serious challenges. Its elevation at 3,780m exposes it to some of the most extreme and capricious weather conditions in the world, with heavy winds, fog and snowfall.

The scenery on the trek is very green, very beautiful and welcoming, like being on a jungle safari.

Day 13 Lukla (2,806m)

It’s about 4 hours of trekking, back to where we started. This is the last day of the trek and it will be relatively easy.

There will be time to explore the town and, in the evening, we’ll have a meal with the Nepali staff.

Day 14 Flight to Kathmandu

We fly from the Tenzing-Hillary airport in Lukla to Kathmandu. The airport was built in 1964 under the supervision of Sir Edmund Hillary who originally intended to build it on flat farmland. However, local farmers did not want to give up their land, so the airport was built in its current position. It has been said that Hillary was unhappy with the runway’s soil resistance, and that his solution was to buy local liquor for the Sherpas and ask them to perform a foot-stomping dance to flatten the land.

We’ll enjoy a final view of the Everest circuit of mountains. We’ll relax in a high-quality hotel and enjoy our final Nepali dinner.

Day 15 Kathmandu and flight home

You may have time for final sightseeing and, if so, The Garden of Dreams is within walking distance of the hotel and the perfect quiet place to reflect. Today we transfer to Kathmandu airport and fly home.