Everest Three High Passes Trek
Trip Facts
Overview
Trip Highlights
- Cross all three high passes: Kongma La (5,535m), Cho La (5,420m), Renjo La (5,360m)
- Stand at Everest Base Camp (5,364m) beside the Khumbu Icefall
- Sunrise from Kala Patthar (5,545m), the trek's highest point
- Explore the Gokyo Valley and climb Gokyo Ri (5,357m) for panoramic views of four 8,000m peaks
- Walk through Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Immerse in Sherpa culture at Namche Bazaar, Tengboche Monastery, and remote high villages
- Trek with a government licensed guide trained in altitude sickness recognition and response
The Everest Three High Passes Trek is the ultimate Khumbu circuit, a single continuous journey that links together everything the Everest region has to offer, rather than forcing you to choose between them. Where the standard Everest Base Camp trek follows one trail up and back down, this route loops through three separate valleys, crossing all three major passes of the region (Kongma La, Cho La, and Renjo La) to connect the Khumbu, Chhukung, and Gokyo valleys into one expedition. You reach Everest Base Camp itself, stand beneath the Khumbu Icefall, summit Kala Patthar at sunrise for the trek's finest Everest panorama, and spend two full days around the turquoise Gokyo Lakes — a side of the region most EBC trekkers never see.
This is not a trek for first-timers. It demands strong cardiovascular fitness, prior high-altitude trekking experience, and the mental resilience to push through three consecutive high-altitude pass crossings, each involving 7–9 hour days above 5,300m on exposed, sometimes icy terrain. Weather can close a pass with little warning, and the itinerary is built with enough acclimatization days and buffer to respond to that reality rather than fight it. In exchange for that commitment, trekkers get the most complete, least-crowded view of the Everest region available on foot — long stretches of trail shared with only a handful of other parties, even in peak season.
Every group is led by a government licensed guide trained in altitude sickness recognition and first response, supported by porters who know these passes in every season. We keep group sizes small by design, both for safety on technical terrain and so your guide can actually adjust the day's pace to how the group is acclimatizing , not to a fixed schedule.
Itinerary
Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport, where a Shalom Adventure Holidays representative will be waiting to greet you and transfer you to your hotel by private vehicle. After weeks or months of planning, this first evening in Kathmandu is a chance to settle in, adjust to the time zone, and get your bearings in a city that will feel worlds away from the mountains you're about to enter.
In the evening, your guide will meet you for a full trek briefing, covering the route, the logic behind the itinerary's acclimatization days, altitude sickness prevention, and what to expect on each of the three pass crossings. This is also your last chance to rent or buy any missing gear from Kathmandu's Thamel area before heading into the mountains, so bring your packing list and ask questions.
Overnight at Comfortable hotel.
- Altitude: 1399
- Accommodation: Hotel
- Meals: Welcome Dinner
Your journey into the Khumbu begins with one of the world's most dramatic short flights. A roughly 30-minute hop from Kathmandu to Lukla's famously short, sloped runway, with the Himalayan foothills rising beneath you the entire way. Landing in Lukla, you'll meet the rest of your trekking crew, sort final gear with your porters, and step onto the trail for the first time.
The walk to Phakding is gentle by comparison to what's ahead, following the Dudh Koshi River through pine forest and past mani walls carved with Buddhist prayers, prayer wheels and small Sherpa settlements. It's an easy introduction that lets your body start adjusting to the altitude and your legs find their trekking rhythm. Arrival in the peaceful riverside village of Phakding.
Distance: 8km . Duration: 3–4 hrs
- Altitude: 2610
- Accommodation: Tea house / Guest House
- Meals: Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner
Today's trail crosses the Dudh Koshi multiple times, including the high, flag-draped Hillary Suspension Bridge, before entering Sagarmatha National Park at the Monjo checkpoint where permits are verified. From here the trail begins its steady, at times steep, climb toward Namche Bazaar , the unofficial capital of the Khumbu and the last major trading hub before the high mountains.