Gokyo Valley Lodge Trek

Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu – Introduction to the trip, equipment check and welcome dinner
Arrival in Kathmandu. You will be picked up at the airport and driven to your reserved hotel. In the afternoon we will discuss the details of the trip with you, and in the evening you are invited to dinner with your mountain guide. Overnight at Hotel Tibet or similar category, (D).

Day 2: Kathmandu sightseeing and preparation for trekking
Today we explore Kathmandu with a local guide. This day can be designed flexibly according to your wishes. The most popular places and most impressive sights include Pashupatinath – a Hindu temple with cremation places and the Boudhanath Stupa. Afternoon drive to Ramechap for the flight to Lukla. Overnight in Guest House, (B).

Day 3: Flight to Lukla, then trek to Phakding / 35 minutes flight, 3 – 4 hours walk
The flight goes to Lukla (2,800 meters) early in the morning. After the final preparations, the trekking tour begins past the village of Chaurikharka. The path then descends into the Dudh Kosi Valley at 2,530 meters. The rest of the way follows the Dudh Kosi river bed exactly until our first destination – Phakding (2,652 m) – is reached. The hike on this day is short for better acclimatization. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 4: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) / 5 – 6 hours of walking
Today we cross the roaring glacier river with the name “Dudh” (milk) “Kosi” (river) – named after its color – several times over partly longer suspension bridges. Sections of today’s hike lead through pine forests and open terrain and we discover terraced fields on which useful plants are cultivated. We encounter smaller herds of donkeys and marvel at impressive yaks, which transport goods along the path. Our route takes us through the villages of Benkar, Monjo and Jorsale. After the Hillary suspension bridge, we climb a little steeper to Namche Bazaar at 3,440 meters. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 5: Namche Bazaar – Acclimatization Day – to Everest View Hotel
Today is an important acclimatization day in Namche Bazaar. Due to the low oxygen content in the mountain air, the body needs some time to better adapt to it. Light, restless sleep is also usually the result of this altitude adaption. . We climb the steep mountain ridge above Namche on a morning walk. During the ascent on the path, we have beautiful views of the main route to Everest Base camp, on which we will hike for the next few days. High up at the ridge, we bypass the mountain side and get to the Everest viewpoint. The views on the hike uphill and downhill are simply spectacular. On the way back we will have our lunch very close to the interesting Sherpa cultural center and the Everest Mountaineering Museum. A visit here is always worthwhile. After lunch we come back to the lodge and in the afternoon you can either relax or go on a discovery tour in Namche. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 6: Namche Bazaar to Phortse Tenga (3,680 m) / 3 to 4 hours walk
This route runs moderately up to the Shyangboche. The Everest View Hotel – a Japanese idea – is located right above the short runway to offer breathtaking views of the highest mountains in the world. We walk a little further and turn left. Then it goes through a forest of birch and juniper over many steps upwards. We reach the beautiful Phortse Tenga, a small village with only a few teahouses. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 7: Phortse Tenga to Dole (4,200 m) / 4 hours walk
From Phortse Tenga we will first hike along the right bank of the Dudh Kosi through rhododendron forests. We experience the beautiful view of Cho Oyu (8,201 meters), Thamserku &antenga (6,799 meters) and finally reach the village of Dole. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 8: Dole to Machhermo (4,470 m) / 5 – 6 hours walk
We follow the path further up to Labharma and Luza. This route will be a little steeper through bushy juniper trees most of the time. We cross another saddle and reach Machhermo through a wide valley. In this village, a yeti is said to have killed a few yaks and attacked Sherpa women. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 9: Machhermo to Gokyo (4,870 m) / 3 – 4 hours walk
Today you will finally arrive in Gokyo. From Machhermo we choose a steep climb to the moraine of the glacier, over which we come to a small lake. Here we can marvel at the wood ducks. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 10: Gokyo to Gokyo Ri summit (5,357m) and hike to Thore (4,300m) / 6 to 7 hours hike
The views around Gokyo are overwhelming. This trekking tour is a unique opportunity to discover the beautiful remote scenes of the Himalayas and to make an ascent very early in the morning. This leads you up to Gokyo Ri (5,357 meters). The tour to the summit takes about two hours. Up there you have a tremendous panoramic view of Cho Oyo, Gyachung Kang, Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cholatse and Tawachee. After the summit we have our well-deserved breakfast and hike down-hill towards Thore. At the end of the Ngozumpa Glacier, the largest ice flow in Nepal, we cross a bridge and arrive in Thore after about 2 hours. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 11: Thore to Pangboche – monastery tour and trek to Deboche (3,820 m) / approx. 6 hours hike
Today we hike to the village of Pangboche and visit the very im-portant and famous monastery Tengboche, which is on the way to Deboche. The Tengboche Monastery is the most important gompa / temple in the Sherpa region and the home of the abbot and about eighty monks who follow Nyingmapa Buddhism, which in turn dominates the Sherpa region. From here there is another beautiful view of Everest. After a visit to the monastery, we will continue on our way to Deboche. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 12: Deboche to Monjo 2,835 m / 5 to 6 hours of walking
After hiking through the rhododendron forest to Tengboche, we descend to the river at Phunki Tenga. After crossing the bridge, a steady climb awaits us and the path leads around Namche Bazaar. We descend to the Monjo village and walk the same way back towards Lukla as on the way there. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 13: Monjo to Lukla / 5 to 6 hours walk
From Monjo we continue down through the Dudh Kosi valley, past the villages of Phakding, Ghat and Cheplung. At Chaurikharka we begin the ascent over one of the last hills of the trek to reach Lukla. Overnight at tea house lodge, (B|L|D).

Day 14: Flight to Ramechap  and drive to Kathmandu (4hrs. drive) – afternoon at leisure
If the weather is nice in Lukla, we will fly back to Ramechap in the early morning and drive to Kathmandu. The rest of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Hotel Tibet or similar category, (B).

Day 15: Leisure day in Kathmandu
Today is at your disposal, which you can spend relaxing, sightseeing or shopping in Thamel. One last good opportunity to get some souvenirs at short notice. Overnight in the hotel,, (B).

Day 16: Flight back home
Farewell and transfer to Kathmandu Airport. End of the journey. (F)

We reserve the right to change the program due to special events, force majeure or weather reasons.

F = breakfast | M = lunch | A = dinner

Visa
Your visa can be issued on arrival at a counter at Kathmandu airport. Visa costs on arriving in Kathmandu amount to US $ 50 (stay of up to 30 days) and US $ 100 (stay of up to 90 days).
The fees can also be paid in euros, which are converted by the bank at the airport in accordance with the dollar exchange rate. Two passport size photographs must be provided for the visa. At the time of the trip your passport must be valid for at least a further six months and have at least one blank page.

These visa and passport regulations apply to EU countries, Switzerland and the USA. Other nationals should check with the relevant consular authorities.

Insurance
Travel health insurance (with recovery costs) is essential for your own safety and a precondition for participation in our trips. In the event of an accident in the mountains which requires a helicopter rescue, the helicopter will not take off before the responsibility for the cost is clarified.
The conclusion of travel cancellation insurance is highly recommended. In the case of bargain price flights in particular, changes or cancellations generally can’t be made free of charge. In Nepal complications with the weather or with your health could make it necessary to break off your journey.
We have requested ERGO (Reiseversicherung) to create various service packages for you. You can book travel health insurance at https://www.reiseversicherung.de.

Please note: ERGO insurance can be booked by residents of Germany and Austria. Those living in other countries are requested to book their travel insurance through an insurance provider in their own country.

It should be noted that geoDiscovery Tours advises its customers to book their travel insurance via ERGO as a recommendation only, and accepts no responsibility for the contractual content between the customer and the travel insurance provider. Customers can book their travel insurance via ERGO or another provider at their own discretion.

The hotels and lodges booked by us
In Kathmandu and Pokhara the hotels we book are good and correspond to medium-level Western standards. Sanitary facilities are clean and functional; the hotel cuisine is adapted to Western eating habits and the food is safe to enjoy. There may sometimes be power cuts, or no hot water may be available for a while. The hotel staff is generally very friendly and looks after the welfare of guests. The hotels booked by us are as follows:

Kathmandu: Hotel Tibet/Manaslu ***+
Pokhara: Mount Kailash Resort, Lake side retreat ***
Palpa/Tansen: Hotel Srinagar **
Lumbini: Hotel New Crystal ***
Chitwan: Jungle Villa Resort
Nagarkot: Nagarkot Farmhouse

During the trek and in the interior of the country conditions are very varied, and travelers must sometimes expect basic sanitation facilities. For standard treks and tours you will stay overnight in typical “lodges” (teahouses). These usually offer very small single rooms or double rooms (some with no running water and no private shower / toilet).
In general, during the trekking tour you can select what you wish to eat from the menu. However, at altitudes of 4,000 meters it can happen that on some routes the choice of food is not very extensive. Typical Nepalese cuisine is mostly vegetarian, but very tasty, filling and wholesome. Travelers need to be adaptable, however.

Flying in Nepal
The domestic flights booked by us are with Tara Air, Yeti Air, Summit Air, Sita Air or Buddha Air.

Tour program
The travel program for all of our recommended tours is carefully planned. It can happen, however, that roads are closed without advance notice or are impassable, that there are waiting times of several hours because of traffic congestion or fuel shortages and that specific tourist attractions are closed for various reasons. Other restrictions such as flight delays or even cancellations due to bad weather, strikes, the health of participants or unfavorable conditions while trekking may also make the implementation of the travel program more difficult or at worst make it impossible. However, our local guides are prepared for such situations and will make every effort to achieve every aspect of the program to your satisfaction. As a result the inconvenience can normally be kept to a reasonable level. Nevertheless, it must be pointed out at this juncture that for the above reasons program changes are possible at any time and cannot be influenced by the organizers. The resulting costs are borne by the traveler. We ask for your understanding.