Trip Facts
Trip Name | Gokyo Renjo La Pass Trek |
Start Location | Lukla (2,850 m) |
Finish Location | Lukla (2,850 m) |
Difficulty | Moderate |
Duration | March-May / September - December |
Max Altitude | 5360 m |
Total Duration | 15 Days |
Culture | Sherpa Tibetian Culture |
Trip Facts
Trip Name | Gokyo Renjo La Pass Trek |
Start Location | Lukla (2,850 m) |
Finish Location | Lukla (2,850 m) |
Difficulty | Moderate |
Duration | March-May / September - December |
Max Altitude | 5360 m |
Total Duration | 15 Days |
Culture | Sherpa Tibetian Culture |
The gokyo renjo la pass trek is an alternative trekking route in the Khumbu region for people who prefer to take a less crowded trail. With thousands of tourists coming every year, the classic base camp route is getting more and more crowded.
This Gokyo Renjo La pass trek has unique features of its own as it takes you through pleasant Himalayan landscapes, lush vegetation and the diverse culture of the Sherpas in the Everest region.
The Khumbu region is well-known for being home to the four gigantic peaks, namely Everest(8848m), Lhotse(8516m), Makalu(8585m) and Cho-Oyo(8201m).
This trek takes you into the heart of the Everest region into the Gokyo Valley where you can immerse yourself in the surrounding beauty of the Gokyo Lakes and Gokyo Ri. Gokyo Ri. which stands at an altitude of 5400 m, offers a fantastic 360 degree, panoramic view of all the neighboring mountains.
We also ascend into the well-famed ‘Renjo La Pass’ which is one of the main highlights of this trek. The Gokyo Renjo La pass trek requires a minimum of two weeks as well as good physical fitness, as it is much more challenging than your regular treks.
The trek commences in Lukla and takes you through some unique landscapes and Sherpa villages via Namche, Dole, Machhermo into Gokyo Valley. From there we ascend to Gokyo Ri for some exquisite views of the mountains and then eventually into the thrilling Renjo La Pass.
Typically, autumn and spring season are the best time for this trek, but travelers travel during other seasons too. So what are you waiting for? Pack your bags and get ready to indulge yourself in the beauty of the Himalayas!
Related: Everest Base Camp Trek
You can contact us at Index Adventure if you have any questions regarding the Treks.
When you land at Tribhuvan International Airport, our representatives will pick you from the airport and escort you in a private vehicle to the hotel. After checking in, you may wish to explore the magnificent city on your own or spend the rest of the day in the hotel checking out the city from your window view.
The sightseeing begins early in the morning after you’ve had your breakfast. You will visit some of the principal monuments in the city as well as the famous ‘Pashupatinath Temple’ where you catch a glimpse of thousands of devotees offering their prayers to Lord Shiva. Then we visit Boudhanath, Syayambhunath and other historical monuments.
An early morning flight from TIA takes about 30 mins to reach Lukla. You get to enjoy the sight of the beautiful landscapes and mountains throughout your 30-minute flight. We begin our trek by heading north to Phakding (2,610 m). It’s a typical light 3-hour hike. We will stay the night at Phakding.
On the second day, we travel to Namche Bazaar, a famous and well-celebrated village in the Khumbu region. On this path, we pass many suspension bridges, bounded with many Buddhist prayer flags. Then we ascend along the steep path, which brings us to Jorsale. From Jorsale, it’s roughly a 2 hr hike to Namche. Thus after 5-6 hrs of hiking, we finally reach Namche where we will be staying overnight.
Since your body needs to get used to the climate you’re now surrounded in, we are going to take a rest day. We’ll be taking a short hike across the villages of Khunde and Khumjung. On a clear day, the mountain views from these places are gratifying. After a moderate breakfast, we travel to Khunde and move further eastwards to Khumjung. After having a wholesome lunch in Khumjung, we descend slowly down to Everest View Hotel in Namche Bazaar.
On the fourth day, we head to Dole, take a little climb onto the ridge top and continue the mainstream trail for some time. This trail offers fantastic views of Mt Everest and Lhotse. We follow the trail to Phortse and continue following the steep trails that eventually lead us to Dole through the settlements of Tonga and Gele. Overnight stay at Dole.
The trek begins with a steep trail, and since we’re at a much higher altitude, the air starts getting thinner. As we ascend the trail, we can find pastured lands and scattered settlements. The magnificent views of Cho Oyu, Kantega, and Tharmsekhu make every steep step worth it! By noon, we reach Machhermo where we will be staying the night.
We climb through the trail of the ridge for the magnificent view of Cho Oyu and Khantega Gorge. After a slightly higher ascent, we reach Gokyo and we explore the incredible sight of the Ngozumpa glacier and the fifth lake of Gokyo in all its beauty and elegance. We then descend back down to Gokyo for spending the night.
We start our hike before dawn, to catch a glimpse of the sunrise through the Mahalangur Himalayan Range. The panoramic views of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Cholatse are fantastic. We can also view the magnificent Ngozumpa Glacier, which is a treat for the eyes! After some photographs, we hike back down to Gokyo where we stay the night.
One of the main highlights of this trek, crossing the Renjo La Pass is quite thrilling and challenging as we descend towards the remote northern valley through the rugged landscapes and terrains that reminds us of the Tibetian valleys across the border. The journey begins slightly uphill through the grassy areas and gets steeper as we approach our destination. After passing through Renjo La Pass, we trek downhill through the lush meadows to Bhote Koshi Valley into Lungden, Overnight stay in Lungden.
After having breakfast, we continue our trek downwards to Thame. We visit the Thane monastery that lies about 150m above the settlement of Thane, overlooking the valley. If you happen to visit the monastery during mid-may, you may get to witness the celebration of the Mani Rimdu festival celebrated each year. We stay the night at Thane.
Leaving the mountains in the background, we continue our descent through the Sherpa villages of Thane into Namche. The journey takes roughly about 4-5 hours and offers you some sublime views of the landscapers. We will spend the night in a guest house or a hotel.
As we come to the final day of our trek, be sure to capture as many pictures you want because the following day, you will be on your way to the capital. The trek from Namche to Lukla takes roughly 7-8 hours as we follow the trail along the Dudh Koshi River. Overnight stay at Lukla.
We will catch an early morning flight back to Kathmandu. You can spend the 30 minutes flight bidding farewell to the mountains and the memorable trip you hade. On landing at Kathmandu, our representatives will pick you from the airport and transfer you back to the hotel.
The trip has finally come to an end. Fifteen days of marvelous trekking in this beautiful country is sure to give you an experience that you’ll hold onto forever. After some relaxing and refreshments, Our airport representatives will drop you at the Tribhuvan International Airport and bid you farewell with the hope of seeing you back again!
The trek is suitable for most months throughout the year. However, some difficulties might occur in the unfavorable seasons. So, the best time you can opt for this trek is between March and May or September to December when the skies are clear, and you get the most magnificent views possible.
Anybody with sound health and stamina can take up this trek. Despite some steep terrains and slippery paths along the trail, the overall trek is quite moderate and doable if you’re up for it. The trail is also well defined, but sometimes snow-covered trails can cause difficulty in navigating, especially with few people on the trek. High altitude poses another issue as the trek has a peak height of 5000 meters, causing altitude sickness or other medical conditions to some individuals.
The highest altitude we will be covering is 5360 m where the Gokyo Ri stands.
The trek is quite challenging due to the altitude it is in (above 5000 meters). Thus to avoid altitude sickness, we have designed the itinerary in such a way that you can get acclimated to the climate by adding two rest days. But, just to be on the safe side, if you’re more prone to altitude sickness, be sure to carry medications after consulting your physician. Also, consulting with locals before ascending to high altitudes can be useful, because the weather can change the momentum of a trek anytime.
During the Gokyo Renjo Ja pass trek, you will be mostly staying in guest houses and lodges with WiFi, hot showers and vast food and drink menus. The Sherpa’s warm hospitality makes your stay even more pleasurable. Finding a hotel at the peak season can be an issue, so make sure you’ve set all the accommodations right before taking this trek!
You can contact us at Index Adventure if you have any questions regarding the Treks.