Everest Three Passes Itinerary: Complete Loop Route Guide

The Everest Three Passes Trek is a 16-day, 15-night circuit through the Khumbu, crossing Kongma La (5,535m), Cho La (5,420m), and Renjo La (5,360m) while visiting Everest Base Camp (5,364m), Kala Patthar (5,644m), and the Gokyo Lakes. Every day here is built around the same three numbers that actually decide how a day feels — altitude, walking hours, and where you sleep. This guide walks through all 16 days at that level of detail, not a marketing summary of them.

This isn’t the standard Everest Base Camp Trek’s out-and-back structure. The route loops through three separate valleys and never repeats a major trail section, which is what makes the day-to-day logic worth understanding before you commit sixteen days to it.

Quick Itinerary at a Glance

Every stop, altitude, and walking day in one table before the full detail below.

Day	Route	Altitude	Trek Time
1	Kathmandu → Lukla → Phakding	2,610m	3–4 hrs
2	Phakding → Namche Bazaar	3,440m	5–6 hrs
3	Namche acclimatisation (Everest View Hotel hike)	3,880m hike / 3,440m overnight	3–4 hrs
4	Namche → Tengboche → Debuche	3,820m	5–6 hrs
5	Debuche → Dingboche	4,410m	5–6 hrs
6	Dingboche acclimatisation (Nagarjun Hill)	5,000m hike / 4,410m overnight	4–5 hrs
7	Cross Kongma La → Lobuche	5,535m high point / 4,910m overnight	7–8 hrs
8	Lobuche → Gorakshep → Everest Base Camp	5,164m overnight / 5,364m at EBC	6–7 hrs
9	Kala Patthar sunrise → Dzongla	5,644m high point / 4,830m overnight	7–8 hrs
10	Cross Cho La → Gokyo	5,420m high point / 4,750m overnight	7–8 hrs
11	Gokyo rest day (Gokyo Ri)	5,357m hike / 4,750m overnight	3–4 hrs
12	Gokyo → Lungden	4,380m	4–5 hrs
13	Cross Renjo La → Thame	5,360m high point / 3,820m overnight	7–8 hrs
14	Thame → Namche Bazaar	3,440m	3–4 hrs
15	Namche Bazaar → Lukla	2,860m	5–6 hrs
16	Fly Lukla → Kathmandu	—	35 min flight

Day-by-Day: The Full 16-Day Route

Day 1 — Kathmandu to Lukla to Phakding (2,610m)

The flight into Lukla is short but earns its reputation — a cliff-edge runway, mountains close on both sides. From there the trail drops through pine forest and Sherpa settlements along the Dudh Koshi River to Phakding. Sixteen days and three passes start with the easiest walking day of the trip, 3–4 hours, mostly downhill or flat.

Day 2 — Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440m)

The trail crosses the Dudh Koshi on a string of suspension bridges, enters Sagarmatha National Park at Jorsale, and climbs steeply into Namche — the Sherpa capital, and the town you’ll return to twice more before this circuit ends. Five to six hours, most of it uphill in the final stretch.

Day 3 — Namche Bazaar Acclimatisation Day

A hike up to the Everest View Hotel ridge (3,880m), then back down to sleep in Namche (3,440m). Not optional — this is the first of three dedicated acclimatisation days on the circuit, and every one of them matters before the passes start.

Day 4 — Namche Bazaar to Tengboche and Debuche (3,820m)

The trail climbs through rhododendron forest to Tengboche, the most atmospheric monastery in the Khumbu — Ama Dablam on one side, Everest on the other. We drop through forest to Debuche for the night. Five to six hours.

Day 5 — Debuche to Dingboche (4,410m)

Past Pangboche the trees thin and the alpine terrain begins. Dingboche opens into a wide valley with Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Island Peak on the horizon — the staging point for the first pass. Five to six hours, with a 590m net ascent.

Day 6 — Dingboche Acclimatisation Day: Nagarjun Hill

A climb to 5,000m on Nagarjun Hill for a panorama across Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Makalu, Baruntse and Chamlang, then back down to sleep at 4,410m. This is the last dedicated rest day before three consecutive demanding days begin.

Day 7 — Cross Kongma La and Descend to Lobuche (5,535m)

The first and highest pass of the circuit. Kongma La summits at 5,535m with Makalu, Lhotse, and Nuptse on the horizon, then a steep, rocky descent to Lobuche (4,910m). This is the hardest single day on the trek — a conservative pace matters more here than anywhere else on the route. Seven to eight hours.

Day 8 — Lobuche to Gorakshep and Everest Base Camp (5,364m)

The glacier moraine trail reaches Gorakshep (5,164m overnight). Daypacks stay behind for the walk to Everest Base Camp itself — a working expedition base at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall, not a viewpoint. We return to Gorakshep for the night. Six to seven hours total.

Day 9 — Kala Patthar Sunrise and On to Dzongla (5,644m)

A 4:30am start for Kala Patthar — the highest point of the entire circuit, and the finest Everest sunrise view on the route. From there the trail descends and continues west to Dzongla (4,830m), the staging point for tomorrow’s second pass. This is a full trekking day, not a rest day, even though it sits between the two dedicated acclimatisation stops — pace yourself accordingly. Seven to eight hours.

Day 10 — Cross Cho La and Descend to Gokyo (5,420m)

The second and most technical pass. Cho La involves a boulder ascent and a glacier crossing near the top, where microspikes are often needed. From the pass, the trail drops into the Gokyo Valley — a landscape that looks nothing like the EBC side of the Khumbu, with six turquoise lakes and Cho Oyu rising above the village (4,750m). Another full trekking day, with tomorrow’s rest day waiting at the other end. Seven to eight hours.

Day 11 — Gokyo Rest Day: Gokyo Ri (5,357m)

A climb up Gokyo Ri delivers four 8,000m peaks at once — Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu — plus a view down the full length of the Ngozumpa Glacier, Nepal’s longest. Three to four hours, sleeping again in Gokyo. This is the third and final dedicated acclimatisation day on the circuit, and it matters: it’s your body’s one real recovery window between Cho La and Renjo La.

Day 12 — Gokyo to Lungden (4,380m)

The trail moves north through the upper Gokyo Valley, past the least-visited of the six lakes, to Lungden — the staging point for the circuit’s third and final pass. Four to five hours.

Day 13 — Cross Renjo La and Descend to Thame (5,360m)

The third and final pass. Renjo La gives one of the finest westward panoramas of the entire circuit — Everest, Lhotse and Makalu behind you, the Nangpa La trade route to Tibet ahead. The descent to Thame (3,820m) drops over 1,500m in a single day. Three passes crossed — the circuit is complete. Seven to eight hours.

Day 14 — Thame to Namche Bazaar (3,440m)

A shorter day following the Bhote Koshi valley back to Namche — a different approach than the standard EBC route, and one of the more pleasant valley walks in the Khumbu. Three to four hours.

Day 15 — Namche Bazaar to Lukla (2,860m)

The final trekking day crosses the Hillary Suspension Bridge and the lower Dudh Koshi valley back to Lukla — three passes, two valleys, and fourteen days of altitude behind you. Five to six hours.

Day 16 — Fly Lukla to Kathmandu

The morning flight returns to Kathmandu, 35 minutes. Always build 2–3 buffer days into your Kathmandu schedule after this flight — Lukla departures are weather-dependent, and delays are common enough to plan around.

How the Acclimatisation Schedule Works

This itinerary carries three dedicated acclimatisation days before and during the passes: Namche (Day 3), Dingboche (Day 6), and the Gokyo rest day (Day 11). None of them are filler — each one lets the body adjust before the next altitude jump, and none are compressed regardless of group preference or schedule pressure. Day 9 (Kala Patthar) and Day 10 (crossing Cho La) are full trekking days sandwiched between those rest points, not rest days themselves — the two consecutive nights spent at Gokyo (Days 10 and 11) are what give the body real recovery time after that stretch, before the push over Renjo La.

Four of the circuit’s nights are spent above 4,700m — Gorakshep (5,164m), Dzongla (4,830m), and two consecutive nights at Gokyo (4,750m) — which is one of the more sustained high-altitude overnight schedules of any standard Nepal trekking circuit. That’s a direct result of the route’s structure, not an accident of scheduling.

Everest Three Passes Itinerary — Frequently Asked Questions

How many rest or acclimatisation days does this itinerary include?

Three dedicated acclimatisation days: Namche on Day 3, Dingboche on Day 6, and the Gokyo rest day on Day 11. Day 10, the arrival at Gokyo after crossing Cho La, is a full trekking day rather than a rest day, but the two consecutive nights spent at Gokyo (Days 10 and 11) still give the body real recovery time before Renjo La. None of the three dedicated rest days are compressed or optional — each is doing real physiological work before the next altitude jump.

Which single day on this itinerary is the hardest?

Day 7 — crossing Kongma La. It’s the highest pass on the circuit at 5,535m, one of the longest single days at 7–8 hours, and it comes right after the last acclimatisation stop with no rest day before it. Most trekkers who struggle on this circuit struggle here first.

Can this itinerary be shortened to fewer than 16 days?

Not without cutting an acclimatisation day, which we don’t recommend on a route with three passes above 5,300m. Trekkers short on time are usually better served by the standard 12-day EBC Trek or the Gokyo Lakes Trek without the passes, rather than a compressed version of this circuit.

Walk the Route With People Who’ve Actually Walked It

This 16-day itinerary runs $1,499 to $1,899 per person with Mountain Hike Nepal, all three acclimatisation days included and never compressed. See the full Everest Three Passes Trek package, or message us on WhatsApp with your travel month — we typically reply within 12 hours.

Everest Three Passes Trek