Trek Guide
The ultimate Everest region challenge — cross all three high passes above 5,300m. Full guide covering route, permits, difficulty, cost, and best…
By Travel Himalaya Nepal · Jun 17, 2026
The Three Passes Trek crosses Renjo La (5,360 m) , Cho La (5,420 m) , and Kongma La (5,535 m) in one 18–22 day loop linking Gokyo, the Khumbu Glacier, and the Imja Valley. It is strenuous and not for first-timers — you should have already trekked above 4,500…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Total distance: 170–180 km (depending on side trips) Duration: 18–22 days from Kathmandu Max altitude: Kala Patthar, 5,644 m (optional add-on, highly recommended) Three passes: Renjo La (5,360 m), Cho La (5,420 m), Kongma La (5,535 m) Difficulty: Strenuous —…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The three passes are Renjo La (5,360 m), Cho La (5,420 m), and Kongma La (5,535 m). Each pass is a genuine high-mountain crossing — not a paved track or a cable car — and each rewards the effort with views that belong on expedition photographers' walls. Renjo…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Most guided itineraries begin in Lukla (2,860 m) after the 35-minute mountain flight from Kathmandu. The classic direction tackles the passes in the order Renjo La → Cho La → Kongma La, which builds altitude progressively while allowing acclimatisation days…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The trail follows the Dudh Koshi river north through rhododendron and pine forest, crossing the famous Hillary Suspension Bridge (3,420 m) before the steep climb to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m). Namche is the Everest region's commercial hub — espresso cafés, gear…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The route northwest to Thame (3,800 m) is relatively quiet — fewer trekkers venture this way — before climbing the Bhote Koshi valley toward Lungdeng and Gokyo (4,790 m). Gokyo sits beside the third and largest of the Gokyo Lakes, a protected wetland of…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
Renjo La (5,360 m) is crossed in a single long day, typically departing Gokyo before dawn. The ascent is a sustained rocky climb with good trail marking; the top offers the iconic view back over the Gokyo Lakes with Cho Oyu (8,188 m) on the horizon. Descent…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
From Gokyo (you return for a rest night after Renjo La), the trail moves east across the Ngozumpa Glacier — the longest glacier in the Himalayas at over 36 km — to Dragnag (4,700 m) and then Dzongla (4,830 m), the staging village for the Cho La crossing. Cho…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
From Lobuche the trail follows the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier to Gorak Shep (5,164 m), the last outpost before Everest Base Camp. The walk to Base Camp (5,364 m) takes around three hours return and reveals the Khumbu Icefall — the notorious serac…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
The final pass, Kongma La (5,535 m), is crossed from Lobuche toward Chhukung (4,730 m) in the Imja Valley — the approach corridor for Island Peak climbers and the Lhotse face. The pass itself involves a long, relentless ascent over boulder fields and moraine…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
This is a strenuous, multi-week high-altitude trek . It is not suitable for first-time high-altitude trekkers. You should have completed at least one trek above 4,500 m — ideally the Everest Base Camp trek or Annapurna Circuit — before attempting all three…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
All trekkers need three documents before entering the Khumbu. Details and current fees are covered in full on the Nepal trekking permits page , but here is the summary for 2026: TIMS Card (Trekkers' Information Management System): USD 20 per person. Obtain in…
Travel Himalaya Nepal · News
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