Everest & Gokyo Lakes Circuit

This was my first time walking in the Himalayas and it was a truly magical experience. The scenery was breath-taking. I am glad we chose the route taking in Gokyo and the Cho La pass which were both challenging and beautiful and made for quieter days on the trail than when we got back to the main base camp route, which was considerably busier. We had not stayed in teahouses before and they made a change from the experience in tents we had previously, but the lack of variety in food menus did mean we ate the same things many days.

An amazing and very challenging trek to Gokyo, over the Cho La Pass and on to Everest Base Camp. We were blessed with good weather for most of the time and the views were breath-taking and the arrival at EBC was very satisfying.

I had always wanted to look up at Everest from base camp and wonder what it must be like to actually stand at the summit. In October I did that and it was absolutely worth the effort. I chose this route to challenge myself and just push a little more. The trek was a steady slog with wonderful views around every corner to inspire and motivate you. The Nepali people were welcoming and the regular yak/mule trains a lively distraction. We were carefully acclimatised with some short days to rest and recover, our guides ever vigilant and encouraging. Namche was a highlight with its bustling community. The two long days were the most challenging but also the most rewarding. Setting off in the dark for the Cho La Pass was exciting. I think we were all apprehensive but it proved to be a spectacular day and the sense of achievement was immense. Similarly, arriving at base camp and seeing the Khumbu icefall and Everest visible above was a great moment and well worth the tiring journey there.

A fantastic trip of a lifetime.

Besides the spectacular peaks and fresh mountain air, the residing memory was how attentive and hard working the staff were, from guides to porters. Every need taken care of without complaint, always with a smile and humble attitude. A joy to experience and a pleasure to be part of the group. Met some lovely people and gained interesting incites into the local culture, people and mountains. Thank you Exodus and to Oz and his team. The landscape was majestic....my favourite mountains were Ama Dablam and Cholatse. The most rewarding day was crossing the Cho La pass, via the Ngozumpa glacier. Incredible. Every day was a highlight and the wake up cup of tea was a blessing !

Simply the best organised and lead overseas trip I’ve been on in the last 30 years.( Oz ) Jaite Tamang was our very humble Nepalese Expedition leader. His natural ability to connect local Nepalese people with our group gave us a fully immersive experience of Nepal. His understanding of the local environment and wildlife added an extra dimension to our adventure and his Encyclopaedic knowledge of almost everybody we met on the trip was amazing. I’ve never seen such a young man manage our porters ,assistant guides and us under some very challenging situations with good humour and high energy. OZ has an excellent understanding of British banter which always help in taxing situations. His ability to anticipate problems ahead of time and nip them in the bud allowed our adventure to flow very well. When I come to the pool again I will definitely be asking for oZ by name.

My first trip to Nepal and what a great experience. Beautiful countryside and views, had a fantastic time and now want to go back to do some of the trekking mountains. Watch out its addictive!

Amazing trip with a new adventure everyday so much happened it will take time to reflect on how amazing it was. The mountains and scenery was so impressive. Very glad we did the Gokyo Lakes trip rather then the straight Everest base camp trek as it gave us more time to appreciate the mountains and also it was a bit quieter and off the beaten track.

If you're considering going to the Everest region, I strongly recommend this trip. The Gokyo Lakes and Cho La pass were stunning, and an absolute highlight and you'd miss these on a standard EBC trek. The region is absolutely breathtaking and the people welcoming and so friendly. It's certainly not an easy trek though- don't underestimate the effects of altitude, and also the cold. Be sure of your fitness too, the Cho La pass was very physically demanding, with a certain amount of scrambling.

We started this trip at the end of October. The organisation was superb. Our leader Silas was brilliant and very helpful. He was professional, was in control and incredibly knowledgeable. This is a long trip and it is tough. By choosing this trip over the standard Base Camp trek you are giving yourself three more days trekking at more than 5,000m so don't be under any illusion that this will be any easier / the same as EBC trek. Climbing Gokyo Ri and Chola Pass are very hard. The scenery is absolutely incredible and the sense of achievement is unreal. This really is a trip of a lifetime and a huge tick off the bucket list.

What can I say, it really has been a trip of a life time!!!

This was an amazing adventure. Don't underestimate this, it is tough, but totally worth the effort.

This was an amazing adventure. Don't underestimate this, it is tough, but totally worth the effort.

Having arrived in Katmandu via Delhi we were met by our tour guide Shailesh Tamang who for the next 19 days would be our go to advisor for all things Nepalese. The first night was spent in a Katmandu restaurant getting to know the rest of our group as well as sampling some of the local food. The next morning saw us all gathered for a pre dawn return to the airport in preparation for the flight to the mountain airstrip at Lukla in a small 16 seat aircraft. The views of the mountains and valleys during the flight gave us a sample of the sights we would experience during our trek. On arrival at Lukla and our baggage given over to the porters, who with seemingly superhuman strength carried 2 or 3 bags each, and we were off on our first day of trekking in Nepal. The first day of trekking was fairly short to ease us into what would progressively become tougher days of knee jolting foot pounding trekking. Our days took on a familiar routine of 7am breakfast, trek for a couple of hours then stop for refreshments at a teahouse then move on until lunch was taken at another teahouse and then onwards again until mid afternoon to our accomodation for the night. The teahouses are clean and very basic but do provide everything needed for this type of trip. Throughout the days of trekking there are a constant stream of porters, mules and yaks moving up and down the trail with supplies which adds to the whole experience of trekking in this mountain wilderness. The scenery is constantly changing as new valleys and mountains come into view at every turn of the trail, remember to look behind you as this view is as stunning as what lies ahead. During our trek we experienced weather that allowed walking in shirt sleeves as well as hand numbing bitter cold, so a good set of warm clothing is essential. There were a couple of extra early starts to climb Gokyo Ri and Kala Pattar to view sunrise over Everest which was well worth the extra effort. Our trek up and over Cho la pass was particularly tough as we had to walk through snow and when we started our descent more snow fell upon us, which for me just added to the whole experience. All in all this trip has left us with some amazing memories and a yearning to return one day.

Had a great time. Was very hard trekking but the sense of achievement is worth it. Saw lots of fantastic scenery and experienced lots of weather conditions.

A great trip to take you on a journey through the Himalayas seeing some breath taking sights.

A fantastic first experience of Nepal ... and hopefully not my last

Absolutely excellent trip, beautiful surrounding, amazing people and a challenge to remember!

This trip is hard work, the altitude is hard work and some days I thought I could walk any further, but it was so worth it!

This trip was everything I expected, and wanted. A journey up the relatively quiet Gokyo valley, then some very strenuous days, and then a relatively easy, but busy descent down the Khumbu. Crossing Cho La was hard but one of the best days. Our Leader,Silas, and guides Mingma and Pembar, were excellent. Also a word for our 4 porters, they did an incredible job,always willing, happy and smiling. My previous 2 trips to Nepal were in tents, but no more for me, the Tea houses make for a much more pleasant trip. This trip is long enough and varied enough, and strenuous enough to satisfy most people,and give a broad and varied look at life in this amazing country. Thanks

If you want to see Everest Base Camp and climb Kala Pattar but don't just want to go up the valley and back down again, this is the trip to choose assuming you can spare the extra few days. This longer circuit, taking in both Gokyo Ri and one of the High Passes (Cho La), is well worth it: it's quieter, has stunning views in its own right and will allow you more acclimatisation time prior to the regular Everest bits. I can safely say it was the most varied, wonderful and fulfilling 15 days' walking I've ever done, and I'd recommend it to anyone with two feet and a head for heights.

This trip is incredible! It is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life but well worth it and I am so pleased I did it! The guides were fantastic, up early every morning to get us ready and last to bed at night, working non-stop to make the experience as good as possible! A week after I got back to the UK I was still shell-shocked about what I had achieved and just bowled over by the whole experience. The world is there to be seen! :)

Tough but rewarding trip with a great bunch of people.

Truly the hardest but the most amazing trip I've ever done. An excellent trip from start to finish. We were looked after by the best leader and guides and we had the best group to trek with. Awesome!!!!!!

A trip of a life time! One I'll never forget. I am very pleased that I went early in the year because it was as a lot quieter on the routes than I've heard it can be in September/ October. The weather was very cold though, but the mountains and scenery looked stunning in the snow. A stunning part of the world.

A trip of a life time! One I'll never forget. I am very pleased that I went early in the year because it was as a lot quieter on the routes than I've heard it can be in September/ October. The weather was very cold though, but the mountains and scenery looked stunning in the snow. A stunning part of the world.

I had an amazing holiday with this tour company trekking to Everest base camp and which included Gokyo Lakes. The trek left from kathmandu and was a 16 day trek in total. We were met with our amazing host Ngima at the Hotel Singhi in Kathmandu. He joined us on the first day for breakfast, sat with us and chatted for an hour, and stayed with us for the following 16 days round the clock. He was absolutely fantastic. He was so supportive to all of us, always looking out for everyone. We knew we ould call on him in the middle of the night if we were ill. This is quite a tough trek, and not one I would like to do without a guide. Ngima and our team of guides and sheraps amde this trip so enjoyable. They not only guided us, and helped us through the tough climbs, (and I could not have done the Chola pass without them), but they looked after us when we became ill and made sure our stay was as comfortable as possible. Ngima really did go out of his way to make sure we had a good experience. He even brought us on a night out in Kathmandu and stayed with us until we all got to the airport to fly back home. It was wonderful to do this trek with Ngima, knowing that he was there to help if anything went wrong. We climbed to Namche bazaar, and from there did the tour of the gokyo lakes which were stunning. We were lucky to have a great group travelling with us from the UK which made the trip so enjoyable. From here we climbed the Chola pass. Oh my goodness, that was tough! Not for the faint hearted! it was the most difficult part of the trip but Im so glad I did it. I couldn't have done it without the guides who held my hand all the way up that mountain and helped me reach the top! They have unswerving patience! Everest base camp seemed so easy when compared to the Chola pass! And we skipped all the way downhill back to kathmandu from there!

This trip was everything I expected, and wanted. A journey up the relatively quiet Gokyo valley, then some very strenuous days, and then a relatively easy, but busy descent down the Khumbu. Crossing Cho La was hard but one of the best days. Our Leader,Silas, and guides Mingma and Pembar, were excellent. Also a word for our 4 porters, they did an incredible job,always willing, happy and smiling. My previous 2 trips to Nepal were in tents, but no more for me, the Tea houses make for a much more pleasant trip. This trip is long enough and varied enough, and strenuous enough to satisfy most people,and give a broad and varied look at life in this amazing country. Thanks

If you want to see Everest Base Camp and climb Kala Pattar but don't just want to go up the valley and back down again, this is the trip to choose assuming you can spare the extra few days. This longer circuit, taking in both Gokyo Ri and one of the High Passes (Cho La), is well worth it: it's quieter, has stunning views in its own right and will allow you more acclimatisation time prior to the regular Everest bits. I can safely say it was the most varied, wonderful and fulfilling 15 days' walking I've ever done, and I'd recommend it to anyone with two feet and a head for heights.

This trip is hard work, the altitude is hard work and some days I thought I could walk any further, but it was so worth it!