०६ · Turquoise lakes
Gokyo
A chain of glacial lakes beside the longest glacier in the Himalaya, and the best view of Everest there is.
Khumbu, 4,790 m
Start
Lukla, by air from Kathmandu or Ramechhap
Highest point
Gokyo Ri, 5,357 m
Best time
Oct to Nov and Apr to May
Time needed
12 to 14 days return
Permits
Sagarmatha National Park and Khumbu municipality fee
Photograph by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0
The story
The Gokyo valley runs north from Namche Bazaar, west of the Everest Base Camp trail and far quieter than it. Six main lakes lie one above the other between 4,700 and 5,000 metres, fed by meltwater and coloured a turquoise that changes with the light. They are protected as a Ramsar wetland.
Beside them lies the Ngozumpa, the longest glacier in the Himalaya, a grey river of rubble and ice that groans and settles through the night.
From the lodges at Gokyo village, an early climb of Gokyo Ri shows four of the world's six highest mountains at once: Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu, with the lakes below.
What to see and do.
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Gokyo Ri at sunrise
Two to three hours up from the village, in the dark, for the first light on Everest.
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The fourth and fifth lakes
A day walk north beyond the village to the quiet upper lakes and the Cho Oyu base camp viewpoint.
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The Ngozumpa glacier
Cross it on the way to Thagnak and the Cho La, with ice cliffs and meltwater pools.
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Link to Everest Base Camp
Fit and acclimatised trekkers cross the Cho La, 5,420 m, to join the EBC trail at Dzongla.
Adapted from a photograph by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0
Before you go
What to know.
Rest at Namche and again at Machhermo. Climb high, sleep low.
Lukla flights are often delayed by cloud. Leave a spare day at each end.
The Cho La needs a guide, good boots and an early start, and is often closed by snow in winter.
Next place
Upper Mustangमुस्ताङ