Gokyo Ri Trek - 11 Days

You will arrive in Nepal, Kathmandu, at Tribhuvan International Airport. We recommend you make it to Kathmandu by 3 pm, at least a day before the trip departure date. It will ensure you have enough time for last-minute preparations. If in case you missed the online trip briefing, it will allow us time to conduct an in-person briefing. You may require an overnight hotel stay in Kathmandu, but this package does not include this package. On the trip departure date, we will take you to Kathmandu airport for a flight to Lukla.

Discovery World Trekking provides free airport arrival and departure transfer on any flight for the Gokyo lake Trek package. On your arrival, you will find our company representative at the airport holding a pamphlet with your name on it. They will present you with a marigold garland as a welcome gesture and then take you to your hotel in a private vehicle

Gokyo Ri Sagarmatha National park trek is an 11-day trek that includes ten-night lodge stays at the best available lodges in the trek regions.

You will be staying six nights at Lukla, Phakding, and Namche (3 N) in rooms with a private attached bathroom. Similarly, you will be spending four nights in standard rooms at Dole, Machhermo, Gokyo (2 N), and Phortse. 

You will require two nights of hotel stays in Kathmandu before and after the trek, but it is not included in this package. Kathmandu has a wide range of hotels for all budgets and your interest.

Gokyo Ri with Gokyo Lakes trek takes place in high elevations near the world’s highest peaks. So, you will require plentiful hygienic nutrient-rich food. You will get enough nutritious food, but as you climb up, your choices get limited. 

We will provide you with 11 breakfasts, 11 lunches, and 10 dinners during the trek.

Some of the popular menu items are-

Eleven breakfasts  -Oatmeal, Corn Flakes, French Toast with Jam, Butter, Cheese, and Honey Tibetan Bread or Chapati, Hashed Brown Eggs, Varieties of eggs (Omelets), Local Tsampa Porridge, Pancakes, Muesli Breads, Fruits and Vegetables, Hot Drinks - varieties of Teas, Coffees, Hot Chocolates, etc.

Eleven lunches - Dhal, Bhat & Tarkari, Tibetan Bread, Various Soup Items, Tenduk, Spaghetti Noodles, Thukpa, Pasta, Vegetable Curry, Potatoes, Sherpa Stew, Steaks, Sandwiches, Momo (Dumplings), Macaroni Dishes, Salad, Pizza (Tomato, Mushroom, Mixed), Snacks (Papad, Prawn), Dessert Items (Rice Pudding, Apple pie), etc

Ten dinners - Dal (lentils), Bhat (Rice) & Tarkari (Curry), Tibetan Bread, Various Soup Items, Sherpa Stew, Steaks, Vegetables, Salads, Sandwiches, Momo (dumplings), Macaroni Dishes, Tenduk, Spaghetti Noodles, Thukpa, Pasta, Vegetable Curry, Potato Items, Pizza (Tomato, Mushroom, Mixed), Snacks, Papad, Prawn, Korean Ramen, Dessert Items (Rice Pudding, Apple Pie), etc

The menu includes mostly local, Asian, and Western cuisine, but as you go up, the menu gets shorter.

At high altitudes, we recommend liquids - green tea, lemon tea, hot lemon, ginger tea, garlic soup(must), etc - along with fresh vegetables for health benefits.

Though plenty of non-veg items are available in trek regions, we won’t recommend them because the meat in the trek regions may not be hygienic. 

We highly encourage you to avoid dairy items, alcoholic drinks, caffeinated items, and hot chocolates at high elevations.

Weather is the most important factor to consider when deciding Gokyo Ri trek. People trek to Gokyo Ri throughout the year, but there are some favorable seasons. During spring and autumn, days are clear, there is no rain, and the temperature is just right, making the treks very enjoyable. 

The summer season in Nepal coincides with the monsoon, making the trails wet and slippery. Still, some trekkers, who love waterfalls, trek to Gokyo Ri during summer. Similarly, the trek regions receive heavy snowfall in winter, but a different breed of trekkers love challenging treks in winter. 

Discovery World Trekking organizes treks to Gokyo Ri throughout the year. 

Here is a month-by-month weather condition at high elevations of the Gokyo Ri trek.

January to February

This is the coldest period, especially from early January to early February. There is heavy snowfall in the mountains, resulting in freezing temperatures. Though the daytime may be warm and admirable with clear skies, the nighttime is extremely cold. If you want to trek Gokyo Ri during this time, Discovery World Trekking will conduct safe treks during these months as well. However, if you are allergic to colds, you should not trek to Gokyo Ri during these months.

Temperature: 15°C to -15°C.

March to April

It is one of the best times to hike to Gokyo Ri. With favorable weather, you will get stunning views of the Himalayas and glaciers. March is the beginning of the spring season, the weather starts to warm up. During these months, all flora and fauna dormant throughout the winter come back to life - feeding and breeding in the sun-kissed temperatures. Temperatures may start increasing from the mid of March, and with clear skies, snow mountains look stunning. Many trekkers prefer to trek to Gokyo Ri during these months. 

Temperature: 18 °C to-12 °C. 

May to June

Just before the rainfall starts, the weather is favorable for the treks.

Monsoon starts in Nepal from the end of June and lasts until the mid of August. The fusion of spring and summer seasons makes the treks much more enjoyable at this time.

Temperature:  25°C to -5°C. 

July to August

The monsoon hits its peak at elevations below 3500 meters. Due to heavy rainfall, flights to Lukla may get canceled at the beginning or end of the trek. However, trekkers trek to Gokyo Ri during these months. 

Treks are challenging but not impossible. If you choose to trek in these months, Discovery world trekking will conduct safe hikes to Gokyo Ri for you. Due to rainfall, you can enjoy great views of waterfalls while avoiding crowded paths. 

Temperature:  27°C to 5°C

September to October

It is one of the perfect seasons for the Gokyo Ri treks - hundreds of tourists hike to Gokyo Ri in these months. As the monsoon slowly ends, a perfect trekking season begins. The temperature goes up to 20 degrees in the daytime and falls to 5 degrees at night. This season is when trekkers enjoy trekking the most with clear skies and amazing views of mountains. We recommend Gokyo Ri treks during this time, usually from mid-September to the end. If you choose to trek during this period, you will also get to enjoy the festive mood in Nepal as two of the main festivals - Tihar and Dashain - fall during these months. 

Temperature:  20°C to 5°C

November to December

As winter slowly sets in, snowfalls begin in the Himalayas, and it eventually gets tough to trek. Nights are frigid. November treks are possible with sparkling days allowing you to get amazing views of the high mountains. The daytime temperatures are very stable and constant. From December, the temperature dips, and it begins to snow heavily.

Temperature- 18°C to -10°C

The Gokyo Lakes trek in Sagarmatha National Park is a challenging yet rewarding trek. The hiking will be from 5 to 7 hours a day depending on the destination, taking regular breaks where we admire the mountain views. The trek routes involve long climbs, steep descents, and forward trails in rocky paths and dense forests. A normal fit person can complete this trek.

However, the fitter you are, the more you will enjoy the trek. If you have trek experience, it will help, but it is not required. We do not recommend this trek to those who suffer from sensitive medical conditions such as heart or lung disease.

We organize the group as well as private treks. If you have your group, you will get discounts based on the size of your group. However, you are not eligible for discounts for groups we assemble. 

We can lead and handle any group size. Each group will have a group leader/ guide and porters. We add an assistant guide for a group of 12 or more. Porters will carry your main luggage. For every two trekkers, we assign a porter. 

Every day you will be rewarded with a unique trekking experience, climbing, enjoying the scenery, taking photos, and exploring the local villages and traditional food. 

During the expedition, our qualified expert guide/Sherpas will accompany you. They will also be sharing information about the places you will be visiting. Porters will be carrying your luggage. However, you will also carry a small regular-day backpack with essential items.

The day starts with an early morning hot cup of tea/coffee. After a wholesome breakfast, you will set off on the day’s walk around 7 to 8 am, depending on the duration and nature of the walk. 

After trekking for three to four hours, we will serve you lunch around midday on the route to the next destination. You will get an hour to rest after lunch before restarting the trek. The afternoon trek will be shorter. Once you reach the destination, you can snack on dietary food. Then you can use the remaining tie to explore nearby places. 

We will serve you dinner around 6 to 7 pm.

After dinner and before going to bed, you can indulge in friendly conversations. Your trek leader/guide will brief you about the next day’s plan. After this briefing, you can read books, enjoy onboard games like monopoly and cards, or watch available mountaineering documentaries. Most foreigners indulge in light and fun learning of the Nepalese language from our crew.

During the Gokyo Lakes Trek, you can use internet service at the lodges for a small fee. At high altitudes, we will be using phones to communicate. Discovery World Trekking remains in contact with all the trek groups at least once a day via trek lead to ensure that everyone is safe and comfortable.

If you want, you can buy a local sim in Kathmandu, however, depending on the network, the signal might not be strong enough.

Meals and accommodations in Kathmandu are up to our valuable clients themselves. Kathmandu has all kinds of hotels/lodges - both luxury & budget- to cater to all tastes. Further, you need to bring personal spending money to cover costs of meals and accommodations in Kathmandu, visa processing fees, travel insurance policy purchase, snacks, alcoholic, hot (tea/coffee) and cold drinks, and tips to the trekking crew members, souvenirs, etc. We recommend bringing cash (dollars) and exchanging them in Kathmandu. Trek regions only honor Nepali Rupees.

Throughout the trails to the Gokyo Ri, electricity for the camera and mobile recharge is available at an extra cost in all lodges. During the hike, you can buy either packed mineral water from local lodges and en route shops or fill your water bottle with boiled water from the lodges/teahouses for some extra cost. We can provide water purification pills to make water drinkable. 

This trek grade is challenging. So it comes with slight risks associated with high-altitude trekking, such as altitude sickness, bad weather, etc. 
 
So, travel insurance is compulsory. All trekkers must provide a copy of their comprehensive travel insurance policy certificate to Discovery World Trekking before starting the trek. The policy must cover medical and emergency repatriation - including helicopter rescue and evacuation expenses at the highest trek altitudes (up to 6000m). 

We can recommend insurance companies to help you based on the experience of our previous clients, but we do not sell insurance policies.

We request our valuable clients to send their detailed insurance information within a week of booking the trek. In case of emergencies, we will be using the insurance policy and informational documents you sent us to arrange a quick and effective rescue operation, transfer for emergency medical help, etc. 

All foreigners, except Indians, require a visa to enter Nepal. Citizens from most countries get an on-arrival Visa at Tribhuvan International Airport. To apply for a visa, you will need a passport with at least six months of validity, a passport-size photo, and a visa fee. The current visa fee is USD 50 for 30 days, which you can pay in cash (dollars) at the airport. 

Citizens from SAARC countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Maldives) receive free visas.

Citizens from certain countries - Nigeria, Ghana, Zimbabwe, Swaziland, Cameroon, Somalia, Liberia, Ethiopia, Iraq, Palestine, and Afghanistan - may not get an on-arrival visa. If you are a citizen from any one of these countries, contact your local Nepali embassy.

The Nepal government can change visa policies without notice. For the latest information, please visit - https://www.immigration.gov.np/.

Nepali Rupees (NPR/Rs) are the local currency.

(1 USD = ~ Rs.120 NPR Approx)

You can exchange most foreign currencies through local banks and legitimate money exchanges in Kathmandu and all over Thamel. Legal money exchanges display the current ongoing exchange rates publicly. If you have Indian Rupees (INR), only INR notes of 100 and 2,000 are legal in Nepal. 

Despite the security advantage of a traveler's cheque, we recommend cash exchange to avoid hassles like lengthy processes and a high rate of commission at the banks. You can withdraw cash (in Rupees only) from one of the many ATMs in Kathmandu and Thamel itself. Several of these ATMs are open around the clock. The maximum withdrawal amount is 35,000 Rupees for a 500 Rupees processing fee if you are using your foreign card.

If you use the money exchange facility at banks and financial institutions, they will charge a service fee of four percent or more.

Trek regions do not have banks and money exchanges, so you should exchange your money in Kathmandu, depending on your expense estimates. Please note people in trek regions only honor Nepali currency.

The luggage weight limit is 9 kg per trekker. We assign a porter for every two trekkers, and we do not allow porters to carry loads over 18kg. You will also be carrying a small backpack for your valuables and things that come in handy often, such as a water bottle. We advise you to carry only the essentials. You can leave any excess baggage either at your hotel or Discovery World Trekking store for free.

Discovery World Trekking guarantees client safety, security, and satisfaction. Safety is the utmost concern for us. In order to face any situation, we will be carrying all the necessary gear, equipment, and first aid kits. Our leaders and guides have completed extensive first aid training. 

If a trek member catches altitude sickness, your trek leader has the authority to decide whether to continue the trek or descend immediately. In case of emergency, we deploy a helicopter to bring you back from the higher elevation (funded by insurance). During the trek, you will be traveling as a group.