If the standard Base Camp trek is the introduction to Khumbu, the Three Passes circuit is the full syllabus. It links every major valley in the region across three passes, all above 5,300 m.
The three passes
- Renjo La (5,360 m) — the quietest of the three, with an Everest view from the top that many rate the best in Nepal.
- Cho La (5,420 m) — a short glacier crossing linking Gokyo to the Khumbu valley.
- Kongma La (5,535 m) — the highest and the least visited, a long day over boulder fields above Chhukhung.
How long and how hard
Allow 19 to 21 days from Lukla. This is a serious undertaking: consecutive days above 5,000 m, long cols with no bail-out points once committed, and weather that can shut a pass without much warning. You need previous multi-day trekking experience and genuine hill fitness.
A sensible direction
Most parties travel anticlockwise — Lukla, Namche, up to Gokyo via Renjo La, across Cho La to Base Camp and Kala Patthar, then out over Kongma La. This order gives the best acclimatisation profile and puts the hardest pass last, when you are most adapted.
What it demands in kit
Four-season sleeping bag, microspikes or crampons, proper insulated boots, and a guide carrying a rope for the Cho La glacier. Lodges exist at every stage but are basic at the high camps, and some close outside peak season.
When to go
October and November, without much argument. Spring is possible but the passes hold snow later than people expect, and afternoon cloud builds earlier in the day.
This trek is run as a private departure only, so we can match the group to the conditions. Talk to us about it.
