Scouting the Gokyo Lakes Trail Without a Group — What I Found Surprised Me

I left Namche Bazaar at 5:40 in the morning. No group. No clients. Just a daypack, a flask of black tea, and a route I wanted to test before the autumn season hit full swing.

I run a trekking company in Kathmandu. I have done this for over two decades now. Part of the job — the part nobody sees — is walking the trails alone before I send anyone else on them. I check lodge conditions, trail diversions, bridge repairs, and anything the monsoon might have rearranged. Most years I scout the popular routes first. This time I wanted Gokyo.

Why Gokyo Instead of Everest Base Camp

Here is something most visitors to Nepal never hear. The Khumbu region offers two world-class trails, not one. Everyone knows the Everest Base Camp route. Far fewer consider Gokyo Lakes. Both trails share the same first three days from Lukla to Namche Bazaar. At Namche, the path splits. Turn right and you join the crowds heading for EBC. Turn left and you walk toward Gokyo — quieter, greener, and in my honest opinion, more visually stunning.

I had already walked the EBC trail dozens of times while refining our comfort-focused Everest Base Camp itinerary. I knew every teahouse, every viewpoint, every rest stop. Gokyo deserved the same attention.

Getting There

The logistics of Everest trekking always start with the Kathmandu-to-Lukla puzzle. Domestic flights to Lukla now depart from Ramechhap (Manthali), not Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan Airport. That means an early morning car hire from the capital to Ramechhap — roughly four hours on a winding mountain road. I arranged a private jeep the night before. We left Kathmandu at 1:30 AM to make the 6:15 AM flight. Nobody enjoys this part. But the alternative — a two-week walk from Jiri — requires more time than most trekkers have.

The flight lasted eighteen minutes. Lukla’s runway still makes my stomach drop, even after all these years.

Lukla to Namche — The Shared Trail

The first three days follow the standard Khumbu approach. Lukla to Phakding on day one. Phakding to Namche Bazaar on day two. A rest day in Namche on day three to acclimatize.

I have walked this stretch so many times that I notice changes the way you notice a neighbor rearranging their furniture. A teahouse in Monjo had expanded its dining room. The suspension bridge below Namche had new prayer flags — bright and fresh against the steel cables. The trail surface between Jorsalle and Namche felt more eroded than last year. Monsoon rain had carved new grooves into the steep switchbacks.

Namche itself buzzed with pre-season energy. Lodge owners scrubbed windows. Porters sorted gear. A bakery near the main square sold croissants that tasted better than they had any right to at 3,440 meters.

The Gokyo Fork

On day four I turned left. The crowd thinned immediately.

The trail from Namche to Dole climbs through rhododendron forest before opening into wide alpine meadows. I passed two trekking groups all day. Two. On the EBC trail at the same time of year, you pass dozens before lunch.

I stayed at a lodge in Dole that night. The owner, a Sherpa woman named Pasang, recognized me from a visit three years earlier. She told me the monsoon had been kind this year. No landslides on this stretch. The water supply held up. Her lodge had added solar-heated showers since my last visit — a small upgrade that matters enormously at 4,200 meters after a full day of hiking in Nepal.

The Lakes

I reached the first of the Gokyo Lakes on day six. The color stopped me in my tracks.

I have seen these lakes before. I have shown photographs of these lakes to hundreds of clients. But standing alone at the edge of the second lake, with no sound except wind and the occasional crack from the Ngozumpa Glacier, I understood again why I do this work. The water was turquoise so deep it looked artificial. The glacier sat behind it like a wall of dirty white marble. Gokyo Ri rose ahead, promising the panoramic view that makes this trail worth every blister.

I climbed Gokyo Ri the following morning. Started at 4:30 AM with a headlamp. Reached the summit at 5,710 meters just as the sun hit the peaks. Four of the world’s fourteen 8,000-meter mountains were visible from where I stood — Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu. The Ngozumpa Glacier, the longest in Nepal, stretched below like a frozen river of rubble.

This is what surprised me. I had expected the view to match the EBC side — impressive but familiar. It surpassed it. The EBC trail gives you proximity to Everest. Gokyo Ri gives you perspective. You see the entire Khumbu spread out beneath you, and you understand the scale of these mountains in a way that standing at Base Camp simply cannot deliver.

What the Trail Needs

Scouting is not just about scenery. I was there to evaluate the route for our clients.

The lodges between Namche and Gokyo have improved significantly over the past five years. Most now offer private rooms with attached bathrooms — a luxury that did not exist on this trail a decade ago. Wi-Fi reaches as far as Machhermo, though the signal weakens beyond that. Charging stations are available at every overnight stop for a small fee.

The trail itself is well-maintained but demanding. The altitude gain from Machhermo to Gokyo involves a steep section that catches trekkers off guard if they rush. I noted two spots where the path had narrowed due to erosion and would need careful navigation for less experienced hikers. Nothing dangerous. Just worth knowing in advance.

Food quality has risen across the board. Dal bhat remains the staple — and it should be, because nothing refuels a tired body at altitude like a plate of rice, lentils, and curried vegetables. But I also found fresh pasta, baked potatoes, and Sherpa stew at lodges that previously offered only the basics.

Would I Send Clients Here?

Without hesitation. Gokyo belongs on the same stage as EBC, and for certain types of trekkers — those who value solitude, photography, and raw alpine beauty over the prestige of standing at the Everest Base Camp signpost — it might be the better choice.

I walked back to Namche in three days, caught the flight from Lukla to Ramechhap, and hired a car back to Kathmandu. By evening I sat in my office writing up my trail notes. The Gokyo route was ready for the season.

If you are considering the Khumbu region and wondering which trail to choose, here is my advice after twenty-plus years of hiking in Nepal: do not choose. Combine them. Walk to Gokyo first, cross the Cho La pass, and finish at Everest Base Camp. It takes about eighteen days and gives you everything the Khumbu has to offer. You will not regret a single step.

About the Author

I am Pradip Karki, Chairman of Peregrine Treks & Tours in Kathmandu. I have been scouting and operating treks across Nepal, Tibet, and Bhutan since 2002. When I am not behind a desk, I am on a trail somewhere — testing the routes before our clients walk them.

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