Why is Gokyo Lakes Trek replacing EBC?

Now, as we approach a new trekking season in Nepal, let’s take a moment to talk about Everest Base Camp. As the winter passes by and we welcome the spring, Everest is now overcrowded with climbers. Obviously, this is the beginning of peak season for trekking to Everest base camp. And just to add more, this is also the only season that climbers prefer for climbing off to the Everest summit. And if you think that only a couple of people in the world can actually climb to the Everest summit, then You're quite wrong. In fact, now there is a whole new group of people who want to go up to the Everest summit. There has even been news of people getting stuck in base camps due to overcrowding.

In such a situation, it is obvious that this region is quite crowded and Crowded during the spring season. However, if you love crowds and meeting new fellow travellers along your trekking route, then it’s great that you chose this season for the trip. As long as you book your accommodation in advance and make all the arrangements before the trip, you will likely have a great time. If not, then there might be conditions when you do not even have a bed or a room to sleep on. Sometimes, even when you book an Everest base camp trekking package with travel agencies, they will not be able to get decent accommodation for you due to overcrowding. That is why a lot of tourists are now switching to the Gokyo tour. Let's take a moment to appreciate the stunning beauty of Gokyo Lake Trek.

Located just a few kilometres away from the Everest region, this trek to the land of glaciers is even more interesting. From Gokyo-Ri, the top of the Gokyo Valley, you can witness an even more spectacular view of the Everest summit than the one you will see from the bottom of the Everest base camp. Also, this Gokyo village is one of the highest-altitude villages in the world.

Gokyo village is the highest-located village in the Everest area, and you can have a spectacular view from the hotel room itself. You can also hike around all the lakes of Gokyo. Among many glacier lakes here, five are very famous among tourists. In the morning, you can hike to the top of Gokyo Ri and then have views of the spectacular sunrise before Everest. And you also have the option of Everest Base Camp Helicopter return.

How long is the Gokyo Lake Trek?

Gokyo Lake is only 20 to 25 km away from Everest. If you want to do an Everest base camp trek with Gokyo, it will only add 3- 4 days to your traditional Everest trekking route. This means you can hike to both Everest base camp and Gokyo for about 15 days. Also, there is another shorter way to get to Gokyo Lakes. Instead of going to Everest base camp, you can directly skip the crowd and head to Gokyo from Namche to enjoy Everest's solitude all by yourself. Then, this journey to Gokyo and back can be completed in about seven days only.

What is the cost of Gokyo Lake Trek?

Do note that trekking in the Everest region is more expensive than the trekking routes of Nepal, as you need to take a domestic flight to Lukla. Other than that, the cost of food is also a bit expensive due to high demand and the difficult mountain landscape. However, Everest base camp trips with Gokyo have similar prices. You can just add about $150 from Everest base camp for hiking to Gokyo. Only the Gokyo Lake trek will cost about $800 to $900 for a seven-day trip.