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| GOKYO LAKES AND EVEREST
BASE CAMPS |
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Trek Grade: Moderate-Challenging
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Duration: 20 days
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| Gokyo Lake sits at an altitude
of 4,750 m at the side of the Ngozumpa Glacier,the largest in the
Nepal Himalaya. From a ridge above the lake, the great peaks of Cho
Oyu (8153m), Everest, Lhotse and Makalu (8481m, the fifth highest
mountain in the world) can be taken in at one sweep. The emerald surface
of the lake spreads out far below and there are stone-walled pastures
on its shores. The trail starts at the air strip of Lukla and follows
the Dudh Koshi River through stretches of forest and over log bridges.
Load-carrying yaks grunt past and you have your first glimpse of Everest
through a clump of trees. Namche Bazaar is the Sherpa capital and
the center of activity in the Khumbu region. Its terrace of houses
set in a horseshoe-shaped hollow dramatically comes into view as you
round a bend. |
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| The Sherpas have historically been herders
and traders and Namche Bazaar was the staging point for business trips
into Tibet. We will also be visiting the school in Khumjung village
which was built by Sir Edmund Hillary for the Sherpa children. After
exploring around Gokyo, we descend to Phortse and make tracks for
Gorakshep (5160m) via Pheriche and Lobuche along the Khumbu Glacier.
Kalapathar (5545m) offers the best vantage point for viewing Everest.
Tengboche Monastery, the focus of Sherpa Buddhist devotion, sits at
an elevation of 3,867m with Ama Dablam (6856m) as a magnificent backdrop. |
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