Everest Three Passes Trek: The Khumbu's Toughest Loop

The Everest Three Passes trek is the most complete and most demanding way to experience the Khumbu. Instead of walking in and out to Everest Base Camp on the same trail, you stitch together a high loop that crosses the region's three great trekking passes — Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La, each above 5,300 metres — and links the Gokyo lakes, Base Camp and the Chukhung valley into a single circuit. Along the way you climb the famous viewpoints of Gokyo Ri and Kala Patthar, and you spend more days above 5,000 metres than on almost any other teahouse trek in Nepal. This guide covers the route, the recommended direction, the permits, the gear, the realistic difficulty and the best seasons, stamped to mid-2026.

If you are weighing this against the gentler options, our Everest Base Camp itinerary and Gokyo Lakes trek guide are the natural companion reads — the Three Passes loop is essentially both of those, plus three high cols, rolled into one big trip.

Key takeaways

• The trek crosses three passes above 5,300 metres: Kongma La (~5,535 m), Cho La (~5,420 m) and Renjo La (~5,340 m).
• It links Gokyo, Everest Base Camp and the Chukhung valley, with viewpoints at Gokyo Ri (~5,357 m) and Kala Patthar (~5,545 m).
• Most itineraries take 18 to 20 days door to door; compressing to around 15 days is possible but risky.
• The usual recommendation is to go anticlockwise (Kongma La first) for better acclimatisation; clockwise suits very fit, experienced trekkers.
• Cho La is the most technical pass, crossing a glacier where microspikes or crampons are commonly needed.
• Permits are the same two as the standard Everest trek — Sagarmatha National Park (NPR 3,000) and Khumbu municipality (~NPR 2,000) (as of June 2026).

What the three passes are like

Each pass has its own character, and understanding the differences helps you plan and pack.

| Pass | Approx. altitude | Character | |---|---|---| | Kongma La | ~5,535 m | Highest; heaviest altitude load; long, rocky, remote | | Cho La | ~5,420 m | Most technical; glacier crossing, often icy | | Renjo La | ~5,340 m | Least difficult; superb Everest view from the top |

Kongma La is the highest point you cross and the one that asks the most of your lungs, sitting higher than any point on the standard Everest Base Camp route. The day is long and the terrain rocky and lonely, with a string of small tarns near the top. Cho La is the technical crux: the crossing includes a glacier section that is frequently icy, and most parties use microspikes or crampons here, with conditions changing through the season. Renjo La is generally regarded as the most straightforward of the three, and it repays the effort with one of the finest framed views of Everest on the entire trek as you reach the crest above Gokyo.

Which direction: anticlockwise or clockwise

One of the first real decisions is which way round to go, and it genuinely matters for safety.

The most commonly recommended option is anticlockwise, crossing Kongma La first, then Cho La, then Renjo La. The logic is acclimatisation: you spend your early days gaining height gradually on the main Everest trail through Namche, Tengboche and Dingboche, with acclimatisation hikes such as Chukhung Ri, so that by the time you tackle the highest pass your body has begun to adjust. The clockwise direction, starting with Renjo La out of Thame and saving Kongma La for late in the trip, is also popular and is often described as the more demanding sequence, better suited to very fit, experienced high-altitude trekkers. Neither is wrong; a good guide or registered agency will choose the safer order for your group and the conditions. On whether to use a guide at all in the Everest region, see our guide-or-no-guide breakdown — on a route this committing, the answer leans firmly toward yes.

The route, stage by stage

Here is the shape of a typical anticlockwise plan. Exact villages and rest days vary between operators, and weather can force changes at any pass.

| Phase | Stage | Approx. high point | Notes | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Lukla to Namche, acclimatise | ~3,440 m | Shared with the EBC trail | | 2 | Namche to Dingboche, acclimatise | ~4,410 m | Chukhung Ri hike | | 3 | Cross Kongma La to Lobuche | ~5,535 m | First and highest pass | | 4 | EBC and Kala Patthar | ~5,545 m | The Base Camp highlight | | 5 | Cross Cho La to Gokyo | ~5,420 m | Icy glacier section | | 6 | Gokyo Ri sunrise | ~5,357 m | Four eight-thousanders | | 7 | Cross Renjo La, descend to Lukla | ~5,340 m | Out via Thame |

Total distance is commonly cited somewhere in the region of 130 to 170 kilometres, depending on the exact lodges and side trips. The headline is not the distance, though — it is the cumulative time at altitude and the three big pass days.

Acclimatisation is the whole game

More than on any standard trek, finishing the Three Passes loop healthy comes down to acclimatisation. The route builds in rest at Namche and Dingboche, often with a punishing acclimatisation climb toward Chukhung Ri, and you should treat every rest day as essential rather than optional. The old rule of an extra acclimatisation night for each roughly 1,000 metres of sleeping-height gain is a sensible guide. Before you go, read our altitude sickness guide for Nepal treks, learn the warning signs of AMS, HACE and HAPE, and accept that descending is always the right call if symptoms worsen.

Permits and rules

Permit-wise, the Three Passes loop is identical to the rest of the Khumbu, because it stays within the same protected area. There is no special pass permit and no climbing permit for the trekking viewpoints.

| Permit | Fee (as of June 2026) | Where it goes | |---|---|---| | Sagarmatha National Park entry | NPR 3,000 | Conservation and trail upkeep | | Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality | ~NPR 2,000 | Local infrastructure and services |

Note that the old TIMS card is not required for the Everest region — our Everest Base Camp permits explainer covers why so many out-of-date pages still claim otherwise. Since 2023, Nepal has required a licensed guide on its trekking routes, hired through a registered agency, and on a route with three glaciated passes this is a rule worth following in spirit as well as letter.

Gear: what this trek demands beyond the basics

The Three Passes loop needs everything the standard Everest trek does, plus a few items the passes make essential.

• Microspikes or crampons. Cho La crosses a glacier and is frequently icy; carry traction aids and know how to fit them.
• Trekking poles. Invaluable on the steep, loose descents off all three passes.
• A genuinely warm sleeping bag. Nights high on the loop are bitterly cold, well below freezing in the good seasons.
• Robust layers and a windproof shell. The pass crests are exposed and windy.
• Sun protection. Glare off snow and ice at altitude is intense; bring strong sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen.

For a full, weight-conscious rundown, our Nepal trekking packing list is a good starting point — just add the traction aids and an extra margin of warmth for the passes.

What it costs

Because the Three Passes trek is longer and more logistically involved than the standard route, it generally costs more than a basic Everest Base Camp trip — more days on the trail, more guiding, and the same weather-exposed Lukla flight at each end. Rather than quote a single figure, plan around the two fixed permit costs above and your chosen style of trip, then add the Lukla flights, which are the biggest single variable and the part most exposed to delay.

On the trail, the familiar Khumbu economics apply: rooms are cheap if you eat where you sleep, dal bhat is the best value because refills are usually free, and the price of food, charging, hot showers and wifi climbs steadily with altitude. For what those lodges are actually like, see our teahouse food and accommodation guide, and carry enough rupees from Kathmandu because mountain ATMs are unreliable and cash is king once you are high.

Whatever the trek costs, do not economise on travel insurance. On a route that spends days above 5,000 metres and crosses glaciated passes, a helicopter evacuation can be lifesaving — our guide to trekking insurance with helicopter evacuation explains what a suitable policy must cover.

When to go

The Three Passes trek has the same two prime windows as the rest of the Everest region: spring (roughly March to May) and autumn (roughly September to November). Both bring the stable, dry weather and high visibility that make the passes safer and the viewpoints worthwhile.

• Spring is warmer, with rhododendron blooming on the lower trail and the Everest climbing season in the air.
• Autumn is famous for crisp, settled skies after the monsoon and is many trekkers' first choice for sharp mountain views.

Both seasons also reduce the chance of deep snow choking the passes, and of the Lukla flight cancellations that can derail a tight schedule. Avoid the June to August monsoon, when cloud, rain and snow on the passes peak, and approach deep winter only with serious experience and equipment. For a fuller seasonal picture, see our guide to the best time to visit Nepal.

Is it right for you?

Choose the Three Passes trek if you already have high-altitude trekking under your belt, you are genuinely fit, and you want the most complete tour of the Khumbu there is — Gokyo, Base Camp, three passes and a string of unforgettable viewpoints in one loop. It is not a first big trek, and the combination of sustained altitude, long days and a glaciated pass means it rewards preparation and punishes shortcuts. But for trekkers ready to meet it, the Everest Three High Passes circuit is the finest and toughest teahouse adventure in Nepal — a route that shows you the giants of the Khumbu from every side. A handful of Nepali phrases every trekker should know will make the long evenings in the teahouses warmer, too.

Sources

• Everest Three Passes Trek — Discovery World Trekking
• Everest Three Passes Trek — Himalaya Guide Nepal
• Three Passes Trek Clockwise vs Anticlockwise — Pristine Nepal
• Cho La Pass crossing — TripTins
• New trekking guide rules (2023) — Much Better Adventures
• Nepal Tourism Board — national park entry fees