Gokyo Lakes Trek Difficulty

Before going  Gokyo Lakes treks difficulty, Gokyo Lakes trek is one of the most beautiful variants of Everest region trekking. It takes you around the six natural glacial lakes interconnected with other 19 lakes of different sizes and shapes. This trek can also be further customized to Everest Base Camp trek or Everest Three High Passes trek as well.

The Sherpa ethnic villages reflecting a true spirit of Tibetan Buddhist culture and tradition are the rewards of this trek. Likewise, you will notice the flora and fauna of Sagarmatha National Park, one of the world heritage sites of Nepal. Hiking to the world’s highest placed hotel, Everest View Hotel is another beauty of this trip. While having breakfast or lunch, you can have the 360-degree view of Mt. Everest (8,848m) and other peaks as well.

Gokyo Lakes trek takes you towards Dole from Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa Capital by leaving the traditional Everest Base Camp trek route. By crossing Machhermo of Chhukung Valley, you will enter into Gokyo Lakes Valley (4,790m). There you will witness the beauties of the Himalayan valley and the Sherpa town. You will also hike to the most amazing vantage points of Everest trek.

Climbing Gokyo Ri (5,357m), the Fifth Gokyo Lake (4,956m) and Cho Oyu Base Camp (4,800m) are the most interesting factor of this trek. From these places, you will see the four eight-thousanders of the Mahalangur Himalayan Range. Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse (8,516m), Mt. Makalu (8,485m) and Mt. Cho Oyu (8,201m) including other peaks of the region are visible from here.

Gokyo Lakes Trek Difficulty:

Gokyo Lakes trek is a must-do adventure activity while you are on Nepal visit. It prizes you with the lifelong memory of visiting the natural and cultural landmarks around the world’s highest peak. The glittering peaks, high altitude villages, green forests and Himalayan valleys are the major attractions of this trek.

In order to have lifelong experiences of being close to the Great Himalayas, you need to know: how difficult is Gokyo Lakes trek? There are many factors associated with Gokyo Lakes trek difficulty. Some of them can be altitude, trekking trails, trekking hours per day, total distance to cover, etc.

You find hundreds of Gokyo Lake trek difficulty blogs uploaded by hundreds of tourism agencies of Nepal. They all intend to provide you the detailed information that can be of your utmost use. However, this blog intends to justify the difficulty of Gokyo Lakes trek from a different perspective.

Yes, this blog doesn’t give you anything like metaphysical! All the information mentioned in this article is all about the aspects utilized to measure Gokyo Lakes trek difficulty. We have classified all the responsible factors into a few useful groups. Let’s take a quick look into those factors.

Geographical Factor

Geographical factor is the most responsible one to measure Gokyo Lakes trek difficulty. You start this trek right from Lukla (2,860m) and ending the first day’s trip to Phakding (2,610m). Next, you will move towards Namche Bazar (3,440m), which is also known as the Sherpa Capital.

As you have already reached the place higher than 3,000m, you had better take a spare day for acclimatization. Namche Bazar acclimatization day is kept for introducing you with the wonders of Everest region. You will hike to Everest View Hotel (3,880m), which is one of the world’s highest placed hotels.

From Everest View Hotel, you can witness the best panoramic view of Mt. Everest and other peaks. Imagine, having breakfast or lunch facing the world’s highest peak, isn’t it thrilling? You can also visit the Sherpa Museum to know more about the Sherpa culture and tradition as well as the 1953 Everest expedition.

From here, you will move towards Gokyo Valley (4,790m) by walking past Dole (4,200m) and Machhermo (4,470m). You have another acclimatization day here in this Sherpa Valley. So You will climb Gokyo Ri (5,357m) to have the most enchanting view of the glacial Lake Valley and 4 eight-thousanders.

You will also explore the 6 glacial lakes having the turquoise water reflecting the silvery mountains on it. The Fifth Gokyo Lake (4,956m) is a must-visit place in Gokyo Lake Valley. It shows you the valley and snowcapped peaks in their best appearance! If the team leader or itinerary supports, you can hike to Cho Oyu Base Camp for another series of lifelong experiences.

As Gokyo Lakes trek is one of the most frequented routes in Everest, the condition of the trails are fine. The total distance to cover is 92 kilometers through the rugged tracks without any high pass.

Physical Factor

Physical factor of Gokyo Lakes trek difficulty includes the difficulty that you face physically during this trek. The highest place you have to reach is Gokyo Lakes Valley (4,790m). As soon as you reach above 2,500m high place, there is probability of altitude sickness.

As you begin Gokyo Lakes trek right from higher than 2,500m, you need to be careful about Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). You should take a few precautions like having enough food, water and rest as well as slow walk in the course of Nepal trekking. Keeping first aid box and listening to the trekking guide are other ways to minimize the risk of altitude sickness.

Other physical factors that might add to Gokyo Lakes trek difficulty are blisters, sore feet/joints, fatigue and the cough due to cold temperature. To heal such physical problems, you should keep a first aid box with the necessary medical kits. For cope with the fatigue, you should keep your body fully hydrated and walk with taking rest. To protect from extreme cold, you should wear the appropriate clothes.

If you have the previous experience of climbing or trekking in Nepal, it may not be much problematic. It is so because most of the trekking regions of Nepal are more or less similar in terms of the geographical situation. In this condition, you will follow all the preventive methods to avoid any physical assault or mishaps.

Temporal Factor

The total distance of Gokyo Lakes trek from Lukla is around 92 kilometers. And you need to walk for five days to reach the destination of this trek along the rocky trails through the Sherpa settlement areas. Similarly, it takes complete 3 days to trek down to Lukla from Gokyo Valley via Dole and Namche Bazar.

It means you have to cover more than 10 kilometers per day. To cover the given distance, you should walk for about 5/6 hours per day alongside the steep uphill and downhill trails. Walking for about 5/6 hours to measure approximately10 kilometers is not an easy task for the beginner trekkers. However, if you have already done trekking in Nepal, it is not much challenging.

Moreover, if you connect this trek with Everest Base Camp or Everest Three High Passes trek, you need to cover more than 130 kilometers. You should extend the trekking itinerary as well. More importantly, crossing three high passes all above 5,000m of Everest region is not everyone’s cup of tea.

To beat the challenges, you can prepare yourself right before beginning the trek. Developing a habit of regular walking and exercise is a good idea to cope with this trek difficulty. You can also take trainings from the authorized agencies that train you climbing and trekking in the Himalayas.

Social Factor

Social factor means the society and its concept about the international tourists visiting different places of Nepal. Your safety comes first for Nepal Trekking Routes although we get a little economic benefit from you. How safe is a trekking region for the international trekkers? is also a determinant of trek difficulty.

Therefore, to talk about Gokyo Lakes trek difficulty, you should know about the social factor of this region. It is sure that all the people of all the trekking regions of Nepal are friendly and cooperative to the foreigners. They believe in “Guests are Gods!” and correspond accordingly.

However, a handful of people may be negative regarding the international trekkers visiting their places. Especially, the people of the remote regions where there are not proper education facilities might have negative understanding about the tourists.

Nevertheless, talking about the people of Everest region, they are really friendly and welcoming to the international trekkers. They know the value of economic benefits they get from tourism industry. Many local organizations like youth clubs and Aama Samuha (Mothers’ Groups) are active in promoting tourism in Everest region.

The Sherpa people of the Khumbu region are very kindhearted and helpful to the tourists visiting their places. You can freely talk to them about the topics other than offensive. They will happily share the interesting stories behind their lifestyle, culture and tradition.

The Sherpa people are simpleminded, hardworking, honest and engaged in agriculture, trade and tourism industry. You will find the hospitality of the Shepra people to be amazingly welcoming! You can taste their typical food items talking with them. It also provides you an opportunity for cultural exchange after all!

Economic Factor

To focus on the economic burden you have to bear during trekking in Nepal, we have planned to talk about economic factor as well. Economic factor of Gokyo Lakes trek difficulty includes the cost you have to pay on different particulars. Apart from the cost for a trek package, there are some other miscellaneous expenses you have to bear.

You have to manage trekking gears and climbing gears to trek to different regions in different seasons of the year. Some of the climbing and trekking gears can be hired and returned after you complete the trek. For this, you can consult with our agency. And for this, you have to keep some amount as mortgage, which you will get back after returning their stuff.

Similarly, you should hire guide and porter to help you in case of emergency in the course of trekking. You should give some amount as incentives to the guide or porter although it is not mandatory. Some local tour operators in Kathmandu have a system of paying 10% of the total trip cost as incentives to the guide and porter by the customers. However, Nepal Trekking Routes doesn’t have such compulsive terms and conditions.

Likewise, you have to spend some amount in training for climbing and trekking from an authorized agency. Maybe, you have to purchase various tools to better prepare for trekking in Nepal. Last but not the least, you may have to pay extra amount to use miscellaneous goods and services in the high altitude places.

But don’t worry for extra burden as Nepal Trekking Routes is committed to provide the best quality services to the clients at the minimum cost. You can consult with us about this while booking Gokyo Lakes trek with us or even in the middle of the trip.

Environmental Factor

Of course, environmental factor also plays vital role in measuring Gokyo Valley trek difficulty. Environmental factor includes flora and fauna as well as temperature and weather of a particular trekking region.

Gokyo Lakes trek takes you around Sagarmatha National Park, which is one of the 10 UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Nepal. It is one of the highest placed conservation areas in the world. It is recognized for the Himalayan flora and fauna among which many are on the verge of extinction.

The major plant species found in the national park are oak, pine, spruce, fir and rhododendron. If you make Gokyo Lakes trek in spring, the entire region is embellished by colourful rhododendron flowers.

The park houses many endangered species of animals like snow leopard, Himalayan black bear, musk deer, red panda, etc. Likewise, many bird species including Himalayan pheasant, Nepal’s national bird are also found in this region. However, you don’t have any threat of wild animals when you are going on an organized trekking to Everest region. Your guide helps you avoid any possible threat of such encounter with wild animals.

Weather and temperature can sometimes be the cause for Gokyo Lakes trek difficulty. Spring and autumn are the best time for Gokyo Lakes trek, However, the trails may be slippery due to heavy rainfall in summer and heavy snowfall in winter. The thick layer of mists or fogs can disturb the visibility preventing you from having breathtaking views!

As Gokyo Lakes trek takes you up to Gokyo Ri (5,357m), there is no chance for any difficulty. The guide knows the probability of poor visibility, snowfall or rainfall in advance. Hence, you will delay or defer the climbing.

Psychological Factor

Finally, psychological factor plays the most vital role to determine Gokyo Lakes trek difficulty. Along with other preparations, you must be mentally committed to fight back the challenges during the trek. Your confidence level is the most important gear to complete this trek successfully.

When everything like the abovementioned factors, is all right, you will feel more confident. And your confidence level helps you best to minimize the difficulty of Gokyo Lake trek. Even if you are a beginner trekker, you can be mentally ready to fight back with the challenges of this trek.

Conclusion: Gokyo lake trek difficulty

Considering all the factors responsible for trek difficulty, Gokyo Lakes trek is moderately challenging. Sometimes, the altitude and other times the weather and temperature can add up to the difficulty. Nevertheless, if you do an organized trekking with Nepal Trekking Routes, you can beat the unprecedented challenges of this trek.

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