Although Everest Base Camp Gokyo Lake trek is in the adventurous region of Everest in peaceful and undamaged Gokyo valley; trekking to Gokyo lake only is not hard at all. It offers the undamaged trekking trail into the Everest region. The wider trail and easy walkways has made this trekking easy and suitable for senior citizens as well.
One of the remarkably easy hikes in Nepal’s Khumbu region is the Gokyo Lake trekking trip. It leads you via Namche, Dole, Machhermo, some rocky terrain, and off-the-beaten-path routes before arriving in the Gokyo Valley. Gokyo valley is a part of greater Khmbu valley.
Even though a short trek – Gokyo lake trek has great view of Mt Everest and the enitre range
From the top of Gokyo ri – view of the mountains we can see is overwhelming. This Gokyo lake only trek skips the tough nights of Lobuche and gorakshep (while doing everest base camp trek) but still keep the great sighting of Mt Everest. Yes – you will not get to the Everest Base camp – but – you will get best view of Glacier, Mt everest, Cho yu, Makalu Lotse, Amadablam. And the trail in this part of everest trek is wider with less crowd of trekkers.
Fantastic views of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Choyu and the surrounding range of all these 8 thousanders are appealing factors to do everest gokyo lake trek alone. Everest Base Camp Gokyo Lake trek is a Moderate Trek despite its High Altitude.
The hike to Everest Gokyo Lake is a little challenging because of the high altitude walk. For this journey, trekking for 5 to 6 hours in one day in high altitude without acclimatization days, you must be in goof physical and mental state. Again, it is not hard but the trekking above 3000 meters altitude is always conditional. The difficult terrain (pointing uphill and downhills), steep slopes (we walk along the zigzag stone steps but still the hill is steep), and high lands walking prove to be more taxing.
Since you will be staying at elevations greater than 3500m for around 5 days, the altitude also poses a significant concern in this situation. Throughout the Everest Base Camp Gokyo Lake trek, you also ascend to altitudes of 5364 meters at Gokyo Ri.
Gokyo village where you will spend the highest altitude night during this trek is at an altitude of 4700 meters. Since the air is so thin here, many people experience altitude sickness. However, normal symptoms of Altitude sickness is okay to experience.
Table of Contents
Everest Base Camp Gokyo Lake trek Difficulty
- Remote and difficult terrain for senior trekkers
This walk in a rural landscape of Mt Everest region uses undiscovered pathways. Those who have done high-altitude trekking previously find the paths to Gokyo Ri, very easy. But for the first timer trekker – these terrains might look too much to walk along. The journey travels over dusty terrain and includes significant up-and-down movement.
Moreover, two to three months prior to the Everest Gokyo Ri trekking, hikers should start a good training schedule. For the Gokyo Lake trek only- physical fitness, stamina, and endurance are all necessary – as well.
- Fitness level
The difficulty of the Gokyo Lakes walk is strongly influenced by the fitness level of the hiker, thus it is very personal. Nothing can stop you to get to the top og Gokyo Ri if you are an extremely fit individual. But if not, the walk to the Gokyo lakes could be exceedingly challenging to complete.
- Weather and Temperature
In the high altitude, the weather can suddenly and drastically change. You can see the change in the weather conditions every hour. The unpredictable weather can make your walk more challenging.
Snowfall and rain are both unpleasant. When traveling without a guide, snow-covered trails can occasionally make it difficult to navigate.
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Temperatures as well as the weather might make the walk more difficult. In high elevations, temperatures have a tendency to drop quickly, making travel in the winter more dangerous. Thus, choose a right time to trek.
Best season for trekking to Everest Gokyo lake can be in spring (March to May) and autumn (september to November). The average daytime temperature in April ranges from 15 to 12 degrees Celsius, which is comparable to the average temperature in October. However, the temperatures drop to between -5 and -10 degrees at night. But if you are prepared with the right hiking equipment and warm clothing, it shouldn’t be too difficult.
Trekking to Everest Gokyo lake in winter is possible with extreme cold and frequent snow falling circumstances. In the winter – you can play ice sports on top of frozen gokyo lakes.
- Altitude Sickness
You can get altitude sickness if you travel to a high altitude too quickly. Breathing becomes difficult because you’re not able to take in as much oxygen as needed for your body.
Altitude sickness, also called acute mountain sickness (AMS), can become a medical emergency if ignored. One should take caution when ascending and increasing altitude. If ignored, altitude sickness can be fatal.
Therefore, you should never ignore altitude sickness symptoms. Stop going any further and head back to a lower, safer height. On the Gokyo Trek, you might wonder what causes altitude sickness. Well, the lower air pressure and less oxygen concentration at higher elevations are to blame.
- Duration for the trek
By using an alternate path, the Everest GokyoRi trek’s length can be changed. You can select the amount of days based on your preferences. There are many options for this short trek to Everest region. Please feel free to use Trip designer of Nepalgram Adventure – our experts will get back to you with an best option for the trek to see Mt everest.
The acclimatization days will need to be changed if you choose a shorter package, which means you’ll have to walk without acclimatization days and for longer duration per day. To do so might be harsh. That can make hiking difficult for you.
Gokyo lake trek can be done in less than a week. But there are enough attractions and side trips during this trek to make it as long as 2 weeks trek. Drafting a customized itinerary will be helpful in this case.
However, if you select the longer itinerary for Everest Base Camp Gokyo Lake trek, you will have plenty of time to let your body adjust to various altitudes related issues. Along with health safety – longer itinerary to gokyo lakes will help you explore the hidden gems like – Mt Cho yu base camp, 4th, 5th and 6th lake of Gokyo, Nagjumba glacier, chola pass base camp, Machhermo view point and many more.
- Heavy luggage – give it to your porter – you enjoy the view while trekking
Your weight-related burden on the Gokyo Lakes Trek can be one of the main obstacles to make your trek joyous. The trails are challenging in the Himalayas. Long & occasionally steep trails will need your muscle power. Avoid trying to over pack your bags with unnecessary and heavy stuff. In this high-elevation trip our packing list might help you to decrease the weight of your bag pack. Some items you will be packing might not be necessary which you shouldn’t bring them.
In order to avoid this issue of heavy bag on your back while walking in this beautiful terrain of Mt everest Gokyo Lake trail, I personally advise hiring a porter. By hiring a porter, you can greatly lessen the difficulties of the walk caused by your heavy luggage and help you to enjoy the nature at its peak.
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