Gokyo Ama Dablam Base Camp Trek via Phortse October 2021 -Route and Timings

 

Namche to Gokyo to Phortse to Pangboche to Namche October 2021

Route details and timings for this route is below
October 21 Namche to Dole 

We left Namche on a sunny clear morning after the rain with all the peaks  visible - the broad trail mostly level with a few ups and downs was a lovely walk with all the peaks from Taboche to Thamserku visible including Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. We reached the beautiful Ama Dablam Lodge at Kyanjuma in about less than two hours with many photography stops on the way. After a tea break at the lodge we started out for Mong la. Within five minutes there was a sign posted trail junction - the upper trail went to Gokyo and the lower trail to Everest Base Camp. A new trail had been constructed in the initial part of the climb with proper hand railings and steps - this steep climb took about half an hour with mesmerizing mountain views all around. On reaching the top there was a small resting spot from where Mongla could be seen as well as the trail leading upwards. We followed the trail climbing uphill contouring the hillside and had great mountain views all the way. We stopped for lunch at the Hilltop lodge in Mongla. After lunch we started out on the rapid descent to Phortse Tenga. The trail dropped fairly sharply for the first 20 minutes before easing out into a gentler descent - in about an hour from Mongla we came to the two lodges of Phortse Tenga and the trail diversion which was marked - the upper trail led to Dole and the lower trail led to Phortse. The Dole trail initially climbed very gently and in about 20 minutes reached the Dole National Park check post where the permits are checked. Soon after the trail crosses a waterfall and then begins to climb steeply fir about 30 minutes before the trail levels off and reaches a resting spot with a stone bench which provides a welcome break. After this the climb continues through the rhododendron forest. Across the valley the village of Phortse is your constant companion in about an hour another waterfall is reached and ahead you can see the trail contouring up the hillside. Finally the trail skirts the hillside takes a turn and the lodges of Dole come suddenly into view. 
Namche 3450m to Kyanjuma 3615m 27 49 22N 86 43 52E 1 hr 45 min to 2 hrs Kyanjuma to Mongla 3980m 27 50 22N 86 44 12E 2 hrs Mongla to Phortse Tenga 1 hour to 1 hour 15 min Phortse Tenga 3650m to Dole 4110m 27 52 4N 86 43 50 E 
2 hrs to 2 hrs 15 min

Everest 2018 | Photographs

The autumn treks in the Everest region will soon be underway and October and November 2018 promises to be a very busy season. The lure of Everest is difficult to resist and here are some photographs of the mountain from different locations over the years:

Moorise near Kala Pattar

Everest and the Lhotse - Nuptse wall from Thyanboche

Above the fifth lake of Gokyo

Approaching Kala Pattar

Sunset view Gokyo Ri 

For our treks in Nepal do visit www.southcol.com

Everest Base Camp Trek | The Best Season ?

I am often asked which is the best time to trek in the Everest region? Is it April and October? Interestingly things have changed a lot including the weather so this post covers the seasons and the pros and cons of trekking in the Everest region.


January 
This is peak winter -  temperatures at Gorak Shep (5150 metres) would be around -20C at night - water would be frozen but in all likelihood the weather would be clear but snow is on the cards. You need good warm down  jackets and a -20C sleeping bag to be comfortable. There will be few trekkers so you would have the lodges to yourself.

February
From mid February the weather would begins to warm up marginally but it can be uncertain - rain and hail lower down and snow above 4000 metres. Some days can also be sunny and exceptionally clear with low humidity. Few trekkers again so the lodges would be free. Not a bad time to go if you want to avoid the crowds and don't mind the occasional snow storm!

March 
The trekking numbers would increase by early March. Warmer weather would see possibility of occasional rain and snow. By end March the trekking season would have picked up and flights would start to become busy. If you want to go in spring then mid to end March is a good start.

April
This is considered to be the second best season after October. It is spring and the rhododendrons and other flowers are in bloom creating a spectacular display of colour. The mornings are generally clear with clouds rushing in by noon and rain and snow possible in the afternoons. The weather is of course much warmer than February- March. This month sees the maximum number of trekkers after October.
May
The numbers of trekkers start going down as the monsoon approaches. There can be regular pre-monsoon showers in May and mountains can be cloudy and foggy especially in late May. Flights to and from Kathmandu to Lukla also can be cancelled due to weather conditions. However, the floral spectacle especially above Namche is spectacular so if you want to see flowers this is the time to go!

June to September
These are the monsoon months. Flights to Lukla will often be delayed or cancelled due to rains and fog. Mountain views are few as the clouds dominate the valleys and peaks. On some days if you are lucky the sun will break through and you can see a peak floating through the clouds. There will be hardly any trekkers so no crowds. It's very green in the Khumbu at this time and flowers in the high meadows.

October
This is the peak season for the Everest trek. Flights are packed and so are the lodges. However for the last few years, it has been raining until mid October due to the delayed monsoon and the first two weeks have seen bad weather and many cancellations of the Lukla flight. I would avoid October if you can both for the weather issues and the crowds. Once the monsoon retreats you can be assured of clear skies and sunny warm days.

November
November in fact is the new October with clear days low humidity few clouds and mountain views every day - this  is the typical post monsoon weather which remains until mid December. It would be the first choice for Everest trekkers - the stability in the weather ensures that the Lukla flight can fly until 11 am on most days. Night temperatures at Gorak Shep would be between -10C and -12C,

December
It would be colder than November but until mid December the clear weather would continue. Crowds would be thinning as most people would be returning - flights would also not be so busy and tickets easy to get. Temperatures in Gorak Shep would be -15C at night. Recommended with a good down jacket and a four season sleeping bag!

The statistics at the entry point Jorsale for 2017 and part of 2018 is below:

For our fixed 2018 departure for the Everest trek in November 2018  do visit http://www.southcol.com/treks-nepal/everest-base-camp-ebc-kala-pattar-october-22nd-november-4th-2017/

Gokyo 5th Lake and Rhenjo La | Peakfinder Screenshots

Everest, Nuptse and Lhotse from Gokyo Ri sunser

A South Col team trekked the Gokyo valley, went up to the fifth lake and then crossed Rhenjo La pass down to Thami and Namche Bazaar. A description of the crossing of Rhenjo La is here. The Peakfinder screen shots below give the altitudes and the location of the peaks on this route.

Screen shots from above the fifth Lake of Gokyo

Screenshots from the Rhenjo Pass

Screenshots from Lungden below the Rhenjo Pass in the Bhote Kosi valley

Screenshots from Thami

Pangboche to Gokyo | Everest Trek

Thamserku from the high route between upper Pangboche and Phortse

The High Route from Pangboche to Gokyo

The route between the Gokyo valley and the Khumbu valley is normally done through the high Cho La pass which connects Dzongla in the Khumbu to Thangnak in the Gokyo valley. However for those who do not want to cross this high pass there is a another alternative - using the high route from upper Pangboche to Gokyo. In October 2016 a South Col Expeditions team walked this route on our return from Kala Pattar and Everest Base Camp.

Upper Pangboche 3950m to Phortse 3880m
On returning from Kala Pattar/ EBC before Pangboche village there is a trail with a sign which leads up to Upper Pangboche. This is a beautiful village with a few lodges surrounding a monastery. After a cup of tea at one of the lodges near the monastery follow the trail to Phortse. The trail follows the side of the hill and climbs up and down often making steep ascents and descents on stone staircases some of which are quite steep. As you skirt the hill you can see below the lodges of Devoche which you would have passed on the way up to the EBC. Further south the monastery of Tengboche stands on top of a hill below the high route. This trail has brilliant views of Ama Dablam, Melangphulang, Kangtega, and Thamserku and to the north Everest and  Lhotse as well.
The trail finally climbs to a small chorten from where the village of Phortse lies below.
Upper Pangboche to Phortse 2 hrs 30 minutes to 3 hours

Phortse village

Phortse 3880m  to Na 4400m
The trail from Phortse  climbs  steeply out of the village and  reaches a big chorten on top of a hill at an altitude of 4270 metres. The trail then descends and ascends soon after skirting the hillside and reaches a deserted village Ghengo in around 20 minutes. From here the first lodge is the Kangtega View at Thore at a height of 4390 metres. This is good tea break. If you are walking from Upper Pangboche you could make  a night stop at Thore after lunch at Phortse.
From Thore the trail drops in around 30 minutes to reach the single Tashi Friendship Lodge in Thare. From Thare,  the trail drops gently first and then does a brief climb to an old mani stone whose inscriptions have all but vanished. There is a junction here please take the trail going down into the valley - it is also marked with a white arrow and you can see the single blue roof of the lodge at Na ahead in the valley. The narrow trail now meanders through rocks, scrub, and streams climbing gently up the valley. Towards the end of the walk it climb up through rocky sections and then descends to a small bridge below the single  lodge at Na.
Phortse to Big Chorten 1 hr 30 min to 2 hrs
big Chorten to village of Ghengo 20 minutes
Ghengo Village to Thore Kangtega View Lodge 40 to 50 minutes
Thore to Thare 30 Minutes
Thare to Junction 45 minutes
Junction to Na 1 hour

View from the Big Chorten abover Phortse looking towards Na and Gokyo

Lookinng down at the lodges of Dole on the walk from Phortse to Na

Na 4400m to Gokyo 4750m
From the lodge at Na a small and rocky trail leads down to the river and crosses a bridge in around 30 minutes. Across the river higher up you can see the lodge of Pangka and the peak of Machermo. The trail from the bridge leads up to the main trail to Gokyo. Then comes a number of steep ascents following staircases clinging to the side of the hillside. A sharp bend to the left crosses a small bridge over a foaming stream and the first lake of Gokyo appears. Behind this lake is Kangtega and Thamserku reflected in the still waters.  At the head of the valley, Cho Oyu  one of the 8000 metre giants appears. The trail then climbs  gently for another 30 minutes  to the 2nd lake and ahead the steep climb to the Gokyo Ri can be seen. Passing the second lake the trail follows the hill and in around 45 minutes the 3rd lake and the lodges of Gokyo are visible.
Na to 1st lake of Gokyo 75 to 90 minutes
1st lake to 2nd lake 30 minutes
2nd lake to 3rd lake 45 minutes to 60 minutes

The sole lodge at Na

For more information on our Everest treks do visit www.southcol.com

Everest Trek | Peakfinder Screenshots 3 - The Gokyo Valley

In continuance of my Peakfinder series of identification of the peaks of the Everest region here are the Peakfinder screenshots from the Gokyo and Cho La pass. For other peakfinder maps of the Himalaya do visit http://sujoyrdas.blogspot.in/search/label/Peakfinder

From Cho La pass looking east - Everest is marked but we did not see it

From Cho La pass looking south west

Looking north from Gokyo Ri

From Gokyo Ri looking south east

From Gokyo Ri looking west towards Rhenjo La pass

From Gokyo looking south

From Gokyo looking towards Cho Oyu and also Gokyo Ri summit

To visit the Everest region and Gokyo and see these peaks do join South Col Expeditions
http://www.southcol.com/treks-nepal/the-everest-trek-to-kala-pattar/

Paula Sengupta: The Flight of the Ducks

Pema’s Story or The Flight of the Ducks 

Pema Dhargyal is only one among over a hundred-and-twenty thousand Tibetan refugees in exile across the world that have fled their homeland in an effort to practice and conserve the Tibetan way of life. Severely threatened by the increasing Sinicization of the Tibet plateau, the immensely rich religion, language, culture, heritage, and unique habitat of this peace-loving people today faces extinction. Perhaps its last unthreatened traditional bastions remain in the Indian Himalayas, and in settlements in Bhutan and Nepal, while a Tibetan Government-in-Exile struggles to cohesively function from a hilltop called McLeodgunj in India.           

The Tibet plateau and the contiguous high altitude plateaus of the Indian and Nepal Himalayas lie on the flight path of the migratory Brahminy or Ruddy Shell ducks. The glacial lakes of these regions are home to this endangered species in the summer months where they mysteriously dwell in solitary pairs in the icy waters, giving birth to their young before flying further afield.

An integral participant in the fragile ecosystem that sustains these freezing plateaus, the Brahminy duck is today as threatened by shifting political and cultural agenda in the region as is the larger habitat, wild life, and indigenous human population of the Tibet plateau. 

Pema’s Story or The Flight of the Ducks is a multi-layered narrative in the tradition of animal tales from the region that draws a parallel between the flight of the endangered Brahminy ducks and that of the Tibetan refugees. The work consists of eight panels, each traditionally designed as an interactive wooden box with a sliding lid carved with the eight Tibetan lucky signs intimate with the life and teachings of the Buddha.

WORK DETAILS: 

Title:              Pema’s Story or The Flight of the Ducks

                        (Set of 8)

Medium:         Etching & serigraphy on paper, serigraphy on acrylic sheet, and hand-cut   wooden box

Size:                17.25” X 27.75” each

For more information and details please contact paulasengupta@gmail.com

Himalaya: Rocks, Ice, Clouds & Mountains

The Gokyo Lakes, Cho La Pass and Kala Pattar

Join us for a trek of a lifetime covering two dream viewpoints in the Everest region Gokyo and Kala Pattar! April 20th 2013 to May 6th 2013!

 For more details please do visit http://www.southcol.com/Treks-Nepal/the-gokyo-lakes-cho-la-and-kala-pattar

 

Gokyo Photos in Black and White

These are some photographs from the South Col Trek to the Gokyo Lakes in April 2012. To see more of these photographs please do visit my web site http://www.sujoydas.com/Nepal-Himalaya

Evening view from Luza after a snow storm

Trekkers on the way to climb Gokyo Ri with Cho Oyu in the background

The wall between Cho Oyu and Gyachung Kang as seen from the fifth lake of Gokyo

Early morning view of Ama Dablam from the trail between Kumjung and Sanasa

The third Lake of Gokyo with Cho Oyu