Day 4 to Gokyo and Cho La Pass – Namche Bazaar to Khumjung

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An Extra Acclimatisation Night in Khumjung Rewards You with More Than Views.

Khumjung with a view to Khongde

At Namche Bazaar A Third Night Spent At Around 3790 Metres Helps Acclimatisation

For our second trek to Everest Base Camp and third trek to Gokyo and over Cho La Pass we stayed in Khumjung (3790 metres) in addition to the two nights spent in Namche Bazaar (3440 metres or 11,286 feet at its low point). We believe a third night at that similar altitude has helped with our altitude acclimatisation on two of our three treks. And. You will help get to EBC feeling great. Technically on this trip we were going to Gokyo Ri but we are talking altitude which is much the same.

Although our three treks to the Khumbu region have been “independently”. The first time totally without a porter/ guide, which we wouldn’t do again. It is better to have some form of local support and it enriches your trip having someone local with you. The second and third treks we took a porter/ guide, making it just the three of us, there are a few trekking companies that do a similar itinerary around this altitude, that is an extra day in Khumjung – but you have to search for them.

Chance encounter in Khumjung
By chance we bumped into our porter guide from our 2015 trek (left) with our porter guide 2018 trek.

Apart from the benefit of assisting with the acclimatisation it has great views and you can see the “Yeti Skull” at the lovely monastery.

Trekking through Khumjung to the Monastery
This is the monastery from outside on 28 September 2018 at about 1:00 pm
and this is the same monastery later in the afternoon on 25 September 2015 but on a cloudy day. What a difference a day can make.

Going up, UP, UP to Khumjung

Track out of Namche Bazaar to Khumjung
One track from Namche Bazaar to Khumjung the photo is taken from the Sherpa Museum. It’s a steep climb.
  • looking down on Namche Bazaar from the airstrp side of the town
    Namche Bazaar
  • Setting up the weekly market in Namche Bazaar
  • Near the gate to Khumjung Village the walk past the Edmund Hillary School
    Walking into Khumjung the Hillary School on the right.

Khumjung is the biggest town in the Khumbu. We were in no rush to leave the hotel this morning on Day Four of our trek. The slow steep walk took us 3 hours and 20 minutes but it took another hour to trek to the top to Mountain View Lodge. Silently I was cursing myself for agreeing with our lovely porter guide to stay the night at this lodge. He knew the people and the lodge. Because the lodge was at the top of the town it was another steep climb. But the views were worth it especially the next morning. The town is totally surrounded by mountain ranges.

The town of Khumjung Nepal and the the Kongde range
worth extra hour walk – more UP!
Taking a phot of a lodge dog in Khumjung in late September
me and the lodge dog enjoying morning early morning sunshine after breakfast
Nepalese dog in Khumjung
finally he looked my way.

The Monastery is worth a visit I love some of the photos taken in there in 2015.

And would I climb the extra hour to the top of the village again? Yes I would.

Has there been a time when you have gone that bit further, put in extra effort for something special, a higher view, another viewpoint – despite being exhausted?

16 thoughts on “Day 4 to Gokyo and Cho La Pass – Namche Bazaar to Khumjung”

  4. Love that monastery most of all. Worth the effort indeed. Wishing you a 2020 filled with adventure!

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  7. Hi Alison, Those mountains are amazing. Probably yes but we will probably trek another region like the Annapurna area. We have just booked flights to London mid year and the current plan is to do some of the Camino while we are there. Louise

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  9. You will get there Alison. We probably will only do about 7 or 8 days and over the French alps., Of course it has to involve a big hill ! The Trainer is doing all the research. We were going to wait and do a big section of it when I retire but this opportunity has come up so we are just going to go for it. That’s the plan at this stage anyway…

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  11. But the reward is so sweet. Maybe I will get there one day. The Trainer spent a lot of time in South America before we met. Hi Nilla, You are the first to answer the question I had forgotten I has asked one ! I hope you are on the road to recovery I have to go over and read the story of your disagreement with your bike. Hope you are keeping out of the way of any natural disasters. Thanks for visiting. Louise

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  12. Exactly, challenging but fulfilling.
    I’m painful when it comes to attention to detail!
    I’m still in southern Italy but head to Oz at the end of this month – the fires are tragic and never know these temps in my lifetime (I’m not that young either) 😉

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  14. Always a pleasure reading about your trekking experience Louise. I’ve been watching in horror the news coming out of Australia. I can’t recall what part you live in but I hope you and your family are faring as well as possible under the circumstances. Caroline

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  15. HI Caroline, thank you for reading. Yes it horrible, more hugely hot days coming tomorrow and over the weekend. We have not been directly affected other than the smoke in Melbourne. I know a couple of bloggers who may have lost property still waiting to hear. A few family members live in country Victoria (nephew) and my sister is on the edge of a suburb with natural bushland out of Adelaide South Australia and we worry about their properties in the fire season. Unfortunately it is still early in the season and the fire fronts are just huge. These fires have been unprecedented. Louise

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