Hike to Mt.Everest taking the scenic route via Gokyo Ri
Let me just start with the fact that Nepal was rated as one of the safest travel destinations for solo travelers, ladies I’m looking at you. If you’re looking to do a solo trip, put Nepal on your list.
I began my journey in Kathmandu. It’s a main hub for trekkers before they head to the mountains. The Thamel District is packed with eager travelers picking up last minute goods. For the outdoor enthusiasts Kathmandu is a gold mine with equipment at half the cost than you'll find at shops back home. That’s me saying you can save some money on your R.E.I. binge buy folks!
In the cafes and pubs you'll overhear the shared adventures of hikers who just got back from their trek. On the street you'll smell curry and incense around every turn. If you allow yourself a few extra days in your trip, you'll see that the city has a whole lot more to offer than just its shops and good food.
Swayambhunath Stupa (aka Monkey Temple) is a must if you're like me and are obsessed with those little guys. It's a bit of a ride out of the main center of town, but the views are worth it. The massive temple is on top of a hill overlooking the entire city. You'll find people gathered there for prayer and offerings. There are plenty of little shops surrounding the square with colorful art, handmade jewelry and warm spices. Dozens of monkeys roam freely along with cows and dogs.
If you have a day to just roam take a walk over to Boudhanath Stupa. It’s one of the world’s largest stupas. People from all over the world come here to study religion, pray, give their offerings, or simply marvel at such a beautiful space in such a large city. It was a little rainy when I went which elevated the experience, since the streets were a tad more empty than usual. I walked through gardens and really wonderful neighborhoods that I would’ve missed had I taken a bus or a taxi.
Patan and Bhaktapur should also be on your to-do list. They are the other two UNESCO World Heritage sites that were once independently ruled by the 3 Malla Kings. Patan is fairly close to Kathmandu and offers a more peaceful city experience with less traffic. Bhaktapur received the least amount of damage from the earthquake, and is a good hour or so bus ride out of town. The city is known for its ceramics, visit pottery square and buy yourself a hand made mug or a new vase. If you’re there during the harvest season, you’ll also find blankets, piles, yards of rice drying all over town. It feels like a hidden kingdom away from chaos, on the edge of some beautiful countryside.
Kathmandu Durbar Square is one of the most accessible and spectacular spots on the map if you’re like most travelers and are staying in town near the Thamel disctrict. As you walk there you’ll find yourself in a maze of streets filed to the brim with colorful fabrics, copper pots, lanters, jewelry and delicious street food. Don’t worry if you get lost, I did several times but someone always helped me find my way back.
Ok, onwards to some fresh air and mountains!
Buckle in for one of the world’s most dangerous flights landing at one of the world’s most dangerous airports in Lukla. If you watched my video, I left out the scary parts, where the turbulence made it seem as though we free fell 3 times. Very grateful we had such an incredible pilot. Once we got our sea legs back we began our ascent.
This is a breakdown of the Gokyo Ri route:
From Lukla (9,323 ft) we trekked to Phakding. From there we continued on to Namche Bazaar, Phortse Thanga, Machhermo, Gokyo Ri, Thagnak, Dzongla Village via Cho-La Pass (17,782 ft), Lobuche, Gorak Shep, Everest Base Camp, Kala Patthar (18,192 ft), and Pheriche. From Pheriche we continued back down through Namche Bazaar and Lukla, then flew back out to Kathmandu.
During our trek there were several stops that we stayed at for more than a day to climatize. I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for our guide Indra. He has dedicated his life to knowing and respecting the high mountains. He made sure that every single person in our group of 6 was taken care of and monitored the whole way. If ever I go back, he’ll be the first person I contact to guide me again. Make sure bring cash! YOU WILL BE TIPPING BOTH YOUR GUIDE AND YOUR PORTERS, this is how they make a living. At the end of our journey we even left them a lot of our gear so that they could be more comfortable on the next trek they went on. These men will be carrying anything from 80-100 lbs of luggage strapped to their backs with bad footwear and minimal clothing. On long trekking days where we lagged behind, the porters would make it to the destination, drop off their loads and run back to us offering to pick up the backpacks we were carrying. Keep in mind that this was at 15,000 - 17,000 ft elevation.
A few BIG tips for ya (I’ll be sharing more on a post about how to prepare, what to expect and what to bring, but for now this will help paint a picture of the journey). Bring long johns, a very warm sleeping bag, and an extra roll of toilet paper. There aren’t enough blankets to go around in all of the tea houses so we had to rock-paper-scissor who was going to be warm each night. I would also say that 75% of the tea houses didn’t have toilet paper. Being a woman that got sort of tricky. Luckily you can often buy little bags of tissue for $5 but those run out fast. Have a few favorite snacks, but keep in mind that they take weight restrictions very seriously on the flight over and on the flight back. Also compression socks are SO HELPFUL. You’ll be hiking several miles a day with plenty of elevation gain, unless you’re a mountain goat your body won’t be use to this. Plan on becoming a vegetarian during your trek, it’s difficult for the body to digest protein at high elevation.
Prepare for minimal showering and bring body wipes. I think I showered maybe 3 times during the course of 2 weeks. Good news is everyone is in the same boat, so get over yourself. You’ll stink, but the fresh mountain air will waft it away like a fancy febreeze commercial.
One last tidbit, we got stuck in Lukla for 3 days due to bad weather. There were no flights coming in or out, which is very common. So make sure you give yourself wiggle room with flights back home.
