Three Passes Trek: My Experience Solo Trekking to Everest Base Camp and climbing Lobuche East

Starting from the bustling village of Lukla, the gateway to Everest, I ventured through Sherpa villages, crossed high mountain passes, and stood at the base of the world’s highest peak. On the Three Passes Trek, reaching Everest Base Camp was a milestone, but I had more in store. Traversing three formidable mountain passes—Kongma La, Cho La, and Renjo La—tested my stamina, resilience, and awakened my soul.

Doing the Three Passes Trek solo—without guides or porters—elevates this Himalayan adventure. The pinnacle of my journey was reaching the summit of Lobuche Peak, thereby conquering my first 6,000+m/20,000+ ft mountain.

Join me as I recount the highs and lows, the serene moments and the exhilarating challenges, of my time on the Three Passes Trek. Whether you’re an aspiring trekker or an armchair adventurer, I hope my journey inspires and informs your own adventure.

Already convinced the Three Passes Trek is right for you? Check out my complete guide.

Day 1: Kathmandu to Lukla

I was scheduled for the infamous flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. I finessed myself into this flight as most flights are routed through Ramechap instead of Kathmandu during this time of year. The flight was scheduled for 6am, but was continually delayed. Around noon I started to grow restless, wondering if the flight was ever going to run. 

At 2pm, I was semi-patiently waiting at the gate when approachd me and told me to follow them. He took me to a new spot in the airport where a few other people were standing. Not a word had been said to me but I was told to weigh my bag and go through security, so I happily obliged. 

We finally got on the helicopter, and made the way to Lukla. The man seated next to me kept playing with my hair and tickling my arm, despite me clearly saying “why are you doing that?” and “stop touching me”. He ignored my disinterest, grabbed my head and kissed it. Everyone else on the helicopter just sat there silently. 

It was around 4pm when we landed in Lukla, and the original plan was to head to Phakding. I needed to get all my permits in order and pick up a SIM card, and daylight was running out. I ended up staying in Lukla for the night, and would hike to Namche the next day.

Day 2: Lukla to Namche Bazaar

Distance: 20km
Elevation Gain: 1330m
Moving Time: 4:50
Stay: Hotel Khangri, Namche

My first proper day on the Three Passes Trek started by following the river and crossing a few suspension bridges. A quick and easy hike, the biggest challenge was all the horse and cow traffic jams. Kids would pop out of shops to say namaste, and the cow bells provided a nice melody. I instantly liked the energy of the trail. I couldn’t see the mountains due to the haze, which was slightly disappointing. But, since this was the second day in a row that flights were canceled, there weren’t many people on the trail.

Near Phakding, I rolled over my ankle and fell to my knees, as if I was the main character in a movie shaking my fist at the sky yelling “WHY?” in the pouring rain. I stopped for a few minutes before continuing, and walking was painful but doable. I figured this meant I hadn’t broken it, but just rolled it or possibly sprained it. After investigating it in the evening, it was purple and swollen to the size of a tennis ball. I found an ankle brace in town and was glad that tomorrow was an acclimatization day.

Day 3: Acclimatization in Namche

Stay: Hotel Khangri, Namche

Today was a scheduled rest and acclimatization day in Namche Bazaar. It seems a bit silly given I’ve only done one day of hiking, but I wanted to give my ankle some rest and play it safe with the altitude. I spent the time drinking Masala tea, petting all the dogs, and reading my Kindle.

Day 4: Namche to Thame

Distance: 14.7 km
Elevation Gain: 1090m
Moving Time: 4:07
Stay: Thame View Lodge, Thame

This is where the Three Passes Trek route splits with the Everest Base Camp route, and I was ready to get away from the crowds of Namche. I came across a few stupas, dome-shaped Buddhist shrines that contain relics and serve as a place of meditation and worship. The weather was clearing up a bit, and I could start to see some of the gorgeous mountains.

After dropping my bags at the teahouse, I noticed a trail headed up above the village. I thought it might have a nice view, so I spent some time hiking up. The weather started to turn, and I realized I wouldn’t have a view even if I made it to the top. So, I turned around and went back to town for dinner. When I went to Google it later, I learned that the route that I had been taking (Sunder Peak) became very technical towards the top, so I would not have had the skills to summit anyways.

Day 5: Thame to Lungden

Distance: 10 km
Elevation Gain: 670m
Moving Time: 2:48
Stay: 3 Pass Guest House, Lungden

On the trek today, I met another guy who was doing the Three Passes Trek solo. I had come across a few other solo trekkers, but they all had either guides or porters, or both. We ended up trekking together, which was a nice break from my previous solitude.

At the tea house, we met a few other solo travelers that were trekking with guides. They all were going to start at 5am the following morning, given that the pass was difficult. I’ve done a lot of hiking and know how much time certain distance and elevation gain combinations will take me. I added a generous buffer for any altitude related problems, as this degree of altitude was new to me. I was confident that leaving around 10am would still give me plenty of time, as was my new trekking buddy.

Day 6: Renjola Pass

Distance: 13 km
Elevation Gain: 1120m
Moving Time: 4:27
Stay: Gokyo Resort, Gokyo

Today was the first pass of the Three Passes Trek. Once we started to go uphill, I could tell my new friend was either hit by the altitude or not in as good of shape as he thought. While I was fine to slow down the pace, he was starting to need to take a few breaths between every single step. When he needed yet another break, he offered to meet at the top of the pass. At this point, I was getting a bad headache and wanted to get the pass over with. I told him if I wasn’t at the top that I would have continued on, and not to worry.

Once at the top, I noticed a beautiful sight – a free charging station! At the teahouses this high up, charging your phone will cost about 500-700 rupees. While I wanted to stop and recharge (the phone and myself), it was already later in the day than I had hoped. I could see Gokyo from a distance, looking far away.

I continued on to Gokyo, jogging the downhills and enjoying the views throughout the valley. That night, I checked in with the trekker I left behind, and was glad to hear he had arrived safely. He had arrived nearly 4 hours after I did, so I was glad with my decision to continue on earlier.

Day 7: Gokyo Ri

Distance: 8.7 km
Elevation Gain: 750m
Moving Time: 2:54
Stay: Mountain Paradise Lodge, Thangnak

In the morning, I went up to Gokyo Ri, a viewpoint with stunning views over the Gokyo Lakes.

The rest of the day was a gentle hike past the Ngozumpa Glacier. I walked down the valley on the eastern glacial moraine, watching the scenery open up to fantastic views of the mountains. Since tomorrow was the second of the three passes, I had an early dinner followed and went straight to sleep.

Day 8: Cho La Pass

Distance: 10 km
Elevation Gain: 870m
Moving Time: 3:15
Stay: Mountain Home, Dzongla

An attempt to sleep in

I was awoken at 8am to someone knocking at my door. When I got up to see what the deal was, it was a staff member who asked if I was feeling okay. Confused, I said yes, and confirmed that check out was 10am. She said yes, and told me to take my time.

About 15 minutes later, a different employee came to check on me. I guess it’s rather unheard of to not start Cho La Pass super early in the morning. I had planned to start around 10, but since I was already up, I headed to the restaurant in the teahouse to start my day. All the chairs had already been flipped up on to the tables, and cleaning mode was fully in session. If you want to sleep in while trekking, I wish you luck.

Crossing the glacier

Cho La Pass was the pass on the Three Passes Trek that I was most concerned about, as it involves glacier travel. I’m no stranger to doing things by myself, but crossing glaciers alone and without a safety device is not something I’m a fan of. I could tell someone was catching up to me, though, so it was nice to know someone would have noticed if I had fallen into a crevasse. Since the Three Passes Trek isn’t nearly as popular as the classic Everest Base Camp Trek, this was actually the only trekker I saw today.

Once we were done with the glacier, I stopped to adjust my layers and let him pass. We ended up talking for a while, and he told me he was spending about 30 days out here, with no set plans. He was going to spend about 5 days with Lobuche as a base, which I found interesting as most people only spend 1-2 days in each village. He was interesting but I was in the mood to hike alone, so we parted ways. There were epic views of Cholatse during the rest of the trek, and I was left awe-inspired.

Day 9: Dzongla to Lobuche

Distance: 6.8 km
Elevation Gain: 240m
Moving Time: 1:36
Stay: Oxygen Altitude Home, Lobuche

The day started with following the moraine and descending alongside Chola Lake. While the morning started out clear and beautiful, it started to snow closer to Lobuche which made it hard to see much beyond what was 5 feet in front of me.

I passed some memorials of climbers who had passed away in the region, but due to the poor visibility I only saw them if they were right in front of me. I reflected on how lucky I had been to experience mostly clear skies up until now, but I grew a bit concerned about the poor weather as my climb date loomed near.

Day 10: Everest Base Camp

Distance: 10.4 km
Elevation Gain: 500m
Moving Time: 2:50
Stay: Hotel Everest Inn, Gorakshep

The day started off with a gentle hike to Gorak Shep. Once I had arrived, I dropped off my bags and decided to just go to Everest Base Camp with my water, a snack, and an extra layer. Naturally, the route here was far more crowded than the rest of the Three Passes Trek route. Regardless, I enjoyed seeing all the orange and yellow tents providing a stark contrast to the white mountains surrounding it. Since I was there at the time of year that most Everest expeditions occur, base camp was looking lively. The idea of climbing Everest intrigued me as a kid, but seeing the sheer number of people put me off, as did seeing the photos of long queues up to the summit. I’d like to do a big mountaineering objective before I die, but finding a climb that is epic, remote, and somewhat affordable is proving to be a challenge.

On the way back from base camp, I noticed a spot in front of the glacier that would be a nice place for a photo. Luckily, a small group was walking towards me, so I asked the group if someone could take my photo. A small woman jumped up and down with her hand raised, as if I was a game show host who had just selected her to come down and win a car. She directed me through a multi-pose photoshoot, with the grand finale photo shown on the right below.

I spent the night in Gorak Shep, bundled in my sleeping bag. It was so cold that I could see my breath in my room.

Day 11: Kala Patthar

Distance: 15.3 km
Elevation Gain: 580m
Moving Time: 4:04
Stay: Hotel Bright Star, Dingboche

A cold morning

When I went to drink from my water bottle in the morning, it was partially frozen. That’s how cold the teahouses can be. I recommend you pack keeping in mind that most lodges don’t have heat, and if they do, it’s only a furnace in the common area. Nights are going to get cold and you will want to hug your phone if you don’t want it to die.

Kala Patthar is a famous Everest view point, and people tend to go for sunrise to catch the light over Everest. I’m not usually one to turn down a sunrise hike, but I wasn’t in the mood for it today. The visibility hadn’t looked promising, and I didn’t want to brace the cold outside before the sun had risen. 

Kala Patthar and the bike racer

When I grabbed breakfast, my suspicions were confirmed. There had been no view today, only fog. Once the weather had cleared a bit, I started hiking up. I ran into another Canadian at the summit, and he was from a different national park in my province. He was a professional bike racer, and had come to Everest to use the altitude to enhance his training. He had ridden his bike from Lukla to Everest Base Camp, setting a new fastest known time (FKT). We stopped for a tea once we were down from the summit, and shared some travel stories. I walked with him while he carried his bike up until a point where it was rideable, at which point we parted ways. It’s so inspiring to meet people who are doing cool shit, and who have the courage to take the road less traveled.

Change of plans

I had planned a climb to Lobuche East, and got the news a few days ago that the guide wanted me to meet him in Dingboche to fit my gear, instead of in Lobuche as originally scheduled. This change would add two days to my itinerary, and I was frustrated that I’d need to cut out a side trip and acclimatization day as a result. That said, I was concerned about getting mountain boots that fit properly – I’m a US size 4, which usually falls into the kid’s section. I was told I could probably fit the smallest that they have if I wore two pairs of thick socks, which, at the altitude of over 6000m/20,000ft, was going to be necessary anyways. This change meant that I needed to get to Dingboche today, I continued on.

Day 12: Dingboche to Lobuche

Distance: 8.7km
Elevation Gain: 650m
Moving Time: 2:21
Stay: Sherpa Lodge, Lobuche

I met my guide in the morning and was given my climbing gear. After testing the boots out, I asked if I should test the crampons and helmet as well. I was told it was ready to go, so there was no need to check.

If somebody tells you this, don’t listen to them. More on that later.

I headed back to Lobuche on my own, and definitely noticed the extra weight in my pack. I was glad my pack had stayed relatively light throughout the Three Passes Trek, and I encourage you to pack as light as you can. The weather wasn’t great, so once I arrived at the tea house midday, I stayed in and read.

Day 13: Lobuche High Camp

Distance: 4km
Elevation Gain: 420m
Moving Time: 1:21
Stay: Lobuche High Camp

At 11am, after a nice sleep in and some breakfast, my guide met me at my tea house and we started to head up to high camp. Since it was snowing and foggy, it was challenging to see where the route went. The fresh snow covered any previous tracks and made the terrain slippery. After trekking through the snow and wind for two hours, we arrived at high camp. I was shown my tent and given lunch. I noticed that I could see my breath in the eating tent, but not in my sleeping tent, which was a nice surprise. It was warmer than some of the teahouses!

Day 14: Lobuche East Summit

Distance: 10.4km
Elevation Gain: 1050m
Moving Time: 8:42
Stay: Sherpa Lodge, Lobuche

The adventure begins

With a wakeup call at 1:45am, I shuffled through the snow with my headlamp to find the toilet tent in the dark and snow. It was not looking promising for the summit, but at least I’d make use of the heavy down jacket that I had rented.

The first part of the day was a straightforward trek, although the foot of fresh snow and low visibility made that a bit of a challenge. My guide had to stop and reassess the path often, as sometimes footprints disappeared or the cairns were hard to spot.

We got to a point roughly half way, nicknamed Crampon Point. After a few steps with my crampons, one slipped right off. After having the guide adjust it, I took a few steps and again had it slide off. A few attempts later, there was no more denying it: the crampon was broken, and I’d have to go without it.

Getting to the summit without crampons

I passed a guy who looked utterly miserable. He was trying to do the climb without the use of any ropes, and was slowly making his way up with two ice axes. He was getting worn down, and was having a talk with his guide as he didn’t think he could continue. I gave him a few words of encouragement, and hoped he’d find the strength to continue.

A few climbers behind me started talking about how much harder this was than the popular Island Peak. This eased my ego a bit as the mountain was certainly kicking my ass, although not having any grip from crampons was a factor in that.

Since we couldn’t see anything at the summit and the snow was still coming down, we didn’t spend much time at the summit before turning back down. Enjoy the photo below of my summit “view”. The way down was challenging, with all the fresh snow making things extra slippery. I took several falls and tore my down pants, leaving a little trail of feathers in my wake.

Eventually, I made the way back down to Lobuche, and warmed up with Masala tea. My climbing detour was complete, and I’d be back to the Three Passes Trek next.

Day 15: Rest

I left an extra rest day in my schedule, to allow a buffer if the weather for Lobuche East wasn’t good. Sadly, it looked bad for the few days surrounding my summit day, so I ended up climbing the day I had planned. On the bright side, this meant I got to rest the day after the climb, and I enjoyed a day of sleeping in before attempting the next pass.

Day 16: Kongma La Pass

Distance: 9.3km
Elevation Gain: 750m
Moving Time: 2:56
Stay: Khangri Resort Lodge and Restaurant, Chukkung

It seems the universe was conspiring against me to skip the third pass of the Three Passes Trek. My guide had previously told me there was no point in doing the pass as I had already gone to a higher elevation. In the morning, the worker at the teahouse said it might not be safe to do with fresh snow. As an experienced hiker, I noted the concern but decided to head out anyways, knowing I could turn back if needed. While the pass was indeed covered in snow, trail navigation was still easy and I didn’t feel unsafe at any point. I was rewarded with not only great views, but with a floofy good boi at the top who I stopped to pet for about 30 minutes.

There were some clouds blocking some of the mountains that I hoped would disappear, but after an hour I realized it wasn’t going to happen, and continued on my route. I was back to seeing less people, and the views today were some of the best of the trip. This pass was definitely my favorite, even if I had to hike through some snow again en route to Chukkung.

Once in Chukkung, I heard a familiar voice. It was the guy I had met on Cho La Pass. We talked more, about our midlife crises, our travels, and his epic marathon through several of the passes in the region. I felt conflicted as I left our conversation feeling super inspired, but my rolled ankle was barring me from doing anything crazy.

Day 17: Chukkung to Tengboche

Distance: 25.5km
Elevation Gain: 575m
Moving Time: 5:31
Stay: Tashi Delek Lodge and Restauarant, Tengboche

My friend from yesterday told me about how nice the trail out to Island Peak was, so I decided to head to its base camp in the morning before continuing. The trail was mostly flat, and about 6km one way. This area was full of snowy mountains and huge glaciers, a different vibe to most of the rest of the trek. I was super glad I added this little detour to my Three Passes Trek, and enjoyed the scenic and quiet journey.

Once back at Chukkung, I headed down through the Imja Khola valley.The trail passed through the villages of Dingboche and Pangboche, a bustling year-round settlement in the valley. I stopped in Pangboche to charge my phone and try some baked goods, and was also able to pick up from where I left off in my current read of Into Thin Air. The cold had killed my portable charger for good, and my Kindle had died a few days ago. With no way to charge it, I was relying on teahouse books to get me through. Into Thin Air was a staple at most of them, much to my delight. The exception was a few days ago when the only English book in a teahouse was about how to have a wholesome Christian marriage. I’m not the target audience for that, unfortunately.

 I continued on to Tengboche, wondering why I went so far today when I had only scheduled about 8km for tomorrow.

Day 18: Tengboche to Namche

Distance: 10.3km
Elevation Gain: 400m
Moving Time: 2:28
Stay: Khumbu Lodge, Namche

I woke up to torrential downpour, and was happy I had done the extra kilometers the previous day. I waited out the rain for a few hours, charging my devices and having some tea and breakfast. It did clear up eventually, so I made my way to Namche.

Day 19: Namche to Lukla

Distance: 19.6km
Elevation Gain: 780m
Moving Time: 5:03
Stay: Zambala Lodge, Lukla

I used the morning to call my mom, filling her in on my trek and travels so far. The trip back to Lukla was uneventful, with lots of horse and bull crossings again. 

At one point, I went through a narrow gated area just as both a group of cows and a group of horses were released from each side. It felt like being in a car wash, with the animals acting as rotating brushes and knocking me around. 

I was in desperate need of a hot shower, a hair brush, and a warm room to sleep in. The next day I flew back to Kathmandu after a few hours of delay. The beauty of the Three Passes Trek left me wanting more – I intend to return to do the Manaslu circuit or take on another climb, hopefully with a view this time.

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