Three Side Trips To Add To Your Everest Region Trek For A Richer Experience.
The Everest Region isn’t the most popular trekking region in Nepal for no reason. Once trekkers come here, they absolutely don’t want to leave. Such is the beauty and the magnificence of the Everest Region. Even though the feet are blistered, the skin is sunburnt, the knees feel like they can no longer support the weight of the body, trekkers still want more. Even though they have been away from home for weeks, are living in some of the harshest terrains in the world, and haven’t been able to contact their loved ones for days, they still don’t want to go. Luckily, the Everest Region boasts of such beautiful side trips that can be taken as a detour during your main trek to add more adventure and fun to your experience. Here, we have listed down three amazing side trips you can add to your itinerary while trekking through popular routes.
Ama Dablam Base Camp.
Ama Dablam is often known as the most beautiful peak in the Himalayans. Now, what if you could view this beauty in all its magnificence from its very base camp without exclusively planning a trek just for it?
If you are in good health and well acclimatized, it is possible to make an incredibly scenic but challenging half-day return trip from Pangboche to meadows at the Ama Dablam Base Camp, which is located at the height of 4,580m. From there, you can have surreal views of tents dotting the base of the peak and the iconic peak itself.
You can include this adventure as a side trip during a majority of your treks that lead to Gokyo Lakes, Everest Base Camp, and three high passes. Firstly, you have to branch off the main route near the far end of Pangboche and descend to cross the suspension bridge over Dudh Koshi Khola. The trail is steep, level, and steep again, passing through a small stupa to the left offering great views of Pumori. ChhulungcheKhola’s massive glacial gorge plunges to the right. Then, the trail stretches through some sandy sections to finally pop up at Meadows at the base camp of 6,856 meters AmaDablam.
From here, you can see the eastern face of the peak and several expedition tents preparing for the ascent. After a meal and a short break at one of the teahouses behind the moraine hill, you can start your downside hike. From the base camp, it is about a 90-minute descent to Pangboche.
Upper Bhote Koshi Valley.
During your Three High Passes Trek, instead of staying at Lumde, you can trek 40 minutes up to a popular alternative, Bhote Koshi Valley, and use the lodges and teahouses here to as a base to explore the lesser-known Upper Bhote Koshi Valley.
The trail leading to Bhote Koshi follows a route used for centuries for trade with Tibet for salt and grain. All along the valley, you will come across yak trails and campsites used by traders until the pass was closed due to border traffic in 2002. If you want to, you can stay overnight in Arya. You can go for another 40 Minute hike and from there the fine views of peaks like Singkorab, Dragnag Ri, and Pangbuk becomes visible. Another two-hour-long trek through a deeply eroded cliff will take you to the interesting Sumnag Cave. From here, you can hike here and there for about 15 minutes to catch great glimpses of Lunag peak, JoboRingang, PasanglamaChuli.
From here, you can trek down to Lumde and continue your journey as per your itinerary, or you can take a detour to reach Thame.
Chhukung.
Mostly, all treks in the Everest Region consist of a day allocated exclusively for acclimatization in Pheriche or Dingboche. You can extend your acclimatization period by another day to add an awesome ascent to Chhukung Ri for a great adventure.
If you are beginning from Pheriche, pick up a trail to Dingboche on the moraine slope southeast of the village. From here, it is basically a steady climb over barren moraines to reach Bibre. A 30 minutes ascent west of Bibre will take you to Chukung, a small village among moraine ridges at the height of 4,730 meters. The village is surrounded by beautiful mountains and glaciers, thus offering great side trips from here. The most popular half-day climb is the stiff hike to the 5,546m high Chhukung Ri for dream-like views of panoramic peaks like AmaDablam, Makalu, and Baruntse.
Later, you can either trek back to Dingboche or Pheriche, which will take about 3 hours or stay the night at Chhukung and explore the Island Peak Base camp the next day.
