THAME TO LUMDENG KEY STATS
- Starting Point: Thame (3,820m/12,500ft)
- Finishing Point: Lumdeng (4,600m/14,450ft)
- Distance:10.5km/6.5mi
- Trekking Time: 5 Hours
- Accommodation: Pass Support Lodge
THAME TO LUMDENG EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK DIARY
Day 5 of our Everest Base Camp Trek was all about pushing forward with the trek and getting us prepared for some of the challenges to come. Leaving what was left of the tree line behind, we slowly made our way from Thame to Lumdeng. This strip of the trek was the first time we started to gain some serious altitude – but did so gradually as we continued making our way through the river valley.
We crossed over the ridge from Thame and made our way through the neighboring village of Thyangmoche. As we left our new stomping grounds behind, the surrounding mountains began to reveal themselves to us even more. It didn’t matter how many hours we trekked with the same mountains around us, I found myself stopping often to admire the views.
Over the eastern hills of the valley you can see the mega peaks of the Teng Ragi Tau (6,940m) and Langmuche Ri (6,617m). Teng Ragi Tau overlooks one of the most dangerous high passes in the Himalayas – the Tesi Lapcha La (5755m). High passes are what allow movement and trade between the mountain valleys without having to go all the way down and back up the neighboring valley. You “simply” go over the mountains through these high passes. While we were on the 3 Pass Trek route, the Tesi Lapcha La was not part of our trek – so would be avoided (at least this time).
At the base of these 6,000m+ peaks is the Dig Tsho Glacial Lake. The glacial lake outburst flood that occurred here in 1985 brought some much-needed attention to global warming. What you see happening here, and in other mountainous parts of the world like Switzerland and Canada, is the melting ice from glaciers filling lakes that have been dammed up due to the moraines left by the recession. Erosion, avalanches and other wearing down of the moraines then causes them to break, resulting in significant flooding and downstream destruction. It is possible to take a side trip to the lake from Thame to Lumdeng, but there wasn’t time for it in our itinerary.
We navigated across the Langmuche Khola – which drains from the Dig Tsho lake and meets the Bhote Kosi – and continued along the trail further up the valley to Tarngaa. Continuing the trail along the western banks, we started to leave the lower parts of the valley, passed Dingjung and finally made it up to the former trading village of Marlung (4200m). There isn’t much to see or do in any of these villages, but Marlung is often a stop for trekkers when Lumdeng is full or closed.
It seemed like the first soul we saw on our route from Thame to Lumdeng crossed our path in Marlung. It was a long-haired and playful dog. He seemed quite spritely considering we were at such high altitude. I suppose I would be happy to see another living being in these parts as well. The pup followed us all the way up the valley until we got to our last stop of the day – Lumdeng (4,380m). Turns out he belonged to the owner of our tea house – Renjo Lo Pass Support Tea House. It was as if they sent the dog out to be our personal cheerleader/escort to get us to the tea house. That would of course be a treat considering what awaited us there.
Before setting off on our trek earlier this morning, our guide Prem reminded us that we would be leaving the luxury of the Yeti Mountain Homes for a few days and start staying at some of the more basic tea houses in the region. One thing you will quickly notice along the routes that veer off the traditional tourist path, accommodation is simple in its most simple form. Imagine four pieces of plywood as your walls and a thin layer of tin acting as your roof. It was time to say goodbye to the electric blankets, hot showers and nice, private toilets – and hello to simplicity. Having trekked all over the world – in far simpler – conditions, I knew what to expect and was cool with it. Rob on the other hand? He was not a fan. We called it character building.
After a cup of tea, we decided to spend the rest of our daylight going for an acclimatization walk – for fun, of course. We followed a very steep path behind the tea house that lead up to a ridge with some impressive views. At this stage in the trek, any walking is hard work. Whether you are in the mountains or not, walking up a steep incline for any prolonged period is going to take make you lose your breath. Sprinkle in the reduced levels of oxygen and it’s exhausting. Be sure to do them though. These side acclimatization walks are important for your body to get continually adjust to the altitude.
Clouds continued to roll in and out, but every so often we got glimpses of sheer rock face and jagged peaks greeting us. We ascended to the top of the ridge which was at about 5,000m. The ridge never fully cleared up for us to see what was in the distance – but beyond the clouds were mountains that lined Gokyo Valley. Looking back over the ridge and towards the river valley where our tea house was located, we could see amazing views of Rolwaling in the distance.
Back at our tea house, we propped ourselves up in the warm, attached dining hall. We were only a couple hands of cards in when other trekkers began checking in and joining the communal room. Up until now, we had been the only ones staying in the tea houses we chose (partly due to the price point as well as time of year). It was fun hearing the stories of those who had already traversed through the passes and were sharing the same experiences as us. One thing was clear from the chatter – we had our next day cut out for us.
THAME TO LUMDENG VIDEO
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Check out the day as recorded by Stava. See the trails taken, overall elevation gains, trekking times and how fast (or slow) we made it from Point A to Point B.
TRAVEL PLANNING ESSENTIALS: NEPAL
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Wow! As avid trekkers and mountaineers in the Philippines, hiking to EBC is one of our fondest dreams. The scenery is just stunning. Hopefully, we can hike here soon. 🙂
Thanks for the kind words. We spent almost 3 weeks in the Philippines, but with the exception of visiting the hanging coffins and the volcano outside of Manila, we didn’t do much trekking. Where would you recommend this for the next time?
There are a lot of places to trek in the Philippines. Check out our blog and click on the “Mountain Trekking” tab. 🙂
Try out other adventures as well—caving, canyoning, etc.
Awesome – will deffo check it out. Loved our trip there recently and can’t wait to get back there. 🙂
I love reading these posts! The simple tea houses you describe here are more what I expected the sleeping arrangements to be up there, but after the electric blankets and hot showers, I would have struggled haa.
When I read that the dog came over to you as an escort/cheerleader I melted! Love how friendly animals can be. A very enjoyable read and great photos as well. Thanks for sharing.
I felt I was with you as you trudged along the river valley path and slowly gained attitude. It was as if I could see the furry pup who came a long way to escort you to the tea house. I could feel the strain as you went for an acclimatization walk. In short I was thrilled and fascinated by your every step. Waiting with bated breath for the next part of your adventure.
I went to Everest Base Camp in April – it is good reading about the experience of others. Looks like you got better afternoon weather than I did. And I am with Rob when it comes to the teahouses – not a fan! At least you had the Yeti the first few nights – I did tea houses the whole way – never again! My advice now to everyone is to Yeti for as long as possible!
So sweet that the dog fetched you and boug you to the tea house. He must have been a friendly face! Can’t wait to read the next instalments of your adventure!
Haha I agree. He was a curious little thing, but I think he does it for everyone. Now that the climbing season is happening again, I keep seeing his fluffy face cropping up on Instagram. Thanks for chkcing us out. 🙂
This experience should have been simply great! And your photos are so descriptive of the amazing landscapes and breath-taking views!!
Thanks for the kind words Clara. Thanks for checking us out.
traversing mountains by day and meeting other weary travelers in tea-houses by night sounds like something out of a novel!
It’s deffo the way on the trails in these remote parts of the world. Although – the further along we got on this trek the busier the trails got. It’s great intel though – you always find out what lies ahead and what the conditions are before you head out, which is great.
Those views are absolutely incredible, it looks like the air is so clean and pure up there! Good tip on acclimatization walks, I’ve heard some horror stories about altitude sickness so I’ll have to bear this in mind if we ever head to this trek. The tea houses look basic, but cozy, and I would have loved to hang out with that dog, he must have been so happy to see you folks.
Thanks for the kind words. That dog as happy to see us, but I think it’s cheating on us lol. I keep seeing him cropping up over Instagram with other trekkers. So much for loyalty. 🙂
That is a useful tip about taking the side acclimatization walks to prepare your body for the altitude. You’ve taken some stunning photos during this trek – some people must go when it’s cloudy and see nothing. The day I take this trek I hope for weather like you guys!
The acclimatisation walks are really the only way to help coach your body through these sorts of outings. It’s also a great way to see how your body will respond – sometimes you will never know until you are there. And yes – we had great weather for our trek. We went on the shoulder season before the main climbing time and it was ideal. Less crowded with views. Those that get the clouds or no views at all are either a) just doing the trek for the exercise or b) didn’t do their research.