Everest Base Camp Trek Day 7: Gokyo to Thangna

GOKYO TO THANGNA KEY STATS

Starting Point: Gokyo (4,790m/15,700ft)
Finishing Point: Thangna (4,700m/15,420ft)
Distrance: 4km/2.5mi
Trekking Time: 2 Hours
Accommodation: Chola Pass Resort

GOKYO TO THANGNA EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK DIARY

Day 7 of our trek to Everest Base Camp sees us make our way from Gokyo to Thangna. The sounds of trekking boots clunking around the Gokyo tea house hallways before sunrise meant one thing – people were making their way towards Gokyo Ri (5350m). This popular side trek takes about three hours to hike and offerS great sunrise panoramas of the surrounding mountains – including Mt. Everest. While originally in our itinerary, we opted out of this pre-breakfast trek. The previous day’s Renjo La Pass was tough and we know we would soon be heading to another demanding high pass. We opted to save our energy. Considering we were already treated to clear, picturesque Everest range views, we felt good about our decision.

I could see through the frosted tea house window that everything outside was white. I popped on my shoes, wrapped myself up in a few layers and made my way outside to check it out. It was almost as if we woke up in a different town – everything was blanketed in snow. As the line of trekkers made their way up the path to Gokyo Ri, I enjoyed sitting on the banks of Dudh Pokhari, the main lake in the Gokyo system, watching as the sun began to rise against Cho Oyu in the distance.

After breakfast, we set off for our next stop – the little village of Thangna (4,700m). We followed the snow-covered trail further along towards the Tanjung Pokhari. It’s at this point that the trail splits. The route that makes sense to take is the one continues down into the valley and makes it way to Nha and Machermo. This path eventually joins the route that takes trekkers to Tengboche or continues further along the Dudh Kosi towards Namche Bazaar. Of course, our planned route wasn’t this one. Ours happened to be the one that went up alongside the moraine to the top of the ridge and across the Ngozumpa Glacier to the Khumbu Valley. Have to keep things interesting, right?

The Ngozumpa Glacier starts at the base of the Cho Oyu, the sixth highest mountain in the world, and continues to wind its way down the valley. It’s not your pristine, blue-ice glacier that you see on TV, but layered in dirt and debris. It’s when you pass by the huge crevasses that you are quickly reminded that you are in fact walking on a glacier.

It is quite easy to get lost in the views and day dream as you walk along the trail. The sounds of falling rocks and boulders around us were a constant reminder to stay focused on our surroundings. This segment required a bit of attention. The fact that the there was fresh snow on the path means that it wasn’t clearly defined. Looking back at the Strava trail from Gokyo to Thanga, we missed the actual route by a long shot.

It took us about 45 minutes crossing the glacier before we scrambled back up the moraine wall on the western side of the glacier.

Continuing along the path we descended into the lower valley and could see the handful of buildings that made up Thangna (4700m). We checked into the Chola Pass Resort, a basic teahouse, and lazed about for the remainder of the day.

Having not showered for a few days, we took advantage of our free time to use the onsite shower at the tea house. The shower was less of a shower and more a pipe in the ceiling of a shack that allows water to pass through it. The manager of the tea house uses a hot water thermos to fill the tank above the pipe up with water and away it goes. Super simple, but man – it’s amazing what a hot shower can do for you after days and days of trekking.

Feeling squeaky clean, we decided to spend the rest of the day sun bathing on the terrace watching the clouds roll through over another stunning mountain panorama.

GOKYO TO THANGNA VIDEO

LOOKING FOR NITTY GRITTY DETAILS?

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 Gokyo to Thangna.

TRAVEL PLANNING ESSENTIALS: NEPAL

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ENJOY NAMCHE GOKYO TO THANGNA? CHECK OUT MORE OF THE EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK AT EVEREST BASE CAMP TREK DIARY.

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23 Comments

Agness of eTramping on October 27, 2017 at 9:25 pm

This scenery is truly breathtaking and picturesque! When would be the best time of the year to go there?
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- Dom on November 2, 2017 at 3:18 pm
  
  I’d say there are two key periods where trekkers had into the region – these align with the summiteers who go for the best weather conditions. These include the Oct/Nov and April/May periods. While these are the busiest, you avoid the monsoon season in-between where you can forget about the views. I break the weather elements down in https://www.domonthego.com/destinations-everest-base-camp-trek/ – check it out.
  Reply
Agness of Fit Travelling on October 19, 2017 at 12:52 pm

Wow! Trekking this place would be a dream come true for me, Dom! Excellent trekking destination. When’s the best time of the year to go there?
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Benjoe Vidal on October 18, 2017 at 11:07 am

I’m wondering how can you manage the coldest of this icy mountains. It was totally a great adventure to share!
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- Dom on November 2, 2017 at 10:27 am
  
  It was indeed cold but very easy to manage if you pack the right clothing. It’s amazing how well some of the top outdoor clothing companies craft their clothes to help keep adventurers warm. The key? It’s all about the layers.  Thanks for checking the adventure out.
  Reply
Chiera on October 16, 2017 at 7:13 pm

The thought that you can have a hot shower on the side of an icy mountain boggles my mind. That is so cool! What an adventure
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- Dom on November 2, 2017 at 10:23 am
  
  While I was expecting it in some of our luxe tea houses on the main parts of the trail, I certainly wasn’t on the more remote bits like here. To be honest – I’ve showered in glacier water that was collected in reservoirs and funneled through metal pipes on both Machu Picchu and Kilimanjaro, so was well chuffed when the man brought out his thermos. Lol
  Reply
Adrenaline Romance on October 16, 2017 at 2:01 am

We are incredibly jealous. 🙁 As tropical mountaineers, trekking to the Everest Base Camp has been one of our fondest dreams. We hope to do this trek soon.
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- Dom on November 2, 2017 at 10:11 am
  
  That’s awesome that you guys are thinking about getting to EBC. I love the term Tropical Mountaineers. 🙂 When we get to warm destinations we also like to get out on the trails. What’s been your favorite adventure so far?
  Reply
  - Adrenaline Romance on November 2, 2017 at 10:44 am
    
    Hi Dom,
    
    Oh yes! Trekking to EBC is one of our dreams. There are three major problems (at least for us):
    
    1) the cost in going there considering the Philippine peso is not that strong
    2) a visa application
    3) we are full-time employees, so we doubt it if our employers would allow a month-long leave.
    
    Yup, our mountains here are very warm during the day, but comfortably chilly during the night. Lots of rain due to our humid climate.
    
    Our best mountaineering adventure would have to be our Mt. Guiting-guiting climb, which is published in our blog. G2 is among the most technically challenging mountains in the Philippines.
    Reply
    - Dom on November 2, 2017 at 3:35 pm
      
      Oh wow – I’ve heard Mt. Guiting-Guiting is an awesome trek. I will need to check it out next time we head to the Philippines.
      
      Getting to Nepal is probably the largest cost – the trek itself, depending on how you tackle it can be very reasonable. But yes – via applications and the time needed to do the trek are always going to be there. Some people tackle the EBC trek in 10 – 11 days – so you can easily do this without taking a whole month of leave, but word of warning – you need to allow yourself time to properly acclimatise for safety reasons.
      Reply
Clara on October 12, 2017 at 12:24 pm

You did such an amazing adventure!! Your photos are stunning, and let me want to go there immediately (but I’m absolutely not ready for that!) 🙂
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- Dom on October 14, 2017 at 8:38 am
  
  Hhahah of course you are Clara. Thanks for checking us out and the kind words. 🙂
  Reply
Sandrina Ferreira on October 10, 2017 at 10:42 am

It’s my boyfriend dream to do this but, I’m not so keen on this place. I hate could weather. This not seems an easy thing to do, you have to be prepared. Thank you for the advises and recommendations on the post.
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- Dom on October 14, 2017 at 8:37 am
  
  Hahah It’s kind of hard to avoid the cold at 5,000+ meters BUT I assure you it will be worth it. 🙂
  Reply
Abigail Sinsona on October 10, 2017 at 12:39 am

What an adventure that is! While I am definitely not a hiker, I love reading about your journey. I can’t wait to read more about this series and find out how the rest of the journey unfolds.
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- Dom on October 14, 2017 at 8:36 am
  
  Got more adventure coming for you soon. Thanks again for following along. 🙂
  Reply
Hang Around The World on October 9, 2017 at 9:27 pm

This is not our type of adventure, we like to discover cities but after your post we are changing our idea about outdoor adventures. The photos are so beautiful, such as the reading 🙂
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- Dom on October 14, 2017 at 8:36 am
  
  Adventure means something different to everyone. 🙂 Take some outdoorsy side trips on your next city break and you may just end up on Everest some day. Mother nature is addicting.
  Reply
Ana Rozanova on October 9, 2017 at 10:08 am

Looks like an amazing hike, a bit out of this planet really! Really enjoyed your photos. I have a little baby now, so the hikes are postponed, but I do miss them!
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- Dom on October 14, 2017 at 8:33 am
  
  Thanks Ana. It did feel like a different planet the further up the trail we went. Regarding the baby – I kid you not, there was a super fabulous couple that brought their baby on the trails with them in one of those baby carrier backpacks. We passed them a few times enroute to Base Camp. Crazy if you ask me, but they certainly didn’t postpone their trek. lol
  Reply
bherron80 on October 9, 2017 at 8:26 am

This looks amazing-I can only dream of doing a trek this intense! I stick to regular mountains for now but these views look spectacular!
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- Dom on October 14, 2017 at 8:31 am
  
  I think you’d be surprised as “regular” Everest is (at least to Base Camp lol). Thanks for the kind words and checking us out!
  Reply