22 Day Three High Passes Trek Cost 2026/2027
The total cost of the 22 Day Trek to the Three High Passes starts from US$ 2097 to US$ 2399 per person and varies according to your group size. Variation in the price can also result when you customize your own itinerary, making changes such as hotel upgrades, add-ons, extra nights at Kathmandu, or no porter required for the trek, which can increase or decrease the overall cost.
Best Time for the Three High Passes Trek
For the best experience, spring (March to May) or autumn (September to November) season is the best time as these two time periods give you the most stable weather for the Three High Passes trek.
Spring is when the lower sections around Deboche blooms into red and pink colored rhododendrons, making it one of the prettiest times to be walking in that part of the trail. The weather's warm and humid, sometimes clouds rolling in by late afternoon. Therefore, for the clear and best view, it is better to start your hikes early.
Autumn is a really popular season for this trek. Skies are crystal clear, and you get incredible visibility of the Everest range. Trails are dry, temperatures sit in that comfortable range for steady climbing, and honestly it's the best time. The only downside of autumn is that this time is chosen by many, thus making the trail crowded and less ideal for those who prefer quieter trails.
Winter treks are doable too, but heavy snowfall near the high passes (especially around 5,300-5,500 m) can make the crossing difficult as the steep, exposed sections are pretty slippery and tough to go through. If you're set on a winter trek, it is best that you have prior experience and are prepared for the challenge.
Travel Insurance for the Three High Passes Trek
Travel insurance is non-negotiable. Your policy must explicitly cover:
- Trip cancellations, delays, and lost baggage.
- Medical insurance, high-altitude trekking coverage up to 6,000m. Standard travel insurance often excludes trekking above certain elevations.
- Emergency Evacuation. In case of altitude sickness or injury, evacuation from remote areas can be extremely costly without good insurance.
- Accident & injury, protect against trekking - related accidents, includes hospitalization and treatment costs in Nepal or abroad.
- Repatriation. Ensure safe return home in case of serious medical emergencies.
Key tips:
- Check the Policy altitude limit for what it covers
- Verify that the helicopter evacuation is included
- Keep the insurance with you, and carry a printed copy of your insurance policy as well
- Buy insurance before flying to Nepal
Logistics - Getting to Three High Passes Trek and Permits 2026/27
Kathmandu to Lukla: It is normally a 30-40 minute flight. But during peak season (mid-March to mid-May, and mid-September to mid-December), flights often get rerouted through Manthali Airport in Ramechhap instead of Kathmandu, because of runway congestion. This means a 4-6 hour drive to Ramechhap first, then a shorter 20-minute flight up to Lukla.
End of trek: you'll fly back from Lukla to Kathmandu (or Manthali, followed by the drive back).
Two permits and TIMS card are required:
- TIMS Card: A Trekkers' Information Management System (TIMS) card in Nepal costs NPR 2,000 (roughly $15 USD) per person for individual foreign trekkers and NPR 1,000 for those trekking in an organized group. SAARC nationals pay NPR 600 (solo) and NPR 300 (group).
- Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit: around NPR 3,000 per person
- Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Permit: around NPR 2,000 per person
We handle both the permits. You just provide us with a scanned passport copy so that we can take care of the paperwork. Your guide carries the original permits and shows them at the Sagarmatha National Park checkpoint just past Monjo, you can just enjoy the view with zero hassle.
Once again the Lukla flight is weather dependent, and can be delayed. So it is always safe to have 2-3 buffer days after your Three High Passes trek. If a flight does get delayed, we sort the rebooking immediately, but if it drags on, a shared helicopter is available as a backup, at extra cost
Altitude Sickness - What to Know for Three High Passes Trek
The Three High Passes trek is a real altitude trek. You'll go from Lukla at 2,860m to Kalapatthar at 5500m, and also cross the three high altitude passes Kongma La (5,535 m), Cho La (5,368 m), Renjo La (5,360 m); where altitude sickness becomes a genuine concern, regardless of how physically fit or fast you are.
Mild symptoms can start showing up when you reach roughly above 2,500-3,000m, which is around Namche. Also, serious altitude sickness (AMS, HAPE, HACE) is less common but can occur above 4,000 m. This is exactly why acclimatization days are important and built in within our itinerary. These aren't optional, no matter how good or energetic you're feeling.
Watch for: headache (usually the first sign), nausea, loss of appetite, poor sleep, dizziness, unusual fatigue. A mild headache at altitude is normal and common. A headache that's getting worse, especially alongside vomiting, confusion, or trouble walking straight means descend immediately, no debate. Safety comes first, completion of trek is not as important as your health.
Our guides always carry a pulse oximeter with them and check every trekker daily from Namche onward. This is to identify any altitude sickness symptoms and prevent it from getting worse. Also, if your guide says to descend, we descend immediately. We tell this to every trekker on Day 1, and it's non-negotiable.
Some trekkers use Diamox to prevent altitude sickness, and it is highly recommended to talk to your doctor about this before you travel, not on the trail. In a genuine emergency, helicopter evacuation is available from multiple points on the route. This is exactly why proper travel insurance covering high-altitude trekking and evacuation isn't something to skip.
Accommodation on the Three High Passes Trek
On this 22-Day Three High Passes trek, you'll stay in teahouses/lodges throughout the trekking trail and in a 3-star hotel in Kathmandu for your stay in Kathmandu.
Teahouses in the Khumbu region on this route are basic, family-run and that’s the charm of every trek here in this region as well throughout other parts of Nepal. You'll stay in twin-share rooms, thin mattresses, shared toilets (mostly squat-style the higher you climb), and no heating in the bedrooms themselves. The dining room, warmed by a wood or yak-dung stove, is where you'll actually spend your evenings talking about your day and discussing the plan with your guide for the next day. This is honestly the best part of most nights on this trek; getting to know about your guide, porters and other fellow trekkers in a warm room.
Hot showers are usually available at teahouses below about 4,000m for a small fee (roughly $3-$5, more as you climb the gas has to be carried up by hand). Above that, don't expect one, and do not take showers often, especially the night before your Kala Patthar push and before crossing the three high passes.
Wi-Fi is available at most teahouses on the trail for a small daily charge of USD$2-3, but it gets patchy to practically non-existent once you're past Gokyo and heading toward the three high passes. Also, for charging your phone or camera, bring a power bank, because paying per charge at 5,000m adds up to your expense fast.
As this trek passes through some of the more popular villages like Namche Bazaar, Phakding, and Gokyo, you'll find slightly more comfortable teahouses here compared to the higher, more remote stops. If you're looking for an upgrade to luxury lodges,it is available in Lukla, Phakding, and Namche Bazaar, and can be added within this package as well but with an added cost.
Food and Meals on the Three High Passes Trek
Every meal is included across the trekking days, plus breakfast at your Kathmandu hotel.
Dal bhat (a plate of rice, lentil soup, vegetable curry, pickle) is the trek's staple and most reliable meal at every altitude, and it's usually all-you-can-eat. Our guides and porters eat it themselves almost every day on the trail. They are true to a famous Nepali saying “Dal Bhat Power, 24 hour”.
Below and in Namche, the menu has lots of options: eggs, pancakes, porridge, noodles, pasta, pizza, momos, Tibetan bread, soups. But once you're above 3,500m or so, this option narrows down a bit. Dal bhat, noodle soup, Tibetan bread, and porridge stay reliable, and you can usually still find fried rice or pasta at Dingboche and Lobuche. Even though the menu shrinks, you must have your fill so that you are fit and energized to complete your trek.
One thing we always mention: avoid meat above Namche. Most teahouses this high up don't have a reliable refrigerator, and the meat could be a few days old. So, to avoid any kind of sickness, it’s best to look out for your meal choice.
Vegetarian trekkers or trekkers with any sort of allergies are advised to inform us when booking the trek, so that we can inform the tea houses about your condition beforehand to prevent any kind of mix up in your meals.
NOTE: You can add a cook guide to come along the trek to ensure that your dietary restrictions are kept in mind while preparing any meal for you. They will personally prepare your meal according to your requirement throughout the trek.
Also, it is always a best option to bring snacks from Kathmandu if you can. Chocolate, nuts, energy bars are cheaper there, and very useful to grab a bite during your trek or on the Kala Patthar and base camp days when options are limited.
Why Trek Three High Passes with Advent Himalaya Treks?
Anyone can get you to Three High Passes. What we think actually matters is who you're doing it with, and what happens around, before and after the trek.
- We're a family-run business, not a franchise. Advent Himalaya Treks was started by Babu with his family by his side and is still run day-to-day by the same family. When you email us or message on WhatsApp before you book, you're talking to Babu who actually knows about the trek you are asking about, not a chatbot or AI.
- Your guide has more than a decade of experience. The guide from our team who you will trek with will be an experienced guide who has completed this specific trek at least 9-10 times, and has been the main guide for at least 5 times. Also, an assistant guide with 2-3 years of experience will be on the trek with you if you have a large group.
- Come learn to make momo with our family. Before or after your trek, you're invited into our family's kitchen for a hands-on momo-making session either for lunch or dinner; anything that works with you. You will get to learn the recipe that has been in our family for decades, taste the actual local and authentic momo; the one we actually cook at our home. It's a small thing, but it's the experience our guests bring up for a long time. Also, if you want to learn to make any other dishes, our family is ready to share the recipe and cook it together with you.
- Our guides and porters are basically part of the family. Many of our guides and porters have been with us since the beginning, climbing each step alongside. Dawa has been with us for 19 years, and is there on almost every trek.
- Private airport pickup/dropoff. Either Babu, Meera or both of them will be there with a private vehicle to welcome you at the airport as well as to drop you off for your flight back home.
- Tailor made itineraries. This package you see is a standard structure of how the journey looks like. Each and everything seen in this package can be changed and accommodated as per your or your groups’ preference.
- We handle the behind the scene stuff so you don't have to worry about it. Permits, Lukla flight rerouting, weather delays, gear rental if you need it; we sort it in the background so your energy goes toward the trek, not logistics.
- A real, in-person briefing before you fly to Lukla. You'll sit down with Babu or your assigned guide at our office or in the hotel you are staying at, walk through the route, the altitude plan, a gear check, and ask anything that's on your mind. Most of our guests tell us that the trip starts feeling real to them after this briefing.
- No gear? We've got you covered. Advent Himalaya Treks can provide you with a sleeping bag and down jacket if you don’t have one. And if you require any other gears such as poles, gloves, a headlamp, crampons our team will help you purchase it at Thamel or take you to a rental place if you just want to rent it.
- Personalized support. You will be provided with personalized support throughout your time in Nepal. If you or your group are sensitive to new food or have specific allergies, a cook guide will be assigned to you and your team during the trek to ensure that your meal is properly taken care of.
