At 5,420 metres (17,782 ft) Cho La is one of the most fascinating summit passes located in the Solukhumbu District in northeastern Nepal. Geographically, the pass connects Dzongla village at 4,830 metres or 15,850 ft to the east, and Thagnak village at 4,700 metres or 15,400 ft to the west.
The pass takes you to the Gokyo trail in the Khumbu Everest region is a part of the Gokyo Lake Trek, and is regarded as one of the toughest.
To the west of the trail, you will find the Gokyo Lake, while crossing the Ngozumpa glacier on your way. And to the east, the trail joins the famous Everest Base Camp trek that is the high light of all the trekking trails in this sector.
Physically, it is an extremely demanding trek, not only because of the altitude and ever-changing weather conditions but because the upper surface of the glacier is unstable at places. You need special tools like ice axes and crampons that will arrest your fall in case you slip. Elementary, if not in-depth, mountaineering skills are an absolute necessity and what you MUST need is a highly experienced guide.
That is the reason if you have planned to trek in this region, you must get in touch with seasoned and reputed associations that conduct trekking in the presence of seasoned and expert local guides.
You need to be physically fit and stick to the basics of trekking to ensure safety.
If the story so far has been a bit dampening for you, fret not! You are not, after all, going to summit Mt. Everest. You are only reaching till the very foot of it. And if you can trust these words, you will have the entire heaven unfurling in front of you when you brave those little odds!
The trek would start from Lukla after you fly in from the Nepalese Capital. As you trudge along to Namche Bazaar and then beyond, you go through the fascinating hills and valleys, greenery, the ups and downs, the brooks and the streams and the little hamlets with the soulful, ever-smiling locals. You get familiar with the local customs and culture as you continue.
Then, as you continue scaling heights, things change around you, with the vegetation reducing and whiteness increasing till you are on the glacier on the subsequent days.
And then, as you move the prime sect of your Everest Base Camp Chola Pass Trek, gradually, the majestic view of the Himalayan greats like ·Gokyo Pi and the Everest Kala Patthar unfurl in front of with their heavenly whiteness against a bright, cloudless blue sky.
You enjoy the hospitality of the Sherpa community and feel the piousness of the Buddhist Monasteries. You will then finally come across the crystal bright blue Gokyo lakes amid the boundless whiteness all around and the Ngozumpa Glacier with its blueish whiteness that will leave you awestruck.
And then as you inch forward to the EBC, you finally come across the Sagarmatha National Park, which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Nature all around, with the towering Mt. Everest at the backdrop, and the whiteness all around, the bright, blue sky overhead will make the trek a lifetime experience for you.
In fact, all the harshness of the trek and the physical stress that you overcome to get there will be blown off, by the sheer beauty of the place, which makes the region the true heaven on earth.
The author conducts Gokyo Lake and Everest Base Camp Chola Pass Trek and is also an experienced trekker. The author is also a popular travelogue writer.