Gokyo Cho La Pass Trek in September

The lake record at the fourth Gokyo lake has its maximum depth, 54.7 m at the mooring, from 3 September to 12 October, so a September visitor sees the lakes at their highest. The tour FAQ says the walk follows the lateral moraine beside the Ngozumpa Glacier, not the ice, and that you see the glacier clearly between Machhermo and Gokyo.

On day 11 the first ice of the season is possible. One trekker's account, published on 25 September 2017, describes ice on the trail at dawn on the Cho La, a glacier that was incredibly slippery, and the first snow of the trip. The trekker bought a pair of microspikes for 15 dollars the night before from another hiker and found they made walking noticeably easier. The crossing was east to west, the opposite direction to ours, but the ice was the same.

The second half of the month is the better half. Himalayan Glacier puts the post-monsoon season from late September, and our tour notes name October and November as ideal. A late-September departure aims at that edge, and the nine nights above 4,000m begin with Dole on day 6.

September is the bridge from the empty monsoon to the October rush. The park recorded 1,331 entries from mid-August to mid-September 2024 and 8,902 from mid-September to mid-October. The count rises sharply at the middle of the month, so a late-September start meets the first of the autumn crowd.

Ask which Gokyo-side lodges are open for your dates.

September flights leave from Kathmandu under our flight notice, and the Manthali months begin in October. HoneyGuide's 2020 note says the rain begins to slow but the monsoon may extend, with high cancellation rates. The notice and the day table agree on the advice: leave room, because the schedule has only day 18 spare.

A cloudy morning at Lukla on day 17 uses the spare day 18 first, and the international flight sits on day 19.