Everest Three Passes Trek: Clockwise or Anticlockwise

Both directions are possible, but the better one depends on how you want to manage altitude, pass difficulty, and the order the hardest days come in. Places Nepal currently runs the Everest Three Passes Trek in the Kongma La → Cho La → Renjo La direction — the anticlockwise route — because it gives a more gradual altitude progression before the first pass and spaces the trek's hardest days across an itinerary that's had time to build acclimatization. That's a route-design reason, not a claim that the reverse direction is unsafe.

There is no universally superior direction for every trekker. There can be a better direction for a specific itinerary and a specific trekker's priorities — and this article works through why, rather than just asserting one answer.

Clockwise vs anticlockwise

What the two directions actually mean

Before comparing anything, it's worth being precise about the terms, because "clockwise" and "counter-clockwise" get used inconsistently across operators and trip reports.

Places Nepal's current 17-day itinerary explicitly describes its route as anti-clockwise:

Lukla → Namche → Tengboche → Dingboche → Chhukung → Kongma La → Lobuche → Everest Base Camp → Kala Patthar → Dzongla → Cho La → Thagnak → Gokyo → Renjo La → Marulung → Thame → Namche → Lukla

That matches the geometry of the loop: the route heads east from Namche toward Chhukung and Kongma La first, then north to Everest Base Camp, then west across Cho La to Gokyo, then further west and south over Renjo La back down to Thame and Namche — a full rotation that runs counter-clockwise when traced on a map.

Places Nepal's current route

The Everest Three Passes Trek is a 17-day Kathmandu-to-Kathmandu loop. We operate it in the anticlockwise direction described above, as both a fixed-departure group joining trek and a private, customized trek. This is the standard itinerary — not the only way the route can theoretically be walked, but the one Places Nepal's guides, staging, and logistics are built around.

Route A — Kongma La → Cho La → Renjo La (anticlockwise)

Lukla → Namche (2 nights) → Tengboche → Dingboche → Chhukung → Kongma La (5,535–5,540 m) → Lobuche → Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) → Kala Patthar (5,555 m) → Dzongla → Cho La (5,367 m) → Thagnak → Gokyo (2 nights) → Renjo La (5,360 m) → Marulung → Thame → Namche → Lukla

This is the route detailed day-by-day in the Everest Three Passes Trek Itinerary.

Route B — Renjo La → Cho La → Kongma La (clockwise, reversed)

 Lukla → Namche (2 nights) → Thame → Lungden → Renjo La (5,360 m) → Gokyo (2 nights) → Thagnak → Cho La (5,367 m) → Dzongla → Kala Patthar (5,555 m) → Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) → Lobuche → Kongma La (5,535–5,540 m) → Chhukung → Dingboche → Tengboche → Namche → Lukla

Reversing the route isn't just walking the same villages backward — it changes which valley you build altitude in first, which side of Cho La you approach the glaciated section from, and whether Kongma La has a dedicated staging day in front of it or not. That's the substance of the rest of this article.

What changes when you reverse the Three Passes?

Four things change in ways that matter for planning, beyond simply "the order is flipped":

1. The altitude ladder before the first pass is different. Anticlockwise builds through Tengboche (3,860 m), Dingboche (4,410 m), and Chhukung (4,730 m) — four progressively higher nights — before Kongma La. Clockwise reaches the first pass via Namche, Thame, and Lungden — a shorter, more compressed climb to Renjo La.
2. Cho La is approached from the opposite side. Anticlockwise crosses it Dzongla → Thagnak; clockwise crosses it Thagnak → Dzongla. The glaciated section and the direction of the steepest climbing are on opposite sides of the mountain.
3. Kongma La's staging changes entirely. In the current itinerary, Chhukung is a deliberate short day positioned directly before Kongma La. In the reversed direction, there's no equivalent staging point immediately before the Lobuche-to-Chhukung climb — it becomes a long push straight from the EBC/Lobuche area.
4. EBC and Gokyo swap positions in the fatigue curve. Anticlockwise puts EBC and Kala Patthar early-to-mid trek and Gokyo later, as a recovery stop before the final pass. Clockwise puts Gokyo early and EBC/Kala Patthar late, shortly before the hardest remaining pass.

Which direction gives better acclimatization?

This is the strongest argument for the direction we currently use.

On the anticlockwise route, by the time trekkers reach Kongma La — the first pass, and on Places Nepal's figures the highest of the three at 5,535–5,540 m — they've already spent a rest day at Namche (3,440 m) and slept progressively higher at Tengboche (3,860 m), Dingboche (4,410 m), and Chhukung (4,730 m). That's four nights of graduated altitude exposure, plus a scheduled acclimatization day, before the first crossing above 5,300 m.

On the clockwise route, the first pass is Renjo La, reached via Namche, Thame, and Lungden — a shorter sequence with less time spent at intermediate altitude before the body faces its first 5,000+ m crossing. The itinerary can still include a rest day at Namche, but the days between Namche and Renjo La are fewer than the days between Namche and Kongma La on the standard route.

This is a better acclimatization progression, not a guarantee against Acute Mountain Sickness. AMS can develop on either route, at any of the three passes, regardless of direction — gradual altitude gain reduces risk, it doesn't remove it.

Why the first pass matters

The first high pass is the first time a trekker has to sustain a long, steep effort above 5,000 m on this specific trek. Two things differ depending on which pass that is:

Kongma La first (anticlockwise): Trekkers arrive at Kongma La after the most gradual sleeping-altitude progression the itinerary offers, with a dedicated short staging day at Chhukung immediately before it. They're relatively fresh in terms of cumulative trekking fatigue, though the pass itself — at 5,535–5,540 m — is the highest of the three.

Renjo La first (clockwise): Trekkers reach Renjo La with less built-up altitude exposure than the Kongma La-first route provides, but with less cumulative fatigue as well, since it comes earlier in the trip. Renjo La is also the lowest and least technical of the three passes, which is part of why some operators consider it a gentler introduction to high-pass crossings, even with a shorter acclimatization runway.

Neither version is universally easier — it's a trade-off between altitude readiness and trekking freshness, and operators land on different answers.

Kongma La in each direction

Chhukung → Lobuche (anticlockwise, standard): The ascent climbs roughly 800–810 m from Chhukung over rocky, non-glaciated moraine, with a dedicated short day at Chhukung positioned directly before it for staging and final acclimatization. The descent onto the Khumbu Glacier's lateral moraine toward Lobuche is widely considered harder on the legs than the climb up.

Lobuche → Chhukung (clockwise, reversed): The same terrain, climbed in reverse — ascending from the Lobuche/EBC side and descending into Chhukung. Several independent trekking accounts describe this direction as one of the longest single pushes on the entire route, since there's no equivalent staging village immediately before the climb the way Chhukung serves the standard direction. Planning for a longer, harder single day is realistic if this direction is chosen.

Neither direction changes the pass's fundamental character: rocky, non-glaciated, and difficult primarily because of altitude and terrain rather than technical climbing.

Cho La in each direction

Dzongla → Thagnak (anticlockwise, standard): Detailed in the Cho La Pass guide. The lower approach from Dzongla is steep, rocky hiking; the glaciated section sits on the upper approach and the descent toward Thagnak.

Thagnak → Dzongla (clockwise, reversed): The glaciated section is encountered earlier in the crossing, on the climb out of the Gokyo side, rather than on the descent. Some operators describe the Gokyo-side approach as a steeper, more exposed climb through the glaciated terrain, compared with the more graded ascent from Dzongla — though this varies with season and current ice conditions, and isn't a fixed rule.

Whichever direction Cho La is crossed, the pass remains the most technically demanding of the three because of the glaciated terrain itself — crampons or microspikes may be needed depending on conditions, assessed by the guide on the morning of the crossing, regardless of which side you're climbing from.

Renjo La in each direction

Gokyo → Marulung (anticlockwise, standard): Detailed in the Renjo La Pass guide. Crossed on Day 13 of the standard itinerary, after 12 days of accumulated fatigue and two prior passes — non-glaciated and generally straightforward in isolation, but demanding in practice because of its position late in the trip.

Marulung → Gokyo (clockwise, reversed): Crossed early in the reversed itinerary, with less accumulated trekking fatigue but also less acclimatization built up beforehand. The terrain itself — steep, non-glaciated — doesn't change with direction; what changes is how fresh or how tired the trekker is when they meet it.

Hard days and recovery days

Route direction doesn't just reorder the passes — it reorders which hard days sit next to which recovery days. On our current itinerary, the hardest ("Strenuous") days are Kongma La (Day 7), the Kala Patthar-to-Dzongla traverse (Day 9), Cho La (Day 10), and Renjo La (Day 13), spread across the second and third weeks with short recovery days deliberately placed before and after several of them — Chhukung before Kongma La, Thagnak-to-Gokyo after Cho La.

Reversing the route keeps the same total number of hard days but changes their spacing. Kongma La, in particular, loses its dedicated pre-pass staging day when crossed last, since the reversed route arrives at it directly from the Lobuche/EBC area rather than from a short, deliberately easy day at Chhukung. This is route structure, not a claim about anyone's physiology — the itinerary can absorb the hard days differently depending on which order they're walked in.

Where EBC fits in

On the anticlockwise route, Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar sit early-to-mid trip — reached on Days 8–9, between the first and second pass. This means the itinerary's classic, most recognizable destination arrives before the trek's midpoint, with two more passes still ahead.

On the clockwise route, EBC and Kala Patthar would fall late in the trip, shortly before the final pass (Kongma La). For some trekkers that's a stronger closing sequence — the best-known viewpoint saved for near the end. For others, reaching EBC early is preferable because it removes the psychological weight of "the main destination" from the second half of the trek. Neither placement is objectively better; it's a pacing preference.

Where Gokyo fits in

On the anticlockwise route, Gokyo functions as a recovery and acclimatization stop coming after Cho La and before Renjo La — two nights, including the Gokyo Ri acclimatization hike, positioned deliberately between the trek's second and third passes.

On the clockwise route, Gokyo would come early, shortly after Renjo La, serving more as a scenic early highlight than a late-trip recovery point. Its role shifts from "the calm before the final push" to "an early reward," which changes the emotional shape of the trip more than it changes anything physical.

Which direction is easier?

Neither direction is easier in an absolute sense — each moves the same difficulty around rather than removing it. The anticlockwise route front-loads a longer acclimatization ladder and gives Kongma La (the highest pass) a dedicated staging day; the clockwise route front-loads less cumulative fatigue but a shorter altitude runway before the first pass, and it leaves Kongma La as one of the longest single pushes on the route, without staging support beforehand. Which of those trade-offs feels "easier" depends on whether a trekker finds altitude exposure or accumulated fatigue the more limiting factor personally.

Which direction is safer?

Direction alone does not determine safety. Safety on any given day depends on acclimatization, weather, snow and ice conditions, route conditions, fitness, experience, group pace, and guide judgment — all of which apply regardless of which way the loop is walked. A well-designed itinerary can reduce avoidable difficulty by sequencing passes and rest days sensibly, but no direction eliminates the risks of crossing three passes above 5,300 m.

The anticlockwise route's more gradual altitude progression is a genuine, structural advantage for acclimatization — that's a real difference, not marketing language. It is not the same claim as "anticlockwise is safe and clockwise is dangerous." Both directions are walked by experienced trekkers and operators; the difference is in itinerary design, not a safety cliff on one side.

Does direction affect crowds?

Direction can influence which way trekkers encounter the flow of traffic on shared sections of trail — for example, meeting other groups coming the opposite way through Namche or Gokyo — but overall crowd levels on any given day depend far more on season and current trekking volume than on which direction any individual party is walking. Since the anticlockwise direction is the more commonly operated route, trekkers going clockwise may find themselves moving against the general flow of Three Passes traffic at some points, though this is a minor logistical detail rather than a meaningful advantage or drawback either way.

Does direction affect scenery?

The landscape itself doesn't change — both directions pass through the same four valleys and cross the same three summits. What changes is the sequence in which viewpoints appear, and, at each pass, whether the most dramatic view sits ahead of you or behind you as you crest the summit. Crossing anticlockwise, the approach from Namche toward Chhukung keeps Everest and Ama Dablam largely in view ahead of the trekker on that stretch; some accounts of the clockwise direction note that key views — the Gokyo Lakes from Renjo La, the glacier from Cho La — sit directly ahead rather than behind on the way up, which some trekkers prefer. Neither direction has objectively better scenery — it's the same landscape experienced in a different order.

Does direction matter by season?

Spring and autumn are the two recommended windows for the Everest Three Passes Trek regardless of direction — see the Cho La Pass guide and Kongma La Pass guide for pass-specific seasonal detail. Direction doesn't change which months are favorable; conditions on the day — snow, ice, wind, visibility — matter more than which side of a pass a trekker approaches from, in either season.

Winter conditions can be significantly more condition-dependent on either direction, with more snow and ice affecting whichever pass is crossed under worse conditions on a given day. There's no blanket rule that one direction is closed and the other is open in winter — actual trail and weather conditions determine what's viable, assessed on the ground rather than decided months in advance.

Is it better to do the hardest pass first or last?

There's no universal winner here — it's a genuine trade-off.

Hardest pass first (Kongma La, anticlockwise):

• For: Fresher legs, less cumulative trekking fatigue when tackling the highest pass
• Against: Less time for the body to fully adapt to the demands of sustained high-altitude effort on this specific route, though the standard itinerary's altitude ladder still gives a real acclimatization runway beforehand

Hardest pass last (Kongma La, clockwise):

• For: Maximum acclimatization and route experience by the time the highest pass arrives
• Against: Maximum accumulated fatigue, and — on the reversed route specifically — no dedicated staging day immediately before the climb, making it one of the longest single pushes on the trip

Applied to Kongma La specifically: Places Nepal's anticlockwise route chooses "fresher legs, dedicated staging day" over "more acclimatized, more fatigued." Both are defensible design choices; this is the reasoning behind the current one.

Who should choose each direction?

Choose the Places Nepal direction (anticlockwise) if:

• You want the current, fully operational 17-day itinerary with established staging and guide logistics
• You prefer a gradual, well-tested altitude progression before the first pass
• This is your first Three Passes trek, even if you have prior high-altitude experience
• You want Kongma La — the highest pass — approached with a dedicated staging day beforehand

Consider the reversed (clockwise) direction if:

• You're an experienced high-altitude trekker with a specific reason to prefer this order
• You specifically want Renjo La first and Gokyo early in the trip
• You're arranging a private, customized trek where the operator has the logistics in place to support the reverse direction
• Current trail or weather conditions make one direction more practical than the other on your specific dates

Who should choose which direction

Private vs group joining

Places Nepal's fixed-departure group joining Everest Three Passes Trek follows the standard anticlockwise itinerary and schedule described above, at the published group rate. A private, customized trek offers more flexibility around pace, buffer days, side trips, and — for trekkers who specifically want it — route direction, since a private itinerary isn't tied to a fixed group schedule the way a joining departure is.

That flexibility isn't unconditional. Reversing the direction, adding buffer days, or adjusting acclimatization schedules on a private trek depends on current trail conditions, permit logistics, and what the operator's guide team can realistically support on the requested dates — not every private departure can accommodate every request.

Places Nepal's route map

Elevation and acclimatization comparison

Our recommendation

Places Nepal operates the Everest Three Passes Trek Kongma La → Cho La → Renjo La, and recommends this direction for the great majority of trekkers, for reasons grounded in the current itinerary's structure rather than marketing:

• Acclimatization: the route reaches its highest pass only after four nights of graduated altitude exposure and a scheduled rest day at Namche — the most conservative altitude progression the itinerary can offer before a 5,300+ m crossing.
• Staging: Kongma La, the highest and in most assessments the most physically demanding pass, gets a dedicated short day at Chhukung immediately beforehand. Crossed in the reverse direction, it becomes a long push with no equivalent staging point.
• Recovery placement: Gokyo sits after Cho La and before Renjo La, functioning as a genuine two-night recovery stop between the trek's second and third hardest days — exactly where a recovery stop is most useful given the itinerary's fatigue curve.
• Renjo La as the closing pass: the least technically demanding of the three passes is crossed last, which is a deliberate trade-off — Renjo La is harder in practice at that point due to accumulated fatigue, but it doesn't carry Kongma La's altitude or Cho La's glaciated terrain on top of that fatigue.

This is a route-design recommendation, not a claim that the reverse direction is unsafe or that Places Nepal considers it inferior for every trekker. Experienced high-altitude trekkers with a specific reason to prefer Renjo La first — wanting Gokyo early, or a particular pacing preference — can pursue the reversed direction through a private, customized itinerary, discussed directly with the Places Nepal team.

Trek the Three Passes with Places Nepal

Places Nepal operates a 17-day Kathmandu-to-Kathmandu Everest Three Passes Trek, crossing Kongma La, Cho La, and Renjo La in that order, alongside Everest Base Camp, Kala Patthar, the Gokyo Lakes, Gokyo Ri, and the Sherpa village of Thame. The route is available as a fixed-departure group joining trek, at published group rates, and as a private, customized trek for solo travelers, couples, and private groups. See the Everest Three Passes Trek page for current pricing, departure dates, and inclusions, or the full 17-day itinerary for the day-by-day breakdown.

Prefer the opposite direction or a different pace? Speak with the Places Nepal trekking team about a private, customized Three Passes itinerary and current route conditions via WhatsApp.

FAQ

Is the Everest Three Passes Trek better clockwise or anticlockwise? Neither is universally better. Anticlockwise (Kongma La first) gives a more gradual acclimatization progression and is the direction most operators, including Places Nepal, run. Clockwise (Renjo La first) can suit experienced trekkers with a specific reason to prefer that pass order.

Which direction does Places Nepal recommend? Anticlockwise — Kongma La → Cho La → Renjo La — as the current, standard, fully operational itinerary.

What is the order of the three passes? On Places Nepal's route: Kongma La (Day 7), Cho La (Day 10), Renjo La (Day 13). Reversed, the order is Renjo La, Cho La, Kongma La.

Is Kongma La first or Renjo La first? On the standard anticlockwise route, Kongma La is first. On the reversed clockwise route, Renjo La is first.

Which direction gives better acclimatization? Anticlockwise, because it builds through four progressively higher overnight stops (Tengboche, Dingboche, Chhukung) before reaching the first pass, rather than the shorter Namche–Thame–Lungden sequence on the clockwise route.

Is clockwise easier? Not straightforwardly. It offers less cumulative fatigue before the first pass but a shorter acclimatization runway, and it turns Kongma La — the highest pass — into a long push with no dedicated staging day beforehand.

Is anticlockwise safer? It offers a more gradual altitude progression, which is a genuine structural advantage, but no direction eliminates the risks of crossing three passes above 5,300 m. Safety on any given day depends on conditions, preparation, and guide judgment regardless of direction.

Which direction is better for Cho La? The standard Dzongla-to-Thagnak direction is the more commonly operated approach. The reversed Thagnak-to-Dzongla direction encounters the glaciated section earlier in the crossing; some describe it as a steeper approach, though conditions on the day matter more than the direction itself.

Which direction crosses Cho La from Dzongla to Thagnak? The anticlockwise (Places Nepal standard) direction.

Which direction is better for experienced trekkers? Either can work. Experienced trekkers sometimes choose the reversed direction for a specific reason — Renjo La first, or a different pacing preference — but experience alone doesn't make one direction the "correct" choice.

Which direction is better for first-time Three Passes trekkers? Anticlockwise, for the more conservative acclimatization progression and the established staging around Kongma La.

Does direction affect altitude sickness risk? Direction affects the acclimatization progression, which is a real factor in AMS risk — but it doesn't eliminate risk on either route. Gradual ascent reduces risk; it doesn't remove it.

Does direction affect crowds? Minimally. Crowd levels depend mainly on season; direction mostly affects which way you encounter traffic on shared trail sections, since anticlockwise is the more commonly operated route.

Does direction affect the scenery? The landscape is identical either way. Direction changes the sequence viewpoints appear in and whether the dramatic view at each pass summit sits ahead of or behind the trekker.

Can a private Three Passes trek be reversed? Yes, in principle, subject to current trail conditions, permit logistics, and what the operator's guide team can support on the requested dates.

Can weather force you to change direction? Not typically the whole route direction, but weather can force a delay, reroute, or postponement of an individual pass crossing on any itinerary, in either direction.

Is the current Places Nepal route clockwise or anticlockwise? Anticlockwise.

Can I request the opposite direction? On a private, customized trek, this can be discussed with the Places Nepal team — it depends on current conditions and logistics, not something guaranteed by default.

Is Kongma La harder if crossed in the opposite direction? The terrain and altitude are the same either way, but crossing from Lobuche to Chhukung (the reversed direction) removes the dedicated staging day the standard direction provides, which several trekking accounts describe as making it one of the longest single pushes on the whole route.

Is Renjo La easier than Kongma La? Renjo La is generally considered less technically demanding and lower in altitude, but it's crossed after significant accumulated fatigue on the standard itinerary, which affects how it actually feels on the day.

Is Cho La the most technical pass? Yes, generally — its glaciated upper section and descent make it the most technically involved of the three, regardless of which direction it's crossed from.