Three Passes in Everest: Ideal for Adventure Photography
Nepal’s Three Passes Everest trek is an experience of a lifetime for dedicated trekkers and photographers and offers some of the world’s most breathtaking scenery in the highest mountain range on earth, unspoiled beauty, alpine severity, and living cultures. Whether you’re an adventurer looking for your next high or photographer looking for real awe-inspiring landscapes, the Three Passes trek is one you’ll never forget.
Here, in this blog, we will be discussing why the Three Passes trek is a non-typical adventure photography experience compared to the rest of the treks of the region, why the trek is unique, how and when to do it as much as best time and, tips on how to make it happen for you along the way.
What is the Three Passes Trek?
Three Passes trek is a high altitude trekking tour in Nepal with three high mountain pass crossings of the Everest region, i.e., Kongma La (5,535m / 18,159ft), Cho La (5,420m / 17,782ft) and Renjo La (5,340m / 17,520ft). The trek is one of the most satisfying but challenging treks of the country, apart from providing the trekkers with stunning views of Mount Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and other peaks, also provides pristine landscape of the Khumbu valley.
It is longer and more challenging than the standard camp (EBC) trek and requires greater physical conditioning and technical expertise. It is of 18-22 days depending on the route followed and is marked by trekking on challenging trails such as glaciers, rocky ridges, and snow passes.
Below is a very brief overview of each of the three passes of the Three Passes trek:
1. Kongma La (5,535 m / 18,159 ft)
The Kongma La is the highest trekking pass and provides one of the most challenging but gratifying experiences for trekking adventure seekers. It is a steep and rocky pass situated between the Lobuche and Chhukung valleys and demands physical stamina as well as technical know-how, particularly in winter or spring when snowfall accumulation renders the route even more challenging to climb. Kongma La ascent is walking on rock trails, loose scree, and snow, but once the top is achieved, the scenery is ispicture-perfectlyy stunning. Panoramic vistas of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and other neighboring peaks from the summit are a photographer’s delight to capture outstanding high-altitude photographs. Climbing the summit of Kongma La is tiring, but the thrill of doing this pass is indescribable. The trek to the pass is a great trek and one of the most stunning mountain views on the entire trek.
The climb down from the pass to the other side to Chhukung is half a day and has great photographic opportunities of eroded Khumbu landscape, its snowy peaks, and alpine landscape. As the pass is very high, the trek itself also provides very good photography opportunities of glaciers, saw-tooth ridges, and glacial valleys off the beaten track in the lower and tourist areas of the nation.
2. Cho La (5,420 meters / 17,782 feet).
The second of the Three Passes trek, Cho La, is also possibly the most challenging trek physically, as it involves steep slopes, rock faces, and ice plateaus. It is not far from Gokyo and Dzongla, and Cho La serves as a crucial connector between the region of the Everest Base Camp and Gokyo Valley. The route to Cho La is dangerous, especially in spring or winter when the trail can be covered with snow and therefore even more risky to walk on. The way down is also dangerous, with some of it done by ice walking and loose scree handled very carefully.But for those who make it through the Cho La, some of the most breathtaking scenery in the Everest Region awaits.
Cho La has some very dramatic moments of theatre to be filmed on celluloid. Climbers are transported over the pass on alpine-sized ice, rock face, and lakes, with occasional glimpses of Everest, Lhotse, and other grand ridges in the vicinity. The second half of the day provides an open landscape that is ideal for wider shots, where you can capture not only the summit of the mountain but also an unbroken wilderness view below. Blue-green lakes and the tranquility of the Gokyo Valley are even more awe-inspiring after having struggled to cross the pass. Landscape and isolation of Cho La are two of the most rewarding passes to capture on this whole trek.
3. Renjo La (5,340m / 17,520ft)
The last of the last of the Three Passes trek, Renjo La, lies between Thame and Gokyo. The shortest of the three, but perilous in itself by virtue of how high it is and the awful weather. The walk to Renjo La provides stunning panorama shots of Everest, Makalu, Lhotse, and Cho Oyu, and the chance to capture the Gokyo Lakes, which mirror the snow-topped peaks surrounding them. The path to the pass is half rock-studded and steep, but also the least crowded of the three passes, so a less crowded, more personal trekking experience.
Renjo La contains some of the finest photographs on trek, particularly of Gokyo Valley and Gokyo Lakes. The pass itself offers a great view with a panorama out over the Khumbu countryside. On a good day, you can take a photo of the entire grandeur of Everest and the surrounding peaks from Renjo La, and it is a photographer’s paradise. Renjo La is also beautiful with views of surrounding valleys and hills, and less people conditions than on the more crowded trails near Namche Bazaar and Everest Base Camp. Renjo La is therefore a perfect spot to capture high-altitude landscape shots with fewer trekkers in the scene, which a very coveted by nature and adventure photographers.
They provide a wonderful impression of each pass, terrain, obstruction, and photo stop it offers.
Three Passes Trek perfect for Adventure Photography
1. Breathtaking Mountain Sceneries
As you go through the passes, you are treated to unparalleled scenery of the world’s highest mountains. Mt Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, and Cho Oyu provide the background for some of the finest landscape photography opportunities in the world. Rock peaks, snow-capped glaciers, valleys, and alpine forests provide you with more than enough subjects to photograph.
Best Photo Spots: Show Everest’s size, Lhotse’s ominous ridges, and Makalu’s appealing uniqueness from a wealth of diverse perspectives on the hike. Sunrise and sunset on these giants are magnificent in the warm light.
2. High-Altitude Lakes and Glaciers
Your walk comes across a series of high-altitude lakes like the Gokyo Lakes reflected by white capped mountains lining them in glittering crystal clear shine. Mirror calm lakes are ideal for pan photography to bracket a reflection shot with sky and even mountains. Ngozumpa Glacier-longest glacier of Khumba valley is another location to try and freeze peaceful nature.
Best Camera Moments: morning photo of Gokyo Lakes if there won’t be any ripples on the lakes’ water, and reflection of about peaks can’t be evaded. Even the glacier has still another unique job to accomplish, it provides a good view of ice and a good landscape!
3. Sherpa culture and Villages, something special
You will be required to trek through remote Sherpa villages like Namche Bazaar, Dingboche, and Lobuche, where you might want to capture Sherpa culture and Sherpa life experiences in your camera. Villages are made up of reddish-brick-colored villages, Buddhist monasteries, and reddish-brick-colored prayer flags, with the appearance of blowing and billowing over hills’ slopes.
Best photography scenes: Sherpa villagers dressed in their traditional attire, later used prayer wheels, and monks in local monasteries. Rich culture and hostile high-altitude environments: great photogenic dramas.
4. Challenging and Diverse Terrain
The Three Passes trek is so varied that there will never be room enough to cover it all. Mountain ridge and climbs, glacial lakes, grassy meadows, rhododendron forest – at every turn on the trek we were constantly discovering new ways of composing a photo! The ice trails/suspension bridge walk just enhances the drama of the photos.
Best Shots: Position the trekkers in front of such titans, small suspension bridges over giant canyons, and small ridges on a monolith, a ridgeline sequence of mountains.
5. Flora and Fauna
Khumbu is also full of Fauna and Flora, such as the Himalayan Tahr species, snow leopard, vultures, pheasants, musk deer, etc. Flora is in large numbers, grazing over the alpine grassland, junipers, and rhododendron bushes, all of which are plentiful, having more than enough wildflowers during spring and filling your picture with more than enough colors.
Best Time to Visit the Three Passes Trek for Photography
The most favorable time of the year to visit for the Three Passes trek photoshoot is pre-monsoon (spring) and post-monsoon (autumn):
Spring (March to May): Weather is ideal to capture the colorful flowers of the region. There are flowers in bloom, and the air is fresh with expansive hill views. Spring is very hot, and the trek is full of trekkers.
Autumn (September to November): Blue sky and fresh air, great light, and visibility for perfect photography. Fewer rains are also experience during autumn, so it is less probable that your mountain photos will get clouded.
Equipment for Adventure Trekking Photography of the Three Passes
You need good equipment in order to capture the grandeur of the Everest landscape. Some of the must-have equipment to carry along is explain below:
1. Camera Equipment
- DSLR or Mirrorless Camera: Offers higher quality images and more flexibility per shot type.
- Wide-Angle Lens (16-35mm or 24-70mm): Excellent for capturing sweeping wide scenes, mountain landscapes, and panos.
- Telephoto Lens (70-200mm or 100-400mm): Excellent for capturing distant wildlife shots or for flying around distant summits.
- Tripod: A travel tripod will help in capturing long-exposure shots during dawn and dusk.
- Extra Batteries and Memory Cards: Cold batteries drain quickly, so carry plenty of spares. Carry as many memory cards as it will take to hold all your photos.
2. Protective Camera Gear
Camera Rain Cover: Dry and snow-free glacier hiking or brief snowstorms.
Lens Cleaning Kit: Dust and moisture accumulate quickly in the Himalayan environment, and so a clean lens equals tack-sharp photography.
3. Drones (Optional)
The drone can capture the scenery of great mountains and valleys from a higher altitude, having unobstructed vision of the area. Make sure to take note of what is regulate locally, provided it is about operating drones, and adhere to all of them.
Photography Tips for the Three Passes Trek
Photograph At Golden Hours
Soft warm light at dawn and sunset—the golden hours—add depth, contrast, and a touch of magic to mountain landscapes. Golden hours in the Everest range give the ideal light to capture white peaks golden and pink against dark dark blue sky. Dawnlight also gives bluer heavens and less haze, ideal to put Everest and his friends in top condition.
Use a Polarizer Filter
Polarizing filter is a great piece of equipment for serious photography, particularly when outdoors in snowy or reflective weather like in the Himalayas. Not only does it stop glare on water, snow, and wet rock but improves the color of your landscape photo’s color so that it looks more vivid. Darkens the sky and contrasts the sky so your photos result in lighter and darker in color without needing post-processing.
Watch the Details.
Other than panoramas, detail tells your travel story. Tightly cropped rock and ice, whirligig prayer wheels, or snow prints are all details so small, butthey provide variety and credibility to your video. Close-ups are what make the intimacy as well as the respite from the grandeur of wide shots.
Be Patient and Attentive
Light in Everestland changes, and your moment-in-time shot is already there waiting to be snap. Clouds will shroud a summit for a brief instant and lift once more; shafts of light will transform an uninteresting second otherwise into that of magic. Having the location provides one with the leeway to wait and react to the moments that exist briefly to allow one to present them as spontaneous and real.
Be Respectful of Local Culture
Local people and the people of the Everest region must be respect and photographed politely. First, permission must be ask before photographing a person, and, by all means, must not go inside anyone’s home or religious places. Sherpa culture is respectful and polite, and being respectful is a guaranteed method of gaining trust and authenticity in images.
Conclusion
The Three Passes trek not only requires a lot from the trekkers, but also is heaven for adventure photographers. Its highest points at high altitudes, its high-altitude lake, its Sherpa village, and the diversity of landscapes transform the Everest region into a treasure house full of endless possibilities for photographers to have the best. And if you visited there at its right time of year, bag in hand and gear, and if you sat patiently out waiting for some good photographs, then you would have been able to imagine its magnificence and beauty.
Take your kit bag, fill your camera, and go capture some photos of the most beautiful landscapes of the world! Contact us today at Happy Mountain Nepal, on Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok