Why Cho Oyu is famous
Cho Oyu is the westernmost major peak of the Khumbu section of the Mahalangur Himal and the sixth-highest summit in the world. Its reputation rests on its normal route: the north-west side has no long steep walls, the upper slopes are moderate and the mountain can be skied. It has the lowest ratio of deaths to summits of all eight-thousanders; between 1950 and 2006, 0.65 per cent of expedition members and staff going above base camp died, against 4.04 per cent on Annapurna I. By mid-2010 about 2,790 people had reached the summit, more than on any eight-thousander except Everest. Guiding companies often send clients here first to see how they cope with 8,000 m before Everest.
"Easiest" is a relative word. Cho Oyu has killed dozens of climbers, the summit day is long and cold, and the true highest point lies at the far end of a broad plateau that many people never reach.
The height: 8,188 or 8,201 m
When it was first climbed Cho Oyu was thought to be about 8,150 m high and ranked behind Dhaulagiri and Manaslu. A survey in 1984 gave 8,201 m and moved it up to sixth place. New measurements in 1996 by Nepal's Survey Department and the Finnish Meteorological Institute, made for the national topographic maps, put it at 8,188 m, which is now the usual figure; it is remarkably close to the 8,189 m Edmund Hillary used in 1955. Nepal's Department of Tourism still lists the peak as 8,201 m in its permit tables.
Where it is and how to get there
The summit lies on the China–Nepal border between the Tibet Autonomous Region and Nepal's Koshi Province, 20–28 km west of Everest, depending on the source. The Nangpa La (5,716–5,806 m, sources differ) is about 7.5 km to the west. The Nepalese slopes belong to Sagarmatha National Park, the Tibetan ones to the Qomolangma National Nature Reserve.
From Tibet (the usual way). Expeditions travel from Kathmandu by road to the border crossing at Kerung (Gyirong) and on to the old trading town of Tingri on the Tibetan plateau, where they spend nights acclimatising. In the past teams crossed at Zhangmu and stopped at Nyalam. From Tingri vehicles drive to the Chinese base camp on a grassy plain, at about 4,700–5,100 m depending on the source. Yaks then carry loads, often via an intermediate camp at about 5,400 m, past the Gyabrag Glacier to advanced base camp, a field of boulders at about 5,600–5,700 m, roughly a six-hour walk.
From Nepal. The south side is far steeper and rarely climbed. The Department of Tourism lists the south-east ridge as the Nepalese route and a caravan route from Lukla via Namche Bazaar and Thame to base camp; by December 2025 it had recorded only 21 summiteers on Nepalese permits.
The normal route
The standard route follows the line of 1954 on the north-west ridge and west face. From advanced base camp a rocky trail over moraine and a steep slope of loose scree, about 300 m high, leads to Camp 1 on a snow ridge at about 6,300–6,400 m (three to five hours). The climb to Camp 2 at about 7,000 m is the most technical part: an ice wall about 45 m high, climbed on fixed ropes, then a broad plateau. A 30° snow slope leads in about four hours to Camp 3 at about 7,400–7,500 m.
Summit day begins in the dark, often around 1 a.m. Above Camp 3 climbers pass the Yellow Band, a short, steep step of limestone and ice where queues often form, and continue up the west face to the summit plateau at roughly 8,000–8,100 m. The prayer flags on the plateau do not mark the summit; the true highest point is about 15 minutes farther across the plateau, at a spot with a view down to the Gokyo lakes and across to Everest. The day takes 10–12 hours. Fixed ropes are usually in place from Camp 1 upwards. Most commercial teams allow six to seven weeks from Kathmandu, including about four weeks on the mountain; many clients use bottled oxygen on the summit push, although about 70 per cent of all summiteers up to 2010 climbed without it.
Harder routes include the south-east face (Edi Koblmüller and Alois Furtner, 1978, climbed without a permit), Reinhold Messner's 1983 line on the south-west side, the south-east pillar climbed in winter by a Polish team in 1985, the north face (Slovenians, 1988), the south-west face (Wojciech Kurtyka, Erhard Loretan and Jean Troillet, 1990) and the direct south-east face of Denis Urubko and Boris Dedeshko in 2009, which won the Piolet d'Or.
Trekking: the Gokyo valley
Non-climbers see Cho Oyu best from Nepal's Gokyo valley, west of the Everest Base Camp trail. A typical trek goes from Namche Bazaar via Dole and Machhermo to Gokyo (4,750–4,790 m), a village of seven lodges on the shore of Dudh Pokhari, the main Gokyo lake; it takes about nine days out and back from Namche. From the village a three-hour climb leads to Gokyo Ri (5,357 m), where Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu are all in sight. Farther north, past the fifth lake, the viewpoint of Ngozumba Tse ("Knobby View", about 5,550 m) looks straight at Cho Oyu above the Ngozumpa Glacier, the largest glacier in Nepal. The Gokyo lakes, 19 lakes between 4,710 and 4,950 m, have been a Ramsar wetland since 2007 and are sacred to Hindus and Buddhists.
The Gokyo trek can be joined to Everest Base Camp over the Cho La (5,420 m), which may need crampons on its small glacier, or extended west over the Renjo La. The village of Thame (3,750 m), with the house of Tenzing Norgay, stands at the end of the old trade route from Tingri over the Nangpa La; yak caravans from Tibet still pass through.
Permits, costs and rules
Nepal. According to the Department of Tourism (Facts and Figures 2026), foreign climbers pay a royalty of US$3,000 in spring, US$1,500 in autumn and US$750 in winter or summer, plus a US$3,000 garbage deposit per expedition, a liaison officer and the Khumbu rules: registration with the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee in Namche and at least 8 kg of rubbish brought back per person. Trekkers pay the Sagarmatha National Park fee (NPR 3,000 for foreigners) and the local Khumbu Pasang Lhamu permit; the Nepal Tourism Board lists the Gokyo trek among the routes where a licensed guide has been required since 2023. Ward 5 of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality is a restricted area (US$20 per week for the first four weeks), so ask your agency whether a route beyond Thame enters it.
Tibet. Climbing is organised through the Chinese mountaineering authorities via a licensed agency, which also obtains the Tibet entry permit; foreigners arriving from Nepal need a special group visa issued in Kathmandu. From 2008 permits have been issued only once the whole team is present, a second check is made at a military post near Tingri, and local Tibetan staff are favoured. China can close the region at short notice: Everest and Cho Oyu were closed to climbers in spring 2008, and in 2026 China closed its side to foreign climbers in spring and again in autumn, so no foreign team climbed Cho Oyu from Tibet that year.
When to go and weather
On the Tibetan side autumn (September–October) has traditionally been the busiest season, because many guides spend spring on Everest; spring climbs are warmer and get more stable as May advances, while autumn becomes colder and more unsettled. Heavy snow can end a season early, as it did for most teams in autumn 1998. For the Gokyo trek the best months are October–November and March–May.
Water
In the Gokyo valley lodges sell boiled water, tea and bottled water; Gokyo has no shops, only lodges with a small stock of necessities at prices higher than in Namche. Treat any stream or lake water, and do not count on clean water from the lakes, which are sacred and visited by pilgrims. On the mountain the base camps are supplied by expedition kitchens; from Camp 1 upwards every litre comes from melting snow on stoves, so carry enough fuel and plan time each evening for it. Drink three to four litres a day.
Mobile coverage and internet
On the Nepalese side mobile networks cover much of the Khumbu, and Everest Link says its solar-powered Wi-Fi reaches the major areas of the Everest region, with prepaid cards sold in lodges; signal fades in side valleys and bad weather. In Tibet the main roads have had mobile coverage from repeater stations since at least the late 2000s, but expect little or nothing at the high camps; expeditions rely on satellite phones and satellite internet terminals. In Nepal satellite phones need government permission. Emergency numbers: in Nepal 100 (Police) and 1144 (Tourist Police); in China 110 (Police) and 120 (Ambulance). Helicopter rescue has historically not been available on the Tibetan side.
Altitude, dangers and safety
About 40 climbers had died on Cho Oyu by 2010. The main killers are altitude, falls and avalanches: in 1959 an avalanche at about 7,700 m killed the French climber Claude Kogan, Claudine van der Straten and two porters on an international women's expedition. The driving approach in Tibet gains altitude fast, so build in rest days at Tingri and base camp. Crevasses lie between the camps, queues at the Yellow Band leave climbers standing in the cold, and on the plateau whiteouts make it easy to lose the way down. Because the slopes look gentle, people underestimate the mountain; in 1998 a climber who had just summited died in his tent at Camp 2.
History and name
The usual translation, "Turquoise Goddess", is said to refer to the turquoise glow of the summit seen from Tibet in the afternoon light, but the etymology is uncertain. Herbert Tichy was told by a lama in Namche Bazaar that it meant "Mighty Head"; Heinrich Harrer suggested "Head of God". A legend tells that the bald god Cho Oyu turned his back on the goddess Chomolungma (Everest) because she refused to marry him.
The British Everest reconnaissance of 1921 photographed the north-west side from Tibet. In 1952 a British team led by Eric Shipton, with Edmund Hillary, George Lowe, Tom Bourdillon and Charles Evans, tried the mountain as preparation for Everest but turned back at an ice cliff above 6,650 m, partly because Shipton did not want to set up camps across the border in Tibet. Two years later the Austrian Herbert Tichy came with a small team, three Europeans and eleven Sherpas. After a storm, frostbite for Tichy and a dash by Pasang Dawa Lama down to Namche Bazaar for supplies, Tichy, Joseph Jöchler and Pasang reached the summit at 3 p.m. on 19 October 1954. It was the fifth eight-thousander to be climbed, and remained the highest summit reached without supplementary oxygen until Everest in 1978. Pasang climbed it again in 1958 with an all-Indian expedition. In 1984 Dina Štěrbová and Vera Komarkova became the first women on top, on 12 February 1985 Maciej Berbeka and Maciej Pawlikowski made the first winter ascent by a new route, and on 10 February 1993 Marianne Chapuisat became the first woman to climb any eight-thousander in winter. Ang Phuri Sherpa was the first Nepali on top, on 29 April 1987.
On 30 September 2006 Chinese border guards opened fire on a group of Tibetan refugees crossing the Nangpa La, killing the 17-year-old nun Kelsang Namtso. Climbers at Cho Oyu's advanced base camp watched it happen; a Romanian cameraman, Sergiu Matei, filmed the shooting and the Slovenian climber Pavle Kozjek photographed it, contradicting the official account.
Interesting facts
- The Norwegian ambient musician Geir Jenssen recorded sounds during his 2001 ascent and released them as the album "Cho Oyu 8201m – Field Recordings from Tibet".
- The Russian Valery Rozov made a BASE jump from about 7,700 m on Cho Oyu in 2017.
- In 1994 Carlos Carsolio climbed from base camp to the summit in 18 hours 45 minutes.
- In 1988 the Frenchwoman Véronique Périllat made the first women's descent of an eight-thousander on a monoski here; Stefan Gatt and Marco Siffredi snowboarded it in 1999 and 2000.
FAQ
How high is Cho Oyu? 8,188 m according to the 1996 survey, the sixth-highest mountain in the world. The older figure of 8,201 m is still used by Nepal's Department of Tourism and on many maps.
How long does it take to climb Cho Oyu? Six to seven weeks from Kathmandu, including about a week to reach base camp and about four weeks on the mountain. Summit day from Camp 3 takes 10–12 hours.
How difficult is Cho Oyu? It is the least technical eight-thousander: snow slopes, one ice cliff and the short rock step of the Yellow Band, all usually with fixed ropes. The difficulty is the altitude, cold and length of the expedition; previous experience at 6,000–7,000 m is expected.
Can Cho Oyu be climbed from Nepal instead of Tibet? Yes, with a Nepalese royalty of US$3,000 in spring or US$1,500 in autumn (2026), but the steeper south side is rarely climbed. The usual Tibetan route depends on China, which closed Tibet to foreign climbers in both seasons of 2026; check the current status before booking.
Where can I see Cho Oyu without climbing it? From Gokyo Ri (5,357 m) and the fifth lake above Gokyo, on a trek of about nine days out and back from Namche Bazaar.
Is there water on the way? On the Gokyo trek lodges sell boiled and bottled water; treat any natural water. On the mountain water comes from melted snow above Camp 1.
Is there mobile coverage? Largely yes on the Nepalese trekking routes, with Wi-Fi in many lodges; in Tibet along the roads but not reliably at the high camps. Emergency numbers: 100 or 1144 in Nepal, 110 or 120 in China.
When is the best time to climb Cho Oyu? Autumn (September–October) is the traditional season on the Tibetan side, spring is also possible. For trekking to Gokyo, October–November and March–May.