Guides and Cho La Pass question

You don't need a guide up to Gokyo and there is plenty of accommodation along the way. You might be best to get a guide over the Cho La but can hire one at Gokyo. No need for guide after that.

I seem to remember the ticket was open back to Kathmandhu - we flew with Yeti Airlines.

There is almost no signage on the trail over cho la pass. I went from west to east and went down the wrong valley and ended up exactly where I had started that morning. another couple did the same thing I did and they had to crawl into some strangers' tent before it got completely dark.

1. Is guide/porter necessary to get the TRC for the time we are trekking? And because we will pass the Cho La pass, is a guide a must to play safe? Or we can just follow other groups (I guess by the time there should be several groups taking the routine. am I wrong?)
   
   No guide necessary except maybe Cho La, when I did it there were enough people that the way was obvious, not always the case according to the other responses.
   
   2. If a guide is a must, shall we hire one at KTM, or Lukla or Namche Bazar? How much will it cost for an around 15 days package?
   
   If you want one I would wait until Lukla, agencies in KTM may already have guides in Lukla if you want to jumpstart the process. When you gt off the plan in Lukla the guides will find you.
   
   3. Will it be a problem if we don't have a guide to arrange the accommodation? We will take stay in teahouses for the whole trail.
   
   No problem
   
   4. We will go to Nepal from Tibet. I guess the altitude should not affect us too much. In this case, which way is better to pass Cho La pass?
   
   Your trek will definateley help acclimate for Tibet. For Cho La, go to Gokyo first and cross from Gokyo into the Khumbu, the trail is more forgiving that way.
   
   5. Is the return ticket to KTM open? Or we can only postpone the day (I might read somewhere, but would like to confirm)?
   
   I don't know, I can tell you to go with a few extra days in your schedule because flights are often delayed.
   

Thanks all for the quick reply! Feel more confident for the trail now. I will probably hire a guide just for crossing Cho La pass.

I agree with the previous posts - no guide is necessary for the trail to Gokyo or the trail to Everest, but, unless you have fantastic maps and are very confident at orienteering, the trail across the Cho La does require a guide, as it is not signed at all and it is very hard to follow. Much of it is over bare rock, snow or the shifting surface of a glacier. When I got to Gokyo, my friend and I just latched on to a guided group that was doing the pass - they were very nice. If you can't find a group, you can hire a guide in Gokyo or even in Tagnag (the town just at the base of the pass). However, even getting to Tagnag from Gokyo is tricky without a guide, so I think that hiring the guide at Gokyo is a better idea. The cost should be modest - I'd guess $10-$15 a day.