Island Peak Climbing

After breakfast we fly to Tenzing-Hillary Airport in Lukla. The landing at the sloping runway is nearly dramatic. We then have a short trek through Lukla up to Phakding. Stay overnight in Phakding.

With crossings of Dudh Koshi river and views of Mt. Thamserku, we reach Sagarmatha National Park where you’ll be required to present your trekking permits and walk from there to Namche Bazaar, the gateway to Khumbu region. As we walk towards Namche Bazaar, we will see closeup views of Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse and others. Overnight at Namche Baazar.

We stay in this amazing mountain village for the day acclimatizing. For short bursts of physical fitness we hike to various places close to this habitation such as Khumjung and Syangboche. If you want to stay in Namche Bazaar itself, you should take short hikes and then visit shops, cybercafes, restaurants or the local market.

Today we walk to Tengboche with wonderful views of Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Everest, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Nuptse and Mt. Thamserku. If lucky enough, we may spot some wildlife at the highest of altitudes. These might be Himalayan thars, musk deers or blood pheasants. We then climb uphill, follow the path through pine-forests and reach Phunki Thenga, a sort of hamlet. After a relaxed lunch at Phunki Thenga we walk up to Tengboche, home to the biggest Buddhist monastery in Khumbu. In Tengboche, we stay for the night at a lodge.

The monastery in Tengboche and the surroundings look spectacular. We walk down for about half an hour, cross the river and start trekking up towards a drier land. We then cross a traditional Sherpa village of Pangboche and climb upwards to a small hill giving in to a wide mountain valley called Pheriche. Overnight stay at a lodge.

In the morning after breakfast, we begin easy walk to reach Dugla, and beyond a steep moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. As the trail drops, suddenly we find ourselves face to face with several great peaks - the most prominent ones being Khumbutse, Mahalangur and Pumori in the vicinity of Everest. Overnight in Lobuche.

Each year the trail changes due to the movements of the glacier, so keep a close follow of the team leader. Due to thin air, the walk is strenuous as we pass among rock and moraine until we reach the base camp. You will immediately notice that Everest Base Camp is lively and very much happening. Wannabe climbers and resters alike enjoy in this out-of-the-world location. Camps and tents stand out in bright colors. Although Everest itself if not visible, the more prominent ones are Khumbutse, Nuptse, and Pumori. From here you can move on to Kala Patthar for a dramatic sunset and then get back to Gorak Shep for the night.

We begin the day with an amazing close-up sunrise over Mt. Everest. Next, during several hours of ascent to Kala Patthar, we can pause to catch our breath at several outstanding vistas. Sitting on top of Kala Patthar, many will feel a cosmic epiphany as our eyes gaze hungrily around one of the rarest panoramas on this planet. Getting being back to Gorak Shep and then back down to Labuche for the night.

Trekking via Khumbu Glacier to Kongma-La Base Camp continues with a difficult ascend to Kongma pass. Once through the pass, we gradually walk up the Imja Khola valley to Chhukung, a small summer settlement. Overnight in Chhukung. As an alternative, if you do not want to go through Kongma-La pass, you can follow a route from Dingboche to Chhukung.

From Chhukung, the path climbs south and turns east. It then winds below the southern flank of the moraine of Lhotse Glacier. As we continue a pleasant walk, we come across a criss-cross route through the Imja and Lhotse glacier moraines leading to a wide valley on the south-western side of Island Peak. This is the Island Peak Base Camp where we stay overnight; but before that our guides will help you practice using climbing gears such as ice-picks, boots and crampons, harnesses, ascender, ropes, etc.

In a few hours’ walk, we move to Island Peak High Camp. Although about four hundred feet high from the base camp, the path ascends up the steep hillside. As we move to higher ground, we will see that the slope narrows and the trail enters a steep rock channel. Overnight at Island Peak High Camp.

We begin our climb very early in the morning. Climbing several short rock steps to emerge on the right side of a gully, we follow a ridgeline. The ridge leads us to an exposed part near the snout of the summit glacier. The guides will fix a rope where necessary, as we need to move over several crevasses before finally coming up at the summit. With hearts filled with glory and pride, we descend back to Chhukung.

The weather might not be favorable for the day of summit, hence the need for a spare day; but if the trip goes as planned, we do not need to allocate this extra day.