Island Peak Expedition

Day 1 is arrival day. We’ll be picking you up from the airport and checking you in to the Kathmandu Guest House. Kathmandu airport can be a bit of an experience unto itself. Once you’ve navigated your way out you’ll be met by your LHO team leader. Depending on what time you arrive you’ll benefit from a tour of Kathamdu which includes Durbar Square, Boudhanath Stupa and Thamel. At 8:00pm we’ll have a team dinner and briefing before heading back to the hotel for gear checks and last minute preparations.

We’ll start our day early and aim to depart the hotel no later than 5am to catch our flight to Lukla. The flight itself takes around 30 minutes although we should expect around a 2-hour delay pre-departure as is typical in Nepalese aviation. Once in Lukla we’ll be met by our porters for the expedition. Depending on the the time of arrival we’ll have the chance to briefly roam around the town and grab tea before heading out on the first section of our trek. The trek to Phakding is relatively easy. There are very few uphill sections and we’ll largely be trekking in alpine forest and between the better developed villages of the Khumbu region. We usually arrive early on the first day and don’t expect to walk for more than 4 hours. It’s a great chance to check out the town and sample your first Everest region German bakery experience. Yes, you read that right!

We’ll start our day early and aim to depart the hotel no later than 5am to catch our flight to Lukla. The flight itself takes around 30 minutes although we should expect around a 2-hour delay pre-departure as is typical in Nepalese aviation. Once in Lukla we’ll be met by our porters for the expedition. Depending on the the time of arrival we’ll have the chance to briefly roam around the town and grab tea before heading out on the first section of our trek. The trek to Phakding is relatively easy. There are very few uphill sections and we’ll largely be trekking in alpine forest and between the better developed villages of the Khumbu region. We usually arrive early on the first day and don’t expect to walk for more than 4 hours. It’s a great chance to check out the town and sample your first Everest region German bakery experience. Yes, you read that right!

We’ll be staying in Namche Bazaar for a second night as we allow our bodies to adapt to the high-altitude environment. After a late breakfast we’ll visit the local museum and then ascend to the Everest View Hotel 400 meters above the town. From there we’ll be able to see Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Everest in the distance. Lunch will be in Namche Bazaar and the afternoon will be free for us to roam around and explore. If any of us need to purchase extra gear that too is possible at this point.

Easily one of the highlights of this trek is the monastery at Tyangboche that sits at the foot of Ama Dablam and serves as a gateway to the highest mountains on the planet. The trek starts early in Namche Bazaar as we make our way out of the villages and onto the main trail that leads into the deep Khumbu valley. It begins with a flat path and slowly winds along the mountain side before a big descent to the valley floor. Lunch will be by the river at the low point of the day before ascending to 3,800 meters where the village is situated. At 3:30pm the monastery opens for visitors and we’ll have a chance to visit and participate in the rituals of one of Buddhism’s holy sites.

This is one of the longer days of our adventure together as we breach the 4,000 meter elevation mark and put the better developed low altitude villages behind us. The trail to Dingboche is mostly a gradual ascent as we turn around the iconic Ama Dablam that will accompany us on our right side throughout the day. Depending on the pace of the group we may have lunch in Pengboche or continue straight on to our final destination. Although remote, Dingboche actually has one of the best coffee shops on the trail. We’ll be sure to visit it.

We’ll be staying in Dingboche for two nights to rest and acclimatize. The tea houses in this area are relatively comfortable, giving us the opportunity to relax before pushing into the higher altitude environment. We’ll do a short trek before lunch to a nearby viewpoint but for the most part this day is dedicated to rest.

Dingboche is the last village on this trail. The tea houses from both Lobuche and Gorakshep are mostly to service trekkers and mountaineers. There are only a handful of inhabitants in both villages. The day will start with a gradual ascent towards the Thukla pass. Just before arriving to the pass we’ll be traversing what appears to be a ditch with loose rocks. This is actually the terminal moraine (end point) of the Khumbu glacier that starts on Everest itself and is one of the longest and largest high-altitude glaciers on the planet. Lunch will be at a tea house just below Thukla after which we’ll cross the pass, home to the memorials of the many mountaineers who’ve perished in the region. The final leg of our trek is less steep than the ascent to Thukla as we make our way to Lobuche (4,900m) at the foots of the south face of Mt Nuptse.

We’ll be getting another early start on this day and make our way to Gorakshep. Here we’ll check into our tea house, have an early lunch and then make our way along the glacier moraine all the way to Everest Base Camp (5,365 m). The trek to the base camp is not as steep as previous days however the high-altitude environment can make it feel challenging. Our aim is to reach the base camp and return to Gorakshep by 3pm at the latest. For those of us who’d like to, it is possible to catch the sunset above Gorakshep on Kalapathar (5,555 m) although this depends on how we’re feeling.

For those of us who’d like to catch the sunrise on Everest it is possible to go for a pre-breakfast trek up to Kalapathar to do so. For those of us who’d rather sleep in, we’ll be having an early breakfast in order to begin the long descent back to Dingboche via Lobuche. We’ll once again have lunch just below the Thukla pass before continuing the gradual section down to the town. The way back is no less spectacular as we’ll be facing first Cholatse and Tabouche summits and then Ama Dablam from an angle we won’t be familiar with from previous days. Dinner will be in Dingboche with the possibility of free time to explore, visit the coffee shop and take pictures.

With our acclimatization now fully engaged, we make our way to Chhukung, the last village before our Island Peak base camp. The town is sandwiched between Nuptse and the north face of the Ama Dablam. This will be our final stop before Island Peak base camp.

On the relatively short walk to the base camp we’ll be accompanied by the imposing south face of Lhotse. Once at the base camp, we’ll check in, have something to eat, and participate in training sessions necessary for a safe ascent.

We leave the base camp in the very early hours of the morning as we make our way up to advanced base camp before pushing for a direct ascent to the 6,160 meter summit. The first section of the climb is largely a walk on steep terrain. The last 200 meters require the use of technical gear. From the summit we’ll be able to see the summits of Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam and Makalu amongst others. After a short break, we’ll return to base camp for a short rest before descending to Chhukung for the evening.

In the event that climbing is not possible on the 18th due to weather or other conditions we have set aside November 19th as an alternative summit day. If we do manage to climb on the 18th then this will be a recovery day to relax.

We’ll return to the Tyangboche monastery directly from Chhukung with views of the Ama Dablam forming on our left-hand side. Although the trail may be familiar, the visual experience on the return leg of our journey is very different. Lunch will be at Pengboche on the route.

Next stop is Monjo but not before a short stop over in Namche Bazaar for lunch.

Our last night in the mountains will be spent in Lukla. Team members will have the chance to explore the local bars and coffee shops in the evening and celebrate the end of our adventure together.

We’ll have breakfast in Lukla before flying back to Kathmandu where a celebratory dinner awaits. For those who are interested, a city tour is available with visits to Monkey Temple and Durbar Square or you can enjoy the vibrant city bazaars and shopping districts.

The last day together is dedicated to airport transfer and farewells. Breakfast is included on the day. Please make sure to provide us with your departure details before the first day of the trip so that arrangements can be made. We’ll be arranging your shuttle 3 hours prior to departure so please do make sure to be near the hotel at the time so as not to be late. For those of us departing late we’re happy to recommend places to visit or arrange for a city tour if you weren’t able to attend it on the first day.