Island Peak Climbing with EBC - 16 Days

During peak trekking seasons (March, April, May, September, October, and November), flights from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu to Lukla may be redirected to Manthali due to traffic congestion. To catch the early morning Lukla flight from Manthali, we'll pick you up from your hotel around 12:30 am and drive you for about 5 hours to Manthali Airport. The subsequent 20-minute flight from Manthali will take you to Lukla.

If you want to avoid the Kathmandu-Manthali-Lukla route, you can book a helicopter from Kathmandu to Lukla. The cost is approximately 550 USD per person when the expenses are shared among five individuals.

In December, January, February, June, July, or August, you will directly fly from Kathmandu to Lukla. After breakfast, we'll take you to Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) for an exhilarating 40-minute flight to Tenzing Hillary Airport in Lukla, offering breathtaking views of the Himalayan ranges.

After your exciting and scenic flight, you will land at the Tenzing Hillary Airport at Lukla. The trek begins from Lukla, passing through Chaurikharka Village and then descending to Dudh Koshi Ghat (2,530m/8,300ft) to reach Phakding.

Today's trek will be short and enjoyable as you will also be acclimatizing. In your spare time, you are free to visit the local monasteries (including Rimishung Monastery) and brace yourself for the long trek the next day.

We continue along the northern bank of the Dudh Koshi River, enjoying the majestic views all around. We will be crossing several suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi River, including the famous Hillary Suspension Bridge. Again, following the trail, we will arrive at the Sagarmatha National Park Check Post, where we will have our permits registered.

Inside the Sagarmatha National Park, we climb through dense forests and continue on a path that provides us with the first views of Mount. Everest. Trekking further, we will finally arrive at Namche Bazaar - the gateway to Everest. 

We will be acclimatizing today. You are free to explore Namche Bazaar, throbbing with numerous Wi-Fi-linked cafes and restaurants, souvenir and gear shops, etc. Additionally, you can hike to Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Center and even visit Khumjung.

We will not miss visiting Hillary School and old monasteries on our way to Khumjung. Then we will hike up to Khunde. There is a Sherpa settlement an hour away from Namche Bazaar. If you want to know about Sherpa culture, lifestyle, and traditions, you must visit this settlement.

We will also take you to Syangboche Airport - one of the world's highest airports. Unfortunately, this airport is not currently in use. If you want to see mt. Everest even more, you can hike to Everest View Hotel. Before it starts to get dark, we will head back to Namche Bazaar, visiting yak farms on the way. 

After our early morning breakfast, we will begin our trek to Tengboche, known for panoramic views of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku mountains. Tenzing Norgay, one of the first men to reach the summit of Mount Everest, was born in the area of the village of Thani and was once sent to Tengboche Monastery to be a monk.

On the way, you will enjoy the stunning views of Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, and Island Peak. The trail leads us up and down as it becomes challenging, but you will be rewarded with great views of the Himalayas. 

You can also spot wildlife on the way, such as musk deer, pheasant, and Himalayan tahr. We will further trek down, and cross the Dudh Koshi River, past the dense alpine forests to reach a small settlement called Phunki Tenga. After trekking some more, we will eventually reach Tengboche, home to the biggest Buddhist monastery in the Khumbu Region -Tengboche Monastery. This monastery was built in 1923, but the 1934 earthquake destroyed it, a fire during the early 1990s also gutted it. After the fire destroyed it, the monastery was rebuilt with the help of the Sir Edmund Hillary Fund. 

We continue our trek uphill to Pangboche, past many chortens, mani walls, and small villages. You will be able to see spectacular views of the Mt. Island peak. Following the Lobuche River, we will be entering the Imja Valley and trek on a steeply ascending trail to Dingboche. From Dingboche, we can see Island peak (6,812m) and Mt. Lhotse (8,516m). Dingboche sits surrounded by stone walls to protect crops from cold winds and animals. While plowing, these stones are removed and piled up, creating kilometers-long stone walls. 

The trek to Lobuche will be an interesting one as you will be able to see the stunning mountain views nearly throughout the path. Following the wide valley, the trail proceeds to a short uphill near a ridge of a top shrine. Then you will cross a glacial moraine and a small collection of lodges. 

As the trek elevates, you will get better views of more snow peaks throughout your way to Thukla. On the way, there are memorial statues of the climbers who could not succeed in this harsh region. The hike to Lobuche is enjoyable. 

It will be a long-awaited and rewarding day. From Lobuche, we follow the glacial moraine up as the views keep getting better. Eventually, we reach the lodges of Gorak Shep, where we will be spending the night. However, as soon as we reach Gorak Shep, we will have lunch, leave our belongings here, and proceed to Everest Base Camp (5,364m).

After reaching Everest Base Camp, you will probably realize that this is the nearest you will ever be to the world's highest mountain - Everest. You will be savoring the views from the base camp, including the incredible Khumbu Icefall, and may even feel emotional to achieve this feat you had planned long ago. After spending some quality time at EBC, you will head back to Gorak Shep to spend the rest of the day. 

You will be hiking to Kala Patthar (5550m / 18,208 ft), on rocky trails, at dawn to view the sunrise on Mt. Everest and other peaks. Kala Patthar is a famous viewpoint that provides splendid panoramic views of Mt. Everest and other peaks. You will find prayer flags hung along the way.

After savoring the panoramic views from Kala Patthar, you will return to Gorakshep for breakfast. After breakfast, our descent begins. It will be a long trek, at first, from Gorakshep, we reach Lobuche. From Lobuche, we continue to trek east, across Kongma La Pass (4,910m), and finally arrive at Chhukung. 

You will spend this day acclimatizing. Your Sherpa climbing guide will train you on peak climbing. You will learn the best ways to use your climbing gears - ropes and knots, ice axes, climbing boots, crampons, harness, etc. Island Peak climbing does not require prior training experiences. Although without a doubt, such training experiences will boost climbers' confidence, sharpen climbing skills, and increases the chances of scaling the summit.

Chhukung Village (4,730m/15,518 ft) lies on a left fork of the Imja Khola in the Solukhumbu District of Sagarmatha Zone. This area used to be a yak pasture with no permanent habitation.

The ascent of Island Peak is challenging and will require crampons and an ice ax to navigate the glaciers and ice headwalls. You also need to have a good level of fitness.

We ascend southwards along the moraine from the Lhotse glacier to the east. A short hike takes you by the side of rock blocks, and after a 40-minute climb, you reach Island Peak Base Camp. After setting up the tents, you will get short training on peak climbing techniques and using climbing gear such as ice axes, climbing boots and crampons, harnesses, and ropes.

Imja Tse, popularly known as Island Peak, lies in Sagarmatha National Park. The peak was named Island Peak in 1953 by members of the British Mount Everest expedition because it looks like an island protruding from the sea of ice when viewed from Dingboche. The peak was renamed in 1983 to Imja Tse, but the older name Island Peak is still in use. This peak extends the ridge coming down off the south end of Lhotse Shar.

We start early morning to reach the summit before noon so that you can avoid afternoon winds. You will follow our experienced Sherpa guides and ascend the rocky ridge before reaching a glacier. Then using ropes, we continue up the glacier to the south ridge and follow this ridge to the summit. From the top, you can see outstanding views of Lhotse (27,890 feet), Makalu (27,805 feet), Island peak (22,493 feet), and Baruntse (25,328 feet). After enjoying the views from the top, we descend to Island Base Camp and further down to Chhukung. 

We have allotted an extra day allowance, just in case we don't have favorable weather on our summit day. If the weather was not suitable yesterday, we will summit Island Peak today. Otherwise, we will use this day to relax and enjoy being surrounded by the Himalayas.

We descend to Tengboche Village, located within the Sagarmatha National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), where the famous Tengboche monastery, the biggest monastery in the Everest region, lies. From the monastery, you will be able to see panoramic views of the Himalayan peaks, including Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku.

The trail to Namche Bazaar, from Tengboche, takes us through forests teeming with wildlife like pheasants, musk deer, mountain goats, or even snow leopards. We will be climbing on the steep slopes and winding through several bends passing numerous prayer flags and chortens. 

While heading back, you can click pictures and enjoy the views of the tip of Everest and the backside of Lhotse. After finally arriving at Namche Bazaar, we will head to our lodges and rest.

Our last day on the trekking trails will be rewarding as we return to Dudh Koshi Valley. The route is generally gentle back uphill to Lukla from the Kusum stream. Before rushing to Lukla, the trail heads steeply up to the west. After the first climb, the path reaches a small village and then leads down to the main trail, joining at the sidestream before Toktok. From Toktok, the mountain views will be entirely different and unique. Eventually, we reach the large town of Lukla, from where we will take a flight back to Kathmandu the next day.

After your adventure, it is time to return. From Lukla, you will either fly to Manthali or Kathmandu, depending on the ongoing trekking season. If your trek is in March, April, May, September, October, or November, you'll likely fly to Manthali, followed by a subsequent drive to Kathmandu. In December, January, February, June, July, or August, you will fly directly from Lukla to Kathmandu.

If you choose, you can bypass the Lukla-Manthali-Kathmandu route. For this, you can collaborate with four other individuals to book a helicopter, incurring an additional charge of approximately 550 USD per person.

If everything goes according to the schedule, you will return to Kathmandu on this day. We hope your journey back to Kathmandu will be relaxing, with no more trails to trek and no peaks to climb. You will probably be looking back at your journey, recreating the unforgettable memories you formed. Your trek package ends at Kathmandu.