Island Peak Climbing

We will begin our trek with a short flight to the Tenzing-Hillary airport in Lukla from Kathmandu. This flight is one worth remembering for a lifetime. First you will get to see the wonderful view of the Kathmandu Valley and surrounding mountains as you take off. Then you will see a panoramic view of the Himalayan peaks of Nepal from the flight which takes you as close to the mountains as is possible.

Then the landing at the tiny Lukla airstrip which is located between the surrounding mountains is an enthralling affair. We will get off the plane and then head towards the village of Phakding. The village is located in the outskirts of the Sagarmatha National Park and is one of the largest settlements in the Everest Region.

We will start our trek from Phakding after breakfast. We will reach the entrance of the Sagarmatha National Park after walking for a short while from Phakding. We will have to submit our papers at the park entrance and then we will begin our walk along the Dudh Koshi river basin. The dense woods of the Khumbu region, dominated mostly by Rhododendron and conifers, start from here.

The view of Mount Thamserku is stunning from most part of our trek. The mountain projects skywards like  a crown jewel to our right. We will cross many suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi river during our trek. The last part of the trek just before reaching Namche Bazaar is a bit challenging. We will walk steeply over the ridge and catch the first glimpse of Namche Bazaar. A short stroll from here takes us to Namche Bazaar, our abode for the day.

We will stay in Namche Bazaar for acclimatization today. There are plenty of things to do while staying in Namche Bazaar. We can visit the Sherpa Museum and get a glimpse into the history and culture of the Sherpa people. You can explore Namche Bazaar and get more knowledge about the lifestyle of the Sherpa people.

If you are interested in hiking there are plenty of options available. You can hike to the nearby spot of Thame which provides unparalleled view of the Thamserku and Ama Dablam mountains. If you are interested in more serious hiking challenge then you can visit the village of Khumjung. The village is home to the Khumjung Monastery, one of the oldest monasteries in the Khumbu region. You can also take a tour of the Everest View Hotel near Namche Bazaar, which is the highest altitude hotel in the world.

We will move ahead from Namche Bazaar today. The road starts to get narrower and steeper as we get more far away from Namche Bazaar. The greenery around and ever present waterfalls help make our journey les arduous than it is. We will get a stunning view of Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse and Thamserku from our trail.

We will reach the village of Phunki after walking for a while from Namche Bazaar. We will continue  our journey after taking a small break at Phunki. The last part of the trek before reaching Tengboche is more strenuous as it consists of a steep climb. Tengboche is a beautiful Sherpa village. It is home to Tengboche Monastery, the largest monastery in the Khumbu Region. A special worship is conducted by the head Lama of the monastery at 3 pm. You can take part in the ceremony if you reach Tengboche on time and have special prayers read on your name.

We will leave Tengboche behind and continue our journey through the beautiful forests of the Sagarmatha National Park. Many rare animals like Asian black bear, himalayan tahr, mountain wolf, red panda, musk deer, mountain fox, jharal and snow leopard are native to these forests. These animals seldom stay near trekking trails and maintain distance on their own with people.

We will walk uphill for a short time and then go down towards the foot of the Imja Tse river. We will cross the river at Debuche and then continue on an uphill trek once again. At the top of this particular climb is the village of Pangboche. The Pangboche monastery is also located in the village. The path gets slowly easier and downhill from Pangboche as we enter the Imja River Valley. This is the second river valley in our trail with the Dudh Koshi River Valley which we walked through earlier being the first one.

We will cross the Lobuche river after getting out of the Imja River Valley. You will see many Yak grazing pastures and farms along the way. We will reach Dingboche after a short climb and rest there for the night.

We will head towards the village of Chhukung today. Chhukung is the last settlement in our trail. It is a small village of the Sherpa people at the entrance of the Chhukung Valley. The first part of the trek welcomes us with little settlements of the local people which are circled by fields of barley, millet and potatoes.

The second part of the trek is slightly difficult as the settlements grow scarcer and we enter into glacial regions. Walk along the slippery slopes of these glaciers is not very easy and time consuming. We will get a wonderful view of the Island Peak, standing like a tower in Chhukung Valley as we get near the village of Chhukung. We will get a spectacular view of the mountains like Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Pumori  from Chhukung village. We will stay at a guest house in Chhukung for the night.

We will climb to the Chhukung Ri hilltop today. Ri means mountain in the local vernacular. The top of Chhukung Ri provides spectacular view of the mountains like Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Pumori, Ama Dablam, Amphu Lapsa, Island Peak and other mountains in the Everest Region. The climb is not that hard except for a relatively difficult part near the top.

We will take an easy climb down from the top of Chhukung Ri hilltop and return back to the village of Chhukung. We will enjoy local meal at our guest house and take a rest from a hard day’s trek so that we will be recharged for yet another ascent to come.

We will trek towards the Island Peak Base Camp today. The walk is difficult compared to previous days as we will enter the territory of the Lhotse glacier today.  Lhotse glacier is one of the famous glaciers of the Everest region which is home to many other glaciers including the Khumbu ( largest glacier in Nepal) and the Ngozumpa (the longest glacier in Nepal).

A small river that flows from the ice of the Lhotse glacier marks our way as we move further towards the Island Peak Base Camp. The base camp is reached after walking through a valley flanked by some of the tallest peaks in the world. You will see mountains like Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Pumori at a touching distance from the base camp. We will camp at the base camp for the night.

Since Island Peak is located at an altitude above 6,000 m, we will need ample preparation in our part before climbing the peak. We will stay at the base camp today and prepare for the tough ascent to come. First we will learn to use the gears for climbing and climbing that we will need to make use of the following day. Then we will learn how to communicate and coordinate effectively in the slopes if any problem arises in the slopes.

It is advisable not to walk too much today as we need to preserve energy for the gruelling mountain session tomorrow. However, you can take a gentle walk along the valley and explore the mountains that are situated on all sides. You will see Mount Everest and the beautiful south face of Lhotse standing like snow walls in front of you. The view of Everest from the Chhukung valley is even more astounding than the one from Everest Base Camp.

We will conquer Island Peak today. We need to wake up a few hours earlier than sunrise and start on our journey. It is better to start as early as we can because we do not want to be in the middle of the mountain after sunset, which is a very risky thing to do. We will first get geared up and arrange our tools following breakfast. Then we will have a short team talk before embarking on our journey.

The climb is relatively easy during the first few hundred meters. However, crevasses and sharp cut offs make the ascent tough after we reach the altitude of 5,500 m. We might need to make use of ropes in some part of our climb. The last two hundred meter is trickier and we need full team work to get through it. We will forget all our pain and hardship after we reach the top of the Island Peak. You will get a full scale view of the mountains in the Everest Region. Lhotse and Everest rise along the ridge of the Island Peak providing a surreal view to climbers.

We will get back to the base camp after staying for some time at the peak. The descent is comparatively easier and requires significantly less time. We will stay at our campsite for the night and celebrate our success in climbing one of the most beautiful peaks in the Everest Region.

We will trek back to the village of Tengboche today. Our path gets easy from today as we will be moving downwards. We will rest for a short while at Chhukung for tea and continue our journey out of the Chhukung valley into another valley created by the Imja Tse river.

We will be joined with the main Everest Base Camp trail after crossing the Imja Tse river. The path from here gets more joyful as we listen to the chirping of birds in the lush green forests of the Sagarmatha National Park. We will reach Tengboche after eight hours of walk and rest at a guest house there.

Todays part of the trek is even more easier as we will be walking gently for only five hours along the solitary company of deep woods. We will first reach the village of Pangboche from where we will get a beautiful view of the Dudh Koshi river basin below.

We will bid farewell to the Sagarmatha National Park just before reaching Namche Bazaar as we exit from the park entrance/exit gate. The rest of the trek is a glorious walk to Namche Bazaar with a 360 view of the mountains on all sides.

We will get back to the airstrip town of Lukla today. This is our last day in the Everest region. We will see many Sherpa villages on our way with Phakding being the largest. There are many monasteries, stupas, prayer flags and prayer walls in and around these villages.

The houses in the village are close together to keep the community warm and are impeccably clean. The Sherpa people are very friendly and well known mountaineers. We will bid farewell to all villages on our way and reach Lukla in the evening. We will go through our memories in the evening and stay at a guest house there for the night.

We will take the early mountain flight back from Kathmandu following breakfast. We catch a last glimpse of the mountains in the Everest region before landing at the international airport in Kathmandu.

We will transfer you to your hotel from the airport and our trek ends with your checking in at the hotel.