Island Peak Climbing via EBC

Namaste & welcome to the Himalayan Planet of Nepal. At the same time, you land at Tribhuvan International Airport, a representative from Himalayan Planet Adventures welcomes you by name and assists with transferring you to your Hotel in Kathmandu. After a short break to refresh, we'll bring you to the head office for a briefing about the program and check your equipment.

Early morning, you'll be transferred to the domestic airport to fly to Lukla (2,800m/9,186ft). It takes a 35-minute scenic flight to Lukla Airport (2,800m/9,184ft), and you will have a tea break while the guide sorts out and divides the luggage to be carried by porters. The guide will arrange the lunch location depending on the time of arrival in Lukla. The trek begins with a stunning view of the Numbur Himal & Phari. We went further on to Phakding, passing some Sherpa farm villages. We follow the trail to Dudhkoshi River with gradual with few ups from Thado Koshi, where you can have a lunch with superb view of Kusum-Kangaru (6,369m/20,890ft) crossing a short suspension bridge, from here after a brief climb brings us to the Ghat village, another 1 ½ hr of gradual walk brings you to Phakding village for the overnight stop at lodge after 3-4 hrs walk and reminder stroll around the Phakding for local knowledge.

The trek starts in the morning, and after crossing the suspension bridge over the Dudh-Kosi, the walk is pleasant, with a few short uphill and downhill sections, and re-crossing the same river again, offering a magnificent view of Mt. Thamserku (6,608m/21,675ft) from Benkar village. Trek continues crossing the bridges and reaches Monjo. It is the entrance gate of Sagarmatha National Park. Checking the permit and keeping records of trekkers and local trekking staff will be in Monjo.

When enter the National park boundary we descend and a gradual walk brings us to the suspension bridge over the Bhote-Koshi river, after the bridge we reach Jorsalle village, the last village till Namche Bazaar,  from here the walk is pleasant on the river bed till the last bridge over the Imjatse river, from here the walk is along the winding uphill path to Namche Bazaar, with magnificent view of Kwangde peak. It's another sister peak that lies to the east, with Kusum Kangaru on the back as you climb higher. As you continue to Namche, you can see a view of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, and a closer view of Tawache Peak. Finally, we reach colourful houses called Namche Bazaar, the main gate of the Khumbu region, after a 5-6 hour walk, and we spend the night at a lodge.

You may have a full day of leisure today for acclimatization or to stroll around the market. On Saturday, you can see many people in the Saturday market for shopping to fulfil their daily needs, and only one shopping market in the surrounding areas. Also, you can visit the Sherpa Museum as well, a great place to learn about Sherpa culture and the history of mountaineering, or visit up to the luxury Everest View Hotel & Syangboche airstrip and stroll back to the hotel for overnight.

After strolling around Namche, we felt refreshed, and it was relatively easy to walk further today. Our walk follows the gradual path up to Sanasa with an overlooking magnificent view of the great giant snow peaks from Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Kwangde peak. We descend to the Imjatse River at Phungithanga, a small settlement with a couple of teahouses. The trail leads uphill through a forested path of silver firs, blue pines, rhododendrons, and a few magnolias and birch trees to Tyangboche after a total of 5-6 hours of walking. Tyangboche is one of the most beautiful places in the Himalayas. The first thing that comes to your eye is the big Monastery or Gumba, then the large field with campsites and teahouses, lodges beneath the towering majestic beautiful peak Ama Dablam, Everest, Mt. Lhotse and Lhotse Shar towards the northeast and more peaks all around you.

Today, we start our trek with a pleasant walk and descend through a forest of birch, fir, juniper, and rhododendron, arriving at a lovely spot at Deboche, 3,650 m, with a magnificent view of the mountains. Past the long prayer mani wall, the path gradually ascends to Pangboche village. From here onwards, the lush vegetation and tree lines vanish as we enter the right valley of Pheriche for the overnight stay. It takes 4-5 hours to walk, and during the walk, you may encounter wind, so it's better to start early. Pheriche has the Himalayan Rescue Association, and you can visit their website anyway after 3 pm. We spend the night at the lodge in Pheriche. 

Today, we rest at Pheriche Valley for acclimatization. You may have a full day of rest, or you can go for a day walk to nearby places, such as hiking up a hill and returning to the hotel for the overnight stay.

Today, the trail turns north. The path is gradual for about an hour as you come to the bottom of the hill, from where we start to climb. After a pleasant walk through the ridge will reach at Thukla, an hour steep up brings you to the top, where you can view Mt. Pumori and other peaks west of Everest, the spot here is good place for a few minutes break after the strenuous climb, close to this spot you can also see several memorial of the unfortunate climbers monuments, who died in expeditions around the mountain of this region. We trek continues to the Lobuche for an overnight stop.

This early morning, we head towards the Gorakshep valley and check into the hotel. After the breakfast at Gorekshep we ready for our adventure to the targeted destination and we continues our trek towards the Everest Base Camp and to the Khumbu Ice-fall, the path from here can be misleading, follow the lead Sherpa, every year the trail changes due to the movements of the glacier, the walk is quite strenuous due to the high altitude and thin air, the walk passes through over rocky dunes and moraine and streams, till you reach the base camp. Everest Base Camp is lively with commotion during the high expedition season. It takes 2-3 hours to get to base camp, and after a grand time here, you retrace the journey back to Gorekshep for an overnight stay at the lodge after a 5-6 hour walk.

Early in the morning, our journey continues with a steep climb to the top after a 2-hour walk at our own pace. After reaching the top, you will feel beaming as you achieve the moment that you have been dreaming of since the beginning of the journey. The top of Kalapathar is a small rocky peak on the southwest ridge of Mt. Pumori. The view from here is beyond imagination, as Everest looks impressive. The panoramic view from this spot is something to cherish, and you feel it's worth the arduous climb up to here, to feel on top of the world. You can see the Khumbu glacier sweep below you to the south. You can also see Everest Base Camp down below on the moraine of the Khumbu Glacier, along with much picturesque scenery. Stroll back to Gorekshep and re-track to Dingboche for an overnight stop at our teahouse after a 6-7 hour walk.

Today, we have a very short day walk, and after breakfast, we head to the eastern side for 2-3 hours, gently uphill, to reach Chhukung, a hidden valley near the base of Island Peak. We'll have a full day of rest at Chhukung, our last stop, to prepare for camping and inspect the climbing gear, and then spend the night at the teahouse.

Today, we continue our journey with a steep climb up the southern part, then turn east to the main line of the valley. It then winds along or below the south flank of the moraine from the Lhotse Glacier. Continue short pleasant walking along a streamside leads to what we call "Big Rock. The route to the Amphu Lapcha lies to the southeast. A cross-route through the Imja and Lhotse glacier moraines leads to a wide valley flanking the southwest side of Island Peak. We'll reach the Island Peak base camp after a 4-5 hour walk and spend the night at a tented camp.

Today, the day of our destination, we start our climb very early through the rock gully. We will head to the High camp from where we begin our ascent. Firstly, the path leads up beyond base camp for several hundred meters before striking off left up the steep hillside. Initially sandy, the path soon turns to grass before becoming boulder-strewn. As you climb the hill, you will see that the slope narrows and the path enters a steep rock channel nearby. The path is not difficult, but there are several short rock steps to climb before you emerge on the right side of the gully. The route then follows a ridgeline, which leads to an exhilarating and exposed traverse onto the snout of the summit glacier. You will need to rope up for the glacier as it contains several crevasses, but it leads without difficulty to a 100m/330ft snow and ice slope (40-45º) on which the guides will fix a rope. From the top of this slope, three rope lengths along a sharp summit ridge lead to the top. You can enjoy success and bravely reach the summit. After taking some pictures of the scenic view, you will descend to Chhukung for an overnight stay at the teahouse. The entire journey takes a whole day, with approximately 9-10 hours of climbing & walking.

This day is a contingency day for unforeseen conditions, such as weather issues or equipment malfunctions. If you cannot get back earlier, then you can take this day as your reserve day, and if you can get back earlier, then you can take the rest somewhere else around. Today, we will be at camp or the teahouse, depending on the weather conditions.

The walk today will be easy, as it heads downhill from Chhukung to a lower elevation, making the walk pleasant, and then to Tyangboche. After the Dingboche valley and getting down to bridge our route descends following the stream towards Pangboche village, and further down to Tyangboche is one of the most beautiful place in the Himalaya the first thing that comes to your eye is the big Monastery or Gumba, then the large field with campsites and teahouses, lodges beneath the towering majestic beautiful peak Ama Dablam, Everest, Mt. Lhotse and Lhotse Shar towards north east and more peaks all around you.

Trek down to Phungithanka, a small settlement with a couple of teahouses. The trail leads downhill through the forested path of silver fir, blue pines, rhododendron and a few magnolia and birch trees, with great memories and after crossing the suspension bridge over the Dudh Koshi river, trek onwards to the Sanasa and retrack to Namche Bazaar for the overnight stay.

After a long walk today, we'll have a long and last day trek back to Lukla. Firstly, we descend the long way before crossing the bridge and then walk further to Monju and Phakding for lunch. We trek back, enjoying the lush green scenery around and passing through the incredible mountain scenery and a local Sherpa village. Arrival in Lukla and you'll have time to stroll around the area, and the guide will reconfirm your flight ticket, and you'll enjoy the last celebratory dinner with your crew member and overnight at the hotel.

We usually schedule the flight time to Kathmandu in the morning, as the flight is likely to be delayed after noon due to bad weather and other reasons beyond our control. Anyway, we will fly back to Kathmandu, and your guide will transfer you to the hotel. You may have time to relax after a long journey and take a break and rest at your hotel.

We reserve this day for flight delays or cancellations from Lukla to minimize the risk of missing international flights. You have a full day at leisure on your own for shopping/resting, or you can extend your trip with us at an additional cost to explore more of this beautiful country.

Today is an excellent opportunity for last-minute shopping for souvenirs or gifts to share with your family, friends, or relatives before your departure flight or drive/drive or to commence any extra trips or activities you may have booked with us. If departing, you will transfer to the International Airport for your departure flight to your onward destination.