The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) has classified 33 as 'Trekking Peaks of Nepal', a misleading name because all involve climbing as well as trekking. Ranging from 5650m-6500m (18,537-21,325ft) some are, however, of appropriate height and climbing grade for commercial expeditions.
Exhilarating climb on the summit of renowned Island Peak or Imjatse, within rich Buddhist culture, warm-friendly locals, traditional village, land of world's heritage, high alpine valley's in the close backdrop of the world's highest peak 'Mt. Everest'.
Island Peak/Imja Tse (6,189m) located at the top of the Imja valley in the Khumbu region, just above the summer settlement of Chhukung, surrounded by Lhotse and Lhotse Shar glaciers. It offers a worthwhile challenge to the experienced winter mountaineer, competent in using ice axe and crampons, being technically straight forward. Some of the difficult section being a mixed rock and ice wall at a slope of around 45 degrees leading to the narrow summit ridge, approximately Scottish winter grade 2. The climb will be undertaken towards the end of the trek when everyone will be fully acclimatized. For those not attempting the climb of Island Peak, the Island Peak Trek is an opportunity to explore the Imja Khola Valley.
This trip is highly recommended, as it will take you into high valleys, with plenty of time to visit Sherpa villages and monasteries and photographs the ever exciting moments from stunning view points. From Island Peak base camp our route descend along the Imja Khola to Dingboche and make way to Namche Bazaar, passing through Pangboche village with time to visit the old gompa of this area and at Thyangboche as well. After the great long descent from Namche, then following the Dudh Kosi valley to Lukla where a spectacular mountain flight brings you back to Kathmandu.
On arrival at Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport, you will be greeted by our staff, who will escort you to the hotel, where our Sherpa guide or the office staff will give you a brief orientation about the hotel, Kathmandu itself, trekking, and the do's and don’ts of the area. They will also review any additional information that you might require while in Nepal, including an overview of the next day's sightseeing tour. In the evening, you will enjoy a complimentary welcome dinner at one of the finest traditional Nepalese restaurants in Kathmandu, with the necessary transfer to and from the hotel by taxi, bus. Overnight in hotel
After your breakfast, you will precede to Kathmandu Durbar Square, where you will tour the ancient palace, the temple of Kumari, hailed as the living goddess of Nepal, Hanuman Dhoka and Kasthamandav Temple with a guide knowledgeable about Nepalese history, architecture, and religion. From there, you will proceed by taxi, bus to the Buddhist site, Swoyambhunath Stupa, also known as the "Monkey Temple" because of its lively troops of resident monkeys. You will then visit Pashupatinath Temple, the holiest shrine for Hindus, situated on the banks of the holy Bagmati River, a popular cremation site. Before returning to the hotel, you will visit Boudhnath Stupa, a Buddhist pilgrimage center and home to many colorful gompas, or monasteries. Once back at the hotel, you will receive a briefing about the trek and have a chance to meet your guides and ask any last minute questions before tomorrow morning's departure. Overnight in hotel
This morning you will be transferred from your hotel to the Kathmandu airport for the domestic flight to Lukla. The flight itself is awe-inspiring, as you fly parallel to the Himalayan giants bordering Nepal and Tibet/China. Flying time to Lukla is approximately 35 minutes. Upon arrival in Lukla, there will be time to explore the village while the Sherpa crew sort and load equipment. Lukla lies at an altitude of (2,850m.) and means “place of sheep.” From Lukla, you descend northwest on a wide trail to the village of Choblung in the Dudh Koshi Valley. The valley is covered with beautiful pine and rhododendron forests. The walking is easy as you follow the river’s course, passing through the village of Ghat. Your destination for today is a small village of Phakding, where accommodation is provided in a teahouse/lodge. Overnight at Teahouse
After crossing the suspension bridge over the Dudh Koshi, the walk is pleasant, with a few short ups and downs, until you re-cross the Dudh Koshi from the village of Benkar, taking in the magnificent view of Thermasarkhu (6,608 m.). You then cross the long suspension bridge over the Bhote Koshi River to reach Monjo, situated below the spectacular peak of Thermasherkhu and a few minutes' walk from the entrance of Sagarmatha National Park. At the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park, your trekking permit (especially the park ticket) is checked, as the park keeps a record of all trekkers in the area. From here, a short descent brings you again to another suspension bridge over the Bhote Koshi River, after which you reach a bridge to Jorsalle village, the last village and the only place to shop until Namche Bazaar. The walk from Jorsalle village is pleasant, following the river until coming to the last bridge over the Imjatse River. The walk to Namche Bazaar traces a winding, uphill path, with a magnificent view of Kwangde Peak and its other sister peaks towards the east and with Kusum Kangru at your back. As you climb higher, you can view the Mt. Everest- Nuptse wall, Lhotse, and Taweche Peak, all the way up to Thop Danda, where there is a stone wall for porters and trekkers to rest on. From here, another 1-2 hour walk takes you to the destination of the day, the famed Namche Bazaar, where the colorful houses are situated in amphitheater style. Overnight at Teahouse
Suggested activities include a short walk uphill to the Sagarmatha National Park Headquarters, a magnificent spot perched on top of Namche Bazaar, with breathtaking views of the surrounding snowcapped giants and the deep valleys way down below. There is also an interesting museum providing with various information on the history of the Himalayas, the geographic information of the area, cultural practices, mountaineering history, and flora and fauna of the region. You can spend the afternoon at your leisure. Overnight at Teahouse
After breakfast, the trail leads you down a good, winding path with spectacular views of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse to the north east, Ama Dablam to the east, Kangtenga, Thermasarkhu to the southeast, and Kwangde to the south. After a few hours walk, the path descends towards Fungi Thenga, where you will stop for lunch. After lunch, you ascend through a beautiful forest of pine and rhododendron trees before reaching Tengboche after two hours. Upon arriving in Tengboche, you will pay a visit to the monastery with your guide. Overnight at Teahouse
After a rewarding time in Thyangboche, the trail descend through a forest of birch, fir, juniper, and rhododendron before it finally reaches Debouche, a lovely spot situated at 3650m, with magnificent views of Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Everest, Nuptse, and Lhotse. From Debouche, the trail meanders past a long prayer Mani wall. The path is gradual until you reach a small bridge over the narrow gorge of the Imjatse River. From here, it is a gradual ascent most of the way to Pangboche village. Lush vegetation vanishes as you gain altitude. After Pangboche, it is a short climb to Shomare for lunch. Shomare is a small settlement with a fantastic view of Ama-Dablam. From here, you can see the northern face of Kangtenga peak. After a pleasant break in Shomare, your journey continues gradually towards the east; after an hour of walking, just before a small wooden bridge, the road splits in two directions, going towards Pheriche or towards the east, which is the trail you will follow. From here, you can see a totally different view of Ama Dablam, its towering north face. From the bridge, the trail climbs slowly, winding above the Imjatse River, until you arrive at a big Mani stupa. From here onwards the walk is fairly moderate as it enters the Imjatse Valley beneath the mighty peaks of Ama Dablam, Nuptse, and Lhotse, with a view of the eastern snow-capped mountains, including Island peak or Imjatse (6,189m). Dingboche is situated amongst beautiful patchwork fields enclosed by stone walls, which protect the crops of barley, buckwheat, and potatoes from the cold winds and grazing animals. Dingboche has about ten teahouses and it is also the gateway to Chukkung. Overnight at Teahouse
You trek over to Dingboche and enter a side valley to the main Khumbu Trek. You continue up the valley alongside the Imja Khola with stunning views all rounds. Your goal, Island Peak, is clearly visible straight ahead whilst you have Ama Dablam 6856m to our right and the Nuptse Lhotse wall towering over you on the left. You continue up to the village of Chukhung, where you will camp. Overnight at Teahouse
You will begin your trek to Base Camp along a ridge giving fine views of the mountains. You also have your first encounter with snow as you cross the lower reaches of the Imja glacier. Overnight in tented camp
The summit can be attained in one long day, but you prefer to establish a high camp on the southern slopes of the mountain. The views from this enclave are simply stunning and the sense of solitude will be, perhaps, felt for the first time as you get away from the crowds. Overnight in tented camp
With an early start you will be well ahead of teams starting their ascent from the Base Camp. Soon after leaving the high camp you will rope up and start on the first snow slopes where you will be using our crampons and ice axe. The route is fairly easy to follow and winds its way up snow gullies and rock bands before easing off to a small plateau, where you will be able to take a good rest and enjoy the first rays of dawn. Ahead of yours lies a short steep slope that leads to the summit ridge, which you will follow to the summit itself. We will probably be well ahead of any other parties, having had a head start, and you can enjoy the summit and the stupendous views around you before descending to Base Camp and then to Chukkung. Overnight at Teahouse
The trail from Chukung descends the Imja Khola valley, and then crosses the Khumbu Khola. Following the trail downhill, it is easy to make a detour and visit the upper part of Pangboche and the village gompa, then continue to Tengboche. While continuing the journey, you will reach Shanasha, from where the trail from Khumjung, Gokyo and to Namche meets. From here your route follows away from the main busy path, the walk winds up all the way to Khumjung-Khunde Valley. Khumjung unlike Namche is a sleepy farm village with the only monastery believed to be scalp from the yeti. Overnight at Teahouse
An easy day downhill walk today, from Khumjung half an hour walk brings you to its sister village at Khunde, where you can visit the only hospital in the whole of Khumbu area, built by Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation. After a visit at the Khunde hospital the trail leads south passing thorough the Sherpa's house and farm fields and coming to the long mani prayer wall. A short uphill climb from here brings to the top ridge of Syangboche air strip. From this spot it’s a big descend to the Dudh Koshi river bed. As the walk progress on this steep downhill bit from Syangboche onwards, an aerial view of Namche Bazaar is seen from this downhill slope walk, on reaching Namche Bazaar retrace the journey all the way to Monjo for the overnight camp Monjo located, just near after the Sagarmatha National Park entrance and exit. Overnight at Teahouse
Last day of this great trek will be one of the good walk to Lukla, you can walk at your own best pace, leisurely and enjoying the lush green scenery around. Apart from few short uphill the only long climb will be just before Lukla which will take approximately 45 minutes from a place called Choplung or from the old big oak tree. On reaching Lukla, prepare for the last day great dinner and a party with the fellow Sherpa crew, porters and trekking members. Overnight at Teahouse
The flight time to Kathmandu, are schedule for morning normally, because of the wind in the afternoon, sometime the flight time can be delayed due to bad weather and other reason beyond our command. As we get hold of the boarding pass depending upon our flight time we make our way to the terminal for security check, this scenic flight from Lukla takes about 45 minutes to Kathmandu, a panoramic view of the snow capped peaks can be seen from window of the plane. Arriving at Kathmandu domestic terminal, one of our Tour Officers will be waiting to receive and escort you back to the Hotel. Overnight in Hotel
A free day in Kathmandu please let our staff know if you would like to go on another short tour in and around Kathmandu Valley or if you need to extend your stay for few days and join in our extension trip White Water Rafting, Jungle Safari, Paragliding or Bungee Jump. Overnight in Hotel
Keep the departure time of international flight in mind, and make sure to keep your confirmed air ticket and passport handy! Our staff will take you to the airport for your final departure from beautiful Nepal.
Curate trips with a blend of vibrant local festivals Immersing yourself in the heart of cultures and experiencing the rhythm of life in celebrations.
Do what locals do.
Enhance your experience with add-ons that let you explore and learn about the life of the local artisans and commoners.
