Island Peak (Imja Tse) 6,189 m Climbing – 16 Days

Welcome to the land of Himalayas! On arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport, a representative from Extollo will be there to greet and escort you to your designated hotel. After resting for a while, there will be a pre-trip discussion for the last minute preparation at your hotel. Everybody will be informed before while about the meeting time and venue at your hotel. Here you will meet your leader and other members of your group. This is the moment when you can seek answers and clear your doubts with your leader. Time permitting, you can take a lazy stroll around the streets near your hotel and observe the contemporary life of the bustling city without getting any cultural shocks. Have a good night’s sleep to revive your freshness in the morning to commence a vivid adventure. Overnight in Kathmandu.

After breakfast, you will take a 35-minutes scenic mountainous flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, the gateway to the Everest. During the flight, you get beautiful views of the terraced landscape and lush valleys and hills below along with up-close perspectives of some of the world’s highest mountains on your left. In Lukla, you will meet local staff who will be accompanying you on your journey. Today, you will have to hike for a short while for acclimatization, to Phakding after making a steep descent to Chheplung village past stone walls. Overnight in Phakding.

Our trekking today continues along the majestic Dudh Koshi River towards the ancient trading hub. After walking for about an hour, you come across the glistening Mt. Thamserku and the sacred Khumbila peak. You will also see beautiful Sherpa villages and experience the serenity of pine, fir, and juniper forests along the way. If the weather is clear, you might even catch a glimpse of Mt. Everest peering over the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge. You continue walking until you reach Namche Bazaar, which is famous for being the buzzing Sherpa town. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

Today is the first of our three acclimatization days on the trip. It is essential for adapting with diminishing oxygen level in the air as we climb higher altitudes. Namche, in particular, is the Sherpa capital and economic hub of Everest region with government offices, Internet Cafes, restaurants, shops, ATMs and a famous ‘Saturday Market’. You may visit the Tourist Visitor Center to find souvenirs related to the first Everest ascenders, the Sherpa culture and a variety of flora and fauna of the Everest region. Then, you climb up to the famous airstrip at Syangboche. Just above the airstrip is the Everest View Hotel, which provides marvelous views of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, and the beautiful Ama Dablam. From here, you return back to Namche via Khumjung valley. On the way, you visit a sacred monastery that supposedly houses a yeti scalp and the Hillary School. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

We begin our trek immediately after a fulsome breakfast. It is an easy walk from Namche to Phunki crossing the Dudh Koshi River and passing several bridges and quaint hamlets. From Phunki, you ascend for about two hours towards Tengboche, a village that houses the very famous Tengboche Monastery, which is the largest monastery in the Everest region. This monastery is famous for celebrating the Mani Rimdu festival, a huge Buddha statue, and intricate wall paintings. Located amidst the Sagarmatha National Park (a UNESCO World Heritage Site of "outstanding universal value”), it is draped with the panoramic 360-degree view of the Himalayas, including Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Kantega, Thamserku and Ama Dablam. Overnight in Tengboche.

Leaving behind the magnificent sunset and sunrise, we shall proceed further to another village of Dingboche. First, you trek for 3-4 hours through birch, conifer and rhododendron forests on an easy path where you may see musk deer and blue sheep grazing. This picturesque trail then dips down to Deboche village crossing the Imja River before climbing up to Pangboche. Here, you visit the Pangboche monastery. The trail is fairly moderate as you enter the Imja Valley. The valley gradually unfolds as you approach the confluence of the Lobuche River. You descend into the river and begin the climb up to Dingboche. Overnight in Dingboche.

Today is the second acclimatization day which will be utilized by short hikes to higher altitudes to adapt ourselves to the heights. You hike up the Imja Khola to Chhukung or Nagarzhang Peak, a small summer settlement from where stunning views of Island Peak, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and the fluted ice walls flanking the Amphu Lapcha pass can be seen. These views are one of the highlights of the entire trek. Short hike to the hill behind Dingboche is another option which provides you with the view of a couple of six thousanders. Then return back to your tea house at the lower altitude after the acclimatization hike. Overnight in Dingboche.

Today we shall arrive at Chhukung, which marks the start of your walk to the Island Base Camp and the eventual summit climb. But first, commence your journey from Dingboche through stone-walled fields and entering the Imja Khola valley. With lovely views of the mountains, Lhotse and Ama Dablam, walk in the glacial moraines and arrive at Bibre village. A gentle walk further and we shall reach a small settlement of Chhukung in the afternnon. You may have an optional hike to Chhukung Ri, which is situated above the village. Climbing this small peak helps our body adjust to higher altitudes. One can have marvelous views of Amphu Labsa and Ama Dablam mountains from the valley. Overnight in Chhukung.

After having breakfast, our climbing guides will have your final equipment checking including hiring so that everyone has the necessary equipment for upcoming summit in two days. Today we will follow a moderately steep trail to reach the Island Base Camp. Walk along the main line of the valley followed by a winding path below the moraine from Lhotse glacier. Trek along a streamside and through Imja & Lhotse glacier moraines which leads to the wide valley at the south west side of Island peak. Enjoy the pleasant environment of Imja Tsho (lake) where we stay around and take a rest for a while. After lunch, you may have a short hike around the region enjoying beautiful mountain views of Choplu, Amphu Lapcha and Baruntse. It is a fantastic place for photography too. Overnight in a tent at Island Peak Base Camp.

It is the final of our three acclimatization days. Today we will be necessarily utilizing the day at Island Base Camp having some important pre-climb training. It is recommended everyone have the prior training for Island peak climbing including experienced climbers too, because it helps boost up your confidence and develop climbing skills to successfully summit the peak. Our highly experienced climbing guides will provide training on proper uses of climbing gears like ice axes, harness, ascend-er, climbing boots and crampons which will help a lot on your Island peak scaling. Similarly, you will be thoroughly taught about peak climbing techniques. We will spend the day taking enough rest to energize ourselves for the next day’s summit. Overnight in a tent at Island Peak Base Camp.

The highlight day of the whole trip has finally arrived. It is the peak climbing day. We will wake up early at around 12-1 AM. It is because we should reach the summit at around noon as in the afternoon the strong winds might hinder our peak climbing. After having breakfast, we gear up for the adventurous Island peak climbing. We shall cover a total distance of around 7 km from the base camp all the way to the summit and returning back to the base camp.

We follow a steep green terrain until the High Camp, and then followed by a rocky trail. As we climb up the hill, we see narrow slopes and follow the steep rock channel. We step on several short rocks and emerge on the right side of the rock gully to climb it.Thereafter, the terrain filled with snow and ice begins. A steep snow slope leads us onto the summit ridge. We shall carefully climb the peak applying the techniques we learnt the previous day. Our climbing guides will help us through this. There are four newly formed crevasses which are approximately 2-5 meters long. We shall use ropes of about 300m in length and walk through ladder to cross the crevasses. However, the length depends on the time of season and crevasses.

After the adventurous climb, we finally reach the summit of Island peak and celebrate your success taking photographs. Embrace the pleasant atmosphere from the top with magnificent views of some of the highest peaks of the world including Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam and the mighty Everest. After spending some quality time at the top of Island peak, descend down to the base camp. Overnight in tent at Island Peak Base Camp.

After the successful Island peak climbing, it is time to head back Lukla. Our return journey first takes us to Pangboche. We descend to lower altitudes now, which is relatively easier. We pass through beautiful villages of Orsho and Shomare along the Khumbu Khola valley. In addition to the regular trail to arrive at Pangboche, we may opt for an alternative trail visit the oldest Gompa in Khumbu region, to Upper Pangboche. Spend some quality time in the village admiring the beauty around as we are surrounded by Everest, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kangtaiga, Kongde range and the pristine Imja Tse river flowing through the lush valley. Overnight in Pangboche.

From Pangboche, we head towards Namche, first walking through a short suspension bridge over Imja Khola, followed by a gradual ascent to Tengboche. Then, we walk down to Phunkitenga passes through wonderful juniper and fir forests. At the end of the descent, walk along a long suspension bridge over the Dudh Koshi river, perhaps coming across yaks. Finally, arrive at Namche where we will spend the night. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

Today is our final day of trekking on our Island peak climbing trip. Retrace your steps to Lukla, an ideal place to relax and celebrate your trip to the base camp. Walking through the banks of Dudh Koshi River and crossing several suspension bridges, passing various Sherpa settlements and few monasteries, you arrive at Lukla. As the local staff will, further on, not be accompanying you to Kathmandu, today is the last day you celebrate your victorious accomplishment together. Overnight in Lukla.

Today, after an adventurous journey at the Island peak, you take an early morning flight to Kathmandu. Your trip leader will drop you off at your hotel and you will have the rest of the day at your leisure. You may stroll around in the streets of Thamel, a popular Tourist hub in Kathmandu for some worthy souvenir shopping. You may also visit surrounding popular tourist attractions nearby. Either way, there will be a farewell dinner to celebrate your achievement in the evening for successfully climbing the Island peak. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Your journey to in the beautiful Khumbu region and Island Peak comes to an end today. A representative from Extollo Adventures will drop you off at the airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight. Our representative shall assist you with your departure. On your way home you will have plenty of time to plan your next adventure in the wonderful country of Nepal. We hope that the adventure in this mystic land created a strong and positive impression about our country, enough to bring you back again. Have a happy and a safe journey ahead!