Island Peak Climbing with EBC Trek

Upon your arrival at the Tribhuwan International airport a representative from Naata Trek and Tours will be waiting for you at the airport displaying a playcard imprinted with your name. He/she will then transfer you to the designated hotel. In the evening we can enjoy a welcome dinner hosted by Naata Trek and Tours. During the dinner we can enjoy Nepalese cuisine which will introduce us to the country’s food culture.

We will have a pre trip meeting after breakfast where you will be introduced to your Guide. During the meeting you can assure yourself with any queries regarding the trip.
We visit Boudhanath Stupa, one of the biggest Buddhist shrines in the world, where we observe Buddhist monks praying in the monasteries surrounding the stupa. After Boudhanath Stupa we visit Pashupatinath Temple, the most famous Hindu temple in the country, located on the banks of the holy Bagmati River. Here we see Hindu holy men (sadhus) meditating, pilgrims bathing and occasionally funeral pyres burning on the ghats. We will also visit Bhaktapur Durbar Square, which is a collection of pagoda and shikhara–style temples grouped around a fifty-five window palace of brick and wood. The attraction of the Bhaktapur Durbar Square is the Lion gate, the Golden gate, the Palace of Fifty-Five Windows, art galleries, the Statue of King Bhupatindra Malla.

We take an early morning flight to Lukla which is where all Everest treks begin. After we land in Luka we meet the rest of the team including our porters and get set for the trek. We walk on a trail that gradually descends to Cheplung village from where we can get a brief view of Mt. Khumbila. It is a sacred mountain that has never been climbed. From here on we gradually descend until Phakding

After having our breakfast we continue our trail which passes through a pine forest and goes through Benkar valley. We cross Dudh Koshi river and after passing through the village of Chumoa and monjo, we reach the entrance of Everest National Park. The trail then ascends steeply and after ascending for a while we reach Namche Bazaar which is the biggest town of Everest region. We stay the night in Namche Bazaar.

We spend a day more in Namche Bazaar to acclimatize to the high elevation and the thinning air. We take a tour of the town which has everything in its locker like ATMs, internet cafes, restaurants, government offices etc. We also take a tour of Sagarmatha National park and enjoy the views of Mt.Everest Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kongde and many more. We also visit the Hillary School and monastery nearby which houses a yeti scalp. We can also hike to Khumjung village if time permits. We stay the night in Namche bazaar.

We have an early morning breakfast and start the trek with the well known descend to Dudh Koshi River and the equally impressive ascent through rhododendron forests to Tengboche. We can get clear views of Mount Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku while descending to Dudh Koshi River. Once we reach Tengboche we visit Tengboche monastery which happens to be the largest monastery in the Everest region. We stay the night in Tengboche. We stay the night in Tengboche.

Today we descend through a forest of birch, conifers and rhododendrons with the views Mt. Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam to give us company. The trai then dives into Imja River and takes us to Pangboche. We ascend to upper Pangboche where there is Pangboche Monaster. The trail leads us to Imja Valley, Lobuche River and climbs upto Dingboche. We stay the night in Dingboche.

Today we take a day off to acclimatize to the thinning air and high altitude. It is vital to let the body get used up to the surroundings. We hike up to Nangkartshang peak which lies just above Dingboche. It is also a great viewpoint from where we can view the striking Ama Dablam. If the weather permits we can see Ama Dablam from head toe. We can also use this day by touring the surrounding villages.

We continue the trail that leads to the lateral moraine of Khumbu Glacier and pass by stone memorials dedicated to the climbers who have lost their lives doing expeditions. We continue our climb and head towards Lobuche which is situated at the foot of Lobuche peak. We stay the night in Lobuche.

Today we have a difficult day ahead since we walk along the Khumbu Glacier up to Everest Base camp. This is the closest you can get to Mount Everest without actually doing expeditions. During the springtime we can see colorful tents of expedition teams against the grey surroundings. The view of the Khumbu Icefall from the base camp is quite a beautiful sight. We return Gorak Shep where we stay the night.

Today is the hardest part of the trek and to our content it is the most rewarding as well. We start early and start our climb of Kala Patthar which is a small peak at 5,555m. The ascent is quite steep but we will be rewarded by spectacular views of Mount Everest which towers before us at 8,848m. Alongside Everest we will also be surrounded by peaks such as Nuptse, Lhotse, Chagatse, Pumori and many others. We do a short descent back to Gorak Shep to have our lunch and trek back to Pherice where we stay the night.

We have a short trek today and the trail is fairly easy. We take the route to Dingboche and then ascend to the Chukhung valley. We stay the night in Chukhung.

We have breakfast and make a comfortable start following the Imja Valley and the sky high views of Ama Dablam en route is quite pleasing to the eye. Then, we follow the moraines that flow from Lhotse (8,501m) towards the sand flats at Pareshaya Gyab. The walk from here to the Base Camp is a short one and we will reach there in mid-afternoon. We stay the night in tented camps and we will have our food cooked by our camping team.

We have kept two days to climb the Island Peak, although we will probably not require more than a day if weather permits. Our climbing Sherpa will decide the strategy to climb the peak taking into account the group’s acclimatization, weather, snow conditions and other factors. Our Sherpa will provide with the essential gear’s such as ropes, ice picks, harness, crampons etc. We camp just below the permanent snowline.
We leave early in the morning to do the final ascent to the summit. It will take us anywhere between four to six hours depending upon the weather conditions. We will fix a rope in the summit headwall for both ascents and descent. We will require every ounce of your willpower and stamina to make the summit, but the feeling once atop this 6,187 colossus is beyond measure. The views of Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Makalu and Baruntse amid the plethora of smaller mountains is staggering. We return back to Chukhung to stay the night.

We leave the mountains behind us and descent through the various towns of Dingboche, Orsho, Shomare and Lower Pangboche to reach the suspension bridge over the Imja Khola River and then ascend gradually through Debuche and then to Tengboche. We stay the night in Tengboche.

We leave the majestic mountains behind us and descend to Namche Bazaar through Pangboche and Tengboche. It is the same trail that we ascended but the views are one to savor. We arrive Namche in the afternoon where we stay the night.

Today is the last day of trekking and we return to Lukla which was the starting point of our trek. We have plenty of time today to roam about and appreciate our personal and the team’s achievements of the trek. We can have a few celebratory drinks in the evening as well. We stay the night in Lukla.

We catch the earliest flight to Kathmandu possible and the flight gives us a chance to catch a last glimpse of the mountain ranges. It takes us around 35 minutes to reach Kathmandu. You also have the option to extend the trip by doing tours and jungle safari.

We have an extra day to buy souvenirs or do or see anything that you feel you have missed. We also have taken this day off in case the flight from Lukla to Kathmandu gets cancelled due to bad weather. Tonight Naata Trek and Tours will also organize a THANK YOU farewell dinner program where we can recollect all the fond memories of our trip. We can have a few drinks to lift up the celebration mood as well.

Our trip concludes today and a Naata Trek and Tours representative will escort you to the international airport for your departure.