ISLAND PEAK (6189m) via EVEREST BASE CAMP

ISLAND PEAK (6189m) via EVEREST BASE CAMP

Nepal


TBA          
Trip leader
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Island Peak is located on top of the Chukung glacier between Ama Dablam and Lhotse Mountains. The unique and demanding geographical conditions make it the most sought after peak. Statistically, 300 or more groups attempt to scale Island Peak every year. This trek provides an ideal opportunity to climb a Himalayan Summit [6189m] together with an exhilarating Trek to the Everest Base Camp and Kala Phattar. The most formidable segment is a mixed rock and ice wall at a slope of around 45 degrees leading to the narrow summit ridge. The stunning views from the summit, nevertheless compensate for all your efforts. Ahead of climbing to Island Peak, we trek from Lukla to the Dudh Kosi valley, travelling through Namche and Tengboche, enroute to Kala Phattar and Everest Base Camp. After having rested and being acclimatized and feeling physically fit, we start off to the beautiful Imja Khola valley in the direction of Island Peak. In addition to a trekking adventure, we happen to witness pristine Sherpa villages and ever-so-tranquil monasteries. With lumbering memories of the trekking earlier done, we trek back traversing through Namche to Lukla, and then fly back to Kathmandu. The ideal time to embark on this trek are the months from March to May and from September to December. To qualify for the ascent over this peak one needs to be a physically fit and well acclimatized.
 

Itinerary

Show Detailed Itinerary
Fly to Kathmandu and transfer to Hotel. Day spent relaxing.
We will make an early morning start (2/3am) for the journey to the Ramechhap airport (also known as Manthali airport). A 4 to 5 hour drive through the Nepali countryside crossing the beautiful towns of Dhulikhel, Mulkot and Khurkot brings us Ramechaap, a small town on the banks of Tamakoshi river. The flight takes 20mins to reach Lukla from Ramechaap. Upon reaching Lukla we start our trek to Phakding, our destination for the night. The trekking trail from Lukla descends to Tharo Koshi, a small settlement by a smll stream. Then, you trek to Phakding (2804 meters) on an gradual uphill trail. Overnight at lodge.
We continue up the Dud Kosi Valley on the west bank and cross high suspension bridges to enter the Sagarmatha National Park at Jorsale. The trail is steep till Namche Bazaar with its very colorful Saturday market. You get first views of Mt. Everest on the trial. This is the Sherpa Heartland.
The Sherpa Heartland is a colorful town bustling with small shops, food joints and Himalayas as backdrop, adding to the ambience. A good place to rest, acclimatize and checkout sunrise/sunset on the Himalayan Giants – Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam. You can also visit the Everest museum which will give you a good insight into the lives and tradition of the Sherpas.
We stick to the contouring trail along the Dudh Kosi River. With very good views of the peaks in Khumbu including Ama Dablam and Everest we descend to the suspension bridge at the village settlement of Phunki Tanga. We cross this and climb steeply to Tengboche which has a monastery – the biggest in Khumbu. This houses a 20-foot statue of Buddha and beautiful Thangkas.
The day has a steep descent passing through a forest, crossing Imja Khola and a steady ascent to the village of Pangboche. The village has spectacular mountain views with scattered pine trees, mani walls and gompa as foreground, Ama Dablam (6856m) which is standing just opposite - adds the beauty. A steady walk of about 2 hrs from here, takes us to Pheriche.
A day to rest and acclimatize and a chance to wander up the valley to look at Tshola Tsho lake, also the Cholatse’s and Tawache’s perpendicular walls. The climb up to the ridge overlooking Dingboche for the view up the Imja Valley and the incredible south face of Lhotse is another alternate that can be done.
We continue up the wide valley beneath the impressive peaks of Cholatse and Tawache on the left. A right turn from here and a steep ascent towards takes us to the foot of the Khumbu Glacier. The tea house at Dughla is an ideal lunch spot, before taking a zigzag route up through the boulders of the glacier's terminal moraine. The climb ends up at top which has hordes of stone cairns, which symbolize as the memorials to the numerous Sherpas who have perished during their climbs to Mt Everest. A gentle climb from here on alongside the glacier, leads to the group of houses at Lobuche.
The trail to Gorak Shep goes ahead through the lateral moraine of the Khumbu glacier. Climbing steeply up to the top through the torrent of Changri Glacier, we catch our first glimpse of Kala Patthar, a grey green knoll beneath Mt Pumori. As we reach Gorak Shep, we will find snow-capped mountains looming all around us including the top of the world – Mt Everest. After a brief lunch and rest, we take the trail to Everest Base Camp through the once vast Gorak Shep Lake. Overnight at lodge.
We start early in the morning to catch the dramatic views from Kala Pathar and witness the first light of day caress the peaks of the mountains, particularly, Mt.Everest. However we need to be prepared for an early morning departure, amid pre-dawn darkness and cold temperatures (-10 to -15 deg C). Further, there is always the potential for chilly winds which are quite common. Overnight at lodge.
Today, we have the magnificent views of the Island Peak, as we take a 2 hour easy walk, ascending gradually to Chukhung a small settlement.
Another easy day, a 3 hour walk crossing though the river and following the valley passes under the shadow of stunning south face of Lhotse. The day ends up at a base camp which is besides the Imja glacier, under the grassy slopes. This marks the start of the climb on Island Peak.
A small ascent takes us to a high camp. Here we relax and make final preparations for our climb tomorrow.
Crossing the gully above the camp the trail ascends for about an hour to a narrow ridge, heading towards the glacier. Here it is time to rope-up and put on our crampons as the most interesting part of the climb begins with the glacier crossing. This leads to a steep snow slope that ends onto the summit ridge. The ridge being refreshingly airy and leads to the summit, which has stunning close-up views of the south face of Lhotse looming over us whilst in the other direction open up breathtaking mountain views. We trek down the same route to the base camp.
A day allocated to any contingency due to weather etc.
After descending along the trail to Chukhung, we stop for lunch at Dingboche. A couple of hours trek leads to the lovely village of Pangboche.
We follow the river and cross it, the ascent from here takes us to Tengboche, while passing through the rhododendron and birch forest. We have a magnificent view of few of the great Himalayan Peaks like Thamserku, Nuptse ,Kwangde, Lhotse, Tawache Ama Dablam, Kantega and Everest. From Tengboche we make our descent and cross over the bridge over the Dudh Kosi at Phunki Tenga. Here, one can see prayer wheels driven by water. We then make our way back to Namche.
Can be adjusted for another spare day in the mountain or breaking the trek journey.
On our final day's trekking we follow the Dudh Kosi and come down to Lukla. We make the most of this last evening by having a farewell party with the support staff, the porters and the Sherpa Guides. We try some local drinks like chang and dance with sherpas and ponder upon the unforgettable trekking experience of past few days.
Early morning we take the flight to Ramechapp and later drive to Kathmandu. Evening free for sightseeing or shopping in the bazaar. Overnight at hotel.
Our Nepalese support team will drop you to the airport for your flight from Kathmandu to home. (Or you can stay longer for short tours such as Tibet tours, rafting, game drive at National parks and mountain biking, etc).

Trip Cost

219,000 / 3275  

KATHMANDU TO KATHMANDU , TWIN SHARING
TRIP COST INCLUDES
  • - All transport in a non AC car as per the itinerary above
  • - 3-star Hotel in Kathmandu (Bed & Breakfast) on twin sharing basis
  • - Accommodation in the tea houses on the trail and in twin sharing tents at Base Camp & High Camp
  • - Internal Flights and all Land transport in the itinerary
  • - A White Magic Trip Leader, assisted by a Nepalese Trek guide
  • - Group climbing equipment like ropes, anchors etc
  • - One porter between two trekkers
  • - Food for porters and crew members
  • - All permits, Sherpa allowances
  • - All meals on trek/climb (3 meals / 3 times Tea or Coffee)
  • - GST as applicable. (Subject to change as per govt rules).
TRIP COST EXCLUDES
  • - Airfare from Delhi / Kathmandu / Delhi
  • - Sleeping bag, items of personal clothing and personal climbing equipment (can be rented in Thamel, Kathmandu)
  • - Expenses of a personal nature like laundry, insurance
  • - Beverages and snacks at Kathmandu or any other tea house, tips for guides, cooks & porters
  • - One should budget for at least Rs. 250 per day for the bottled water on the approach trek. Average cost of bottled water on the trail is Rs. 70 per bottle.
  • - Any costs arising out of unforeseen circumstances such as bad weather, landslides, road conditions and any other circumstances beyond our control.
Cancellation terms

If it becomes necessary to cancel your trip, you must notify the office immediately in writing. The following terms would be applicable.

 

  • - More than 60 days prior to departure -  we will refund the entire amount received by us minus a processing fee.
  • - Less than 60 days prior to departure -  25% of the Trip Cost as the cancellation charges and we will refund the balance.
  • - Less than 45 days prior to departure - 50% of the Trip Cost as cancellation charges and the balance amount would be held as a credit towards a future trip taken within 1 year from the date of cancellation. 
  • - Less than 30 days - the entire amount would be forfeited. 

 

The tour price is quoted as a package. No partial refunds or credit will be given for services not used. We recommend that you obtain cancellation travel insurance upon booking. If you can replace your spot by getting someone else to take that seat, cancellation charges would be waived completely. Please note that these cancellation terms may be amended from time to time.

What to expect

 

On a Technical Trek the average day could involve more than 7 hrs of walking.  These trips might cover difficult and glaciated terrain where use of ropes and technical mountaineering equipment like crampons, harness, carabiners, descenders etc could come into play. On these trips one is required to stay at high altitudes for lengthy periods of time and hence  acclimatization is always a big concern. These treks can also throw a bit of surprise largely because of unpredictable nature of the terrain and the snow/ ice conditions in the high mountains and hence we always have a contingency day of two built into the plan.

These trips would last more than two weeks and go to wild, remote places completely cut off from civilization. Trekking peaks also come under the same category as the level of technicality required to climb a trekking peak is similar.

 


Internal Flights: Please note that poor weather can cause delays on the flights on Kathmandu-Lukla sector. At the end of the trip you should book the afternoon flights out from Kathmandu which gives you a day against delay on the flight back from Lukla. Helicopters can sometimes fly when the scheduled fixed wing aircraft cannot. If your group is offered the opportunity to use a chartered helicopter, either flying up to Lukla or back to Kathmandu, the cost will be shared between those choosing to take this option. In the extremely unlikely event that flight cancellations cause you to miss your homeward international flight, we will render all assistance, but cannot be held liable for any extra costs incurred. You could explore having an insurance for your flight cancellations. 

We suggest that you use the Inquire Now button for further details.

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