Overview

Climbing to Island Peak of 6189 meters is designed for beginners having mountain climbing dreams and who is energetic and physically fit trekkers with little or no experience in climbing mountains. Very little technicality is needed to climb this mountain. Moreover, our itinerary has been designed very carefully allowing climbers to cope with altitude with gradual acclimatization.

The trip starts when we fly to Lukla mountain airstrip. We follow the main route of Everest Base Camp trek and separate ourselves from the trail to Chukung leading us to Island Base Camp trek. The summit of Island Peak stands adjacent to the South Face of Lhotse, one of the worlds largest ice walls, and offers stunning views of beautiful Mt, Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Makalu. It is an excellent opportunity to participate in and fully experience a Himalayan mountain climbing expedition.

Day 1 :

Arrival in Kathmandu

Welcome to Nepal! Ramdung Expedition representative will meet you at the airport and bring you to your hotel in Kathmandu. You can take a rest or if you are arriving earlier, can visit around the city. In the evening we will hold a briefing session regarding your trip and get to know your Nepali trekking companion. We’ll be happy to answer any question you may have. O/N Hotel.

Day 2 :

Sightseeing trip / Preparation

Kathmandu valley is has fantastic UNESCO world heritages all around. Today after the breakfast, you’ll be visiting Boudhanath Stupa (the largest Buddhist shrines in the world), Pashupatinath (the holiest Hindu temple in the world), Durbar Squares (Palaces and fortresses of medieval Kings). The lifestyle of the Nepalese people, holy sadhus and monks, the fascinating history and the awe-inspiring architecture will be the highlight of this day. You can also buy or rent any needed gear or clothing from trekking/mountaineering shops. O/N Hotel (B).

Day 3 :

Fly to Lukla (28040) and trek to Phakding (2610m): 3 hrs

An early morning start takes us to the Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu for the 35-minute scenic flight to Tenzing and Hillary Airport at Lukla (2,804m). On arrival at the airport guide will brief you and introduce our porters before we begin our trek towards Phakding (2,610m). After landing we have time to explore the village while our Sherpa crew sort and load our trekking equipment. Then we begin our trek by descending towards the Dudh Kosi River where we join the main trail to Namche Bazaar, located just above Chaunrikharka (2,713m). The walking is easy and after passing through the small village of Ghat (2,550m) it is a short walk to Phakding. O/N Lodge (BLD).

Day 4 :

Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3441m): 5-6 hrs

We continue trekking along the banks of the Dudh Kosi, crossing the majestic river many times on exciting suspension bridges laden with prayer flags. After entering the Sagamartha National Park, the trail climbs steeply with breathtaking views. Namche Bazaar (considered the Gateway to Everest) is home to many quality restaurants, hotels, lodges, shops, money exchange services, internet cafes and bakeries. Namche is the biggest town along the Everest trail. Overnight at a guesthouse. O/N Lodge (BLD).

Day 5 :

Acclimatization Day

We spend a day in Namche Bazaar in order to acclimatize and adjust to the thinning air. We will trek a short distance to a museum that is celebrated for its exhibits of the traditional customs of the Sherpa people. We also hike up the Syangboche Airport near the Everest View Hotel. From this point, we can see rewarding views of the Himalayas with a stunning sunrise and sunset over the panorama of Khumbu peaks. O/N Lodge (BLD).

Day 6 :

Namche Bazaar to Tengboche: 6 hrs

Morning breakfast fuel us for the trekking to Tengboche which is one of most beautiful place in Khumbu region. Breathtaking view of – Kwangde, thamserku, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse, Everest begins appearing on the route. We descent to DudhKoshi river for some time and climb along Rhododendron forest. Once arriving in Tengboche, we visit the monastery which is biggest in the region and enjoy the mountain views. O/N Lodge (BLD).

Day 7 :

Tengboche to Dingboche: 6 hrs.

It take around 4 hour to reach Dingboche today. You gradually descend through a forest, cross the Imja Khola and climb steadily up to the village of Pangboche. As you gradually ascend, you find thick forests as the trail is full of thorny and juniper bushes. A further two and a half hour’s walk brings us to Dingboche. O/N Lodge.

Day 8 :

Dingboche to Lobuche: 6-7 hrs

We start our day with steady climbto Duglha. Here we find memorial stupas dedicated to trekker and climbers who lost their lives in the region. Then we climb to Khumbu Glacier moraine facing many great peaks such as Khumutse, Lingren, Mahalangur himal and pumore. The trail will now be easy until settlement of Lobuche. O/N Lodge (BLD).

Day 9 :

Lobuche to Gorakshep (5288m): 3hrs. Excursion to Everest Base camp (5360m): 3hrs

The big day on our overall trek arrives today. We start with easy trek from Lobuche to Gorakshep. The succeeding trail to Everest base camp is harder and involves walking to rocky dunes, moraines and glacial debris. We will also approach famous khumbu Glacier and icefall. When reaching Everest base camp in spring, we see lots of tents of climbers attempting Mt. Everest to climb. We’ll spent some time there to see unbelievable views of mountains and take some pictures then head back to Gorekshep after the busy day. O/N Lodge (BLD).

Day 10 :

Morning climb to Kalapathar (5545m): 4hrs. Trek back to Lobuche: 6-7 hrs

We wake up early in the morning and start to walk to Kalapattar meaning “black rock”. Kalapattar is epic climb, the point to view sensational Himalayan vistas of a life time. The climb is tough but a chance to cherish your dream of viewing highest mountain at one place. We get back to Ghorakshep, take breakfast and head down to Lobuche with easy walking. O/N Lodge (BLD).

Day 11 :

Lobuche to Kongma La (5535m) to Chhukung (4730m): 5-6 hrs.

After breakfast, we start walking via Khumbu Glacier to Kongma la base camp of 5000m. The ascent to the top of Kongma la pass is challenging and at top we wrap prayer flags to mark the pass. Then we walk downhill to imja khola valley and another descent to Chhukung village, which is also kind of summer settlement. We check our equipment here in Chhukung to make sure all things has arrived well. O/N Lodge (BLD). Note : we can skip Khongma la pass, by following route via Dingboche to Chhukung.

Day 12 :

Chhukung to Island Peak base Camp (5200m): 3-4 hrs

The route is mostly steep one. We start walking and climbing south turning east to main line of valley. We walk on southern flank of moraine from Lhotse glacier. Again continue walking along streamside from where way to Amphu Labtsa lies to southeast. The route through Imja and Lhotse Glacier leads us to wide valley south west side of island peak. O/N Camping (BLD).

Day 13 :

Rest and pre-climbing training on Island Peak Base Camp

Our guide will today give short training on peak climbing techniques and proper way of using the gears. Though it is not mandatory for this training but we strongly believe that it can boost your confidence and climbing skills. We can also spend day hiking to high camp or resting for next day climb. O/N Camping (BLD).

Day 14 :

Summit Island Peak (6189m) and Back to Base Camp: 9-10 hrs

Our target is to wake up around 12-1am and reach summit before noon because afternoon sees strong winds in summits. We start climbing steeply up the lower flanks of south-east face. The route is well but some times there is bit of rock scrambling and rocky spur takes us to snow ramp leading to upper snow field. We see Makalu and Lhotse from now on. After crossing upper neve, it is essential to fix ropes but steep ice then leads to summit ridge. The summit ridge is quite exposed here we fix the ropes and walk towards the summit. It is magnificent vantage point to view all peaks south of Lhotse face. Then spending some time, we descend by the same route back to base camp. O/N Camping (BLD).

Day 15 :

Island Base Camp to Pangboche: 5-6 hrs

The hiking today is easier as we walk descending to lower altitudes following same route back. We take different trail to visit Gompa in Upper Pangboche, believed to be oldest of Khumbu region. Pangboche is scenic village surrounded by mountains such as Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Kangenge, Kongde etc. O/N Lodge (BLD).

Day 16 :

Pangboche to Namche Bazaar: 4-5 hrs

We retrace our way down to Imja Khola and through forest reaching Tengboche. We will visit monastery in Tengboche and after lunch continue through rhododendron and juniper tress down to reach Dudhkoshi river. Then cross the bridge we climb for some hours passing through forest. There will have chance to see mountain goats, snow leopards and pheasants on the way then reach Namche Bazaar. O/N lodge (BLD).

Day 17 :

Namche to Lukla: 6-7 hrs

We trace back the same route we started passing through Hillary suspension bridge and through the Sherpa villages. The last day of trek is traditionally completed by party with your trekking crew. All are in happy and celebration mood for accomplishing the great Everest base camp trek. This will also be last day of yours in the mountain. O/N Lodge (BLD).

Day 18 :

Fly Lukla to Kathmandu

Fly from Lukla to Kathmandu which takes about 35 minutes. We will take an early morning flight to Kathmandu. Upon arrival in Kathmandu you will be transferred to Hotel. You can rest and relax throughout the day in your hotel. O/N Hotel (B).

Day 19 :

Contingency Day

You can spend time resting/buying souvenirs back to home. In the evening, we will host farewell dinner in traditional restaurant with cultural dance performances in celebration of your amazing trip. O/N Hotel (BD).

Day 20 :

Trip ends: Farewell and departure

The journey in the mountains of Nepal comes to an end today ! At last approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight, a representative from Ramdung Expedition will drop you to the airport. (B)