Everest Base Camp
+ Island Peak Climbing
Everest Base Camp Trekking with Island Peak Climbing
Overview
Island Peak (6180m) is the most popular climbing peak that lies in the Everest region of Nepal. It is locally known as the Imja Tse, which was later renamed to Island Peak by Eric Shipton. If you are looking for an adventure to go on along the Everest base camp trek, then think about climbing Island Peak. It is a perfect trip for adventure lovers and also those who dream of climbing the white peaks in the Khumbu region.
The Island Peak climbing trip begins in Lukla, and then you walk above the Dudh Koshi valley, through the forests and terraced fields. After passing the culturally significant places of the Sherpa people such as Namche Bazaar and Khumjungand Tengbuche, you reach the base camp of the world’s tallest peak- Mount Everest. Then you go back to Chhukung and head to the Island Peak base camp, where you will arrange all the required climbing equipment. For this trip, you need acclimatization and basic knowledge of peak climbing. Our professional peak climbing guide will always assist you during your wonderful trip. However, you also need to be physically fit. It is less of a technical peak and from the summit, you can enjoy the breathtaking views of Mount Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Thamserku, Ama Dablam and the surrounding peaks.
Malaika Travel is a leading peak climbing operator in Nepal. We have expertise in arranging Island Peak climbing trips along with the Everest base camp trek. Due to bad weather, climbing days can sometimes be postponed, so we recommend that you have some spare days.
US$ 2440
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Day to day itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu
After landing at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu from your designated destination, you will be greeted at the arrival gate by a representative of the travel company who will then transfer you to your hotel. If you have any spare time, you can explore the city or relax at the hotel to overcome your jet lag. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 2: Familiarisation walk & trek preparation day
Today after breakfast, you will meet with the guide and walk around Thamel to familiarise yourself with it. Today, we will also examine your trekking gear and help you pack for the trek. In the evening, there will be a group discussion for you to attend to discuss the upcoming trekking and climbing plans. Overnight at Hotel.
Day 3: Fly to Lukla (35 min) and trek to Phakding (2652m) [3-4 hrs]
Ideally, we will arrive in Lukla between 7 – 9 am, so that you can have breakfast and start walking mostly downhill for a relaxed walk on your first day. The hike should take 3-5 hours, depending on if you’re travelling to Phakding or Monjo. If you go to Phakding (2,650m/8,694ft) it will be about 3 hours and if you are going to Monjo (2,850m/9,350ft) it will take approximately 5 hours. If you are going to Monjo, you will have lunch in Phakding and then continue going to Monjo until you arrive in the afternoon. When you arrive, you will check into your room and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and starting the acclimatization process. Make sure you stay well hydrated; drinking 3 to 4 litres of water a day is essential all the way throughout the trek. 9km/ 5.6 miles to Phakding or 13km/ 8.8 miles to Monjo.
Day 4: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3440m) [6-7 hrs]
For the first couple of hours, you will get to cross some of the famous suspension bridges, while gradually moving uphill towards the entrance of Sagarmatha National Park, the official entrance to the Everest Region. You then continue downhill for a short time before it levels out to flat ground and mixed terrain. The trail then follows the river to the final high suspension bridge before you begin the long ‘Namche Hill’ trek, which can take 2 hours, to reach the Sherpa village of Namche Bazaar. Today’s trek is usually 6 hours long with plenty of breaks and time to rest along the way. The distance from Phakding to Namche is 11.3 km/ 7.02 miles.
Day 5: Acclimatization day at Namche Bazaar
Today is one of your acclimatization trek days. When you trek behind Namche Bazaar, the trail is quite steep and you can feel the lack of oxygen as you ascend 460m/1,509ft to Shangbouche Airport, then cross the runway and head another 100m/ 328ft up to Shangbouche Hill at 3,900m/ 12,795ft. We will enjoy the stunning views and relax for 30-45 minutes before returning back to Namche. This trek is an essential part of the acclimatization process and usually takes approximately 4 hours. 3km/ 1.8 miles.
Day 6: Namche to Tengbouche (3860m) [5-6 hrs]
Today we will hike towards Tengbouche, at 3,900m/ 12,795ft. After ascending out of Namche, the first 2 hours are just relaxed walking as you traverse the left hand side of the valley, high above the valley floor. The trail then descends down towards the river which is where we will stop for lunch. From here it will take 2 – 3 hours to hike up the long hill to the town of Tengbouche. This is a gradual but long ascent and the in total you will do about 5/6 hours of hiking today. 12km/ 7.5 miles.
Day 7: Tengbouche to Dingbouche (4400m) [5-6 hrs]
From Tengbouche, we will travel to Dingbouche, at 4,400m/ 14,436ft. The trail starts downhill and continues very gradually up and down hills before you cross the river and gradually head uphill towards Pangbouche for lunch (Pangbouche is one of the villages on the trail that suffered the most from the recent earthquakes), which usually takes 2-3 hours. From there it is a gradual uphill trek towards the Imja Valley overlooking Island Peak and then an hour later you’ll arrive in Dingbouche. The total trekking time today will be 5 to 6 hours. 12km/ 7.5 miles.
Day 8: Acclimatisation day
Today, we will spend another night in Dingbouche to help you with the acclimatization process. Here we will aim to reach the height of 4,900m/ 16,076ft, gaining 500m/1,640ft. This acclimatization trek should take approximately 3 hours. We will enjoy the views and rest for about 30-45 min at the high point before going back down for lunch and an afternoon of relaxation. 3km/ 1.86 miles and 500m/ 1,640ft of ascent and descent.
Day 9: Dingboche to Lobuche (4828m) [5-6 hrs]
From Dingbouche we will head to Lobuche, at 4828m. The trail heads back towards the Khumbu valley and continues on a long and slow trek across a beautiful elevated route towards Dugla, where we will stop for a while to eat lunch and rest. This usually takes 2 hours and after lunch, we will go from Dugla to Lobuche, which will take an additional 3 hours with plenty of rest stops. After stopping at Dugla we have a long uphill hike over the Thukla Pass where we will go by the Everest Memorial, before heading to Lobuche. We will be trekking for a total of 5 hours today. 12km/ 7.5 miles.
Day 10: Lobuche to Gorakshep-EBC – Gorakshep (5160m-5365m-5160m) [7-8 hrs]
Today we will travel from Lobuche to Gorak Shep at 5,160m. Today’s trek is very beautiful and unique. You’ll be crossing a lot of loose rock as well glacier moraine. The trail into Gorak Shep takes approximately 3 hours. We will have lunch there before walking an additional 3 hours to reach Everest Base Camp, where we will spend some time enjoying the base camp of the world’s highest mountain! The hike back to Gorak Shep is another 2 hours, bringing this long day to an end after a total of 7 or 8 hours of hiking. Today is a very challenging day for most people. 10km/ 6.2 miles.
Day 11: Hike to Kalapatthar, trek down to Dingboche (5555m-4410m) [7-8 hrs]
After a good night’s rest in Gorak Shep, those who feel ready and able will wake up very early and hike up Kala Phattar to see the sun rise over Everest. This is a difficult 3 hour uphill hike which is hard work, but it’s well worth it for the amazing views of Everest in the early morning. Once you return back to Gorak Shep, you will have breakfast and return all the way back to Dingboche at 4410m. This can take 5 hours, making the total amount of time spent walking 8 hours today. 18km/ 11.2 miles.
Day 12: Dingboche to Chhukung (4750m) [3-4 hrs]
Today we will be taking a pleasant walk leaving Dingboche behind us and following the trail via Imja Khola valley with magnificent views of the Himalayas en route. We will be having a relaxed walk of just 3-4 hours today. As we walk through the trail we can see the towering peaks of Mt. Lhotse on our left and Mt. Ama Dablam on our right. When we walk further, we reach a place called Bibre. As we take further steps we can see Island Peak (Imja Tse) which is one of the most popular trekking peaks of the region. We will cross some icy streams before we reach Chhukung. Approximately thirty minutes of walking from Bibre takes us to Chhukung. We can behold scenic views of glaciers and massive mountains all around us. You have the choice today whether you want to spend your time resting in Chhukung or hike to the rocky knoll of Chhukung that offers stunning views of Mt. Lhotse, Island Peak, Mt. Ama Dablam, Mt. Makalu and other Himalayas. Overnight we will stay at Chhukung. 5km/3.1miles.
Day 13: Chhukung to Island Peak Base Camp (5200m) [3-4 hrs] and climbing preparation.
We will follow the trail climbing steadily towards the south of the valley and then later we’ll continue turning east. The trail then continues along the southern edge of the moraine from the Lhotse Glacier. We will be having a relaxed walk via Imja and Lhotse glacier moraine to the base camp of Island Peak. Upon reaching the base camp our guides will conduct the training session on peak climbing skills and using climbing gears like an ice axe, climbing boots and crampons, harness, ascender, rope handling etc. Although it is not mandatory to take any training for climbing Island Peak, it provides you with basic techniques on handling gear and techniques that help you to successfully climb the peak. Overnight, we will stay at Island Peak Base Camp. 5km/3miles approx.
Day 14: Island Base Camp – Summit Island Peak (6189m) – Chhukung (4750m) [8-10 hrs]
Today is the climax of our trip. We will be summiting Island Peak. We begin our climb early in the morning only a few hours after midnight. We begin by climbing a rocky ditch. This is not difficult but the short rocky steps may still create a problem. We will then follow a ridgeline which leads to an exciting traverse through the snout of the summit glacier. We need the rope support to go up through the glacier as it contains several crevasses. Our guide will help you in fixing the ropes wherever necessary. A vertical snow hill leads us to the summit ridge. After summiting the peak, we can take pictures of the scenic beauty and then descend down to Chhukung for the overnight stay. We have all the reasons to celebrate the night today!
Day 15: Extra day
An extra day to summit Imja Tse (Island) Peak just in case there’s bad weather. If we don’t need the extra day we can start trekking down today.
Day 16: Chhukung to Namche Bazaar (3420m) [8-9 hrs]
We gear up for a long day trekking today. We trek through Imja Khola to reach Pangboche village. We will also visit the famous monastery in Pangboche which is believed to be the oldest in the Khumbu region. We then descend down the trail via a green landscape filled with pine forests. The trail further leads to an uphill climb to reach the village of Tengboche. We pay our visit to the monastery and descend down to Dudh Koshi River. We climb the hillside and enter the Namche Bazaar. Overnight, we will stay in Namche. 20km/12.42miles.
Day 17: Namche Bazaar to Lukla (2860m) [6-8 hrs]
We will be wrapping up our trekking expedition today. Leaving Namche Bazaar behind, we descend down the rocky trail crossing suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi River. As we walk, the trail becomes easier. The environment is really warm and cosy compared to the previous days of our expedition. We can feel the fresh air blowing from Himalayas which makes our expedition nicer. We pass through beautiful forests filled with rhododendrons, pine trees and different natural vegetation. We get to see beautiful mountains and the panoramic views on our way. We will be passing through Sherpa villages that offer a unique blend of Sherpa culture and tradition. Upon arriving at Lukla we will conclude our long expedition and relax with our friends and crew members. Overnight, we will stay in Lukla. 22km/13.7miles.
Day 18: Fly back to Kathmandu (1300m) [35 min flight]
Today your legs get a break as you only have to trek to Lukla Airport and fly back to Kathmandu, which is only about 10 minutes. Overnight stay at Kathmandu Hotel.
Day 19: Departure to the airport
Today, we will send you to the airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight.