EBC Kalapatthar Trek and Island Peak Climbing - 21 Days

Upon your arrival in the Kathmandu airport (TIA), you will be greeted by a representative from Himalayan trekkers and transfer to hotel. We will be discussing the trek in details and free time of your own. We stay overnight at the hotel.

we will start our guided tour to several of the most historical and spiritual attractions and some of landmarks which are considered as world heritage sites including the historic Durbar Square, the sacred Hindu temple of Pashupatinath, the famous 'Monkey Temple' (Swayambhunath) and Buddhists shrine (Buddha Nath) which is one of the large Stupa in the world. In the afternoon, there will be a pre-trip discussion where we can meet our trek leader and other team members where we will discuss our trek. We stay overnight at the hotel.

We will make an early morning start for the Twin Otter flight to Lukla located at 2,840m; the entry point to Khumbu. This is an exciting flight, which will give you a first glimpse of the mighty Everest in the distance. In Lukla, we will meet our trek staff and porters and set off straight away for our first night’s stop at Phakding. Situated on the banks of the Dudh Kosi, which drains the whole of the Khumbu Region, this small hamlet is on the main trade route through the area and there are a number of clean, well-built lodges where we will spend the night.

We will continue up the banks of the Dudh Kosi, crossing it twice by small Hillary suspension bridges before reaching the village of Monjo, where we will enter the Khumbu National Park. We will then come across the confluence of the Dudh Kosi and the Bhote Kosi on a high suspension bridge and then climb steeply for about two hours up ‘Namche Hill’ to reach Namche Bazaar (3,440m). This is a prosperous trading town and the capital of the Khumbu Region. Many Tibetans cross the nearby border to trade their wares and the local market is a fascinating spectacle. This is a good place to buy genuine Tibetan artifacts. Just across the valley to the east stand the peaks of Thamserku, Kusum Kangaru, and Kangtega. These are very impressive mountains. We will spend three nights here giving you enough time to acclimatize.

Today is our acclimatization day and during this critical acclimatization phase, we will spend time resting and trekking to higher altitudes. This will allow our bodies to become acclimatized to the altitude of 3,440m. In the morning, we will trek up to Shyangbouche Hill located at 3,900m. This is one of the points that give you a great panoramic view of the Everest region comprising Thamserku, Kangtega, and Kusum Kanguru. It also gives you a chance to have a closer view of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam. We can see these breathtaking views by sitting in one of the World’s best luxury hotel, Everest View Hotel which is situated at a high altitude with the panoramic view of Everest region. Sipping a cup of tea here will give you a feeling of being in heaven. If time permits we will walk further to Khumbu village and return back to Namche.

From Namche, the well-worn Everest trail curves around the side of the valley, high above the Dudh Kosi. As we follow the path, we will have our first real awe-inspiring view of the great peaks of Khumbu: Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Tawache, Thamserku and Ama Dablam. Passing by several villages and numerous tea shops, we will cross the Dudh Kosi River and make a steep climb to Tengboche, home of an impressive and recently renovated monastery. We have plenty of time to look around Tengboche since there are limited teahouses so at the peak season it is busy.

Lined by rhododendron trees, the trail crosses an airy suspension bridge just beyond Deboche. An hour’s walking from here will bring us to Pangboche, an excellent viewpoint for Ama Dablam (‘Mother’s Charm Box’) and home for the Sherpas who work on this imposing mountain after each monsoon season. Curving up to the valley side, we will re-cross the river and turn up towards the Imja Valley to reach the picturesque farming village of Dingboche (4,410m).

Dingboche is a good location for acclimatization, which is very important prior to our ascent to the upper section of the Imja Valley. While in Dingboche, we will acclimatize and try gaining up to 5,000m.You can also interact with the guide to get the information about the altitude and geographical condition if you want. We will also walk over to Pheriche and return back. This will also serve as good acclimatization training and so make the walk doubly worthwhile.

We take a long walk above the valley where Pheriche is positioned, with stunning views all around. A nice stroll gradually uphill to Dugla will bring us to our lunch stop. The trail from Dugla steeply climbs up beside the glacier moraine. After a few hours, the track eventually leads to a small cluster of tea houses pleasingly situated at Lobuche (4,940m). We will spend the afternoon relaxing and exploring the surrounding area with the beautiful view all around.

After walking for about three hours from Lobuche, we reach Gorak Shep (5,220m) for an early lunch. This is the site of the historic 1953 Everest expedition’s base camp. We visit the base camp and climb Kala Pattar using Gorak Shep as our base. The views from Kala Pattar are clearer in the morning, though the position of the sun means that photos are often better taken in the evening. The decision for climbing the Kala Pathar and a trek to base camp will be made here. After consulting with the guide we can decide upon the day that we would climb and also the day when we would explore the base camp. When we go to the Everest Base Camp we will also make a visit to the edge of the Icefall, meet some teams preparing for Everest, pack up and head back to Gorak Shep to sleep.

In the morning we will make climb Kala Patthar (5,545m) if we have not already scaled it the previous evening. The climb takes between 2 / 3 hours and is a strenuous task, but the effort is rewarded by the classic view of Everest and the Khumbu Icefall, as well as Lhotse, Nuptse, and Pumori immediately above. For most trekking teams, this is as far as they go up the Everest trail. After having lunch in the lodge at Gorak Shep, we will descend the valley to Lobuche.

This trail is often under-rated and yet the Kongma La is a challenging pass. It is a more interesting and adventurous way to approach the Imja Valley than via Dugla and Dingboche. The path is steep at first but eventually eases out at the top of the pass, from where we descend past some glacial lakes, and Phokalde. The views from the Kongma La are really spectacular, especially Makalu in the east, Ama Dablam’s North Ridge and Nuptse. Chhukung is a small settlement with just a couple of lodges, where we spend the night.

From Chhukung we carry all our gear towards Island Peak Base Camp. We head up the 4-hour trail to our base for the climb. In order to get a feel of things, we will do some extra training on the hillsides at the base camp. There are an amazing glacier and lake with more stunning views of the Imja valley. Our next targeted destination of this trip is Island peak after we have scaled Kala Pathar. It is considered to be quite a feat if you have ascended Kala Pathar and then scaling Island Peak is like adding one more feather to your mountain cap.

After due consultation with the guide and the team members, and if the weather permits us, then we will trek to the high camp. This will help us to acclimatize and the day would also be used as a practice for the summit attempt the next day. The other option is that we can have a resting period at the base camp where we can have a bit more training and also check up on climbing gear. Re-hydration will be the key to prepare us for our 1 am a departure for our summit attempt.

Today we will make our summit attempt on Island Peak (6,189m) entirely depending on the prevailing weather conditions. This is a long hard climb. Initially, there is a steep 400m zig-zag path up to where the high camp can be positioned; at this point, we hit rocky scree for another 150m before a scramble and traverse across to a steeper section of rock. This is straightforward trekking, but very strenuous. Once you reach the 5,700m altitude, the pace slackens dramatically and the final rock section never seems to end. After a hard rough climb, we top out onto a narrow ridge which takes us to the start of the glacier. We get all our gear on, rope up and cross the glacier before the 100m headwall which is fixed by the climbing Sherpa’s, before the tricky final section to the summit. From the Summit, you can see the breath-catching Makalu, Baruntse, and Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, and the surrounding snowy peaks. After we enjoy our summit success, we begin the long descent back to Chhukung.

We will walk back to Tengboche which will be about 4 hrs walk and upon arriving at Tengboche; we will have lunch and a short rest. We will visit the Monastery where we can interact with the monks and pray with them. From here we can have a mesmerizing view of the sunset.

Today, our trail will go up and down until we reach Namche Bazaar. After we cross the Kyangjuma we reach the hilltop. It is highly recommended that you capture the last moment photographs of the natural scenery seen from the top which will be the lifetime memorable experience for you. We will spend some time at Namche Bazar and have lunch here. Then we take a steep descending trail to Hillary Suspension Bridge and after crossing the bridge we will have a more sedate walk for about half an hour to reach Monjo. You can spend your time strolling and chatting with the local people as well as the children.

We leave Monjo and trek the final leg for Lukla. Today, we will walk about 4/5 hrs to reach Lukla where halfway the trail will be a comfortable walk and the other half will be ascending. If you remember, this is the same trail that we had walked through to Namche Bazaar on our first day of the trek. We will stay in a guesthouse in Lukla and wake up early for our flight back to Kathmandu the next morning.

Today we will take an early flight from Lukla to Kathmandu as it lies in the Himalayan region and we cannot be sure about the bad weather. Upon arrival at Kathmandu, you can go to the spa and massage center to get rid of the pain and tired of trekking.

Today is the free day as you can visit some of the Heritage sites of Kathmandu or you can stroll at Thamel and can do last minutes shopping; souvenir for friends, families, and relatives. In the evening, farewell dinner with the team of Himalayan trekkers by enjoying a cultural show.

Although, it is a sad moment for us to say goodbye however a representative from Himalayan trekkers will drop you at the airport before 3 hours of your flight and takes the feedback of the trip. Hope to see you again in next holidays!!