CLIMBING ISLAND PEAK
136
km
Distance
19
days
Duration
Only for request individually or for a private group -
CLIMBING ISLAND PEAK
19
days
136
km
3/3
difficulty
2/4
comfort
About the Program
Island Peak is one of the most popular and accessible 6000ers. For the first part you pick one of two treks: the classic route to Everest Base Camp or the harder, more rewarding route via the Gokyo lakes and the Cho La pass. Beyond the Himalayan views, the climb itself is a proper technical day: fixed ropes and jumar work.
Start:
Kathmandu Airport (KTM)
End:
Kathmandu Airport (KTM)
Язык: русский, ангийский
DIFFICULTY LEVEL
Daily stages with a 15 kg pack. To join you need experience of a summit above 5000 m.
ACCOMMODATIONS
4★ hotel in Kathmandu. Lodges. Tents at Island Peak Base Camp. View Photo
FOOD
Breakfasts at the Kathmandu hotel and all meals at Island Peak Base Camp are included. Meals on the trek are not: you eat in the lodges, about 20-30 USD a day.
Highlights
What Will You Do?
See the landmarks of Kathmandu: the Swayambhunath, Boudhanath and Pashupatinath temples, the Durbar squares and more
Hear Nepali music and songs, taste momo, dal bhat, masala tea and Tongba, the hot Tibetan beer
Walk up Kala Patthar (5645 m) and see Everest (8848 m) from its summit
Stand in Everest Base Camp, where climbers set off for the highest summit on the planet
Summit Island Peak (6165 m) and gain the experience that bigger mountains ask for
Description by Day
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Day 1
Meeting in Kathmandu.
You need to land in Kathmandu by 9:00. If nothing arrives before 9:00 that day, fly in a day earlier. On arrival you get your Nepali visa inside the airport building, it costs 50 USD. We meet you at the exit at the agreed time. Transfer and hotel check-in. We check your clothing and gear. Rest after the flight.
Day 2
Kathmandu - Lukla - Phakding
Up at 5:00. Transfer to the airport. Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. Then a short walk from Lukla to the village of Phakding.
→ Distance 8 km. ↑ Altitude 2600 m. Walking time: 3 hours.
Day 3
Phakding - Namche Bazaar
An easy stage with a gentle gain in altitude. We cross the Dudh Koshi gorge from side to side on suspension bridges. We walk up to Namche Bazaar, capital of the Sherpa people, and enter Sagarmatha National Park.
→ Distance 10 km. ↑ Altitude 3440 m. Walking time 4 hours.
Day 4
Acclimatisation day in Namche Bazaar
We spend the day in Namche Bazaar and let the body settle into the altitude. We walk through Khumjung village, where the yeti scalp is kept, and up to the Hillary memorial (4000 m). All day the highest peaks of the Himalaya stay with us: Everest (8848 m), Lhotse (8516 m), Nuptse (7861 m), Ama Dablam (6814 m)
Day 5
Namche Bazaar - Tengboche
We leave Namche Bazaar. A beautiful day through forests of fir, blue pine, rhododendron, magnolia and birch to Tengboche, one of the loveliest places in the Himalaya, home to a Buddhist monastery, a sacred site of ceremonies and meditation.
→ Distance 10 km. ↑ Altitude 3867 m. Walking time: 3-4 hours.
Day 6
Tengboche - Dingboche
A lovely stage through fir forest and flowering rhododendron (they bloom in spring). As always in the Himalaya, juniper thickets all around. The greenery slowly thins out. We pass bright fields of barley, buckwheat and potatoes, walled in stone against the wind and the wild animals.
→ Distance 10 km. ↑ Altitude 4358 m. Walking time: 3-4 hours.
Day 7
Dingboche - Lobuche
We reach the start of the Khumbu glacier. Beyond the gorge a fine view opens on Pumori and Nuptse. Night in the village of Lobuche.
→ Distance 9 km. ↑ Altitude 4970 m
Day 8
Climbing Kala Patthar
In the morning, about 4 hours to the village of Gorak Shep. In the afternoon we go up Kala Patthar, 5645 m, three metres higher than Elbrus, for a 360º panorama of Everest and many other Himalayan peaks. It is also key acclimatisation before Island Peak.
→ Distance 7.5 km. ↑ Altitude 5364 m
Day 9
Everest Base Camp
A light morning walk to Everest Base Camp. In the afternoon we drop down to the Sherpa village of Dingboche.
→ Distance 17 km
↑ Altitude 5645 m - 4350 m
Day 10
Rest in Dingboche
A week of our journey has gone by and the last two days were the busiest, so we get our strength back before heading for Island Peak. The whole day stays in Dingboche.
Day 11
Dingboche - Chukhung
A short stage to Chukhung, the highest settlement in Nepal. Here we can rent any gear you are still missing.
→ Distance 5 km
↑ Altitude 4730 m
2 hours
Day 12
Island Peak Base Camp
We walk up to Island Peak Base Camp. Night in tents. Dinner and an early night before the climb.
→ Distance 5 km
↑ Altitude 5600 m
Day 13
Climbing Island Peak
We wake at midnight, put on all the gear (crampons, harness, headlamp) and set off. We walk very slowly to keep our breathing easy and save strength. From the summit a panorama opens on the mountains around, Everest and Lhotse among them, this time from the south (we saw them from the west on Kala Patthar). After the climb we go down to Chukhung.
→ Distance 13 km. ↑ Altitude 6165 m
Day 14
Chukhung - Tengboche
We follow a mountain trail through conifer forest along the gorge. The descent on this and the following days is stretched out on purpose. The way down can in fact be done in two days instead of three. That is a little harder, but if we need a reserve day for Island Peak, this is exactly what we do.
→ Distance 14 km. ↓ Altitude 3867 m. About 4 hours.
Day 15
Tengboche - Monjo
We make a long lunch stop in Namche Bazaar.
→ Distance 14 km. ↓ Altitude 2835 m. About 4 hours.
Day 16
Monjo - Lukla
The final stage and the last 13 km of our journey. It takes about 4 hours.
Day 17
Flight to Kathmandu
Flight from Lukla to Kathmandu. Transfer to the Thamel tourist quarter. Hotel check-in. The evening is yours in Kathmandu. Nepali music and songs. A walk around Thamel. You can book a session at the best Nepali massage salon (20-30 USD an hour).
Day 18
Kathmandu city tour
If this day is not used as the reserve one, we visit the three great sights of the city: the Swayambhunath temple, the Boudhanath Buddhist complex and the Pashupatinath Hindu complex. In the evening, a last dinner together in a Tibetan restaurant with hot home-brewed Tongba. After dinner we drop into the Purple Haze rock bar. Night at the hotel. If the Lukla flight is delayed, this day serves as the spare one.
Day 19
End of the programme
After breakfast at the hotel the tour is over. At the agreed time, a private transfer to the airport.
INCLUDED IN THE COST:
- Advice from a travel manager and help choosing the best flight to Kathmandu
- A climbing instructor if the group has more than three people
- Nepali guides on the trek and on the climb as well, a requirement in Nepal
- Private airport welcome with the traditional mala and topi, and the transfer back
- All transfers in the programme
- Flight from Kathmandu to Lukla and back
- Permits and TIMS card, fees and paperwork
- All group gear (tents, gas stoves, gas, ropes, duffel bags for the porters)
- Personal climbing gear (crampons, helmet, harness, jumar, ice axe)
- Safety kit: GPS, satellite phone, radios, first aid kit
- Porter on the Island Peak climb, one porter for every two people
- 3 nights in a 4* hotel in Kathmandu, breakfast included, twin rooms
- Lodge accommodation along the whole route
- Meals and a tent at Island Peak Base Camp
- Branded T-shirt
- Certificate for a successful Island Peak climb
NOT INCLUDED IN THE COST:
- Flights to Kathmandu and the Nepali visa on arrival (50 USD)
- Lodge meals on the trek (20-30 USD a day) and meals in Kathmandu apart from breakfast
- Climbing insurance covering helicopter evacuation: required, we can arrange it
- Extra nights at the Kathmandu hotel if needed, and a single room at the hotel
- Personal trekking clothing and gear from the list, plus mountaineering boots
- Kathmandu city tour: entry tickets and transfers around town
- Tips for the Nepali guides and porters
- Excess baggage on the Lukla flight (10 kg hold and 5 kg cabin allowed)
Information
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FLIGHT TICKETS
You need to fly into Kathmandu Airport (KTM). Most routes have one stop, usually in Turkey, the UAE, Qatar or India. From the big Asian cities there are plenty of direct flights. If you want help picking the best option and buying the tickets, ask our manager.
RULES OF ENTERING THE COUNTRY
For citizens of many countries the Nepali visa is issued on arrival in Kathmandu. It costs 50 USD. At the moment there are no entry restrictions for Nepal.
INSURANCE
You will need climbing insurance that covers helicopter evacuation. It is a condition of taking part. We can arrange it for you, or you can buy it yourself. The price depends on your age and may go up or down.
REQUIRED CLOTHING
- Trekking boots
- Triple-layer mountaineering boots
- Light shoes
- Softshell trousers
- Light sports trousers
- Shorts
- Membrane jacket
- Down jacket, comfort rating at least -15°C
- Polar 200 fleece
- Thick thermal underwear, top and bottom
- Thin thermal underwear, top and bottom
- Trekking socks, 2-3 pairs
- Cap
- Down mittens, worn over the fleece gloves
- Thin fleece or windstopper gloves
- Balaclava and/or buff
- Triple-layer mountaineering boots
- Light shoes
- Softshell trousers
- Light sports trousers
- Shorts
- Membrane jacket
- Down jacket, comfort rating at least -15°C
- Polar 200 fleece
- Thick thermal underwear, top and bottom
- Thin thermal underwear, top and bottom
- Trekking socks, 2-3 pairs
- Cap
- Down mittens, worn over the fleece gloves
- Thin fleece or windstopper gloves
- Balaclava and/or buff
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT
- Trekking backpack, 50-60 l
- Rain cover for the pack
- Sleeping bag, comfort -10 °C
- Thermos, at least 1 litre (check in advance that it holds heat well)
- Headlamp with two sets of batteries
- Gaiters against mud and snow
- Glacier sunglasses, filter 3-4, with side shields
- Trekking poles
- Compression sacks, as many as your clothes need
- Water bottle, 1-1.5 litres
- Sunscreen 50 SPF in a small tube
- Waterproof pouch for documents
- Microfibre towel
- Toiletries: toothbrush, small tube of toothpaste, lip balm, wet wipes, toilet paper, small soap
- Personal first aid kit, minimum set: effervescent vitamin C 1 g, aciclovir cream, one medium bandage, rehydration salts, nose drops, 2 sachets of flu powder, wide fabric plaster
- Rain cover for the pack
- Sleeping bag, comfort -10 °C
- Thermos, at least 1 litre (check in advance that it holds heat well)
- Headlamp with two sets of batteries
- Gaiters against mud and snow
- Glacier sunglasses, filter 3-4, with side shields
- Trekking poles
- Compression sacks, as many as your clothes need
- Water bottle, 1-1.5 litres
- Sunscreen 50 SPF in a small tube
- Waterproof pouch for documents
- Microfibre towel
- Toiletries: toothbrush, small tube of toothpaste, lip balm, wet wipes, toilet paper, small soap
- Personal first aid kit, minimum set: effervescent vitamin C 1 g, aciclovir cream, one medium bandage, rehydration salts, nose drops, 2 sachets of flu powder, wide fabric plaster
ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Single accommodation
Accommodation in a private room in hotels in Kathmandu, price for 3 nights.
Porter
A porter carries up to 15–20 kg of your luggage throughout the entire route. When booking a porter through us, we guarantee there will be no issues related to him.
Mountaineering insurance
Mountaineering insurance with coverage of 50,000 USD and helicopter evacuation.
Route via Gokyo
Additional payment if you want to complete the first (trekking) part of the route via the Gokyo Lakes (in this case the tour starts 3 days earlier).
How Do I Take Part?
You can reserve this tour on your own right now. It takes just 5 minutes. If you have questions, contact us in any way convenient for you.
