Island Peak Climbing-16 Days

Welcome to Himalayan country of Nepal. Upon your arrival at the Tribhuvan intl. airport our representative welcomes you and assists to transfer in your hotel in Kathmandu. After time to get refreshed, evening you'll meet and transfer for welcome dinner.

After breakfast, we will meet to check your clothing and trekking equipment (sleeping bag, down jacket and trekking boots). This evening will be spent in Kathmandu.

Kathmandu –Manthali Lukla - Phakding (2,652m/8,700ft): 3- 4 hours trek (Trekking times only) Early morning drive to Manthali take pack breakfast from hotel, we will be escorted to the domestic terminal of (Ramechhap) Manthali Airport for an early morning flight to Lukla (2,800m/9,186ft), a gateway destination from where our trek begins. After an adventurous 30 minute flight above the breathtaking green and white mountains, we reach the Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla. This is one of the most beautiful air routes in the world culminating in a dramatic landing on a hillside surrounded by high mountains peaks. Upon arrival at Lukla, we meet our other crew members and after some packing and arrangements, we start our trek through the prosperous village of Lukla until we reach Phakding. To assist in acclimatization, we only have a short hike today. However, if interested in additional activities we can take a side trip to a nearby monastery. Overnight at Phakding. Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (B,L,D)

Namche Bazaar: Rest a day This is the first of the two days set aside for "acclimatization". Health experts recommend us to stay active and moving during the rest day too instead of being idle. We either spend the day taking a day's hike to Thame or visiting Khunde or relaxing and exploring Namche Bazaar itself. Namche Bazzar is the main centre of the Everest (Khumbu) region and has government offices, ATMs, Internet cafes, shops, restaurants, a bakery and a colorful market each Friday evening and Saturday. If we trek a few hundred vertical feet during the day, it will help us to properly acclimatize. Our guides take us to the Tourist Visitor Center near the headquarter of the Sagarmatha National Park where we can observe an assortment of things related to the first Everest ascenders, Sherpa culture and learn about the various plant and animal life of the Everest region. (B,L,D)

Rest a day Namche Bazaar (3,440m/11,280 ft) DAY 04: Rest a day Namche Bazaar (3,440m/11,280 ft) This is the first of the two days set aside for "acclimatization". Health experts recommend us to stay active and moving during the rest day too instead of being idle. We either spend the day taking a day's hike to Thame or visiting Khunde or relaxing and exploring Namche Bazaar itself. Namche Bazzar is the main centre of the Everest (Khumbu) region and has government offices, ATMs, Internet cafes, shops, restaurants, a bakery and a colourful market each Friday evening and Saturday. If we trek a few hundred vertical feet during the day, it will help us to properly acclimatize. Our guides take us to the Tourist Visitor Centre near the headquarter of the Sagarmatha National Park where we can observe an assortment of things related to the first Everest ascenders, Sherpa culture and learn about the various plant and animal life of the Everest region. (B,L,D)

Namche Bazzar to Tengboche (3,870m/12,694ft): 5 - 6 hrs Upon breakfast in Namche, we set out towards Tengboche, enjoying superb view of Mt. Everest, Mt. Nuptse, Mt. Lhotse, Mt. Ama Dablam and close up view of Thamserku. Our trek follows more or less smooth trail with few ups and downs which will not bother us as the magnificent view of the Himalayas keeps our company all through the journey. Along the way, we can spot wildlife musk deer, a herd of Himalayan Thar and multicolored pheasants. The trail goes gradually down up to Kayangjuma. The path eventually reaches Sansa, which is the major trail junction to Gokyo valley and Everest Base Camp. The track then follows through the pine forests and after we cross the prayer flags festooned bridge over the Dudh Koshi River, we reach Phunki Thenga, a small settlement with a couple of teahouses and a small army post amidst the alpine woods. After having a relaxed lunch at Phunki Thenga, we gear up for a slightly tougher climb through the pine forests before we reach Tengboche. Tengboche is a great place for close up views of Mt Ama Dablam, Mt Nuptse, and Mt Everest, and it has the biggest Buddhist Monastery of the Khumbu region. We pay our visit to the monastery the same day at around 3 pm to witness the ceremony in the principal and popular monastery of Everest region. Overnight stay at a lodge at Tengboche. (B,L,D)

Tengboche to Dingboche (4,360 m/14,300ft):5 - 6 hrs With mountains at its backdrop, the monastery at Tengboche looks more spectacular in the morning. At this juncture, we can take pictures of the monastery and the scenery around and as usual start the day journey. We choose the upper trail for better views on the way to Pangboche village. We pass through several Chortens and Mani walls and small villages. The place where we stop for lunch not only serves delicious food but also allows a fantastic close-up view of Mt Ama Dablam. In the afternoon, we walk north to Pheriche or take the eastward trail beneath the towering north face of Mt Ama Dablam. From here onwards, the walk is fairly moderate as we enter the Imja Valley. The valley gradually unfolds as we approach the confluence of the Lobuche River. We descend into the river and begin the last and steepest climb of the day up to Dingboche. On arrival at Dingboche, we will see beautiful array of fields enclosed by stone walls to protect barley, buckwheat and potatoes from the cold winds and grazing animals. Overnight at Dingboche. (B,L,D)

Trek from Dingboche to Chhukung (4730m/15,518ft) 3hrs. From Lobuche we take a slightly different route down to Dingboche. Then we slightly ascend into the Chukkung Valley.Guesthouse (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Included)

Chhukung – Island Peak Base Camp Walking Duration: 3.5 Hrs. The walk today to the base camp of Island Peak takes us along the Lhotse glacial moraine. We go through a diverse range of terrains with beautiful scenic views along the moraine and river valley. After traversing the beautiful winding trail, we eventually reach the base of Island Peak to spend our night there. After reaching the base camp, we have our lunch and pre-climbing training. We will talk about the climbing techniques and use of climbing equipment. On this group adventure, we will feel motivated by each other's expectations, skills, and determination. Overnight in tented camp.

Base Camp – Summit (6189 m) – Chhukung: Walking Duration: 9 Hrs. The day for us starts really early today, shortly after midnight. The big day to climb Island Peak, also known as Imja Tse, has come. We are going to set our feet on the path that a Swiss climbing team successfully climbed in the year 1953. We begin our climb along a sandy trail, then proceed ahead on a grassy trail before we meet the trail filled with boulders. We tirelessly keep our spirits high and effort up to go higher towards the stunning summit. As we move higher ahead, we feel the narrowing of the mountain trail before it turns completely into a snowy ridgeline, then leads us to the summit glacier. The glacier is the trickiest part of the climb as it has several crevasses. We need to be roped up to walk along the glacier towards the summit. We begin our walk on the final section towards the summit. We celebrate the achievement of reaching the peak, enjoy some quality time at the peak, and take pictures before making our way down towards the base camp. Trek back to Chhukung overnight. Overnight in a local lodge.

Contingency Day: This is our extra day for the trip, a contingency day. In case of bad weather or any other unfavorable circumstance, we may need this day to get the situation in our favor. You may be tired and need a day to rest and relax. Whether or not to use this day depends on how much the circumstances favor us on this adventure. Overnight in a local lodge.

Today we will trek to Phortse village via dazzling Dingboche. We start the trek early from Chhukung village, leaving the massive Island Peak behind us and walk past Dingboche and cross Imja Khola before heading towards today's destination, Phortse. Phortse is a typical Sherpa village in the Khumbu region, a little less explored as it lies off the main base camp trail. Almost 6 hours of trekking journey brings us incredible views and amazing cultural experience. Overnight in a local lodge.

Phortse – Monjo (2835 m): Walking Duration: 6 Hrs. We walk down to Monjo today after breakfast. The first section of the trek goes downhill towards Dudh Koshi River.. The trail goes uphill from here to Monjo where some incredible views are awaiting us before we start descending towards Namche Bazaar. About six hours of incredible trekking journey brings us back to Namche Bazaar. After having lunch and spending some relaxing time at Namche Bazaar, we head out on our descent towards Monjo. Overnight in a local lodge.

Monjo – Lukla (2840 m): Walking Duration: 3.5 Hrs. We are going to complete the round trip to Lukla today. Traversing the trail down towards the Dudh Koshi River and walking alongside it, we eventually reach Lukla, trekking past Phakding and several other beautiful places. Once we reach Lukla, we say thank you and goodbye to our amazing crew members who made a wonderfully successful trip possible. Whatever we do is not enough to express our gratitude towards them but we are highly thankful to them. Overnight at Lukla.Overnight in a local lodge.

Lukla –Manthali- Kathmandu Today, we fly back to Manthali after our long mountain journey. We fly early morning flight to Manthali as possible as ,drive to Kathmandu. We can rest and relax throughout the day at hotel. If we get interested to take some gifts home from Nepal for friends and relatives, we can visit to some nearby shops or venture out at Thamel for typical Nepalese goods. This short excursion either can be assisted by trekking guides or we can do it ourselves too. If we want to explore any other areas in Kathmandu, we have managed time for this today as well! At the evening we will be at a fantastic celebration dinner together for successfully completing our trek to Everest Base Camp hosted by Virgin Nepal Trek and Expedition! Overnight at Kathmandu.

Breakfast Today you will depart Kathmandu.