Existing to the south of Everest, Lhotse is the fourth highest mountain in the world. Lhotse is linked with Everest by Everest South Col. Many climbers have preferred Western Face as the normal Lhotse Climbing Route. The southern face of Lhotse is considered as one of the world’s largest Mountain faces as the southern face soar high up to 3.2 km in mere 2.25km of horizontal distance. Lhotse Massif comprises of Lhotse East (8414m), Lhotse (8516m) and Lhotse Shar (8383m). The successful attempt of Lhotse was made in 1956 by a Swiss team. Lhotse is located near to Tibet and Lhotse in Tibetan dialect means South Peak. Since Everest and Lhotse is located near to each other, we will follow the same route to Everest through Everest South Col. Everest climbers head to the left of South Col while Lhotse Climbers take the right path.
Lhotse Climbing Route:
The route progresses through Khumbu icefall. Moving further from base camp, we will reach Camp 1 (5,900m/19,500ft) that exists at the top of Khumbu icefall that is surrounded with crevasses. From Camp 1, we will pass through lateral moraine to west ridge that greets us with close-up view of Lhotse. This place is perfect for Camp2 (6,400m/21,000ft). Leaving Camp 2, we will reach near to Lhotse wall by crossing glacier and ice cliffs where we will set Camp3 (7,300m/23,700ft) . Camp4 (7,900m/25,912ft) is located near to South Col. From Camp 4, we will proceed through steep rock sections to the summit.
What to Expect?
Experience 4th highest peak and technically and physiologically challenging climb. Stunning views of the Everest and its massif. Enjoy the most thrilling part of crossing the Khumbu Icefall. Exploring Sherpa villages, meet the Sherpa people, and visit more than 200 years old Tyangboche and Pangboche monastery. Three summits: Lhotse Main (8,516 meters), Lhotse Shar (8,383 meters), and Lhotse East (8,413 meters).
Arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal. Upon completing the visa formalities and collecting your luggages in the airport, kindly proceed to the exit of the arrival hall. Your trip leader will await you just outside the arrival hall and will escort you to your hotel in Kathmandu. Please look out for a placard of Highland Expeditions.
These two days have been kept in Kathmandu for final preparation of Climb. Meet other team members, complete official and government formalities, final gear check and load. Upon your interest, an optional Kathmandu sightseeing can be arranged on these days. We will have a trip orientation and your trip leader will give you a brief about your climb before we head to our journey.
After an early morning b/fast, we take the mountain flight from Kathmandu to Lukla on STOL aircraft. Flight time is about 30 minutes to the airstrip built by Sir Edmund Hillary and the Sherpas in the mid-1960s. We begin the trek by descending towards the Dudh Kosi River, where we join the main trail to Namche Bazaar, just above Chaurikharka at 2713m. The walking is easy and after passing through the small village of Ghat at 2550m, it’s a short walk to Phakding where we’ll stay overnight.
We will continue our journey along Dudhkoshi River which will take us through pine forest. After crossing suspension bridges at several points and passing through small settlements of Zapute, Toktok, Benkar and Chumoa, we will reach Monjo. This is known as the gateway to the Sagarmatha National Park. After completing all the necessary national park formalities, we will enter Sagarmatha National Park. Lowering down from the park, we will arrive at river. Crossing another suspension bridge, we will proceed towards high Hillary Bridge located at the foot of the hill. Crossing this bridge, we will climb uphill to the Namche Bazaar. We can get view of Thamserku Mountain. If weather is clear, we can also have first view of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Kusum Khangru mountains.
Namche Bazaar is regarded as gateway to the high Himalayas. It is also the main trading center and a capital of Sherpa land. Rest is recommended in Namche for acclimatization purpose. Short hike will be arranged to the ancient Sherpa village of Thame to observe the rich Sherpa culture or we can also visit nearby Khumjung, Khunde or Khongde villages. Shopping in marketplace of Namche is another fine idea. National Park Head office, Museum and monasteries are other places of interest. The area is clustered with cafes, shops, bakeries and restaurants. The place supports facilities of post office, hospital, government health post. Internet access is also available at Namche so that you can contact your near ones.
We will walk along the glacial water of Dudh Koshi River. The route offers views of Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse and, Thamserku and Ama Dablam Mountains. Our journey continues through the colorful forest of blooming rhododendron to Sanasa. The region is rich in wildlife including musk deer and colorful pheasants. In Sanasa lies the junction point. One of the paths leads us to the Gokyo valley while the other branches off to Everest Base Camp. We will take sharp climb to Tengboche monastery which is the largest in the Khumbu region. The journey rewards us with close-up views of many surrounding mountains. We will visit the monastery and walk through forest of birch and rhododendron to Deboche where we will stay overnight.
We will descend to Imja River. The trail takes us uphill to Pangboche (3860m) through the lush forest. We will visit Pangboche Monastery. The village is also decorated with Chorten and Mani walls. The trail allows us an access to Imja Valley. We will take steep climb to Pheriche and continue further to Lobuche River. The final steepest climb of the day will take us to Dingboche. Agriculture is the chief occupation of locals in Dingboche. We can see fields enclosed by stonewall in Dingboche. Buckwheat, potatoes and barley are the major crops. We will stay overnight in Dingboche.
This is a day to haul up and rest without being idle. We can stroll around the village and get pally with the local folks with some interesting conversations. This will give us deep insights into the lifestyles and cultures of the local folks in this region. At the same time, we can also relish the landscapes that surround us and we can also catch up on some reading. Our acclimatizing gets a further boost with our hike to Chhukung village. We then do a steep climb up to Chhukung Ri at 5550m [if we feel like it] and as we top it with gasping breath we soon realize the gritty climb was worth the go; the rewards are as lovely as it comes with the natural beauty that greets us for our efforts, the jaw-dropping vistas of Cho Oyu at 8201m, Pumori at 7161m, the gigantic Lhotse wall at 8400m, Amadablam at 6812m, Makalu at 8481m & Baruntse at 7129m all put together set our hearts on top gear as it skips a beat while watching these massive peaks.
An easy 3hrs of walk will take us to Chukung from Dingboche. Chukung is a picturesque hidden valley that is located close to Island Peak. We will proceed through Imja River Valley. The route is scenic with views of many spectacular mountains in Everest region. Climbing gears will be inspected in the evening. Overnight stay in Chukung.
We will head south towards the main valley in the east. Crossing streams at few points, the trail gets rough with boulders and glaciated rivers. We will cross Imja and Lhotse glacier moraines and arrive at the valley which serves as the Base Camp for Island peak. We will rejoice the striking view of southwestern face of Island peak. Stay overnight in Island Peak Base Camp.
You will receive a pre climb training from our climbing guide on this day. You will get instructions on peak climbing techniques. You will also be taught how to use the climbing gears like ice axe, crampons, harness and ascender properly. You will learn how to use ropes while you move up and down. We will follow the trail through rock surface for up to around 5770m and then the terrain shifts to ice which is when ropes become life saver. We can also climb up to the High Camp and return to the Base Camp for practice. Stay overnight in Island Peak Base Camp.
Since heavy wind blows during afternoon at the summit, our target will be to reach the summit before noon. Hence, we will wake up much early on this day. We will take moderate climb for the first part of the climb before reaching the steep hillside. The terrain frequently changes from sandy area to meadow to boulder. From the hill, we will follow the tapered path through a steep rock channel to emerge to the gully. Walking through a ridgeline, we conquer challenges proposed by seracs and crevasses. We will proceed through the snout of the summit glacier with the help of ropes and move through 40- degree snow slopes to reach the summit. The challenge of the climb is rewarded with the gratifying views of Lhotse Mountain, Nuptse Mountain, Makalu, Baruntse and Amadablam Mountains.
Leaving Chukung, we will head east and follow Khumbu glacier to the foot hill of Kongma La pass. The path is desolate with no permanent settlement. We can enjoy panoramic views of Amphu Lapcha Pass and Island Peak Valley from the summit of Kongma La Pass. We will descend from Kongma La Pass and follow the path along River to reach Lobuche where we will stay overnight.
From Lobuche, we will take couple of hours along Khumbu glacier to reach Changri Nup Glacier. Brief walk from Changri Nup glacier will take us to Gorak Shep.
Leaving Gorakshep early in the morning, Couple of hours of walk through Gorak Shep and walking further through rocky dunes and moraine, will lead us to Lhotse Base Camp. We will meet rest of our team at Base Camp.
These days are dedicated to climb Lhotse. We will make three climbing attempts before making final attempt to the summit. Our first attempt will take us as far as Camp 1 from where we will return to Base Camp for overnight stay. Our second attempt will be to spend a night in Camp 1 and reach up to Camp 2. On our third attempt, we will reach up to Camp 3 and try to spend a night in Camp 3 before lowering down to Base Camp. On our final attempt, we will have pretty good idea about the difficulty, altitude and route that we have to conquer to reach summit. So, our fourth attempt will take us to the summit of Lhotse. After spending some time in the summit of Lhotse, we will lower down gradually to Base Camp where we will celebrate successful climbing of Lhotse.
We will begin our return trip on this day. We will leave Lhotse Base Camp and retrace our route to Pheriche where we will stay overnight.
Leaving Pheriche early in the morning, we will follow the return trail along Imja River that takes us through the forest of birch and spruce to Tengboche village. After brief stop in Tengboche, we will follow the trail through forest of blooming rhododendron to the bridge. We will cross the bridge over Dudh Koshi River and move through Dudh Koshi gorge and pine forest to Sansa village. The region is rich in Himalayan wildlife like mountain goats, Thars and local birds. We will pass through the chorten to the army camp at Namche Bazaar. Stay overnight in Namche Bazaar.
We will take the downhill walk from Namche that leads us to the bridge over Dudh Koshi River. Moving further, we will arrive at Monjo where we need to fulfill the official formalities at the check post of Sagarmatha National Park. We will retrace the route back to Phakding where we will take lunch before moving to Lukla. The trail is easy and colorful marked by prayer stones and prayer flags. We will stay overnight in a lodge in Lukla. Arrange your photo albums or write a journal. This is the last day of our trek in Himalayas.
Take an early morning flight from Lukla to Kathmandu. We will be transferred to hotel in a private vehicle in Kathmandu. Take leisure and soothe your aching limbs from long and tiring climb.
Enjoy a leisure day. You are on your own. Participating in a day tour in Kathmandu is a pleasant plan. You can also go for shopping in Thamel, a tourist hub where you can buy souvenir items like handicrafts and arts to your family. At eventide on day 56, we will relish a farewell dinner to celebrate our successful climb. While enjoying our supper, we will also be entertained to a scintillating cultural dance performed by the local belles Please do not hesitate to let us know if you would like to extend your stay. Kindly email us for more details on extensions.
Finally, the undeniable day of departure arrives. Thank you for joining us on this climb and it has been a pleasure getting to know you during this time. We hope this venture has enriched your experience with happy memories. You will be assisted in your last minute preparation. Our representative will take you to Tribhuvan International Airport three hours before your scheduled flight. Keep in touch and hope to hear from you soon. Bon voyage for a safe and pleasant trip home.
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