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 at the exit of arrival hall. Welcome drinks will be served and after you’ve refreshed, your leader will brief you about your trip in the lobby of your hotel in the evening. Get familiar with your surroundings by taking a walk down the street.

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.

From Island Peak Base Camp, we will lower down to Chukung and retrace our route back to Dingboche via Imja Khola. The trail takes us through rhododendron forest. We will visit the local monastery. Ama Dablam Mountain can be seen from most of the points. Stay overnight in Dingboche.

We will retrace our route and begin a moderate walk to Dugla. Walking through the steep moraine of Khumbu glacier, we will head towards Chupki Lhara which is festooned with prayer flags. It is also known as the memorial site for deceased legendary Everest climber Babu Chhiri Sherpa. The trail stretches through the Khumbu glacier moraine to Lobuche. On the way, we can rejoice the close-up views of Pumori, Khumbutse and other peaks and mountains. Stay overnight in Lobuche.

Couple of hours of walk through Gorak Shep and walking further through rocky dunes and moraine, will lead us to Everest Base Camp. We will meet rest of our team at Base Camp.

Rest and Acclimatize/ Puja Ceremony Taking rest helps us to mentally and physically prepare ourselves for the challenges of Everest. Puja Ceremony will be organized according to the Sherpa ritual to ask for blessings for the successful ascend of Everest. Rotation of Higher Camps (Camp 1, 2, 3) for acclimatization Before making final climb to the summit, we will practice climbing to Camp 1 (6000m) and descending to Base Camp for making our body well acclimatized to the high altitude. On first rotation, we will carry small load to Camp 1 (6000m) and then return to our Base Camp. On our next rotation, we will sleep at Camp 1 and early in the morning of next day, we will climb to Camp 2 (6400m) which is the Advanced Base Camp. We will use Camp 2 as base to set up High Camp 3 (7200m) and Camp 4 (7950m). We may need use of oxygen above Camp 3. On next day, we will climb to Camp 3 (7200m) with necessary equipments for preparing tents and then we will return to Low Camp for rejuvenation and thus prepare ourselves for the actual climbing of summit that proceeds from next day. Final summit and Back to Base Camp We will make final ascend to the summit. Since we have to adjust according to the situations like weather conditions and other factors, it is not possible to have fixed itinerary for these days. Advancing through the High Camps, we will reach summit where we will enjoy mountain viewing from top of the world.

After our successful climb we retrace to Lukla for a flight back to Kathmandu via Pheriche, Namche and finally to Lukla. On our last night, we celebrate our successful completion of expedition with our Sherpa guides and porters who we’ve got to know so well & are now good friends

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 63, 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.