19-Day Island Peak Trek from Kathmandu via Everest Base Camp

• Complete customs formalities at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and be assisted by our representative to the hotel.

• Spend the rest of the day resting.

• Try Nepalese cuisine at a welcome dinner hosted by us in the evening.

Overnight stay in Kathmandu.

Included meals: Dinner

• Meet our climbing guide and fellow climbers in the afternoon.

• Our guide or leader will check your equipment to make sure everything is in perfect condition for the coming trip. In this short meeting, you will be briefed on what to expect throughout the journey so that you become familiar with the days ahead in the mountains.

• Spend the rest of the afternoon resting or at leisure.

Overnight in Kathmandu.

Included meals: Breakfast

• Depart for the domestic terminal of Tribhuvan International Airport after breakfast for an early morning flight to Lukla.

• Fly above the breathtaking green and white mountains as we reach Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla. This is one of the most beautiful air routes in the world, culminating in a landing on a hillside surrounded by high mountains.

• Meet the other crew members and, after some packing and arrangements, start our trek through the prosperous village of Lukla until we reach Phakding. It is a short hike today. However, if interested in additional activities, we can take a side trip to a nearby monastery.

Overnight in Phakding.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Walk through beautiful pine forests after breakfast and continue this nature-filled journey to Namche Bazaar. After walking for almost an hour, we come across the glistening Mt. Thamserku (6,608 m) on our right and experience the serenity of pine, fir, and juniper forests throughout the route. If the weather is clear, we may even catch a glimpse of Mt. Everest peering over the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge.

• Continue walking until we reach the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park and then Namche Bazaar, the gateway to Mt. Everest and the region's main trading centre. We cross five suspension bridges on this day, the last one, also known as the Hillary Bridge, being the highest. From Hillary Bridge, it is an uphill walk to Namche Bazaar.

Overnight stay in Namche Bazaar.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Set aside this day for acclimatization. Health experts recommend staying active and moving around even during a rest day instead of being idle. There are a few options for today. We can either stroll around Namche's quaint villages, come in contact with the Sherpa people and their rich culture, or hike up to the Everest View Hotel and enjoy an up-close view of the mighty Everest.

• Visit the local museum upon returning from the hike, where exhibits display the area's native flora and fauna and the history of the Mount Everest region.

• For trekkers who want to hike a little longer, a hike to Khumjung village (5-6 hours) may also be an option.

• Visit the Edmund Hillary School and Khumjung Monastery while in the village, a monastery famous for housing the head of the Yeti.

Overnight stay in Namche Bazaar.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Trek towards Tengboche after breakfast. It is an easy walk from Namche to Phunki.

• Reach Phunki and ascend towards Tengboche, a village that houses the very famous Tengboche Monastery, the largest monastery in the Everest region. Located within Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site of outstanding universal value, it is draped with a panoramic 360-degree view of the Himalayas, including Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku. The monastery opens at 3:00 pm, so if we are lucky, we might be able to witness a religious ceremony.

Overnight stay in Tengboche.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Visit the monastery in the morning with the Himalayas as the backdrop and enjoy taking pictures of the monastery and the unique landscape.

• Descend for about half an hour through a forest before crossing a river.

• Trek uphill and notice that, as we climb higher, the landscape becomes drier.

• Walk past the traditional Sherpa village of Pangboche before reaching Pheriche, a beautiful village located on a riverside. Here, we will also see a small helipad used for helicopter rescues during emergencies. We may even take a class with a mountain specialist at a medical clinic in Pheriche.

Overnight stay in Pheriche.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Start with an easy walk towards Dugla after breakfast.

• Trek up the steep terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier.

• Then pass through the boulder-strewn slopes as we ascend Chupki Lhara. We find many stones with prayer flags used as memorials to Scott Fischer, an American mountaineer, and 10-time Everest summiter Babu Chiri Sherpa, a Nepalese mountain guide. They perished on missions to climb Everest.

• Continue to the Khumbu Glacier moraine, where we find ourselves facing several great peaks - Khumbutse, Lingtren, Pumori, and Mahalangur Himal.

Overnight stay in Lobuche.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Take the trail to Everest Base Camp through the once vast Gorak Shep Lake. Continuing straight ahead, we come across the Indian army mountaineers' memorials. The path from here can be misleading, so we must follow our lead Sherpa diligently. The walk is strenuous due to the thin air at high altitude.

• Pass through rocky dunes, moraine, and streams before reaching Everest Base Camp.

• Reach Everest Base Camp, where we see the tents of mountaineers standing out in bright colours against the monotony of the grey surroundings, especially in spring. Nuptse, Khumbutse, and Pumori are the mountains we can view from the base camp.

• Return to Gorak Shep for a good night's rest.

Overnight stay in Gorak Shep.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Prepare for an early morning departure amid pre-dawn darkness and cold temperatures (-10 to -14 C). There is always the potential for chilly winds, which are quite common. Even as Everest begins to reveal itself, familiar peaks such as Lingtren, Khumbutse, and Changtse tower to the east. Upon reaching Kala Patthar, we get 360-degree, up-close, and formidable views of Mt. Everest.

• Take pictures, enjoy the magnificent mountain panorama, and then return to Lobuche for a good night's rest.

Overnight stay in Lobuche.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Trek via the Khumbu Glacier to Kongma La Base Camp (5,000 m/16,404 ft) after breakfast. The ascent to Kongma La Pass is the most challenging part of our trek today. At Kongma La, we see cairns wrapped in prayer flags marking the pass.

• Descend gradually to the Imja Khola valley, followed by another descent to Chhukung, a small summer settlement.

• Reach Chhukung, where we will also check our equipment to get ready for our ultimate climb.

Note: If we do not want to undertake the Kongma La Pass, we can follow another route via Dingboche to Chhukung instead.

Overnight in Chhukung.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Be ready for the trek to Island Peak Base Camp on a fairly steep trail.

• Climb south, then turn east to the main line of the valley.

• Walk on a winding path below the southern flank of the moraine from the Lhotse Glacier.

• Continue walking on a pleasant trail along a streamside. The route to Amphu Labtsa lies to the southeast. A crisscross route through the Imja and Lhotse glacier moraines leads to a wide valley flanking the southwest side of Island Peak.

Overnight stay at Island Peak Base Camp.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Begin our pre-climb training today after breakfast. Our guides will teach peak climbing techniques and the proper use of climbing gear such as the ice axe, climbing boots and crampons, harness, and ascender. The training will also include using ropes to go up and down. Although prior training is not mandatory for Island Peak Climbing, we firmly believe that some training experience will boost your confidence and climbing skills, increasing the chances of scaling the summit and thoroughly enjoying the experience.

• Spend the rest of the day either hiking to high camp and back or resting for the next day's climb.

Overnight stay at the base camp.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Wake up early today at around 12 to 1 am and have breakfast before beginning our climb. We must reach the summit before noon because, in the afternoon, the strong winds in the highlands might become a barrier to a successful ascent. The trail moves up beyond the base camp for several hundred meters before striking off up the steep hillside. Initially sandy, the path soon turns to grass before becoming boulder-strewn. As we climb the hill, the slope narrows and the trail enters a steep rock channel.

• Climb the rock gully. This is not difficult, but there are several short rock steps to negotiate before we emerge on the right side of the valley. The route then follows a ridgeline, which leads to an exhilarating and exposed traverse onto the snout of the summit glacier. The guides will fix a rope when required. A steep snow slope leads us onto the summit ridge. Both fixed rope and man rope will be used during the climb for safety. We use fixed rope after successfully climbing on rock. The length of the rope will usually be 350 m. However, the size depends on the time of the season and the crevasses. There are two newly formed crevasses, approximately 3 and 4 meters long, and we will use ladders to cross them.

• Enjoy the summit views and take pictures before descending to Island Peak Base Camp, where some of our crew will be waiting for us.

• Celebrate our successful Island Peak climb.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Continue hiking. Today's walk will be much easier as we descend to lower altitudes. Following the same route back through the wide valley of Khumbu Khola, we pass through the beautiful Sherpa villages of Orsho and Shomare.

• Take a different trail, optionally, to visit the Gompa in Upper Pangboche, believed to be the oldest in the Khumbu region, or take the regular trail to reach Pangboche. Pangboche is a scenic village surrounded by Everest to its north, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, and Kangtaiga to the east, the Kongde range to the south, and the Imja Tse River flowing through the wide fertile valley.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Retrace our steps down to the Imja Khola from Pangboche and up through the forest to Tengboche. If interested, we can also visit the nuns at Tengboche Monastery.

• Have lunch at Tengboche and then continue through the hillside blanketed by rhododendron and juniper trees.

• Cross the bridge over the Dudh Koshi River, and our trail follows the Dudh Koshi Gorge, descending rapidly through the pine forests before reaching Sansa.

• Look out for wildlife such as mountain goats, snow leopards, and colourful pheasants as we pass through the forest.

• Reach the army camp at Namche Bazaar after passing a chorten.

Overnight stay in Namche Bazaar.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Descend steeply on the trail, so we need to walk cautiously as our shaky legs continuously battle the rocky terrain. After crossing the suspension bridges over the fast-flowing Dudh Koshi and its tributaries, the route becomes more level and natural.

• Arrive in Lukla, stretch those sore legs, and recall the experiences of the last couple of weeks.

Overnight stay in Lukla.

Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

• Catch an early morning flight to Kathmandu after our long mountain journey.

• Reach Kathmandu, where we can rest or do some souvenir shopping. If we want to explore any other areas of Kathmandu, we may do that today. Our guides can help with both souvenir shopping and sightseeing.

• Enjoy a farewell dinner in the evening to celebrate the climbers' successful summit of Island Peak.

Overnight stay in Kathmandu.

Included meals: Breakfast, Dinner

• End your adventure in Nepal today.

• Be assisted and transferred to the airport approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight.

There is nothing to do but trade emails with your travel companions and organize your photos. On your way home, you'll have plenty of time to plan your next adventure in the beautiful country of Nepal.

Included meals: Breakfast