Island Peak Climbing via Gokyo Chola Pass EBC Trek - 25 Days

Our airport team welcomes you at Tribhuvan International Airport on your arrival day. You will have a hassle-free transfer to hotel from airport. The remaining day is free for rest and enjoy your bustling surroundings.

It is a day for Sightseeing in Kathmandu Valley and trek preparation. We will arrange a professional tour guide for you and a private car/van/bus with a driver to explore between monuments. The Tour guide will take you to UNESCO World Heritage Sites such Kathmandu Durbar Square, Pashupatinath, Swayambhunath and Boudhanath Stupa, the historical and cultural sites you’ll visit today.

After completion of your day tour, you will be meeting with your trek guide at our office/hotel. He will brief you about the Trek, Climbing and all the essentials. The Thamel has many trekking gear shops, where you can buy missing gear in the late evening if you need.

The most awaited adventures EBC Trek begins today. First, we take a short flight from Kathmandu to Lukla [2850m], which offers aerial and stunning views of the mountain scenery.

The next part of the day involves a 4 hours trek to Phakding through the Dudh Koshi River Valley. It’s a gentle descent from Lukla along rocky and well-made stone paths. On the way we will pass Cheplung village and reach at Ghat then trail will ascends to the Phakding Village.

From Phakding, we double cross a river on high suspension bridges. Beyond Monjo is the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park which was introduced in order to protect and preserve the fragile mountain environment. Next it’s a steep hike to Namche. If the weather is clear, we get the first glimpse of Mt Everest. Namche is a central trading village in the Khumbu and has a busy Saturday market – an old time meeting place for the Hindu traders who hail from the lowlands and the Tibetan yak caravans that have crossed the glaciated Nangpa La.

Today, we will spend the day at Namche Bazaar. It’s the largest village in the Khumbu region and has many modern facilities, such as WIFI, ATMs, Cafe and Museums. In the morning, we take a hour walk up to the Everest View Hotel, Syangboche for stunning views of the Himalayan Mountains, including Everest, Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse, Thamserku and Kantega.

Later in the evening we will explore Namche Bazaar’s market and visit the Visitor Center and Sherpa Culture Museum.

The trek from Namche Bazar to Phortse Thanga, the path leads us tthrough passing mani walls, prayer flags and small beautiful villages. Then thral follows the Bhote koshi and Dudh Koshi river valleys with scenic Himalayan views. Along the journey you pass through forests of pine, rhododendron, and juniper, cross suspension bridges, and enjoy glimpses of Ama Dablam, Thamserku, and Kangtega peaks. Phortse Thanga is a small, traditional Sherpa village with teahouses where trekkers can rest, acclimatize, and enjoy the peaceful mountain surroundings.

We head towards the Macchermo from Phortse Thanga after breakfast, we climbs through forest paths and open ridges, offering beautiful views of Ama Dablam, Thamserku, and Kangtega. We will come across the several suspension bridges, passing through traditional Sherpa villages and terraced fields. As we reach Machhermo, the landscape becomes more alpine and rocky, with fewer trees and wider views of snow-covered peaks. Machhermo is a small village with a few teahouses and is an ideal place to rest and acclimatize before trekking higher toward Gokyo or the Everest Base Camp region.

Today you head for wonder lakes of Gokyo. As you hike, you follow a scenic trail to Pangkha & then descend slightly, following one of the melting-water Rivers which flow down from the west side of the Ngozumpa Glacier. You climb a steep rocky path inclined into the valley by the side of the glacier, passing the first of the holy lakes. You soon arrive at the second of the lakes, crossing the path which heads across the glacier to Cho La (5420m) – your route to Lobuche and Everest, later in the trek. The third lake is known as Dudh Pokhari and on its eastern shore lies the settlement of Gokyo. Walking by the side of the lake, your eyes take in the scenery which is magnificent with the summits of Cho Oyu and Gyachung Kang reflected in its emerald green waters. Stay overnight at a lodge.

Which takes about four and half hours. Gokyo Ri looms above the village on the northern edge of the lake and you leave camp just after first light, following a steep path up the hillside. As you climb, the summits of Everest, Lhotse and Makalu slowly come into sight and the view from the summit of Gokyo Ri itself is one of the finest to behold in the Everest region – some say it is even better than that from Kala Patthar. After lunch, it is a short walk bak to Gokyo, situated at the shore of the Ngozumpa Glacier. Stay overnight at your lodge.

The trek toward the Thanga from Gokyo, climbs along the glacila moraine of the Ngozumpa Glacier and offering beautiful views of surrounding peaks. You pass through open alpine meadows and rocky paths, sometimes crossing small streams along the way. Thangna is a small settlement with a few basic teahouses, providing a place to rest and acclimatize before continuing toward Cho La Pass.

Now you ascend slightly along the valley towards Chola pass. The Chola pass is most times covered with blue ice that tends to give you that icy cold feeling of the chill. Down here, you can also enjoy the majestic views of various mountain peaks. From here, the trail descends steeply down for an hour and then slightly descends all the way to Dzongla. Stay overnight at a lodge.

The trek from Dzongla to Lobuche, the trails ascends us through ocky, high-altitude path, offering spectacular views of Ama Dablam, Nuptse, and Lhotse. You cross through the small streams and scattered boulders. After few hours you appoarch the Lobuche a small villages with teahouses. We will stay here overnight.

The trek from Lobuche to Gorak Shep usually walk us through a rocky high-altitude along the glacial moraine of the Khumnu Glacier. Gorak Shep is a quiet small village  with a very few basic teahouses, serving as the last stop before Everest Base Camp. A usual day in Gorak Shep involves hiking to Kala Patthar (5,545 m), which requires a steep but quite doable hike for 2–3 hours round trip. From here, you enjoy panoramic views of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, and surrounding peaks. You then head back down after summit pictures to retire to Gorak Shep. Today's trek will involve challenging high-altitude hiking with spectacular Himalayan scenery.

While trekking to Everest Base Camp you pass through a trail which weaves its way through ice pinnacles and past the crevasses of the Khumbu Glacier. During the spring season, you will come across some expedition teams at the Everest Base Camp. The number of teams is always less in the autumn season. On the return leg, you can take a higher route to get a spectacular view of the Khumbu icefall and numerous mountains. You then return to Lobuche to stay overnight.

We then towards Chukkung from Lobuche via Kongma La Pass, the trails walk us through rocky high altitude, glacial terrain, and need to be super careful footing over uneven surfaces and snow patches. As you reach Kongma La pass the surronding becomes more beautifful with the stunning views of Everest, Ama Dablam , Lhotse and other peaks. After crossing the pass, the trail goes down through scree, glaciers, and small streams into Chukkung-a quiet village with teahouses, perfect for rest and acclimatization before continuing towards Island Peak. 

From the route to Base Camp, the path at first climbs quite steeply to the south before following the moraine east along the main valley below the southern or true left bank of the Lhotse Glacier. The trail then follows glacial streams to the snout of the Imja glacier. At this point the path swings north-east and crosses a dried up lake bed between the Lhotse and Imja Glaciers. From a base camp at Pareshaya Gyab, a well acclimatized party in good condition can make the summit and return in a day back to Base Camp.

Acclimatization and necessary preparations, we sort out our gear in preparation for the ascent.

From a camp on the left-hand ridge we scramble across the broad open gully and gain the right-hand ridge. Following through, this gives easy scrambling to the snow-covered glacier above. A route needs to be found out leftwards, avoiding seracs and crevasses before turning back northwards over snow covered scree in the margin between the glacier and the base of the main summit ridge. After crossing a gully with some stone and icefall danger, a steep snow and ice ramp leads upwards for nearly 100 meters (300ft), to the summit ridge. The last moves on to the ridge often prove difficult and many climbers leave fixed rope in place to aid descent. The ridge itself is a classic and undulates towards the main summit which is reached by a final tricky snow pitch. Standing atop we have the stunning close-up view of the South face of Lhotse (8,501 m.) in vastness that looms before us. We have the impressive dramatic views of the mountains -Amadablam (6,856 m.), Chamlang and Baruntse in the far horizon. Descent is made by the same route to the lower base camp.

After viewing the summit and snapping pictures, you start descending back to High Camp.From there, you descend further down to Island Peak Base Camp. After a short break and packing, you trek back to Chukkung, which is reached by afternoon. This long day but rewarding one is considered the climax of the Island Peak climbing journey.

We trek back to the Tengboche village, the trails descends through the same alpine meadows, forests, and small villages, offering scenic mountain views along the way. Tengboche is small village known for its unquie  monastery and has few teahouses perfect for restiong after the long downhill trek.

It normally takes 6-7 hours to trek from Tengboche  to Namche Bazaar  via Khumjung . The trail descends through forests and villages down to Khumjung, a traditional Sherpa village with its ancient monastery and local school. Along the way, you'll get spectacular views of Ama Dablam and surrounding peaks before you finally reach Namche Bazaar-the bustling Sherpa hub complete with shops, teahouses, and cafes where you'll finally be able to relax after the day's walk.

The Last day of this great trek will be one of the good hikes to Lukla, you can walk at your own best pace, leisurely and enjoying the lush green scenery around. Apart from few short hikes uphill, the only long climb will be just before Lukla which will take approximately 45 minutes from a place called Choplung or from the old big oak tree. On reaching Lukla, prepare for the last day great dinner and a party with the fellow Sherpa crew, porters and trekking members. This is a time to enjoy & remember the wonders of our climb & trek. Overnight at Lukla.

The flight times are generally scheduled for morning normally, because of the strong winds in the afternoon, sometimes the flight time can be delayed due to bad weather and other reasons beyond our control. After getting the boarding pass depending upon the flight time, make your way to the terminal for security check, this scenic flight from Lukla takes about 30 to 40 minutes to Kathmandu, a panoramic view of the snow capped peaks can be seen from the window of the plane. Arriving at Kathmandu domestic terminal, our staff will receive and escort you back to the Hotel.

A free day in Kathmandu; please let our staff know if you would like to go on another short tour in and around Kathmandu Valley or for scenic mountain flight. In the evening, we visit a reputed Nepali kitchen for dinner & a thrilling cultural dance performed by the local belles. This is a complimentary treat provided by Higher Limits Trek & Expeditions for the good welfare of our guests & future relations. Overnight at your hotel.

As we have successfully completed the trip, it is time to return home or embark on your next journey. Even you can join our next adventures trips in the Himalayas if you wish too. If not, our airport team will take care of your airport escort and say you our last goodbye till the next adventure holidays.