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Island Peak trip is a special trek,
which combines an ascent of Island Peak with a visit
to the famous lakes of the Gokyo area or Everest Base
camp. After climbing Gokyo Ri for fantastic views
of Cho Oyu and Everest, trekkers can cross the Cho
La pass and descend to Dingboche to prepare for the
ascent of Island Peak.
Island Peak was the name given to the mountain in
1952 by Eric Shipton's party who thought it to be
reminiscent of an island in a sea of ice. It is also
known by its' Nepali name of Imja Tse.
Island Peak is an extension of Lhotse Shar, and is
located between the Lhotse and Imja glaciers, standing
at 6,183 meters / 20,283 feet.
Climbers can ascend by the standard route and although
the summit can be reached in one day from base camp,
you can make use of a high camp. The final ridge is
a classic of it's kind and from the summit fabulous
views can be enjoyed of many Himalayan giants including
the immense south face of Lhotse and the huge peak
of Ama Dablam.
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| Fact
Box about Island peak 20,283 feet / 6,183 meters |
| Total days |
20 + 4 =
24 days |
| Maximum elevation |
20,283 feet / 6,183
meters |
| Location |
Everest region of nepal |
| Best for the climbing |
May, July, August, September,
October, November |
| Year First Climbed |
|
| First Climber (s) |
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| Convenient Center (s) |
Lukla, Chhukung valley |
| Nearest Major Airport
|
Kathmandu (Minor: Lukla
or Phaplu) |
| Itinerary type |
Lodge / Camping |
| Accommodations |
Fixed / Customized |
| Indicated times |
|
| Trek grade |
Moderate & Strenuous |
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| Itenerary |
| Days |
Route |
01 |
Kathmandu-Lukla
(2860m) fly in the morning for 45 minutes then
commence & trek to Phakding (2600m) –
4 hours
After a very early start and an early take off
from Kathmandu Domestic Airport, a 45-minute
flight is all it takes to propel into the Everest
region of Nepal. The landing at Lukla (2800m)
is spectacular and on arrival trekking crew
who organize the luggage and hustle you off
for tea will greet you. After a leisurely lunch
you will start the trek in earnest, setting
off for a gentle walk to Phakding (2800m), a
further 3 hours to the north. The trail leads
through Lukla, past hotels, shops and airline
offices to the edge of the Lukla plateau where
the trail drops to meet the intersection of
the Jiri trail at Chablung. From here the trail
follows the Dudh Kosi north through the village
of Ghat and then finally to Phakding where you
should spend the night. |
02 |
Phakding - Namche
Bazar (3446m) - 6½ hours
From Phakding the trail continues north up the
Dudh Kosi Valley, staying 100m above the river
on it's West Bank. The trail leads to Jorsale
(2810m) where you enter the Sagarmatha (Everest)
National Park. From here you will continue on
an ever-steeping trail to Namche Bazaar (3446m),
known simply as Namche. En route you have cross
the spectacular suspension bridge high above the
confluence of the Bhote Kosi and the Dudh Kosi,
and shortly after glimpse first view of Everest,
way off to the northeast. The trail to Namche
is steep and long, but eventually you will reach
the remarkable Sherpa capital perched high on
the hillside and dominated to the east by the
immense bulk of Kwangde (6187m). |
03/06 |
Namche Bazar,
on day rest for acclimatization
Acclimatization is important before trekking higher,
and this is a scheduled stop, which will allow
you to gradually become used to the effects of
altitude - the lower pressure and the thinner
air. You can spend the day by taking a side trip
to Thami or Khumjung, by visiting the National
Park Visitor Center on the hill above Namche or
by simply resting and browsing in the shops in
the town. Namche is a fascinating place simply
to 'hang out' and take in the culture of the mountains,
from the trading of visiting Tibetans to the stories
of departing mountaineers. |
07 |
Namche Bazaar
to Phortse Thanga
From Namche we trek northeast on a direct line
to Everest, starting up the hill to the Visitor
Center and continuing on a reasonably flat easy
trail high above the Dudh Kosi. Ahead of us we
can see one of the most beautiful mountains in
the Khumbu - Ama Dablam (6856m), as well as Everest
still far off in the distance. At Sanasa we branch
off the Everest trail and head up the hill to
the small settlement of Mong where we stop for
lunch. From here it is a steady descent to the
Dudh Kosi at Phortse Thanga (3500m). This is a
beautiful riverside settlement and is our camping
spot for the night. |
08 |
Phortse Thanga
to Dole
From the river the trail initially climbs steeply
out of the valley through rhododendron forest
and then continues high above the Dudh Kosi, steadily
gaining height. We pass through the settlements
of Tongba (3950m) and Gyele (3960m) and eventually
reach our campsite for the evening at Dole (4200m).
All through the day we have fantastic views of
the surrounding mountains. |
09 |
Dole to Machhermo
From Dole the gain in altitude to our next evening's
campsite is small, only 190m. The trail continues
high above the west bank of the Dudh Kosi and
we obtain tremendous views of the mountains at
the northern end of the valley, including Cho
Oyu, as well as back down the valley to Ama Dablam,
and across the valley to Tawuche and Cholatse.
Machhermo at 4410m is a pleasant campsite with
several teahouses. |
10 |
Machhermo to
Gokyo
Beyond Machhermo the valley widens and the trail
passes through the settlement of Pangka before
descending to the river. From here it is a steep
ascent up the terminal moraine of the Ngozumpa
glacier to the first of the Gokyo lakes at 4650m.
The trail then levels off and passes the second
lake at 4690m; eventually making it's way to Gokyo
at 4750m. Gokyo is a sizeable settlement with
many teahouses, located in a delightful location
on the edge of the lake, and is the main objective
for many of the trekking groups that we will
encounter.
The views from Gokyo are magnificent and tomorrow
we will climb the small hill above Gokyo village,
known as Gokyo Ri, to obtain fantastic views
of Everest and Cho Oyu.
|
11
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Climb Gokyo
Ri, trek to Chhugyuma
We start the day by slowly ascending to the top
of Gokyo Ri at 5350m, and are rewarded by magnificent
views of Everest to the east and Cho Oyu to the
north. After descending to Gokyo and resting we
retrace our steps to the area between the first
and second lakes and take a trail eastwards across
the Ngozumpa glacier. This takes us to the small
settlement of Dragnag where there is a teahouse.
From here we will continue upwards and camp at
Chhugyuma at approx. 5000m. |
12 |
Cross Cho La
to Dzongla
We make an early start, and continue upwards towards
the pass that links the Gokyo and Everest valleys
- the Cho La. From our campsite it is about 3-4
hours of slow walking to the pass at 5420m. Whilst
this is a hard morning's walk, we are rewarded
by fabulous views on both sides of the pass.
From the pass we descend slowly on a rough trail
to the small settlement of Dzongla where there
are a few teahouses. We make our camp here, and
have a superb view of the immense peak of Cholatse.
|
13 |
Dzongla to Chhukung
From Dzongla we descend steadily to the main Everest
trail at Dughla, and from here continue to descend
to the ridge above Dingboche where we obtain our
first view of Island Peak as it dominates the
end of the Imja valley to the east. We take lunch
at Dingboche, the large sprawling Sherpa settlement
at 4410m, before continuing up the Imja valley
to Chhukung at 4730m. The immense south face of
Lhotse towers above the village to the north. |
14 |
Chhukung to
Island Peak Base Camp, then on to High Camp
From Chhukung you have to continue in a general
easterly direction to the site of your base camp.
The trail follows the moraine of the Lhotse glacier
to the snout of the Imja glacier where it branches
to the east and skirts around the base of Island
Peak. You have to make your main camp at a spot
known as Pareshaya Gyab at 5087m. After taking
lunch and resting you will continue up to the
high camp, a further hour or so up the mountain.
The trail is well defined until you reach the
area of the high camp at approx. 5500m. |
15
|
Ascent of Island
Peak and return to Base Camp
We set off early for the summit at about 3.00
am, and scramble up in the dark to the snow-covered
glacier above. From here we take care as we make
our way up the glacier until we reach a broad
snow basin, which leads up to the final section
of the climb. Ahead of us now is the main summit
ridge and we climb a steep snow and ice slope,
using fixed ropes, for approx. 100m to access
the ridge. The ridge is a classic and leads
quickly to the east up to the main summit at
6189m.
From the summit there are fantastic across
to Lhotse to the north, the Amphu Labsta and
Mera Peak to the south, and Ama Dablam to the
west. After taking in the views we descend by
the same route, abseiling from the ridge, and
making our way back carefully to Base Camp. |
16 |
Spare day
We allow a spare 'buffer' day in case of bad weather. |
17 |
Island Peak
Base Camp to Dingboche
We retrace our steps back down the Imja valley,
firstly to Chhukung where we stop for lunch, and
on to Dingboche where we spend the night. This
is a chance to celebrate our success with a cool
beer, and reflect upon the climb of the previous
day. |
18 |
Dingboche to
Namche Bazaar
From Dingboche we head down the main Everest trail,
passing through the settlement of Pangboche, before
reaching the famous Tengboche monastery where
we stop for lunch. We have a chance we visit the
monastery before continuing on to Namche Bazaar.
From Tengboche the trail drops steeply to the
river at Phunki Thanga, and then rises again to
traverse high above the river on a winding trail
into Namche Bazaar. |
19 |
Namche Bazaar
to Lukla
The final day of our trek, and a sense of relief
for some and sadness for others as we retrace
our steps of the first few days along the trail
above the Dudh Kosi before turning off the main
Jiri route and rising up to Lukla. We start by
descending steeply out of Namche and shortly before
we cross the suspension bridge below Namche we
get a last chance to see Everest before it is
out of sight until the next time. We lunch at
Phakding and arrive in Lukla by mid-afternoon. |
20 |
Lukla (fly out) –Katmandu |
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| Note: Trekking
itinerary can be changed as per different situation |
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