Island Peak Climb

Welcome to Nepal! When your plane touches down at the Tribhuvan International Airport, a member of the Alpine Ramble Treks family will be ready to meet you. On the short drive to your hotel in the tourist district of Thamel, you’ll get your first glimpse of the city. The busy streets of Nepal’s capital are alive with history: Kathmandu is a place of royalty, religion, and, in recent years, rapid modernization. The city is known for its excellent infrastructure, great food, and fascinating markets. There’s a Hindu temple or Buddhist stupa on just about every street corner, and the juxtaposition of ancient stone and contemporary architecture never fails to leave an impression. Depending on the time of your flight’s arrival, you may have the opportunity to explore the local markets before spending your first night in Nepal at your hotel.

During your second day in Kathmandu, you’ll have the chance to meet with the Alpine Ramble Treks team and learn more about your upcoming adventure. We’ll go over our itinerary and take a refresher course on some basic mountaineering skills in order to prepare ourselves to climb Island Peak. You’ll have the rest of the day free to explore the city at your leisure. Don’t miss the enormous Buddhist stupas known as Boudhanath and Swayambhunath before visiting the temples and historic monuments at the world-famous Kathmandu Durbar Square. The markets and shops of Thamel are great places to shop for one-of-a-kind souvenirs and curios, and the local food scene in Kathmandu is bursting with incredible flavors. All told, your first full day in Nepal’s capital city will be nothing short of a feast for the senses—and this is only the beginning. This evening, you’ll spend a second night at your hotel before setting out for the mountains tomorrow morning.

Our day begins with a brief flight from Kathmandu to Lukla: the gateway to the Everest region, or the Khumbu. The flight is short, but the views you’ll enjoy from the airplane window are nothing short of phenomenal. The Khumbu represents the country’s most spectacular alpine landscape, and many of the best treks in Nepal start right here in Lukla. After our plane touches down, we’ll meet up with our friendly Sherpa porters and set out for Island Peak. The beginning of our hike mirrors the classic Everest Base Camp Trek, leading across long suspension bridges, passing through little mountain villages, and bringing us to the town of Phakding after approximately three hours of trekking. When you’re trekking in Nepal, you’ll usually be staying in comfortable family-owned teahouses or trekking lodges. We’ll pick out the best available option and enjoy a home-cooked meal before spending the night here in Phakding.

Our first full day of hiking on the way to Island Peak will bring us to one of the most important landmarks in the entirety of the Khumbu: Namche Bazaar. This sprawling town is cradled within a bowl of vast Himalayan mountains, and it once served as a vital trading hub for travelers carrying goods and supplies over dangerous alpine passes. Today, the town is better known as a stopping point for trekkers and mountain climbers, and there are plenty of tasty bakeries and quirky pubs where travelers are welcome. But first, we have to get there—and it’ll take us about five hours of trekking from Phakding to arrive. We’ll start by climbing along the banks of the Dudh Koshi River, treading through the dappled shade of pine forests, and ascending to ridgelines with breathtaking mountain views. When we arrive in Namche Bazaar, we’ll settle in at our trekking lodge and make ourselves at home—we’ll be spending the next two nights in Khumbu’s most important town.

Before we can climb Island Peak, we need to allow ourselves the time necessary to acclimate to the high altitudes of the Himalayas. Today is therefore reserved as a rest day, where you can take the time to enjoy the splendid scenery and engaging cultural attractions of Namche Bazaar. Of course, you don’t necessarily have to sit idly: there’s always a trek in Nepal for the traveler who wants to stay active. The day hikes around Namche are especially interesting. We can ascend to the Hotel Everest View for an excellent alpine panorama of Everest, Thamserku, and Taboche; by any metric, this is one of the finest views in the Khumbu. We can also visit the Edmund Hillary School and Khumjung monastery during our excursion, learning more about the religious and cultural traditions of the Sherpa people who call this region home. However you choose to spend the day, we’ll return to our guesthouse in the evening to spend a second night here in Namche.

After breakfast this morning, we’ll continue our journey to Island Peak by striking even deeper into the mountains of the Khumbu. To get started, we’ll trek beneath the overhanging boughs of aromatic pines and climb mountain switchbacks to earn unbelievable views of the true giants of the Himalaya: Everest, Ama Dablam, and Lhotse. From here, we’ll descend to cross a high suspension bridge leading off into another evergreen forest, reaching Tengboche after about five hours on the trail. The town is perhaps best known for its important historic monastery, the largest of its kind in the entire region. The mountainside locale of this Buddhist gompa is spectacular enough, but the beautiful artistry of its interior statuary and murals has to be seen to be believed. When we arrive in Tengboche, we’ll get checked in at a local trekking lodge and spend the rest of our day exploring the monastery and the town itself.

As we travel further across the Khumbu, we’ll tread ever closer to the heights of Island Peak. The double summits of Ama Dablam will serve as our constant companions throughout today’s hike, beckoning us ever-forward as our path winds through conifer forests and past the little mountain towns of Deboche and Pangboche. If the monastery at Tengboche has whetted your appetite to learn more about Buddhist culture, ask your guide about the nunneries and gompas that can be visited throughout the course of the day’s hike. Another of today’s highlights is our ascent above the alpine tree line. From here, the altitude and weather prevent the growth of large trees and shrubs: this is real mountain territory. It’s here that we’ll find Pheriche, a small collection of guesthouses and homes laid across a broad Himalayan valley of astonishing beauty. After checking in at our lodge, we’ll enjoy a hot meal and watch the sunset over the mighty peaks of the Khumbu.

Before we get the chance to climb Island Peak, we’ll find ourselves on the approach to Everest Base Camp. Our route continues in that direction today, departing from Pheriche and trekking further into an entire world of colossal mountains with permanently frozen summits. With the tree line far behind us now, our journey will be characterized by barren rock, snow-crusted trails, and blistering winds. But our rewards on the trail to climb Island Peak are worth the struggle—the Himalayan views we’ll earn today are better than ever, especially as we begin to climb the rocky moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We’ll stop for lunch and a brief rest at Dughla before making the final push for today’s hike. As we approach our destination of Lobuche, we’ll stop to pay our respects at a memorial chorten honoring those climbers who have perished on the slopes of Everest over the years. When we arrive in Lobuche, we’ll check in at our guesthouse and enjoy the evening at our leisure.

Are you ready to visit Everest Base Camp for yourself? This is the holy grail of trekking in Nepal, and it’s almost within your grasp. To get there, we’ll set out from Lobuche and continue following the line of the Khumbu Glacier, treading carefully on scree-covered ridges before arriving at the community of Gorak Shep. We’ll be returning here this evening, so we’ll pick out a comfortable teahouse and drop off some of our bags before tackling the final stretch to base camp. When we arrive at this busy climbing hub with its iconic yellow shelters, jubilant hikers, and determined mountaineers, you’ll feel an overwhelming sense of achievement. After celebrating our accomplishments and taking plenty of photos, we’ll turn around and return to Gorak Shep over the course of another three hours. When you retire for the evening in your trekking lodge, you’ll have successfully reached Everest Base Camp—but Island Peak still waits on the trail ahead.

Now that we’ve reached the heart of Khumbu, you’ll have the privilege of enjoying the best views of any trek in Nepal. We’ll set out in the very early hours of the morning today, shouldering our day packs and grabbing our headlamps before the sun rises over the mountains. Our destination is Kala Patthar: a magnificent mountaintop vantage point situated at 5,644 meters in elevation. Reaching the viewpoint is a matter of climbing some steep switchbacks over the course of about two hours, and we’ll time our arrival to coincide with the morning sunrise. With the first light of day breaking across the gilded peaks of Everest, Nuptse, and Changtse, you’ll have front-row tickets to what might just be the greatest spectacle in the Himalayas. After enjoying the show, we’ll make the descent from Kala Patthar and begin our trek to Chhukung. This is a small village even by the standards of the Khumbu, and we’ll get there by retracing our steps to Lobuche and then climbing up and over the mountain pass of Kongma La (5,535 meters). When we arrive after several hours of hiking, we’ll be more than ready for a good night’s rest!

Before we can make the final approach to Island Peak, we’ll need to spend another day adjusting to the exceptionally high altitude here at Chhukung. Fortunately, there are plenty of day hikes we can use to pass the time. Foremost amongst our options must be the mountain viewpoint of Chhukung Ri. Not unlike Kala Patthar, this minor summit offers a breathtaking panorama of Himalayan summits at sunrise: Lhotse, Nuptse, and Ama Dablam are the stars of today’s show. We can also make a detour to get a better look at some of the frozen lakes that you likely glimpsed during yesterday’s descent from Kongma La. Of course, there’s no shame in taking a rest day, either—the friendly villagers in Chhukung will be happy to chat with you, and the magnificent views you’ll enjoy from town are their own reward. Whichever option you choose, you’re sure to feel the thrill of building anticipation: tomorrow, we’ll stand at the foot of Island Peak.

Are you ready to climb Island Peak at long last? We’ll set out from Chhukung after a fortifying breakfast, trekking south as our path ascends, twisting and turning towards the east in the direction of Lhotse’s massive glacier. We’ll travel amongst low-lying scrub, treading beneath the outstretched shadows of towering Himalayan peaks and walking near the frozen shores of the glacial Imja Tsho lakes before reaching Island Peak Base Camp after about three or four hours. Once we’ve put up our tents and set aside our packs, we’ll take some time to relax and enjoy a casual meal. During the remainder of the afternoon, we’ll practice the proper use of our climbing equipment. While technical skills aren’t generally required for climbing Imja Tse, some familiarity with basic mountaineering techniques will be important in the event that we encounter inclement weather or unexpected conditions on the trail.

Now that we’re standing at the base of Island Peak, our goal is nearly within reach. But Imja Tse sits at an elevation of 6,189 meters above sea level: this is extreme altitude, and we’ll spend one more day at base camp to acclimatize before making our approach to the summit. As usual, there are a few different ways we can stay active today. While we passed near the alpine lakes known as Imja Tsho yesterday, we can get an even better look at them now. Depending on the route we took on the previous day, the frozen surface of the lakes may have been partially hidden by some low hills. We’ll make an acclimatization hike over these hills to reach the lakeshore today, where we’ll make a point to sit in silence and listen to the otherworldly stretching and cracking of the ice. We’ll also get in some more practice with our climbing gear. Your expert team from Alpine Ramble Treks will make sure you’re fully comfortable with the techniques and equipment at your disposal before getting a good night’s sleep in preparation for tomorrow’s climb.

We’ve come a long way to climb Island Peak, and our big day has come at last. We’ll get an early start in an effort to make the summit by sunrise. Our ascent starts easily enough, but we’ll soon need to trek with crampons and ropes as we climb nearer to the peak of Imja Tse. As always, heed your guide’s advice: we may encounter crevasses as we approach the summit, and safety is our number one priority. As the light of morning brightens the sky, we’ll soon see the very top of Island Peak rising above the scenery like the crest of a frozen wave breaking across an endless sea of ice.

Our final push to this spectacular summit will require us to surmount a steep headwall using ropes and jumars—but we’ll proceed at a slow and steady pace, ensuring that we reach the summit of Imja Tse in excellent condition. When we arrive, we’ll celebrate our incredible accomplishments, take plenty of photographs, and enjoy the mind-blowing panoramic view of the mighty Himalayas. From here, it’ll take us two or three hours to return to base camp and another three or four hours to reach Chhukung, where we’ll spend the night.

We’ve got another long day ahead of us, but we’ll be trekking in the warm afterglow of our successful ascent to the summit of Island Peak. Today’s trail leads all the way back to Namche Bazaar, beginning our descent from the heights of Khumbu’s wildest places. After about an hour of walking, we’ll reach Dingboche, another of the region’s most well-known and charming villages. Our path continues from here, bringing us back to Tengboche about a week after we last passed through the town. We’ll stop for lunch, enjoying the scenery and ambiance of this splendid alpine community—you’ll also have one last chance to visit the exceptional Tengboche monastery. Then it’s onward to Namche, retracing our steps and arriving at our destination in the afternoon. We’ll get checked in at our guesthouse and spend the rest of the day at our leisure. Make sure to sample the goods at one of Namche’s famous bakeries—after climbing Island Peak, you deserve it!

We’ve traveled this road before, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that the trail doesn’t hold any surprises for you. Life in the Himalayas is beautifully unpredictable, and never moreso than when you’re exploring on foot. As we tread the boards of hanging bridges and walk in the spray of cascading waterfalls, marvelous photographic opportunities will present themselves around every corner. And because we’re now trekking downhill, our progress will be that much faster—but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy. We’ll descend slowly and carefully in order to minimize the impact on our knees, relying upon our trekking poles and taking plenty of breaks to appreciate the pastoral scenery amongst the alpine villages of Phakding, Monjo, and Jorsale before finally arriving in Lukla. After settling in at our lodge and getting a well-deserved shower, we’ll have one final celebratory dinner with our trekking team to recognize our accomplishments in climbing Island Peak.

Now that we’ve successfully climbed Island Peak and descended from the heights of Nepal’s Khumbu region, it’s time to return to Kathmandu. Our morning flight will only take about half an hour, but it offers one last glimpse of the length and breadth of Nepal’s highest mountains. While it may seem hard to believe, we stood at the top of one of those Himalayan peaks just a few short days ago—and that’s an accomplishment worth bragging about. When our plane touches down in the Kathmandu Valley at last, we’ll get checked in at our hotel. You’ll have the rest of the afternoon to explore the markets of the bustling Thamel neighborhood, purchase any last souvenirs of your trek in Nepal, and enjoy a decadent meal bursting with local flavor in one of the city’s many fine restaurants.

After more than two weeks in the mountains, it’s time to bid farewell to the high Himalayas and the enchanting Kathmandu Valley. We’ll bring you back to the Tribhuvan International Airport for your outgoing flight today. Thank you for choosing Alpine Ramble Treks—we hope that you’ve had an unforgettable adventure while climbing Island Peak, and we trust that the memories you’ve made on the summit of Imja Tse will endure for a lifetime. When you’re ready for another trek in Nepal, we’ll be here to welcome you with open arms.