Rogue Sports Travel I Island Peak

Everest Base Camp - Island Peak

DAYS

22

DESCRIPTION

SUMMIT TREK

DATES

Apr - Nov

PRICE

FROM

£3100pp

Island Peak is a superb progression peak for Himalayan climbing, allowing an opportunity to experience altitude first-hand and taking your mountaineering skills to new heights while getting to appreciate the inner workings of an expedition to the Himalaya!

An ideal expedition for climbers with basic rope handling and technical mountaineering skills.

The trip initiates in Kathmandu where we enjoy the diversity of this ancient city before embarking on a flight into the alpine village of Lukla, the entranceway to the Everest region. We approach the mountain following the wide trails of the Khumbu Valley, famous for its fascinating villages and hospitable inhabitants. This ascent will satisfy your desire to progress your Himalayan climbing. Non-climbing friends and family can also join the Khumbu Trek that travels alongside the climbing team.

If Mt Everest, Machu Picchu or Kilimanjaro is on your hit-list, download the Rogue Sports Travel Trekking guides to inform you of the detail behind the scenes.

Download

Itinerary

Exped Day 1

Welcome to Kathmandu – the capital city of Nepal. Today is your first day with EverTrek. Once you’ve passed through passport control and collected your bags, you’ll head out to the front of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to be greeted by one of our friendly team members - look for the Rogue sign, you won’t miss them! They will be there to pick you up and transport you to your hotel in Thamel.

Exped Day 2

Kathmandu Valley is a fantastic place with numerous natural, cultural and historical sites. Today, you will be taken on a tour around Kathmandu to visit some of these major attractions. Kathmandu lies at 1300m above sea level so it’s important to get out and about today and let your body acclimatise. After spending a few hours observing these wonderful sites, you will meet with the team and guides to finalise your equipment and trekking gear required during the trek, if you haven’t already checked these on Day 1.

In the evening you will enjoy a delicious welcome meal with your fellow EverTrekkers. In previous years this had been on the first day of the trip, however it has recently been moved to Day 2 to ensure that those trekkers on later flights don’t miss out on this enjoyable experience. If in Kathmandu, (see below), you'll be taken to one of the most popular local restaurants where you can enjoy Nepali food along with cultural music and ethnic dance.

Exped Day3

Phakding is the destination for the day. One of our company reps will pick you and the group up at the hotel and transfer you to the Tribhuvan International Airport to board an early morning flight to Lukla. After about 30-35 min scenic flight the plane will land at the Tenzing Hillary Airport located in Lukla.

We will meet the other members of our team, the porters who will organise your baggage for you. Once everything is ready, the trek finally begins. It all starts here!

Exped Day 5

Today your day is reserved for the acclimatisation process at a higher altitude. We will be staying in Namche bazaar to ensure proper rest so that you may not suffer from altitude sickness in other coming days.

After having lunch, we will short hike toward Everest View Hotel to see the close-up views of Mt. Ama Dablam (6,812 m) as a well panoramic view of the world’s highest mountains including Mt. Everest.

Then we go back to Namche, and take a rest and enjoy the rest of the day by visiting the beautiful town.

Exped Day 6

Today our destination is Dole. Leaving Namche Bazaar behind, an easy walk will take us to Kyangjuma that offers one of the best views of towering peaks around. The walk continues through the rhododendron forests until we reach Sanasa, which is a major trail junction of the Gokyo Valley and the Everest Base Camp trek. Leaving the Everest Base Camp trail, we follow the stone steps trail that lies on our left hand side and walk towards Mong. From Mong, a slight descent will take us to the bank of the Dudh Koshi River as we cross Phortse Thanga. We hike up till Tenga, following the bank of the Dudh Koshi River. From here, leaving the bank of the river, we further hike up to Dhole through birch and rhododendron forest. The night will be spent at a lodge in Dhole.,

Exped Day 4

Following the trail along the Dudh Koshi River, take in the views and soak up the energy of the Khumbu region. We cross 3 suspension bridges over the river and hike up to the village of Monjo, which is also known as the gateway to the Sagarmatha National Park. Your team leader or guide will take care of the necessary formalities required to enter the national park. The trail from Monjo descends to Larja Dobhan, which is at the confluence of the Bhote Koshi and the Dudh Koshi River. After crossing the Hilary bridge over the river 150 feet below, you will hopefully get your first view of the majestic Mt Everest. This is always a powerful moment. We then continue on for a tough couple of hours hiking until we reach Namche Bazaar.

Exped Day 7

Today our destination is Machhermo, leaving Dole our trail is scenic and pretty straight forward as we slowly gain our altitude on a long gentle climb.

The scenery is really breathtaking and and gets better and better as you continue with snow packed peaks all around you piercing the clear blue sky. You will also catch sight of Cho Oyo the 5th highest mountain on earth. We will continue to follow our trail and arrive at Machhermo in the early afternoon and rest in this quaint little sherpa village.

Exped Day 8

We first climb up the valley ridge and hike for a couple of hours before we then climb to the base of the first lake after crossing another bridge. The first Gokyo lake (Lonspunga Tso) has an amazing backdrop so we will stop for a rest and some photos. We continue towards the second Gokyo lake (Taujung Tsho). Following the west bank of the glacier, we walk up to the third Gokyo lake (Gokyo Tsho). On reaching the lake the walk continues till the east bank of the lake where lodges are located. The remaining day will be spent exploring the lakes and glacier. The night will be spent at a lodge in Gokyo.

Exped Day 9

more acclimatisation and climbing the Gokyo RI Pass (5,630m) above the village on the northern edge of the lake. We spend some time relishing the views of the magnificent mountains around at this significant height which again helps with our ’Hike high, sleep low’ plan. We then descend and hike back down to the village where we relax and enjoy some lunch on the glacier. Depending on how the group are doing, we can choose to hike further up the valley to see Cho Oyu and the additional Gokyo lake at the top of the valley. .

Exped Day 10

We cross the glacier before the sun gets stronger, as during the sunny days the ice melts making the trail a little bit challenging and difficult to walk. After crossing the glacier, following the east bank of the glacier, we slightly descend to Dragnag. The rest of the day can also be spent hiking nearby hills, which helps to acclimatise. The night will be spent at a lodge in Dragnag.

Exped Day 11

Initially, we walk a vertical uphill trail along a small stream crossing Chola Phedi. Then, the trail drops down to the bottom of the Chola pass. The trail here is icy, slippery and difficult to cross. From the base, a steep rocky ascent will take us to the top of the Chola Pass. The top greets you with flapping prayer flag and a wonderful view of Gokyo Valley. After spending some time here, a steep descend following icy (use of crampons recommended) and rocky trail will first take us to the valley, from where Dzongla is fairly an easy walk. The night will be spent at a lodge in Dzongla.

Exped Day 12

Following the trail along the Khumbu Glacier, the hike continues towards Gorakshep past Lobuche glacier, pyramid, Lobuche pass and the confluence of Changri Nup, Changri Shar and Khumbu glacier. As we depart Gorakshep, the walk continues on some difficult glacial moraine. This route does change year on year so we will find the safest route through this area. We will eventually reach the historic Everest base camp and also hike up to the Khumbu Icefall which is the start of the Everest summit route. We will spend some time here taking it all in and taking photos and then walk back to Gorakshep for an overnight stay. The night will be spent at a lodge in Gorakshep.

Exped Day 13

We get up super early to climb Kala Patthar to see the sunrise over Mt Everest and experience the best view of Mountain Everest you can ever get. Have you cameras with you as this is going to be one of the highlights of the entire trip.

What a view!

We then descend to Gorak Shep. From Gorak Shep, we follow the icy trail over Khumbu Glacier, and follow the valley all the way to Lobuche reaching Lobuche in the late morning or early afternoon

Exped Day 14

From Lobuche, on crossing the icy trail over the Khumbu Glacier, we head towards Kongma La at 5,535m its the highest of the three high passes. It’s a tough climb to the top of the Kongma La pass as the trail is icy and slippery. Also, the area lacks water resources and tea houses. Therefore, we make sure we carry enough water to last us and after a rest and time spent enjoying the view, a steep downward trail will lead us to Lhangbo. Leaving the main trail, we follow the Island Peak trek trail and a short ascent will finally take us to Chhukhung

Exped Day 16

Sop todays the big one! Starting as early as possible to get a head start, we make our way through short rock steps, crevasses, seracs, 40-45 degree slopes, out of the summit glacier and finally up to the summit.

We spend some time here taking photos and taking it all in. The views from the summit of Island Peak and the entire Everest region are amazing.

Now it's time for other half of the climb so stay mentally strong and get ready descend and hike all the way down to Base Camp. We descend all the way down to Chhukung.

Exped Day 19

Namche Bazaar is the destination for the day. Leaving the beautiful village under the steep rock of Khumbui Yul Lha with a number of beautiful houses and the views of Kangtega, Thamserku and Ama Dablam the walk continues through the ridge towards the fairly easier trail that takes us to the village of Namche. The remaining day can be spent exploring Namche. There is plenty to see and do. There is even a great Irish Pub here, one for the road?

Exped Day 20

Lukla is the destination for the day. After a quick breakfast, we drop down to cross the Hilary bridge as we bid farewell to Everest as here is the final view of the trip.

Take in the return trek through Monjo and Phakding where we passed on the way up and remember what you have achieved. We will spend the evening celebrating in the lodge in Lukla before we head to bed for our final night in the mountains.

2023 Dates

05/04/23 27/04/23

Total £3100pp Deposit £200pp

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01/11/23 26/11/23

Total £3100pp Deposit £200pp

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26/04/23 18/05/23

Total £3100pp Deposit £200pp

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27/09/23 19/10/23

Total £3100pp Deposit £200pp

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More Information

What's Included/What's Not

What's included in this tour?
Items that are included in the cost of the trekking price
Airport Pick-up and Drop-off
3 nights accommodation with breakfast
Full day guided city tour
Welcome and farewell dinner
Airport transfers for domestic flight
All Trekking permits
Kathmandu-Lukla-Kathmandu flight tickets
All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) during the trek
All accommodation whilst on trek (Lodge/Tea house) or Tent on request
Tea/Coffee
UK guides
Sirdar, support guides & Porters (One porter for each 2 members) and their expenses
Insurance of Guide and Porter
All required local and government taxes
Rogue Expedition T shirt
Oximeter & Heart Rate Monitor– To calculate Oxygen Levels and Heart rate to help with Altitude
Diamox - should you need it and are medically capable of taking it

What's not included in this tour?

Items that are not included in the cost of the tour price

International flights to Kathmandu
Nepal arrival Visa ($40)
Meals in the city except for breakfast and welcome/leaving dinner
Personal expenses including mineral water, and alcoholic drinks and beverages
Your travel insurance that covers Helicopter Evacuation
Any Staff Tips
Additional Airline baggage costs for return flights to Lukla (only 15 kg included)
Any trip add on's or additional nights accommodation

Accommodation

Where you'll be staying during this trip

Whilst in Kathmandu, you have a choice of where to stay in Thamel. Before your trek, if you like a bit of comfort we have the Marriott on offer. If this blows your budget we have a more sedate and in-keeping series of options in Thamel itself, all 3* and above. The core of our trekker's stay in Thamel with those of you who want to enjoy the facilities of 4* and above preferring The Marriott. This will de designed according to your budget and preferences.

The address is: Manakamana Marg, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal.

As big as the Marriott is, it does sometimes fill up, so we always have some approved alternatives for your stay in Kathmandu. All transfers will be arranged and taken care of by our Kathmandu-side staff. We ask you to condider your options should you breturn to Kathmandu, adventure travel is no science so things can and will happen. If you find youself returning to Kathmandu ahead of schedule, this may affect the availability of rooms. Although we will do our best, don’t be alarmed if you find out there has been a hotel change.

Along the trek you will stay in comfortable lodges and Tea houses (not pictured). These do change on a regular basis dependent on the services and facilities they supply. We are constantly assessing the quality and standard of the tea houses to ensure we have a great nights sleep at the end of each day.

International/Internal Flights

As you have realised by now we are not providing flights as part of the package. We rely on you to book your own flights and make your way to Nepal where our trek begins. As an In-Country trekking provider our remit has to begin at the country of your destination. International flights aren’t currently included in our trips & tour prices (although we are looking to address this issue by the end of 2023. As Tour operators we have a lot of information to make sure that booking your flights is as streamlined as possible.

'Day 1' is designed with arrivals in mind and so the itinerary is clear throughout the day with a welcoming group meal at the hotel or nearby restaurant in the evening.
Keep in mind that for most of our destinations, you will book your flight to leave the UK the day prior to your trip’s start date - they’re often llong haul and will have early starts and in certain cases, multiple lay overs. This is all part of the adventure...

On retrurn from our trek and the flight from Lukla back to Kathmandu, we will look to build in some 'downtime' in Thamel to enjoy the nightlife and celebrate your achievements. Traditionally we look to depart the day after arrival back to Kathmandu. Most of our trekker's look to depart ton that day, however, we have some who would prefer to extend their time and explore the region further. You can book your arrival or departure flights for any date either side of a trip and we can still arrange airport transfers and any extra accommodation or secondary events that you require.

*The weather can be unpredictable in the Himalayas, and it may cause delays or cancellations at Lukla Airport - booking flights with a spare day or two can give great peace of mind.

Kathmandu International Airport Details:

Nepal - Kathmandu Tribhuvan International Airport

You may also add a few extra days to your trip either side. We will arrange accommodation for you which means that you don't need to worry about finding & moving hotels. Plus by remaining within the Rogue group booking system, we're still able to provide transport from/to the airport no matter what date your flight is.

The cost of additional nights at our subsidiary hotels are generally a better rate than you'd get by booking elsewhere. Unless you tell us otherwise, we'll automatically arrange all your accommodation requirements in line with your flight details and you'll pay for additional nights directly to the hotel when you're there - so nothing to worry about in advance of your trip.

If you plan on arranging your own accommodation and transport from or to the airport, that's cool too, all we ask is that you make sure you let us know so we can co-ordinate in Kathmandu.

Experience

Acclimatising to life in Nepal starts from the moment your feet touch the ground in Kathmandu. This hectic city has become a basecamp metropolis for multi ethnicities, and both Buddhists and Hindus, live alongside each other amidst an iconic whirl of prayer wheels, incense and the modern hiking equipment and clothing provider. For many of you, the vibrant chaos of the streets can be a little overwhelming, but Nepal's capital isn’t a challenge when it comes to altitude. Situated at 1,400m, it’s hardly what can be deemed 'high altitude' for now, although as a benchmark it's a great starting point.
Our UK guides have been operating in Kathmandu and trekking to Base Camp for many years and have seen the growth in the city.
For many of you, though, Kathmandu is just the start of your Nepal adventure, serving as the platform for our higher ambitions on the high ground of Khumbu. Many come to trek to Everest Base Camp (EBC) – an underwhelming basic campsite used by climbers aiming to ascend Everest and its surrounding peaks. The proximity to Everest is awesome. You are acutely aware of the history with men like Hillary, Norgay, Mallory and Irvine have trekked in years gone by.

For many, It's a personal journey – one that everyone can achieve, if they're prepared and fit enough. The trek begins with a flight from Kathmandu to the small Himalayan town of Lukla, which literally doubles the altitude level, but this is nowhere near the height of EBC, which is an almighty 5,364m. Having a well controlled plan, understanding the time on your feet and taking regular water stops all contribute to a successful Acclimatisation plan. Do not underestimate the importance of training, months in advance, to ensure you're fit enough to enjoy the experience safely and successfully. An organised small group trek to Everest Base Camp can include anything up to 12 days of trekking above 3,000m on a 125km round trip from Lukla.

So, just how fit do you have to be to reach Everest Base Camp? You may well be asking yourself, right now: am I fit enough? Well, We can help here by offering an acclimatisation package at our UK Mountain Training School in the Brecon Beacons. Its very much a try before you buy but the knowledge gained is great preparation for your trek and you get to meet your guides....It's a win win!

If Mt Everest, Machu Picchu or Kilimanjaro is on your hit-list, download the Rogue Sports Travel Trekking guides to inform you of the detail behind the scenes.

Download

Want to Talk It through?.......Ask Away

If you have any questions or queries about the training school, the administration or the trek itself give us a quick call. Your call will be answered by the UK guiding team and you will have direct access to their experience in building up towards these treks. If the himalayas are not for you then please drop us a line to see if we can facilitate your requests - we go everywhere........