Imja Tse (Island Peak)

Difficulty

Hard

Duration

21 Days

Region

Everest

Max. Altitude

6189m

Type

Peak Climbing

Group Size

2-12 pax

Accomodation

Lodges, Hotels and Camp

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More popularly known as Island Peak, Imja Tse which was a name coined by Eric Shipton who thought this peak looked like an island in a sea of ice. Later only in 1983, the peak was renamed as Imja Tse.

Island Peak was first ascended in 1983 by a British team as preparation for climbing Everest and Tenzing Norgay was one of the members of that successful team. Between 2006 and 2019 over 12,000 people attempted the summit. Despite its popularity, it’s still a tough climb and many people fail to reach the summit. This is often because of insufficient acclimatization and sometimes because of deep snow, strong winds, or simply setting off too late in the morning.

The peak is part of the south ridge of Lhotse Shar and the enormous summits of Nuptse, Lhotse, Middle Peak and Lhotse Shar rise above the summit to the north. To the east lies the looming west face of Makalu and the unmistakeable form of Ama Dablam can be seen to the south-west.

 

On your arrival in Kathmandu, Tribhuwan International Airport, our representative will welcome you & drive you to the hotel. It’s a free day/evening. You can walk around Thamel for shopping

Kathmandu is the historical and cultural heart of Nepal and has been a popular destination for tourists ever since Nepal opened its doors to visitors. The city presents a wonderful mix of Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism and Western influence. There will be a guided tour to the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal Boudhanath and after that to the most popular Hindu shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva- Pashupatinath. We take a tour to Patan or Lalitpur (the City of Artisans), which is 5km away from Kathmandu. We walk through Patan Durbar Square, and delight in the architectural wonders of the Malla era. Mahaboudha Temple, Kumbeshwor Temple, Krishna Temple and Golden Temple are the major attractions at the square.

Our trip begins early morning with a picturesque flight to Lukla. The trekking guide will see you at the hotel and you drive to the airport and take a 30 min flight to Lukla, which flies over endless rolling hills covered with green terraces. Once we reach Lukla, we wil have a short break to organise porters and gear before starting our day’s trek. We will trek for about 5 hrs to Phakding.
 

From Phakding, we cross and re-cross the river on high suspension bridges. Beyond Monjo is the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park which was set-up in order to protect and preserve the fragile mountain environment. We then take a steep hike to Namche. If the weather is clear, we get the first glimpse of Mt Everest. Namche is the main trading village in the Khumbu and has a busy Saturday market - a meeting place for the Hindu traders from the lowlands and the Tibetan yak caravans that have crossed the glaciated Nangpa La.

We will spend an extra day in Namche before trekking higher to allow our bodies to adjust to the lower levels of oxygen in the air. In the morning, we will walk up to the Everest View Hotel to enjoy a panoramic view of Everest, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and may other majestic mountain peaks. 

We will walk to Tengboche Monastery which is the most important monastery for the Sherpas of the Khumbu region. It is the tradition that every climbing expedition to Mt. Everest should be blessed by the head Lama of this monastery. You will enjoy the most spectacular mountain scenery on the face of the Earth on this day. Overnight in Tengboche.

We will walk via Pangboche (3930m), take a moment to look back and enjoy the classic view of Tengboche. It is also the last village before heading right to Ama Dablam base camp, which dominates the scenery from now to Lobuche. We again gradually traverse up the valley, cross the Imja river and briefly walk upwards to Dingboche. The mountains appear distinctly more reachable and glorious.

Alimentation Tent Camp - Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner

Walking out of Dingboche to Lobuche, we can feel that you can almost touch the mountains and sense that Everest must be close. The trail gradually leads upwards to a small river crossing at the foot of Thukla. The rocky path passes the trekking peak of Lobuche on the left before we reach Lobuche.

Gorakshep is the last settlement before reaching Everest base camp. From Lobuche, it’s a short walk. We will walk further along the rocky terrain alongside the Khumbu glacier to reach Everest Base Camp (EBC). Then, we come back to Gorakhshep for our overnight stay.
 

After leaving Gorakhshep having breakfast, we retrace our way back to Dingboche passing Lobuche, Thukla on the way. Overnight in Dingboche.
 

The walk is pleasant as we leave Dingboche, through stone walled fields and alpine landscape. The views are stupendous as we trek to the head of Imja valley. While walking through the valley, Lhotse towers on our left and Ama Dablam on our right. After walking about 3 km, we reach Bibre at 4570m. Straight ahead, beyond a terminal moraine wall, soars the Island peak (Imja Tse, 6189m), a most popular trekking peak. The pyramidal Imja Tse looks awesome with its step rock and-icy south face. The trail ahead is intersected by icy streams. About 30 min. walk from Bibre finally, we arrive at Chhukung. After Lunch, We might take an opportunity to hike to the rocky knoll of Chhukung Ri at 5546m, which offers stunning views of Lhotse, Island Peak, Ama Dablam, Makalu and several others including Baruntse.

The steep trail ascends along the south and takes a twist at the Lhotse glacier. An easing walk alongside the riverbed continues till we come to a huge rock and the zigzag route then passes Imja to Lhotse Glacier and opens up in a wide valley. To the southeast of Island Peak lies the base camp where we set up a tent for the night.

Today, we start early in the morning and ascend many rock culverts, followed by a walk along the ridgeline that leads to the snout of the glacier. With some ropes for support, we now cross this snow and ice slope to the top. The summit (6,189 m) is just three rope lengths away from here. After climbing to the top, enjoy the fruits of your labor as you're treated to some of the best views of the Himalayas. We then descend to Chhukung. Overnight in Chhukung

After having breakfast in Chhukung, we retrace our way back to Dingboche. The trail is mostly downhill and you can see amazing views of the surrounding peaks nearby. Overnight in Dingboche.

Today we head down to Namche after having breakfast at Dingboche. From Dingboche, we will descend down to Pangboche. The descent is pretty easy and interesting. As you walk downhill from the Base Camp, you will head down retracing your steps into the settlement of Pheriche. Walking downhill from Pheriche, you will slowly start to notice the dense forests of rhododendron and birch. Continuing the trail will lead you to Tengboche. Retracing our steps, we shallow head downhill to the popular Namche Bazaar. Overnight in Namche.

From Namche, we continue to follow the river and, after crossing it, climb back up through birch and rhododendron forest. From there we descend to Monjo. After Monjo, we will climb up a small hill to reach Lukla. You will probably reach Lukla soon so explore and look around the place and the famous airport in Lukla.

We pack up early and head for the airstrip to hop a flight back to Kathmandu On touchdown, the rest of your day is free to do your own things. You could do some last-minute shopping and packing, or send a few postcards home or even go down for a stroll to Thamel, an internationally known hub for tourists in Asia.

Just relax at your hotel room and travel around the beautiful cultural city of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. You have the day to your own, so enjoy your last day in Nepal. 

It’s time to leave Nepal, of course with smiles and many memories to cherish. Depending on your flight time we will drop you at Tribhuwan International airport for your final departure to your destination.

Cost Includes

  • Arrival in International Airport and Departure.
  • 4 Night's hotel in Kathmandu with Bed & Breakfast.
  • Sightseeing in Kathmandu Valley with Guide.
  • Entrance fee in Sagarmatha National Park.
  •  Makalu conservation Fee.
  • Peak Permit and Climbing Guide.
  • Round Kathmandu-Lukla-Kathmandu Ticket
  • Local Transfer.
  • Domestic airport departure taxes.
  • Tea House Accopmodetion, brekfast and dinner.
  • All camping Equipment, two men tents, Dining tent, Kitchen Tent, Toilet Tent, Table & chairs.
  •  Breakfast, lunch, dinner in trekking and climbing period.
  • Guide, Cook, sherpa, Kitchen staffs and porters.
  • Insurance for trekking staff and Equipments.



Cost Excludes

  •  Personal equipment for Trekking & Peak climbing.
  • Personal travel Insurance.
  • Lunch & dinner in Kathmandu.
  • Emergency Rescue evacuation.
  • Personal expenses/Bar bills.
  • Tipping for trekking staff.
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