Reserve your spot online now with a $250 deposit.

Awesome climb of a classical cone shaped peak, with views of Lhotse, Nupste, Makalu and Baruntse.

Nepal FAQs

The name Island Peak (20,192 ft.) was given to this mountain in 1952 by Eric Shipton's party. They were on their way to explore the Barun Gorge. Seen from above Dingboche, the mountain does indeed resemble an island in a sea of ice. In 1983, Island Peak was renamed Imja Tse; although for most people, the descriptive name of Island Peak seems to have been retained. The mountain was first climbed in 1953 by a very prestigious team in preparation for the ascent of Everest. The team members were; Charles Evans, Alf Gregory, Charles Wylie and Tenzing Norgay, with seven Sherpa’s. This climb offers a moderate adventurous climbing experience, with ample time for acclimatization due to our pre-climb hike to Chhukung Ri 18,239 ft.

All trips to Nepal start in the capital city, Kathmandu. Waiting at the airport for your arrival will be one of our friendly Nepalese staff members. You will be taken to the Thamel District where you'll be checked into one of the many comfortable hotels. After check-in you'll be shown around and a welcome dinner will be planned to get everyone acquainted before the real adventure begins. During your stay in Kathmandu, a guided city tour will be planned and you'll have some free time just to shop and check out life in this magical city.

The real excitement starts with a flight to Lukla. We’ll hike up to Namche and spend two nights in the village of Namche Bazaar to acclimatize. Namche is considered the trading center for the Khumbu. The local Nepalese walk from miles away (and even from Tibet) to sell their wares at the bazaar each Saturday. This is also the hub onto which each trail converges, so yaks and people compete for space in this amphitheater style city.

Next, we hike to Tengboche, home of the famous Tengboche Buddhist monastery, the spiritual center of the Khumbu region. The monastery sits in a meadow clearing with mountains surrounding it, a fitting place for such a spiritual Mecca. In the morning you will awaken to the sounds of horns blowing, calling the monks to morning worship.

Our goal is to successfully climb Island Peak, so instead of wandering around the area trying to acclimatize we’ll head directly to Dingboche for two nights, then up the valley to Chhukung 15,514 ft. This will be our staging area before we set up base camp for our climb. While in Chhukung you’ll get a very good look at Island Peak and the surrounding area during our acclimatization climb of Chhukung Ri

Early in the morning we’ll trek over hills of moraine to our base camp at Pareshaya Gyab 16,661 ft., which sits in the rocky moraine, between Lhotse and move up the steep rocky slopes to advanced base camp 18,700 ft. This will be an important night, because at this altitude we’ll decide if you’re well enough to continue to the summit. If we have time we might spend two days here and take a hike up higher on the mountain for further acclimatization. On summit day, a very early start (3am) is needed to reach the summit before any clouds arrive to block the incredible view. The peak is reached after a steep climb along a knife-edge ridge to the base of the cone peak, where a fixed line will be set up. From the summit you’ll be able to see Lhotse, Nuptse, Lhotse Shar, Makalu and Baruntse. Once the climb is finished, everyone will return to Chhukung for the night.

4 Night stay in the city of Kathmandu

16 Days Trekking in the Everest area

Guided sightseeing tour of Kathmandu

4 Days spent climbing Island Peak

Views from the summit of Lhotse and many other Himalayan peaks.

TOTAL: 21 DAYS – depending on your departure arrangements

24 Days USA-to-USA: Depart two days before arrival date to arrive on starting date. Return flight should be booked for the last day of the trip.

Arrival/Departure City: Kathmandu, Nepal

2008 LAND COST:

• $3145 USD Per person
  (prices may rise due to increasing domestic airline costs)
  Private room & tent: $250 pp

2008/09 Dates

• March 19 – April 8
• October 29 – November 18

Reserve your spot online now with a $250 deposit.

GROUP SIZE: 4 to 12 Members - Cost is higher for groups under 4 people.

MEALS: Breakfast included in Kathmandu at hotel, all meals during trek. Check itinerary for symbols (B/L/D) for exact meals provided.

STYLE OF TREK: Lodging will be a combination of local teahouses and tents. Each night of the climbing section we’ll be in tents.

Grade: Strenuous – Fitness is required to reach the summit along with basic mountaineering skills. The trails are rocky and steep, going over several moraines on the way to base camp.

EMS Climbing School: Call 800-310-4504 if you need some basic skills for this climb.

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For more information, or to book your very own Eastern Mountain Sports adventure, call our travel guru Becky Harrison at
888-755-8735
or e-mail us at becky@emstrek.com.

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