Everest Base Camp Trek & Island Peak Climb

Today a representative of Greater Himalaya will wait for you at Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu. After picking you up and sorting out your custom formalities (visa etcetera), you will be shifted to your respective hotel in which a room is booked for you.  Take some time to relax and freshen up. 
Later today, we will meet for a welcome dinner, where you can enjoy delicious local and international cuisines as we discuss our upcoming trek. 
 

On the second day of the tour, you will go on a sightseeing tour across the Kathmandu valley. You shall initiate the day with a delicious breakfast and set towards the hallowed Hindu temple called Pashupatinath. You will visit the cremation site on the banks of the Bagmati River and surrounding areas of this temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. 
Secondly, you shall visit Boudhanath, one of the largest stupas in Asia, and a holy pilgrimage site of Buddhists. Locals doing kora (circumambulating the stupa) and monks doing the regular activities will give you a slight vision into Buddhist culture. 
Next, we will head towards Swayambhunath also recognized as the Monkey Temple, positioned on top of a hill. This stupa is surrounded by many temples and shrines and happens to be another holy Buddhist pilgrimage site located in Kathmandu valley.  With the time left, you can either visit Patan Durbar Square or Kathmandu Durbar Square of Kathmandu valley. All the sites we will visit today fall under the UNESCO world heritage sites and are the top attractions of Kathmandu and Nepal. 
 

We will drive to the domestic section of Kathmandu airport to attend Kathmandu to Lukla flight which will land us at Tenzing Hillary Airport. The 40 minutes scenic flight bestows you with distant yet clear views of the mountains and forests of Nepal. In Lukla, you will enjoy your breakfast, meet the rest of the trekking crews and you will also be assigned a porter. 
After this, our trek begins from Lukla to Phakding. The trails progress along the Dudh Koshi river edge. Today is an easy day to get you started with the trek. We shall stay overnight in a decent lodge in Phakding. 
 

Our destination today is the Sherpa hub/ Capital hub/ Tourist hub of Everest region- Namche Bazar. We'll eat our breakfast in Phakding before gearing up for the hike to Namche Bazaar- the largest Sherpa town in Nepal. We will cross the Dudhkoshi River via a long suspension bridge and then trek through a gorgeous pine forest to reach Monjo (Takes us about 2.4 hours). Soon thereafter, we will approach the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park where we will get our permits checked and registered.   
We will then descend to Dudh Kosi River and stop in Jorsalle for Lunch.  We continue trekking until we ascend to Namche. We will also walk on Hillary suspension bridge en route and eventually come to Namche Bazar which is a colorful Sherpa settlement that is more tourist-friendly. We shall stay for 2 nights here.   
 

Today is an acclimatization and exploration day where we will explore the attractions in the vicinity of Namche Bazaar. We will hike up to Everest View Hotel which provides wonderful views of Mount Everest, Thamserku, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and other mountains of the Everest region. We will take a short hike to Khumjung village-another Sherpa village in the Everest region.

We will trek in a forested trail looking at verdant hills as we set towards Tengboche. We will take a lunch break in Pungithenga and continue trekking which eventually leads to Tengboche. We will visit the Tengboche monastery located at an altitude of 3860 meters. Tengboche monastery is one of the most popular and revered Buddhist monasteries in Nepal. The view of Tengboche monastery with Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku is bound to win your heart. We will stay overnight in Tengboche.

The views of today include a dense forest of rhododendron, ancient monasteries, silver pine, birch, and the dominating Mount Ama Dablam. We shall stay overnight in Dingboche village.

We will hike to Nangkartshang at 5,083 meters (16,676ft). From this viewpoint, we can have an exhilarating view of Chukung valley, Island peak, Imja-Tse glacier. Zongla valley, and Chola pass trail. Plus, Nangkartshang hill also provides majestic views of Mount Makalu (8463 meters).

On our journey to Lobuche, we will cross the beautiful Pheriche village and reach Thukla. We will have a lunch break here while enjoying the wonderful view of the Khumbu region. You shall stay overnight at a lodge in Lobuche.

We will take a trail of gravels and moraines to reach Gorapse- the last permanent settlement of the Everest region. You will see impressive panoramas of Khumbu valley, mountains, and Khumbu glacier. Upon arriving in Gorapse, you can hike up to Kalapatthar (5550 meters) for the incomparable and unique views of Mount Everest

We will take 2 hours of glacier walk from Gorapse to reach Everest Base Camp (EBC). EBC is famous for the extensive views of Mount Everest, Mount Cho Oyu, Mount Ama Dablam, etc. Feel free to take snaps and most of every moment in the base of the top of the world while looking at the top of the world (read again, is confused). We shall set a camp in EBC and stay here overnight.

We will trek to Khongma La which takes us about 5 hours. Located at 5535 meters, this place provides great mountain views. Trekking to Khongma La and returning to Chhukung will serve our acclimatization. We shall stay overnight in Chhukung.

We will trek to the base camp of Island Peak today. The trekking is quite short and takes about 4 hours. After reaching Island Peak Base Camp, you will get indulged in some climbing practice. We shall set a tented camp in Island Base Camp and stay there overnight.

We will walk on a rugged path as we head towards the zenith of Island Peak. We will start the day early (Around 2 AM) so that we can avoid the strong winds and breezes of noon. We will trek in a narrow and steep trail which eventually leads to a rock channel. We suggest you be alert at all times and follow the instructions given by the guide strictly. 
We will climb up a steep slope that is snow-covered to reach the summit. One last and the final short climb will bring us to the summit of Island Peak. Throughout the climb, both fixed ropes and main rope will be used as safety measures. Depending on the weather condition and the crevasses, the length of the rope line will vary. You will get the best 360 degrees mountain views of Lhotse, Lhotse-Sar, Makalu, Barunche, Amphu peak, Ama Dablam, and Lhotse from the summit of Island Peak. 
We will trek down to Chhukung for the night stay. 
 

This is break day/ reserve day or acclimatization day in case everything is not going as per our itinerary or orientation

We will trek back to Tengboche monastery by crossing several snowfields, pastures, gompas, Sherpa villages, etc., As you inch farther from Chhukung, you will witness a more dominant green region and the snow line slowly starts to vanish. However, you will still be able to enjoy views of Mount Everest and other mountains from Tengboche. Overnight stay at a lodge in Tengboche.

Leaving Tengboche behind, we will commence trekking through the hillside covered by the forest of rhododendron, juniper, and pine trees. After crossing the bridge over the Dudh Koshi Khola, we shall follow the trail along the Dudh Koshi gorge plunging rapidly through the pine forests. You might witness the wildlife of mountainous regions like mountain goats, snow leopards, colorful pheasants, etc. as you trek amidst the forest. Eventually, we will reach the lodge at Namche Bazaar where we will stay overnight

We will leave behind Namche via a steep rocky path. We will cautiously descend down and eventually cross the suspension bridges over the thundering and perennial Dudh Koshi and its tributaries. As we continue trekking, the trekking path becomes flatter and easier to trek on. We will arrive at Lukla and rest for a while. Later we will rejoice over our trekking experience over dinner.

You will arrive at Tenzing Hillary airport and fly from Lukla to Kathmandu. You will be escorted to the hotel room where you can give your sore muscles some rest.

We will drop you to TIA and bid you farewell.