Lobuche East Peak Climbing (6119m/20,070 ft) with Everest Base Camp. Mt. Lobuche climb is certainly a bit more challenging than another popular climb to Island Peak. However, the magnificently panoramic views from the Lobuche summit prove the attempt worth undertaking. Not only the gorgeous Mt. Everest, you will also be able to see many mountains of the Rongbuk side of the Tibet, even those which are not visible from Island Peak. Besides, the mountains we also visit villages and monasteries to marvel at how human resolve can surpass even the harshest of environment. At first we trek to Everest Base Camp which not only gives you a chance to spend some time of your life among the high mountains, but also prepares our bodies to acclimatize, so that our bodies will easily adapt to the atmosphere while climbing Lobuche. The bliss you will experience after scaling the Lobuche Peak will certainly remain with you forever. And don't forget the speed shoot - taking photos by, among others, Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Pumori, Lobuche and with your friends!
The journey begins with a hilarious mountain flight to the Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla of the National Geographic fame. The trek starts from Lukla up through the Sagarmatha National Park all the way through the colorful landscapes. As we take steep ascent to Namche Bazaar, the capital of Sherpas, where we are greeted by spectacular mountain vistas. We continue to follow the trail to a famous vantage point, Kala Patthar, where a marvelous 360-degree panorama view. Mt. Kala Patthar, as the name suggests, is a "black rock" among the eternal whiteness around in the embrace Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Pumori, and many more. From Everest Base Camp, we trek down to Lobuche and head toward the Lobuche Base Camp. After summiting the Lobuche East we retrace our steps to Lukla again for a return flight to Kathmandu.
Arrival in the Kathmandu airport (KTM) you will be greeted by a representative from Sports tour & travel(STT). Our representative display your name arrival gate. You will be then transferred to Hotel Marshangdi or a similar category hotel. After check in, you will visit STT office, meet your trekking guide as well as other participants. Later in the evening we will organize a "Welcome Dinner" at an excellent traditional Nepalese Restaurant where you will enjoy a Nepalese cultural program along with a fine meal.
Take rest, familiarize, and make a sightseeing tour to Kathmandu's World Heritage Sites. The day will also be for finalizing official procedure and other necessary arrangements. You will be also briefed on the nature of expedition, equipments and team composition. You can also make your last minute buying of personal items as you will be flying to the Himalayas tomorrow.
After breakfast, we get transferred to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport for an early morning flight to Lukla (2,800m/9,186ft), a gateway destination from where our trek starts. After an adventurous 40 minute flight above breathtaking green and white mountains, we reach the Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla. This is one of the most beautiful air routes in the world culminating in a dramatic landing on a hillside surrounded by high mountains peaks. Here we meet our other crew members and after some packing and arrangements, we start our trek through the prosperous village of Lukla until we reach Phakding.
After breakfast Walking through a beautiful pine forest, the track leads us along the Dudh Koshi River through many suspension bridges, one of which is the famous Hillary Suspension Bridge. First, we catch wonderful prospect of the glistening Mt. Thamserku (6618 m). Through the settlement of Benkar, Chumoa, Monjo, we come to the check post and entrance to Sagarmatha National Park. We pass through the last village of Jorsale before reaching Namche Bazaar. The trail climbs through the forests and bridges until we reach the confluence of the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi rivers. After a final steep ascent of about two hours we get first sight of Mt. Everest peering over the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge. We stop at Chautara to admire the view. We still need to hike about 1.5 hours to reach Namche Bazaar, a gateway to Mt. Everest and main trading centre of this region.
This is the acclimatization' day for this trek. We either spend the day taking a day hike to Thame or visiting Khunde or relaxing and exploring Namche Bazaar itself. Namche Bazzar is the main centre of the Everest (Khumbu) region and has government offices, ATMs, Internet cafes, shops, restaurants, a bakery and a colorful market each Friday evening and Saturday. If we trek a few hundred vertical feet during the day, it will help us to properly acclimatize. Our guides will take us to the Tourist Visitor Center near the headquarter of the Sagarmatha National Park where we can observe an assortment of things related to the first Everest ascenders, Sherpa culture and learn about the various plant and animal life of the Everest region. We also take an interesting side trip up to Khumjung. We climb up to the famous airstrip at Syangboche. Just above the airstrip is the Everest View Hotel, a Japanese scheme to build a deluxe hotel with great views of the highest mountains on Earth. The Khumjung valley is surrounded by the snowy peaks of Kongde and Thamserku and the scared peak Khumbila, hosts a well known monastery that houses a yeti scalp. We also visit Hillary School which is at the same site. After having lunch and spending some time in Khumjung, we walk back down to Namche Bazzar.
After breakfast in Namche, we start our trek towards Tengboche enjoying superb view of Mt. Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and close up view of Thamserku. Our trek follows on the gradual trail with few ups and downs overlooking magnificent view of the great Himalaya. Along the way we can spot wild lives like pheasant, musk deer, or a herd of Himalayan Thar. The trail goes gradually down up to Kayangjuma. The path eventually reaches Sansa which is the major trail junction to Gokyo valley and Everest Base Camp. The track then follows through the pine forests and after we cross the prayer flags festooned bridge over Dudh Koshi River, we reach Phunki Thenga, a small settlement with a couple of teahouses and a small army post amidst the alpine woods. After having a relaxed lunch at Phunki Thenga we then have a little tough climb steep up through the pine forests while before we reach Tengboche. Tengboche is a great place for close up views of Ama-Dablam, Nuptse, and Everest and it has a biggest Buddhist Monastery all over in Khumbu region. We visit the monastery the same day at around 3 p.m. to witness the ceremony in the principal and popular monastery of Everest region.
After the Breadfast We choose the upper trail for better views to visit Pangboche village and its ancient Monastery. We pass through several Chortens and Mani walls and small villages. We enjoy lunch with fantastic close-up views of Ama-Dablam. In the afternoon, go north to Pheriche or take the eastward trail beneath the towering north face of Ama Dablam. From here onwards the walk is fairly moderate as we enter the Imja Valley. The valley ahead will begin to open up as we approach the confluence of the Lobuche River, we descend into the river and begin the last and steepest climb of the day up to Dingboche On arrival in Dingboche, we enjoy the beautiful array of fields and O/N at Lodge.
After breakfast We start the day with a climb to Duglha through the Khumbu Khola valley. The trek along the arid terrace is awarding with awesome views of mountains on all sides. As we come to a yak herder’s place called Dusa, the valley begins to narrow and we continue through Phulung Karpo, of the camp sites during first successful Everest Expedition in 1953. Above Phulung Karpo is Chola Lake. As we continue our trek the majestic view of Mt. Pumori (7138 m/ 23418 ft) comes into view. As the trail descends and curves Mt. Pumori hides and we come across a roaring stream. After crossing a small wooden bridge, we ascend to Dugla. We can see the tip of Nuptse from here as well as Cholatse, Thamserku, and several other magnificent peaks. Spending a night in Duglha is ideal for acclimatization purposes.
After Breakfast we trek up the steep terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We find our way through the boulder-strewn slope as we ascend Chupki Lhara, an eerie ridge top with dramatic mountains views. At the top of the ridge we will find an array of stones with prayer flags used as memorials to Scott Fischer (American mountaineer) and 10 times Everest submitter Babu Chiri Sherpa (mountain guide from Nepal) who perished on a mission to climb Everest. As the trail drops to the Khumbu Glacier moraine, we find ourselves right "in front of" several great peaks - Khumbutse, Lingtren, Pumori and Mahalangur Himal. We are now in the vicinity of Everest but the great mountain still remains hidden. Nuptse towers to the right as the trail crosses the Khumbu Glacier. As we trek along a murmuring stream we do not see the Khumbu glacier because of its lateral moraine wall and we now begin to feel a little out of breath due to high altitude.
The trail to Gorak Shep goes ahead through the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. We pass though the pyramid sign post. Ahead on the trail we see crest of north ridge of Everest along with Mt. Pumori, Mahalangur, Lingtern, Khumbutse, Nuptse, etc. A small ascent would take us to Thangma Riju from where we perceive 360 degree vista of snowy mountains. Climbing steeply up to the top through the torrent of Changri glacier, we catch our first glimpse of Kala Patthar, a grey-green knoll beneath the Mt. Pumori. As we reach Gorak Shep, we will be surrounded by snow-capped mountains looming all around us including the top of the world - Mount Everest. After a brief lunch and rest, we take the trail to Everest Base Camp through the once vast Gorak Shep Lake. As we reach Everest Base Camp we cannot stop ourselves from appreciating the Everest climbers those take the hazardous route through the Khumbu icefall. Nuptse, Khumbuste and Pumori are the mountains we can view from base camp. Everest actually is not visible from here. We get back to Gorak Shep for a good night's rest. However, the sunset view from Kala Patthar is more admirable than the sunrise view.
Today is the climax of our trip. We start early in the morning to catch the dramatic views from Kala Patthar witnessing the first light of day shining on Mount Everest. However, we need to get prepared for an early morning, dark and cold temperature (-10 to -14 C) departure beforehand. Plus there is always the potential for chilly winds which are quite common. Familiar peaks such as Lingtren, Khumbutse, Changtse tower to the east even as Everest begins to reveal itself emerging between the west shoulder crest and Nuptse. During the ascent to Kala Patthar we can pause to catch our breath at several outstanding view points to snap pictures. After several hours of an ascent, we reach Kala Patthar. From here we scramble to climb the rocky outcrop near to the summit marked by cairns and prayer flags. As we reach the top, we sit on the Kala Patthar rocks our eyes taking in the unbelievable Himalayan Panorama, wandering from one mighty massif to another. We take as many pictures as we can with our camera and take the in view with our mind's eye to last lifetime. On being back to Gorak Shep, we have breakfast followed by a gradual descend down to Lobuche for a good night's rest.
Today, we begin our trek from Lobuche toward the Lobuche Base Camp. After walking some distance on relatively flatter plane, the path to the Lobuche Base Camp gets steeper and rocky. Since, we will be trekking toward somewhat lower altitude today, you may it find it easier for your body. Move forward along the Lobuche Glacier, while enjoying the great views of Ama Dablam, Cholatse, Pokalde, Thamserku, Kantega, etc. After reaching the Lobuche Base Camp, take rest for some time and make necessary preparation for the summit. After lunch, our guides will provide training on peak climbing techniques and using climbing gears such as ice axe, climbing boot, harness, jummer, and how to go up and down using ropes. There will be training on how to fix the ropes, climbing technique, and about the knot and gears. Some training experience would certainly boost up your confidence and climbing skills thus increasing the chances of scaling the summit as well as fully enjoy the experience.
Today, after breakfast we make a hike from Lobuche Base Camp to the Lobuche High Camp. The climb takes for about 4 hours. The High camp is located at 5,600m/18,368 ft. From Base Camp, we hike on a rocky moraine path to reach the high camp. Upon reaching the high camp, we set up our camp, take lunch and rest. You can also walk around for some time that would also help in acclimatization.
Today is our cherished day for the summit. We start early in the morning for the summit endeavour. Lobuche east offers more panoramic views of the mountains that other popular peaks such as Island Peak. Once upon the Lobuche summit, you would enjoy magnifiscently panoramic views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Cholatse, Pumori, and many more. We spend some time at the summit celebrating and taking pictures, then we get back to the High Camp again.
There is no such guarantee that we can get quite a favorable weather on our planned day for the summit, so this day is used as a contingency in case if we are unable to summit the Lobuche Peak on day 14 due to bad weather condition or some other reasons. If weather gets exceptionally unfavorable we wisely have to postpone the program of summit the peak on day 14 for toady (Day 15). Sometimes somebody in the group may get some problems in acclimatizing well enough to make the ascent; the day can be used in that condition too. If the trip goes smoothly, we do not need this spare day.
After taking our morning breakfast, we trek downhill from Lobuche Base Camp and join the Everest Base Camp route at Lobuche again. We take our lunch at Lobuche. From Lobuche we again retrace our path to Pheriche. On the way to Pheriche, enjoy the magnificent views of Mt. Amadablam in the distance. From Pheriche, we continue to Pangboche. Some of the other peaks that you would enjoy include Pokalde, Thamserku, Kantega among others. We will trek down through the hillside blanketed by rhododendron and juniper trees. If it's spring, pink and red rhododendron flowers ablaze our surroundings. Upon reaching Pangboche you may also consider visiting the famous Pangoche Monastery.
After crossing the prayer flag festooned bridge over the Dudh Koshi River trail then follows the Dudh Koshi gorge descending rapidly through the pine forests. The path eventually reaches Sansa which is the major trail junction in the region. We unknowingly appreciate the gorgeous Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Nuptse with every bite. Following lunch, the trail to Namche Bazaar clings to the steep wooded slope beyond Kyangjuma, winding through several bends. We keep a lookout for wild life such as mountain goats, snow leopards, colorful pheasants, etc., while we pass through the forest by the trail. After passing a Chorten, we reach the army camp at of Namche Bazaar. We want to take a long last look (and picture!) back to Lhotse, the tip of Everest and Tengboche from here. On reaching our lodge, we take a nice hot shower and have very relaxed sleep in our room in Namche Bazaar.
The trail descends steeply downward so we need to walk slowly and under control as our shaky legs continuously battle the rocky terrain. After crossing the suspension bridges over the fast flowing Dudh Koshi and its tributaries the trail becomes more level and natural. By today we start to get warmed up by the light breeze. Any remaining sore throats and colds will be gone by today as we pass through this charming mountain air. Although we are travelling the same route down, we feel completely different views. We snap a mixture of open plains, rhododendron and pine forests, and in the distance snow covered peaks. We walk through the Sherpa villages' noticing impressive faith in Buddhism and culture of prayer stones and prayers flag while we walk through the villages. On arrival in Lukla O/N at Lukla.
We fly back to Kathmandu after our long mountain journey. The early morning flight drops us at Kathmandu. You can rest and relax throughout the day in your hotel. If get interested to take some gifts home from Nepal for friends and relatives, visit to some nearby shops or venture out in Thamel for typical Nepalese goods which can be assisted by our guides or you can do it yourself too.
You are saying good bye to the mountains of Nepal as your journey in Nepal comes to an end today. There is nothing to do but trade emails with your travel companions and organize your photos. If you have more time you can do some shopping or sightseeing or On your way home you'll have plenty of time to plan your next adventure in the wonderful country of Nepal
Book This TripPlease note that often the Kathmandu-Lukla-Kathmandu flight gets delayed by a few hours or may even be canceled for one, two, or more days due to unfavorable weather conditions. Such conditions may arise even in the best seasons. Hence, in such cases, you must be prepared for long waits both at Kathmandu or Lukla airports, as this can happen either at the start or end of the trek or even both! We do our utmost to avoid such delays, and fix you on next flight. Still, we suggest you to be prepared for possible delays/cancellation, and if possible to come with some extra buffer days (1-2 days) at the end of the trip to accommodate such delays. We also organize heli rescue in such conditions, if it's available and upon request by our clients. The helicopter charges around USD 5000 and it can lift 4-5 persons per flight. If everything runs smoothly and if interested, you can also enjoy other activities like sightseeing, rafting, wildlife activities, shopping, etc during your buffer days.
Trip Cost Includes - Lobuche East Peak Climbing
• All airport/hotel transfers
• Guided sightseeing tour in Kathmandu
• Three nights in 3-star hotel (Hotel Marshangdi or similar category hotel) in Kathmandu
• Teahouse/tented accommodation in mountain
• Breakfast in Kathmandu and all meals in mountain
• All ground transportation as per the itinerary program by private vehicles
• All necessary staffs with experienced English speaking climbing leader (guide), cook, assistant climbing leader Sherpa porters to carry luggage (2 trekkers:1 porter), other helpers including their salary, insurance, equipment, flight, food and lodging
• All necessary paper works; trekking permits and Lobuche peak climbing permits
• Down jacket, four seasonal sleeping bag. (down jacket and sleeping bag are to be returned after trip completion)
• Group mountaineering climbing and camping equipments-very Good quality kitchen, dining, toilet tents, mattresses, and kitchen equipments
• Travel and rescue arrangements
• Welcome dinner.
• All government and local taxes
Trip Cost excludes - Lobuche East Peak Climbing
• Nepal Visa fee (bring accurate USD cash and two passport photographs)
• International airfare to and from Kathmandu
• Excess baggage charges (if you have more than 20 kg luggage, cargo charge is around $1.5 per kg)
• Extra night accommodation in Kathmandu because of early arrival, late departure, early return from mountain(due to any reason) than the scheduled itinerary
• Altitude chamber (PAC) or oxygen
• Lunch and evening meals in Kathmandu(and also in the case of early return from mountain than the scheduled itinerary)
• Travel and rescue insurance
• Personal climbing equipments
• Personal climbing guide if requested
• Personal expenses (phone calls, laundry, bar bills, battery recharge, extra porters, drinking water, shower, heater, etc.)
• Optional trips and sightseeing if extended
• Tips for guides and porters
Kathmandu
- Pashupatinath
- Boudhanath Stupa
- Swayambhunath Stupa
- Kathmandu Durbar Square
Trekking
- Tenzing Hillary Airport (Lukla 2840m)
- Namche bazzar(3450m)
- Everest view hote(3900m)Splendid view of Mt Everest,Lobuche,Thamsekhu,Thame,kongde,Anadablam
- Hillary Village(One of the most beautiful and developed village in Nepal)
- Tengboche Monastery
- Gorakshep(5140m),Kalapatthar(5555m),base Camp(5364m)
- Lubuche basecamp, Summit.
Trekking
- Lodge
Peak Climbing
- Tent Camping