Climb · Everest & Khumbu
Island Peak: trek into climbing
- 18 daysDuration
- 6,189 mHighest point
- TechnicalDifficulty
- ★ 4.967 reviews
Two weeks of Khumbu trekking, a full glacier skills day, and a 6,189 m summit that most fit trekkers can reach with the right preparation.
Imja Tse, better known as Island Peak, is the standard first 6,000 m summit in Nepal. It is a trekking peak, which means the route is non-technical in mountaineering terms, but the last 300 m are a genuine snow and ice climb on fixed rope with a headwall and a crevasse crossing.
This itinerary treats that seriously. The trek in follows the Everest Base Camp route as far as Dingboche for acclimatisation, then diverts into the Imja valley. A full day of glacier skills at base camp comes before anyone goes up: crampon technique, jumar on fixed line, abseil, and a rehearsal of the ladder crossing.
- The 6,189 m summit, with Lhotse's south face directly opposite
- A dedicated glacier skills day before the climb, not a rushed briefing
- Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar included on the acclimatisation loop
- A 1:2 climbing guide ratio on summit day
The essentials
- Duration
- 18 days
- Highest point
- 6,189 m
- Group size
- Max 8
- Style
- Trek & climb
- Starts and ends
- Kathmandu to Kathmandu
- Best season
- Apr–May · Oct–Nov
- Accommodation
- 13 nights in lodges, 2 nights at high camp, 3 nights in a Kathmandu hotel
- Meals
- All breakfasts, lunches and dinners from Lukla to Lukla
- Transport
- Return flights Kathmandu–Lukla, airport transfers
- Permits
- Sagarmatha National Park entry + Khumbu rural municipality fee
The shape of the journey
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- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
When to walk it
March to May and October to November. December is clear and brutally cold; the monsoon closes the high passes.
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- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
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- S
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- Prime
- Shoulder
- Closed
Day by day
18 days, as they are actually walked. Your guide may reorder a day for weather — that is the point of having one.
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1
Arrive in Kathmandu
Transfer, briefing and a full climbing kit check with your lead guide.
- 1,400 m
- Kathmandu hotel
- Dinner
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2
Fly to Lukla, walk to Phakding
Into the Khumbu and downhill along the Dudh Koshi to start easily.
- 2,610 m
- 8 km
- 3–4 hr
- Phakding lodge
- All meals
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3
Phakding to Namche Bazaar
The bridges, the checkpost and the long climb into the Sherpa capital.
- 3,440 m
- 11 km
- 6 hr
- Namche lodge
- All meals
-
4
Acclimatisation in Namche
Up to Khumjung and back, with an afternoon to sort climbing kit.
- 3,440 m
- 6 km
- 4 hr
- Namche lodge
- All meals
-
5
Namche to Tengboche
The high contour and the climb from Phunki Tenga to the monastery.
- 3,860 m
- 10 km
- 5 hr
- Tengboche lodge
- All meals
-
6
Tengboche to Dingboche
Above the treeline into the Imja valley, under Ama Dablam.
- 4,410 m
- 12 km
- 5–6 hr
- Dingboche lodge
- All meals
-
7
Acclimatisation at Dingboche
Nangkartshang ridge to 5,080 m — the first time above 5,000 m for most of the group.
- 4,410 m
- 5 km
- 4 hr
- Dingboche lodge
- All meals
-
8
Dingboche to Lobuche
Onto the Khumbu glacier moraine past the climbers' memorial at Thukla.
- 4,940 m
- 9 km
- 5 hr
- Lobuche lodge
- All meals
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9
Everest Base Camp and Gorak Shep
Out along the glacier to base camp and back — altitude work with a view.
- 5,164 m
- 13 km
- 7–8 hr
- Gorak Shep lodge
- All meals
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10
Kala Patthar, then down to Dingboche
A dawn climb to 5,545 m, then a long descent to recover in thicker air.
- 4,410 m
- 18 km
- 8 hr
- Dingboche lodge
- All meals
-
11
Dingboche to Chhukung
A short day up the Imja valley to the last lodge before base camp.
- 4,730 m
- 6 km
- 3 hr
- Chhukung lodge
- All meals
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12
Chhukung to Island Peak Base Camp
Three hours onto the moraine flat below the peak, and the first sight of the route.
- 5,100 m
- 7 km
- 4 hr
- Base camp tents
- All meals
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13
Glacier skills day
A full day on the ice: crampons, ice axe, jumar on fixed rope, abseil, and the ladder crossing rehearsed until it is boring.
- 5,100 m
- 6 hr
- Base camp tents
- All meals
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14
Summit day
Away at 1 am. Rock gully, glacier, the crevasse ladder, then 300 m of fixed rope up the headwall to the summit ridge at 6,189 m. Back at base camp by mid-afternoon.
- 6,189 m
- 12 km
- 12–14 hr
- Base camp tents
- All meals
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15
Reserve summit day
Held in the itinerary for weather or a second attempt. If day 14 succeeded, this becomes a slow walk down to Chhukung.
- 4,730 m
- Chhukung lodge
- All meals
-
16
Chhukung to Namche Bazaar
A long descent back down the valley, with a proper meal at the end of it.
- 3,440 m
- 24 km
- 8 hr
- Namche lodge
- All meals
-
17
Namche to Lukla
The last trail day, retracing the gorge, and a celebration dinner with the climbing crew.
- 2,840 m
- 19 km
- 7 hr
- Lukla lodge
- All meals
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18
Fly to Kathmandu
Morning flight out, afternoon free, departure or an extra night in the city.
- 1,400 m
- Breakfast
Is this trip for you?
Everest Base Camp fitness plus a summit day of ten to twelve hours starting at 1 am, on fixed rope and crampons. No prior climbing experience needed — the skills day covers it — but you must be able to walk for two weeks first.
What is included
Included
- IFMGA or NMA climbing guide at a 1:2 ratio on summit day
- Island Peak climbing permit and Sagarmatha National Park entry
- Group climbing equipment: ropes, fixed line, ice screws, ladder
- Personal climbing kit hire — boots, crampons, harness, axe, helmet
- Return Kathmandu–Lukla flights and all transfers
- Base camp tents, kitchen crew and all meals
- Satellite communicator, pulse oximeter and portable altitude chamber
Not included
- International flights and Nepal visa
- Travel and evacuation insurance (mandatory, helicopter cover to 6,500 m)
- Personal clothing and sleeping bag
- Hot showers, charging and wifi in lodges
- Summit bonus for the climbing crew, and tips
What to bring
- Expedition sleeping bag rated to −20 °C
- Double or insulated single mountaineering boots (hire available)
- Down jacket, hard shell and softshell trousers
- Glacier sunglasses and ski goggles for the summit ridge
- Warm gloves plus a thin liner pair for rope work
- Headtorch with spare batteries — summit day starts in the dark
- 40 litre pack
- Water bottles that will not freeze, plus insulated covers
Demo photography, from the region rather than this departure. Every image is CC0 or public domain.
Departures
20% deposit confirms your place. Balance due 45 days before departure.
| Dates | Availability | Price | Book |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Apr – 21 Apr 2027 | Places open | $3,290 | |
| 25 Apr – 12 May 2027 | Few places left · 2 left | $3,290 | |
| 12 Oct – 29 Oct 2026 | Places open | $3,290 | |
| 2 Nov – 19 Nov 2026 | Places open | $3,190 |
Your guide
Guide profiles are fictional. The photographs beside them show the terrain each guide works in — they do not depict the people described.
What travellers said
★ 4.9 from 67 fictional demo reviews.
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★★★★★
The skills day is why I summited
I had never worn a crampon. A whole day of practice meant that at 5 am on the headwall I was not learning, I was just climbing.
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★★★★★
Turned around, still glad
Wind stopped us 100 m below the summit and Nima called it without hesitation. The reserve day let us try again two days later and we made it.
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★★★★★
Long, cold, extraordinary
Fourteen hours on summit day. Genuinely the hardest thing I have done and the itinerary had prepared me for exactly that.
Things to know
Do I need previous climbing experience?
No. The skills day at base camp covers everything the route requires and the guide ratio on summit day is one to two. What we do require is trekking fitness — the summit attempt comes after twelve days of walking.
What is the actual summit success rate?
On our departures, around 78% of climbers who reach base camp summit. The most common reasons for turning back are wind on the headwall and slow pace above the ladder.
How hard is the headwall?
It is 250 to 300 m at 45 to 50 degrees on fixed rope, climbed with a jumar. It is not technically difficult. It is exhausting at 6,000 m and it is where most people find out what their fitness is really worth.
Can I hire boots and crampons in Kathmandu?
They are included. We fit them at the kit check on day one so there is time to swap anything that does not fit properly.
You might also consider
Close relatives.
Same region or same spirit, different commitment.
Not quite right?
We will build it around you.
Different dates, a shorter version, a family pace or a route that is not on this site. Private departures start at the same price as scheduled ones.