Our crew will provide you with a briefing on your ascent of the island summit today. At this time, you are free to ask any questions that you may still have.

Early in the morning is the time of departure for domestic flights departing from Kathmandu. The flight is entertaining since it takes you through a variety of terrain, including plains, hills, and mountains.  The name of Lukla's airport, which honours the first two people to reach the peak of Everest in 1953, is the Tenzing Hillary Airport. Exhilarating is the best word to describe the sensation of landing at this high-altitude airport.  After you have landed and unpacked all of your belongings, you will immediately begin the three to four hour hike to Phakding, which will be your first overnight stay. You should arrive at Phakding by midday; but, due to the high altitude – Phakding is located at 2,651 metres / 8,697 feet – and the extremely early morning start, we will not continue our journey today.

As you make your way through the pine trees and over the rivers today, there is a lot to take in.  There are a lot of new things to try out today, like walking over a suspension bridge if you haven't before.

As you make your way towards Sagarmatha National Park on this path, you will pass through yak pastures, woods, and Sherpa settlements.  When we look up, there is Mount Thamserku just above us. And now we arrive at Namche Bazaar, which is historically known as a huge market town and serves as the hub of climbing and trekking activities in this area due to the fact that all expeditions are required to pass through here.  You are also able to make any last-minute purchases, such as purchasing refreshments for your excursion.

Before continuing on and ascending, it is imperative that everyone spend a day to acclimatise to the new altitude.  However, becoming acclimated does not imply sitting around doing nothing; being active is the most effective approach to become acclimated.  You will get the opportunity on this day to go to the community of Khumjung and see out the school that Hillary established there for the local Sherpa kids.  In addition to that, there is a health position that he was instrumental in establishing.

As we make our way out of Namche, with its crowded restaurants, stores, and excursion groups, we get the feeling that we are entering a new nation.  In this location, there are symbols of Buddhist devotion to be seen everywhere. Along a dusty switchback route, we are getting closer to the Tengboche Monastery. Along the way, there are shrines, mani walls (prayer inscriptions cut into stones), and prayer flags that are flapping in the wind.

The views from inside the monastery itself are breathtaking, including a whole panorama of mountain ranges.  On exhibit are the mountains Everest, Ama Dablam, and Lhotse.  When you have had your fill of the breathtaking mountain scenery, you may like to turn on some butter lights and talk to some monks, if the opportunity presents itself.

This may seem like a small day in terms of time, but the terrain is difficult, so you should come prepared.  Dingboche, the highest Sherpa town, may be reached by following the Imja Khola (a river) and travelling across some lonely meadows.  We arrive in time for lunch, giving us plenty of time to unwind and gaze in awe at the surrounding mountains, notably Ama Dablam.

Once again, we allow ourselves an extra day to acclimatise to the higher altitude.  As was indicated before, it is important to remain active during these days; thus, we propose that you go to Nangkar Tshang Peak, which offers fantastic views of Makalu.  The round-trip time for this trek is estimated to be between 3.5 and 5 hours.

You have a difficult hike ahead of you today, although it starts off easy enough as it passes through some alpine scrub and yak pastures.  The Thukla Pass has a height of 4,830 metres and is known for its breathtaking scenery.  There are several mountains that are seen that are higher than 7,000 metres, including Ama Dablam, Lhotse, and Nuptse, just to mention a few more. Following the completion of this pass, the next one to conquer is the Thukla Pass.  There is a monument for people who have passed while while climbing Mount Everest located at this Pass. On the other hand, a relatively small village known as Overnight at Lobuche has a breathtaking location.

We will spend the night in the last hamlet before reaching Everest Base Camp, which is where we will proceed today.  Following lunch, we will depart Gorakshep and begin our ascent to the Kala Pattar viewpoint.  This is the point on the mountain that is the closest we can get to Mount Everest without actually climbing it.

Because of its height of 5,545 metres and breathtaking vistas, Kala Pattar is sometimes referred to as Everest View Point.  After spending some time soaking in the breathtaking views and snapping away on our cameras, we make our way back to Gorakshep for the night.

Today, we will go back over the ground we've already covered to reach Lobuche, where we will spend the night once again. And once again, take in the breathtaking panoramas that can be seen from this little village.

Another day has passed, and with it comes another opportunity to adjust to the high altitude.  Sitting over Chhunkung village is Chhukung Ri mountain.  The ascent to this summit allows our bodies to grow acclimated to the higher altitude.  Near the peak's top, there is some climbing that has to be done, but the views are spectacular, and we can see Ama Dablam and Amphu Labsa peaks. After descending the mountain, we go back the way we came and make our way to Chhukung, where we will spend the night.

The routes traverse between various hills before emerging into a sandy plain right before Island Peak and Lhotse. These hills are reached by following the glacial moraine that comes from Chukung and then going down to the runoff that comes from Imja Lake.  Walk in this direction to reach Island Peak Base Camp, which offers stunning views of the Imja Valley.

 The remainder of the day is devoted to getting ready for the ascent!

Assuming that the weather cooperates, we will reach the top of Island Peak today (6,189 metres/ 20,305 feet).  The ascent begins at a very early hour, around 2:00 in the morning, and is rather strenuous. It is necessary to struggle over steep boulders in addition to the rough scree.  When we reach around 5,700 metres in elevation, our previous experiences have taught us that the high altitude significantly slows down our pace.

 We put on our crampons and harnesses, as well as our ice axes and ropes, in preparation to climb over the glacier when we finally reach a thin ridge that marks the beginning of the glacier.  There is a possibility of having to traverse the area using ladders as well as severe climbing areas.

At this point, it may take anything between one and two hours for us to get to the foot of the Headwall.   It is feasible to take a rest at the Headwall while the staff is working on repairing the climbing ropes.  After finishing your ascent of the Headwall, you will arrive at the highest point of Island Peak.  Your efforts have paid off with these breathtaking vistas; this is the reward for all of your hard work.

We abseil down the Headwall while still roped in due to the fact that the top is quite tiny. Once we reach the base of the Headwall, we re-rope together and follow the route down through the glacier.  There is opportunity for a brief period of relaxation in High Camp.  We will begin the descent to Island Peak Base Camp, where we will spend the night, after which we will pack up our stuff and begin our ascent.  Job nicely done!

Because we are continuing to take the same path down the Khumbu Khola valley, today should be considerably less taxing on the body than yesterday because we are descending in altitude.  Both Orsho and Shomare are Sherpa settlements, and we cross through both of them.  Pangboche may be reached by a different path, so depending on the interests of the party, we can either proceed to the gompa in higher Panchoche or follow a different track.

Everest is in the north, Ama Dablam, Kangtaiga, and Thamserku are in the east, and the Kongde range is in the south. Pangboche is a beautiful settlement that is surrounded by mountains on all sides.  In addition, we can make see the Imja Tse River as it winds its way through the verdant valley.

We reach Tengboche by travelling through the jungle and retracing our ways to the Imja Tse River after following the path that leads from Pangboche to Tengboche.  At this location, we will go to the Tengboche Monastery, where we will eat lunch.

As we continue on our journey, we will bridge the Dudh Koshi River, continue down the Dudh Koshi Gorge, and then enter pine woods. down the way, the scenery will be covered with rhododendrons and juniper trees. It is possible to witness wild animals in this area, and if we are really fortunate, we could even encounter a snow leopard.  At last, as we make our way towards Namche Bazaar, we go through the army camp.  Here, we are able to unwind and relive the trip while engaging in stimulating discussion over supper.

Today, we go back through the steps that we took the first time—was it really just two weeks ago?  We begin our descent to Lukla, where we will spend our last night in the Everest Region.

We take a flight very early in the morning, which brings us back to Kathmandu by midday. This provides us with plenty of time to complete any last-minute shopping before going out to a celebration meal.

If you have an international flight, the members of our team will see to it that you get at the airport on time.  If you want to remain in Nepal for a longer period of time, you should definitely sign up for one of our other tours or treks.  Just ask!