Everest 3 Passes Trek With Island Peak Climb - 21 days

Upon your arrival at Kathmandu International Airport, our representative from Third Rock Adventures will receive you and drive you to the respective hotel. After check-in and getting refreshed, you'll visit our main office. You'll attend a small meeting where your guide will discuss the upcoming trek. After that, you can stroll around the nearby places, and if you missed any of your trekking gear or equipment, you could get here. If not so, then you can roam around and get the vibes of Nepali culture and traditions. After a timely meal, you can return to your hotel and prepare for tomorrow's trek. 

Overnight stay in Kathmandu. 

Early morning, you'll drive to the domestic terminal of Kathmandu airport, where you will check in to take a short flight to Lukla. Enjoying the marvelous mountain vistas, green hills, and mountainous landscapes, you'll land on the short runway of the great Sherpa town of Lukla. Today's hike is an easy ascend to the Phakding village. Initially, you'll pass through some tiny towns and enter the forest area. And then, the trail runs through the forest, which is a bit dense, where you might spot some wild species. The route will climb up to a ridge which will then continue till you reach Phakding village.

Overnight stay in Phakding. 

The day starts with a filling breakfast, and you'll wrap up your things and head towards Namche Bazaar. Today's walk is pleasant; the trail leads through the pine forest. You'll enter the Sagarmatha National Park, where you need to show your permits and submit your other details. After crossing this river on a high suspension bridge, you begin to ascend the steep hill to Namche. The best part of this trail is just halfway up this hill to Namche, and you'll get to catch the first amazing sight of Mt. Everest.

Overnight stay in Namche Bazaar. 

Namche Bazaar is a proper place to spend a rest day for acclimatization before heading towards the higher elevation. You can either spend the day meandering Namche Bazaar or take a side trip to Khumjung valley, Syangboche airport, and Hotel Everest View, the highest placed hotel in the world. You can enjoy the magnificent vistas of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku. Also, Khumjung village is a beautiful small village located at the sacred mountain Khumbila. Surrounded by giant peaks of Kongde and Thamserku, this village is known as the" Valley inside the clouds." You can explore the Khumjung monastery, and the school established by Sir Edmund Hillary. Next, if you slightly hike uphill, you'll get to Kunde, where you can visit Kunde Hospital.

Overnight stay in Namche Bazaar. 

Today leaving behind the crowded EBC trail, you will head west along the valley of the Bhote Koshi River. En route, you'll savor the incredible Himalayan vistas, including Kongde Ri, Khumbila, and Kusum Kangaru. At first, you'll come across the Phortse village, where you can visit a nursery established by Sir Edmund Hillary's Himalayan Trust. The trekking path goes through the dense rhododendron forest, unrelenting curves, and reaches Thamu village. After a steep climb, you'll cross the river over a suspension bridge and reach Thame village.

Overnight stay in Thame village. 

Starting your day with a hot breakfast, you'll leave beautiful Thame village and head towards Lumde. First, you'll get to Taranga, walk on barren lands admiring stone houses, and enter Marlung village, sitting on the east side of the Bhote Koshi River. Continue your walk, and passing through a narrow valley surrounded by boulders, you'll reach Lumde. Here the astonishing sight of Kongde Peak will welcome you.

Overnight stay in Lumde. 

Today's trek involves crossing the first of the three passes, Renjo La. It is demanding, but the panorama from the top of the pass makes the climb worth it. You can relish the sight of beautiful Gokyo Lakes and the majestic view of Ngozumpa Glacier, Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and other surrounding Himalayas. After some time, you'll descend to the scenic mountain valley of Gokyo. It proudly sits at the foot of Gokyo Ri and on the eastern shore of the third Gokyo Lake.

Overnight stay in Gokyo Valley. 

Acclimatization is essential during high-altitude treks like Everest 3 passes trek and Island peak climb. So, on another exciting day, you will ascend to Gokyo Ri, where you can catch the superb scene of above 8000 snowy peaks, glaciers, and lakes. After spending a fantastic time at Gokyo Ri, you'll descend to Gokyo Valley.

Likewise, instead of climbing Gokyo Ri, you can also opt for exploring the fourth and fifth Gokyo Lakes and surrounding villages. After a few hours of a hike from the third lake, you'll reach the fourth lake, Thonak Tsho, at 4,840m, and the fifth lake, Ngozumpa Tsho, at 4,956m. You can admire the close sight of Ngozumpa Glacier, the longest glacier in Nepal. 

Overnight stay in Gokyo Valley. 

Today's trek is relatively short, but you must start early in the morning as you'll be crossing the Ngozumpa glacier. During the daytime, the snow melts, making the trail slippery. So, it is wise to cross the glacier as early as you can. After crossing the glacier, you will hike towards Thagnag, also called Dragnag.

Overnight stay in Thagnag. 

Today is a little challenging and long trekking day as you'll be traversing the second pass (Cho La Pass) of the Everest 3 passes trek. You'll initiate the walk early in the morning after grabbing the hearty breakfast at Thagnag. Slowly you'll climb uphill towards the Cho La Pass. You need to be extra careful as this trail section might be slippery. But once you reach the pass, you will soak into the mind-blowing vistas of majestic Aba Dablam, Cholatse peak, and Cho La Glacier. Enjoying the mountain scenery, you'll head downhill.

En route, you'll spot fluttering colorful prayer flags, and the vast open Valley will leave you stunned. After descending on the icy trail and crossing some glacier sections, you first reach Dzongla. From here, it is an easy downhill walk to Lobuche. It is a famous stopover during the Everest Base Camp trek among trekkers. Once you arrive at Lobuche, you will get to admire the sight of the massive Khumbu Glacier.

Overnight stay in Lobuche. 

Start early; today, first, you'll trek from Lobuche to Gorak Shep and then hike to Everest Base Camp. Full of excitement, you'll head towards the base of the world's highest peak Mt. Everest. Walking on the glacial path, even on rough terrain with few ups and downs, you'll reach Gorak Shep. Here you will catch the spectacular sight of Mt. Pumori, Nuptse, and other surrounding peaks.

After resting for a while in Gorak Shep, you'll move forward to your dream destination of Everest Base Camp. You'll reach base camp by walking on icy (depends on season), slippery boulders, crossing tiny streams, and glacial moraine. You'll witness thrilling Khumbu Icefall from the base camp along with Mt. Pumori, Nuptse, and Khubutse. After enjoying the quality time and majestic scenery, you'll trek back to Gorak Shep.

Overnight stay in Gorak Shep.

Gear up to hike to the Kala Patthar, one of the best vantage points for the close-up view of Mt. Everest. Ascend slowly to Kala Patthar through a steep zig-zag way. It will take around 2-3 hours to get to the top. Once you get to the summit, you'll be stunned by the 360-degree panorama of mighty snow-clad peaks, including Mt. Everest. After enjoying the mesmerizing views, you'll trek back to Lobuche. The trail towards Lobuche is rocky terrain through snow patches, and you can enjoy scenic vistas throughout the journey. 

Overnight stay in Lobuche. 

To reach Chukkung, you must cross Kongma La Pass, one of the highest passes in the Everest region. Start traversing as early as possible. The sooner you'll start, the easy it will be to make your way through the snowy trail. The trekking path meanders through the glacial trails and meadows that give you an incredible scene of the surrounding mountains and glaciers. Gradually gaining elevation, you will make it through the Kongma La Pass. On reaching the Kongma La Pass, relish a magnificent view of the snow-capped mountains. After enjoying the scenery, you'll gently trek down to Chukkung village.

Overnight stay in Chukkung.

Get ready to make your way to Island Peak Base Camp, the main gateway for Island Peak climbing. Today's hiking trail is relatively steep, and after climbing towards the south side, you'll take the east turn to the main line of the valley. Then, you'll take the winding path below the southern flank of Lhotse Glacier. Walking along a streamside, you'll notice the Amphu Lapcha route on the southeast. Walking a zig-zag course through the Imja and Lhotse glaciers moraines, you'll make your way to Island Peak Base Camp.

Overnight stay in Island Peak Base Camp.

This is another acclimatization day before ascending Island Peak. So, today will be a relatively easy day with a few hours of climbing to a high camp at 5,500 meters. Gradually you will climb steep uphill, and after reaching the top, you will make your way through a steep rocky path and reach the high camp of Island Peak. It is a small campsite with spectacular views of the surrounding mountains and glaciers. You'll get enough time for a good rest and general preparation for tomorrow's climb.

Overnight stay in Island Peak High Camp. 

Brace yourself; today, you'll fulfill your dream to climb one of the beautiful peaks of the Everest region. You'll hit the trail before dawn, around 3 am, by climbing over boulders till you reach a narrow, rocky ridge that leads to the glacier. With the help of rope and crampons, you will cross the glacier. You'll be dazed by the dramatic views of dawn's light striking the mountains. From here, the real adventure of peak climbing begins. 

This is really not difficult and technical, but you need to be extra careful as you may have to cross some rock steps, and the path also becomes steeper. Finally, you'll make it to the summit. The captivating sight from the summit of Island Peak is some of the best views you'll come across in the Everest region. After all, the best picture comes after the most challenging climb. After having a special moment at the top, you'll descend to Island High Base Camp. After resting for a while or depending on your or other team members' health conditions, you'll continue your trek to Chukkung.

Overnight stay in Chukkung.

During the climb, we don't have a full guarantee of perfect weather on our summit day (per our itinerary), so this is an extra day in case we cannot summit the Island Peak on day 16 due to bad weather conditions or some other reasons. If the weather goes unexpectedly unfavorable, so without taking risks, we have to postpone our schedule. Besides, the weather sometimes in the group somebody might get some problems in acclimatizing or health issues so may not be able to make the ascent. In that case, also, this contingency day works. However, if the trip goes smoothly, we don't need this day; the itinerary will go as planned. 

Now you are very close to the finish line of the Everest 3 passes trek with Island Peak Climb. Today, you'll leave the Chukkung village behind and descend to Namche. The walk is easy, but the trail is steep downhill, so don't forget to take the help of a trekking pole. You'll pass through several Sherpa settlements like Orsho, Somare, Pangboche, Tengboche, Phungki Thanka, and Kyangjuma. Once you reach the Namche Bazaar, you can enjoy a hot shower and rest.

Overnight stay in Namche Bazaar. 

You can enjoy your breakfast before hitting the trail with no reason to rush. The walk will be comparatively easy as most of the trekking route is through a valley, and the rest will be downhill. Continue hike along the bank of the Dudh Koshi River. You'll get to see some green meadows. A majestic view of mountain peaks will give you constant company until you reach Lukla village. 

Overnight stay in Lukla. 

Today you'll take a return flight from Lukla to Kathmandu, where you can relax and reflect on your incredible trekking and climbing experiences and achievements. On arrival in Kathmandu, you can either rest in your hotel or stroll around the Thamel for some souvenir shopping. 

Overnight stay in Kathmandu. 

One of our representatives from Third Rock Adventures will transfer you to the Kathmandu International Airport three hours before your scheduled flight. You can also extend your trip by choosing any of our trekking and travel packages.