Lobuche Peak Climbing

Our early morning flight by Twin Otter aircraft takes us to Lukla, the most renowned and shortest mountain airstrip in the world. On the flight we watch the rugged foothills give way to the snowline of the Himalaya; many of the world’s highest mountains, including Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Makalu (the world’s 3rd, 4th, and 5th highest respectively). On arrival, we meet our Sherpas, Potter and after a cup of tea, we take the trail out of Lukla. Surprisingly, this high-altitude trek begins by descending to the river at Phakding. we head up the Dudh Koshi Valley on a well-marked trail. Overnight at Phakding.

we continue north following the Dudh Kosi river and on to Jorsale where we enter the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park. From here it is a short walk to the confluence of two rivers, the lmja Drangpa (Imja Khola) and the Nangpo Tsangpo (Bhote Kosi) followed by a steep climb (for about 2hrs.) to Namche Bazaar, the main town in the Khumbu region. Namche is a prosperous Sherpa town and an important trading centre with a weekly Saturday market.

Namche is the most prosperous and the largest town in the Khumbu Valley. A bazaar is held here every Saturday. The wares on display include meat, grains and vegetables, tennis shoes and trinkets as well as hand woven aprons and Tibetan boots. Thamserku (6648m), Kwangde Ri (6187m) and Khumbila (5707m) surround the natural bowl that Namche rests in. Halfway up the hill, a gap in the trees allows us to see Everest for the first time. If the weather is clear the top of the South-West Face will be just visible behind the long Lhotse-Nuptse ridge. A plume can often be seen stretching away from the summit. Overnight at Namche Bazar.

Namche Bazaar rest day and overnight Namche Bazaar is tucked away between two ridges amongst the giant peaks of the Khumbu. Once named the ‘Trekkers Mecca of Nepal, Namche now boasts an abundance of lodges and souvenir shops. It is an ideal place to spend a rest day, acclimatising to the new altitude of 3450m before heading off towards Gokyo. Options for acclimatisation walks include a visit to Khunde Hospital and also the one hour walk up to the Everest Hotel above Namche for the sunset view of Ama Dablam, Nuptse, Lhotse and Everest. Overnight at Namche Bazar.

From Namche, the trail contours around the side of the valley, high above the Dudh Kosi. Now we get our first really good views of the great peaks of the Khumbu including Mt Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam. Passing by several villages and numerous tea shops, we descend steeply to a bridge over the river at Phunki Tenga. The village is an excellent lunch spot, and here we can rest before making the steep climb to Tengboche. Although tiring, the hike up the zigzag path has numerous distractions, with rhododendron bushes, beautiful birds and superb mountain scenery. Tengboche is famous for its legendary monastery, the largest in the Khumbu. We stay near the monastery with Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam framed in the doorway of our guest house. Overnight at Tyangboche.

After breakfast we head up to Dingbuche. On the way the majestic Amadablam over shadows our day. On the way we meet a little Sherpa village called Pangbuche (3930) continue to Dingbuche for overnight.

This would be your second acclimatization day that requires about 6 hours of trekking to an altitude of 5100 meters. After breakfast, you will ascend to Nagerjun (5100m), a hill located on the flanks of the Chhukung valley directly above Dingboche. The main aim is to climb high and sleep low. The foot path becomes steep at times, resulting in a physically strenuous day.  Ascending the hill could take up to 5 hours at altitude. From this altitude, there are good views of the Lobuche East (6119m), the Lobuche West (6145m), the Taboche Peak (6367m), Thamserku (6608m), the Kangtega (6685m) and the Ama Dablam (6856m). On a clear day, you could even see Mount Makalu, the world’s fifth highest mountain, including great views of the Pheriche Valley.  After a short rest, you will then start the descent back to Dingboche and the walk at altitude takes about 2 hours.  After lunch, we can take a well-deserved rest, as afternoon temperatures could drop rapidly as the sun sets over the mountain tops. You will also spend a second night in Dingboche. Overnight stay at the guesthouse at Dingboche.

After breakfast, we start easy and straight walking towards left corner of the river and make a gradual walk-up to reach Dugla. Beyond Duglha 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 summitter 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. By this stage the effects of the altitude will be kicking in and we can feel colder nights. Overnight in Lobuche.

Take the trail to Everest Base Camp through the once vast Gorak Shep Lake. Continuing straight ahead, come through the Indian army mountaineers’ memorials. The path from here can be misleading, hence follow the lead Sherpa, every year the trail changes due to the movements of the glacier – the walk is quite strenuous due to thin air in high altitude, passing through over rocky dunes and moraine and streams – until we reach the base camp. As we reach Everest Base Camp, we cannot stop ourselves from appreciating the Everest climbers who take the hazardous route through the Khumbu Icefall. Everest Base Camp is lively with commotion during the high expedition season. Mountaineer’s tents stand out in bright colors against all the dull gray surroundings (especially in spring). Nuptse, Khumbutse, Pumori are the mountains we can view from base camp but Everest itself 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. As the setting sun’s rays strike the snow capped mountains the resulting scenery is indescribable. For those trekkers who wish to continue to Kala Patthar our guides and Sherpas coordinate a hike to Kala Patthar for amazing sunset view today rather than waiting until the next day. Overnight in Gorak Shep.(B,L,D)

We prepare for an early morning departure, amid pre-dawn darkness and cold

temperatures (-10 to -14 C). Plus, there is always the potential for chilly winds

which are quite common. Familiar peaks such as Lingtren, Khumbutse, and

Changtse tower to the east even as Everest begins to reveal itself. But, it is upon

reaching Kala Patthar that we get to see 360-degree up-close and formidable

views of Mt. Everest. We take pictures, enjoy the magnificent mountain

panorama, and then return back to Lobuche for a good night’s rest. Overnight in

Lobuche.

From Lobuche, we trek towards Lobuche base camp. After walking some distance on relatively flatter plane, the path to the Lobuche Base Camp gets steeper and rocky. We move forward along the Lobuche Glacier while enjoying great views of Ama Dablam, Cholatse, Pokalde, Thamserku, Kantega and other Himalayas. From the base camp, we continue on a rocky moraine path to reach the High Camp. After reaching there, we set up our camp, take lunch and rest. For the climb, we usually will be climbing on rock surface for up to around 5770m. After that, we climb on ice and use ropes when necessary. However, the use of the rope and the length depends upon the season and the crevasses. Fixed rope is used most of the times whereas man rope is used when required.  The climbing leaders will decide what is best for when. Overnight in Lobuche East High Camp.

Pre-Climb Training: Our guides will provide training on peak climbing techniques and the proper ways of using climbing gears such as the ice axe, climbing boots and crampons, harness, ascender, etc. The training will also include using ropes to go up and down. We strongly believe that the training experience will boost your confidence and climbing skills to increase the chances of scaling the summit as well as to fully enjoy the experience.

We wake up early today at around 12 to 1 am and have our breakfast before beginning our climb. It is important we reach the summit before noon because in the afternoon the strong winds in the high lands might become a barrier for a successful summit.  We will most likely be walking on rock surface up to around 5700m after which we climb on ice. We use both fixed rope and man rope as per our leader’s instruction. The climbing surface as well as the length of the rope and depends on the time of the season and the crevasses. Lobuche East offers more panoramic views of the mountains than any other trekking peak. From the summit, you get to enjoy magnificent 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 for an overnight stay.

This is an extra day set aside to manage any unintended hindrances like flight delays or bad weather for climbing. Setting aside an extra day will ensure that even if  we were to face a day’s set back, the trip will continue thus guranteeing a successful climb.

After taking our morning breakfast, we trek downhill from Lobuche High 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, we get to enjoy magnificent views of Mt. Ama Dablam in the distance. From Pheriche, we continue to Pangboche. We 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 we may also consider visiting the famous Pangboche Monastery.

we continue to follow the river and, after crossing it, climb back up through

birch and rhododendron forest to Khumjung. Overnight.

From Phakding the trail descends steeply to the village of Jorsale. Passing the

villages of Phakding (2640m) From Khumjung we descend to the bridge over

the Dudh Kosi at Phunki where there are water driven prayer wheels, then climb

and contour around the hillside to Phakding.

From Phakding Passing the villages of Phakding (2640m) and Choplung, we reach

Chaunrikharka and the trail that cuts up to the airstrip at Lukla. Overnight.

Early morning flight to Kathmandu from Lukla. End of Trek.

The journey within the mountains of Nepal comes to an end today! There is nothing to do but we just trade emails to travel companions and organize our photos. If we have more time we can do some shopping or sightseeing. At last approximately 3 hours before our scheduled flight, a representative from Nepal Challenge Trek escorts us to the airport. On our way to home we will have plenty of time to plan our next adventure trip in the wonderful country of Nepal.