Island Peak Climbing
- Duration
- 15 days
- Max altitude
- 6,189 m
- Difficulty
-
Very strenuous
Difficulty scale
- Easy Short walking days on good trails below about 3,000 m. Suitable for anyone in ordinary health, including families.
- Moderate 5 to 6 hours a day with some steep sections, reaching up to about 4,000 m. A reasonable level of fitness and a few weeks of preparation walking recommended.
- Strenuous 6 to 8 hours a day, high passes or altitudes above 5,000 m, and remote stretches. Good fitness, prior trekking experience and proper acclimatisation days are essential.
- Very strenuous Long days, multiple high passes or technical sections, sustained time above 5,000 m. For experienced, well-conditioned trekkers only.
- Best season
- Autumn (Sep–Nov) · Spring (Mar–May)
- Group
- Private
- From
- $2,020.00
Overview
Imja Tse, 6,189 m, the most climbed trekking peak in Nepal, approached through the Khumbu so that acclimatisation is genuine. A training day on real ice with your climbing sherpa comes before summit day.
Every departure is private and led by a government-licensed Nepali guide, so the plan flexes to your party and to the mountain. Permits, park fees and local taxes are inside the price you see.
Read our full Island Peak Climbing guide for the day-by-day itinerary, the technical training day, and how it compares with Lobuche East as a first 6,000 m summit.
Trip highlights
- Summit at 6,189 m
- Ice training day before the climb
- Namche, Tengboche and Chhukung on the Khumbu approach
- Climbing sherpa, fixed rope and group gear included
Day by day
The itinerary
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Day 1: Arrive in Kathmandu (1,400 m) and transfer to your hotel 1,400 m Hotel
One of our team meets you at Tribhuvan International Airport and takes you to your hotel in a private vehicle. In the afternoon you meet your guide at our office for the pre-trip briefing and a gear check, including what you'll rent for the climb.
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Day 2: Fly to Lukla (2,840 m), trek to Phakding (2,610 m) 2,840 m 3-4 hrs Teahouse L/D
In peak season (March to May and September to November) the Lukla flight usually leaves from Ramechhap, so we leave Kathmandu between 1 and 3 am for the four to five hour drive and a 20-minute flight. In other months it's a 35-minute flight from Kathmandu. From Lukla it's a gentle walk down the Dudh Koshi through Chaurikharka and Ghat to Phakding.
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Day 3: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) 3,440 m 5-6 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
Up the Dudh Koshi, back and forth across it on suspension bridges hung with prayer flags, into Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo, then the long steep climb to Namche, the trading hub of the Khumbu with its bakeries, gear shops and money exchange.
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Day 4: Acclimatisation day in Namche: hike toward the Everest View Hotel (3,880 m) 3,880 m 4-5 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
We climb above town past Syangboche toward the Everest View Hotel for the first big panorama of the Khumbu peaks, then come back down to sleep low. Time in the afternoon for the Sherpa museum.
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Day 5: Namche Bazaar to Tengboche (3,860 m) 3,860 m 5-6 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
A contouring trail high above the Dudh Koshi with Ama Dablam ahead, a drop to the river and a long climb through forest to Tengboche monastery. We aim to arrive in time for the prayer ceremony.
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Day 6: Tengboche to Dingboche (4,410 m) 4,410 m 5-6 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
Down to Debuche, across the Imja Khola and up through Pangboche and its mani stones to Dingboche, a stone-walled Sherpa village looking straight at Lhotse, Ama Dablam and, for the first time, Island Peak itself.
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Day 7: Dingboche to Chhukung (4,730 m) 4,730 m 3-4 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
A short walk up the Imja valley to Chhukung, the last lodge stop before the climb. Your guide runs through the summit plan and the timings for the next three days.
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Day 8: Chhukung to Island Peak Base Camp (5,240 m) 5,240 m 4-5 hrs Camping B/L/D
A short day along the moraine to base camp. From here we're in tents for two nights, with meals cooked by the camp crew.
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Day 9: Rest, acclimatisation and climbing training at base camp 5,240 m 3-4 hrs Camping B/L/D
A day to adjust to the thin air and prepare for the summit. Your climbing sherpa goes through fixed-rope ascent and descent, crampon technique and ice axe use on the slopes around camp, and checks every piece of gear before the early start.
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Day 10: Summit Island Peak (6,189 m) and return to Chhukung (4,730 m) 6,189 m 10-12 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
Weather permitting, we leave in the small hours. A rocky path and a gully lead to the crampon point, then a roped crossing of the glacier and its crevasses to the foot of the headwall, climbed on fixed ropes to the summit ridge. After time on top, we descend the same way and walk back to Chhukung for a proper bed.
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Day 11: Chhukung to Tengboche (3,860 m) 3,860 m 6-7 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
A long descent back through Dingboche, Pangboche and Debuche to Tengboche, in noticeably thicker air.
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Day 12: Tengboche to Namche Bazaar via Khumjung (3,780 m) 3,440 m 5-6 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
A different way back, through Khumjung, one of the largest Sherpa villages in the Khumbu, before dropping into Namche for the afternoon.
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Day 13: Namche Bazaar to Lukla (2,840 m) 2,840 m 6-7 hrs Teahouse B/L/D
The last walking day, down to the river and back along the Dudh Koshi to Lukla, where the team marks the end of the trip.
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Day 14: Fly back to Kathmandu (1,400 m) 1,400 m Hotel B/D
A 35-minute flight to Kathmandu, or in peak season a 20-minute flight to Ramechhap and a four to five hour drive. Lukla flights are weather-dependent, so keep a buffer day before your international flight. Farewell dinner in the evening.
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Day 15: Departure 1,400 m B
Our airport representative takes you to Tribhuvan International Airport for your flight home.
Altitude profile
The climb, day by day
Comfort tiers
Choose your level of comfort
| Amenity | Standardfrom $2,425.00 | Comfortfrom $2,861.50 | Luxuryfrom $3,516.25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kathmandu hotel | 3★ | 4★ | 5★ |
| Trail accommodation | Standard teahouse | Best lodge in each village | Premium lodge where the route has one |
| Porter support | Shared porter | Private porter, lighter load | Extra porter, carry almost nothing |
| Transfers | Shared | Private | Private, throughout |
What's included
Included
- Included: Two nights in a three-star hotel in Kathmandu with twin-sharing rooms and breakfast (single rooms at extra cost)
- Included: Teahouse accommodation for 10 nights on the trek, with attached toilets in Lukla, Phakding and Namche
- Included: Tented camp and all meals for the two nights at Island Peak Base Camp, with waterproof twin-share tents, dining tent, kitchen equipment, table, chairs and toilet tent
- Included: Full board on the trek: breakfast, lunch and dinner, each with tea or coffee
- Included: Fresh seasonal fruit after dinner on the trek
- Included: Meals at base camp cooked by the climbing crew
- Included: A farewell dinner on the last night in Nepal
- Included: Purified drinking water on the trek, by filter or purification tablets
- Included: All international and domestic airport transfers in a tourist vehicle
- Included: Round-trip airfare between Kathmandu or Manthali and Lukla
- Included: Kathmandu to Manthali and back by shared tourist vehicle when flights operate from Manthali
- Included: Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park permit
- Included: Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality entry permit
- Included: Island Peak climbing permit
- Included: Experienced, wilderness first-aid trained, government-licensed, English-speaking local guide (two guides for groups of more than seven)
- Included: Porters to carry your luggage, one porter for every two travellers
- Included: A climbing sherpa from base camp to the summit and back
- Included: Wages, accommodation, meals, gear, insurance and medication for all staff
- Included: Group climbing equipment: climbing rope, ice screws, snow bars and ice hammer
- Included: Duffel bag, trekking map, sun hat and neck gaiter
- Included: First aid kit with an oximeter to check pulse and oxygen levels daily
- Included: Trip completion certificate
- Included: All administrative expenses and government taxes
Not included
- Not included: Lunches and dinners in Kathmandu
- Not included: Travel insurance covering climbing to 6,200 m and helicopter evacuation
- Not included: International airfare
- Not included: Nepal entry visa fees
- Not included: Personal climbing gear: mountaineering boots, harness, crampons, ice axe, helmet and ascender (available to rent in Kathmandu or Chhukung)
- Not included: Hot showers on the trek
- Not included: Bottled water, soft drinks and other cold drinks
- Not included: Device charging and WiFi
- Not included: Personal trekking equipment
- Not included: Tips for trekking staff and driver
Know before you go
Suitability & requirements
This plan acclimatises with a rest day in Namche and a rest and training day at base camp, then goes for the summit. If you have never been above 5,000 m before, ask us about adding a rest day in Dingboche; it costs one day and makes the summit much more likely.
Lukla flights are weather-dependent in both directions and there is no spare day in this 15-day plan, so keep a buffer day in Kathmandu before your international flight home.
Your team
Led by a licensed guide
Every route is led by a government-licensed guide from our team. Licences are on record with us before departure, and you'll meet your guide once your trip is confirmed.
Guide language(s): English, Nepali
Group-size pricing
Walk together, pay less
Every trip is private, so the guide, permits and transfers cost the same however many walk. Sharing them is why the per-person price falls: arithmetic, not a sale.
| Group size | per person | You save each |
|---|---|---|
| 1 traveller | $2,425.00 | base rate |
| 2 to 3 travellers | $2,020.00 | $405.00 |
| 4 to 6 travellers | $1,900.00 | $525.00 |
| 7 or more | $1,780.00 | $645.00 |
Per person, including permits, park fees and taxes. Nothing is added at checkout.
Weather
What to expect, month by month
- Autumn (Sep–Nov)The most reliable trekking season: clear air, stable weather and cold nights, right after the monsoon clears.
- Spring (Mar–May)Warmer than autumn, with rhododendron forests in flower and slightly hazier mountain views as the season goes on.
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