Everest Climbing

To begin your ultimate adventure of Everest climbing, you will arrive in Kathmandu today. At TIA, the Himalayan Adventure Treks team will meet you with its own vehicle and driver.

You will get to your hotel, where you can settle and relax after your long flight. In the evening, over a warm welcome dinner hosted by Himalayan Treks, you will meet all the climbers and our guide for our Everest climbing.

After breakfast, our guide will meet you all and organize a short meeting to explain all about our Everest climbing adventure. Then, together, we will go to get the climbing and other essential permits for our Mount Everest climbing expedition.

Then, we will also meet mountaineering experts who will hold brief sessions to tell us about the proper use of the tools and gear necessary for Everest climbing.

They will also inform us about the rules and regulations that we must follow during our 58 days Everest climbing expedition. Next, our guide will then check your gear and tools.

He will also help you in renting or buying any items that you lack. In the evening, you can enjoy the illuminous atmosphere of the Kathmandu Durbar Square.

Kathmandu Exploration

Today is all about relaxing and exploring the majestic heritage sites of Kathmandu. Included in our itinerary are the Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, and Pashupatinath temples.

However, we will conclude our tour a little earlier to prepare and pack our bags for the Everest climbing. We advise you to have an early bedtime, as we may have to set off for Ramechhap at around 1 or 2 AM.

From Ramechhap, we will then have to board an early morning Lukla flight. This detour usually occurs in spring and autumn due to heavy air traffic at TIA. Please note that the same detour may also happen when we return from Lukla.

Our own four-wheel will take you to Ramechhap, which will take around 4 to 5 hours.

In the early hours, we will board a very beautiful mountain flight to Lukla, traversing over the pointy edges of Makalu, Kanchenjunga, Langtang, and Everest.

Once we land in Lukla, we will meet our entire team (guides and porters) for our Everest climbing expedition. Then, we will begin our real hike towards Phakding following the marvelous milky currents of the Dudh Koshi River.

The narrow jungle trail will steadily descend us through Chheplung, Chaurikharka, Thadokoshi, and Ghat before reaching Phakding. En route, we will see the admiring silhouettes of Mount Nupla, Kongde Ri, and Kusum Kanguru.

Our trek will continue within the Dudh Koshi Valley, where the flourishing green trail will lead us through Zapute, Toktok, Benkar, and Chumoa to the gate of the Sagarmatha National Park in Monjo.

After the customary check of our permits, we will resume walking to Jorsalle. The humid, deep ancient forest will now guide us to a 60 m long Hilary Suspension bridge soaring over the Dudh Koshi and Bhote Koshi Rivers.

Once across the bridge, the route will now dramatically rise for around an hour, taking us to the ridge top of the Top Danda/Everest View Point (3140 m).

We will share a fleeting moment here with Thamserku, Nuptse, Taboche, Lhotse, and Everest. The route will be unforgivably steep now till we reach Namche.

We have specifically designated this day for our acclimatization at high altitude. Consulting with our guide, you can decide to ascend to the Everest View Hotel (3880 m) above Syangboche and get the privilege of dining at the highest hotel in the world.

Enjoy yourself amid the breathtaking Himalayan setting of Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Nuptse, Lhotse, Everest, Samdur, Kongde Ri, Kangtega, and many more.

In the evening, you may also visit the local market, engage with the locals, and learn about their unique culture and traditions.

Today will also be one of our acclimating hikes towards the beautiful green Khumjung Village. From Namche, we will head northwest towards Thame.

Eventually, our route will diverge, and we will move right to Syangboche
airstrip. The boulder-strewn trail will descend us to the stone staircase. The trail will now be leveled as we advance towards Khunde.

Khumjung is now only 15 minutes farther, where we can see the local Sherpa Museum and explore the monastery and its treasured Yeti Skull.

From Khumjung, we will walk across a hanging bridge over the Imja Khola, hinting that we are now inside the wide valley of the Imja River. Passing through Sanasa Village, we will ascend the boulder slope of Phungi Thenga (3250 m).

From here, we will have to keep ascending for another two hours before we are finally able to rest at Tengboche Village. Later, we can explore its large monastery, where monks will be delighted to show us around.

Sitting in its serene ground, we can also admire the jagged edges of Nuptse, Taboche, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, and Kangtega.

From Tengboche, our path will ascend for an hour towards the idyllic Debuche Village (3720 m). We will keep following the upstream trail above the Imja Khola, which will turn into a steep ascent for another hour, leading us to the base of Pangboche (3900 m).

Here, we may take a moment to visit its quaint monastery, which now preserves the relic of its once-stolen yeti skull. We will now hike through the rocky land of Orsho, Shomare, and Tsuro Wog before we reach Dingboche.

From Dingboche, we will traverse a rocky terrain and tall alpine bushes of Dusa Village before reaching the Dughla/Thukla Village.

From here, our ascent will be quite arduous till we reach the peak of the Dughla/Thukla or Chukpi Lara Pass (4830 m).

Here, we can see countless stone chortens erected to remember those who have disappeared in the vast Himalayas. After offering our condolences, we will now cross expansive meadows, a verdant forest, and lines of trees.

The last segment before reaching Lobuche requires us to climb the moraine of the Khumbu Glacier, tackling steep inclines.

Enjoy your morning tea and breakfast watching the silver faces of Lobuche East, West, Nuptse, and Lhotse. Then, in your free time, you can choose to visit the Italian Pyramid Observatory.

Later, you can just walk around chatting and playing with the village kids and the Sherpa.

Our adventurous trek today will guide us to the temporary home of our Everest climbing expedition, the Everest Base Camp itself. From Lobuche, we will ascend the tight trail and long terraces of the Khumbu and Changri glaciers.

Soon enough, we will be standing over the Thangma Riju or the Lobuche Pass, watching the Lobuche Peak and its base camp. Then, the further rocky and glacial route will ascend us toward Gorakshep.

It is the final rocky sanctuary for all the hikers aiming to reach Everest Base Camp. But we will hike further, crossing many streams and snow-laden terraces till we arrive at Everest Base Camp.

Our crew will establish the tents while we stand tall, head held high, below Khumbu Icefall. With our little community formed, we will rest and prepare for the climb, both physically and mentally.

While we are at Everest Base Camp, our Sherpa team will choose the auspicious date to conduct a puja to ward off any misfortune so our Everest climbing expedition can progress smoothly and successfully.

Now that we have peace of mind, our climbing lead guide will teach us essential mountaineering and climbing techniques.

We will learn and practically use the tools such as jumar, climbing ladders, ice axe, ropes, crampons, etc. We will also learn to operate radios and oxygen cylinders.

Because we want all our climbers of our Everest climbing expedition to be fully acclimatized, confident, and have enhanced mountaineering skills, we have deliberately planned to reach the summit of the Lobuche East before attempting the mighty altitude of the Everest.

Thus, today, we will descend from Everest Base Camp to Lobuche village via Gorakshep.

Today, we will progress from Lobuche Village, ascending the glacial slopes of the Lobuche Glacier to the Lobuche Base Camp (4900 m).

However, instead of settling at its base camp, we will climb further and gain 300 m more to rest overnight at its advanced camp, so the summit attack duration will be lesser the next day.

Today, we will surmount the 6000 m above sea level of the Lobuche East summit. Still in the dark, we will wake up and start our adventure at around 2 to 3 AM.

Our trail will be flooded by the lights from our headlamp, and we slowly progress along the icy terrain and reach the Headpoint of the Lobuche Summit.

Several frozen ridges can be found here, and we will have to ascend with the help of a fixed rope over the 45 to 60-degree inclined steep slope.

A few hours of hardship and we will be finally at the peak surrounded by the eternal snowy pyramids of Lhotse, Thamserku, Nuptse, Everest, Pumori, Ama Dablam, Cholatse, Imja Tse, and many more.

A sharp descent awaits us now, which we will attain via fixed ropes. We will climb down through Lobuche High and Base Camps to reach Lobuche tonight.

After a challenging and lengthy ascent to Lobuche Summit, we will take a break today in Lobuche Village.

Take this time to relax, celebrate your achievement, and look forward to the majestic Everest in the days to come.

Today, we will head back to our small shelter at Everest Base Camp, ascending through Lobuche Pass and Gorakshep.

Lobuche East climbing was our first rotation plan that we placed on our Everest climbing expedition.

It’s now time for us to initiate the second rotation plan, which involves trekking or ascending back and forth between the three advanced camps and the base camp of Everest.

Our rotation plan includes the following routine:

Day 21 – Ascend to Camp I, 6065 m, 4 to 6 hours

The route between the Everest Base Camp and Camp I is regarded as the most technical and toughest section of our Everest climbing expedition.

Today, we will have to trace the trail along the Khumbu Icefall, which keeps shifting and also features deep crevasses.

We must also be attentive and prepared for the heavy snowfall that layers the snow up to 3 feet in a single day. En route, there will also be imposing ice seracs that need vigilant crossing.

Our Sherpa team will, however, establish the route the day before with ropes and ladders for our safety.

This section of the Mount Everest climbing expedition is called the Western CWM (Valley) of Everest.

This is the main route used by the crew of the Everest climbing expedition to transport the tools and supplies.

Day 22 – Ascend to Camp II, 6400 m, 2 to 3 hours

Camp II is the Advanced Base Camp (ABC) of Mount Everest, which is located at the tail of the Lhotse Face.

The supplies and tools for the 58 days Everest climbing expedition are stored here, thus this camp has more utilities and is much safer as well.

Thus, climbers often prefer to use Camp II as their primary acclimatization camp for the Everest climbing.

The route between Camp I and Camp II is shorter and not very technical, but we will still have to employ ladders, crampons, an ice axe, and ropes for ascending.

Day 23: Acclimatization at Camp II

Today, we will rest at Camp II and acclimatize, enjoying the wonderful, magnanimous view of Lhotse.

Day 24: Ascend to Camp III, 7200 m, and trek back to Camp II, 3 to 6 hours

From Camp II, we will have to ascend along the walls of the infamous Lhotse Face. Support of oxygen may be needed for some climbers.

The route between Camp II and Camp III is again technical, steep, and sharply inclined to 65 degrees, running along the remarkably hard ice walls of the steep Lhotse Face.

Thus, our Sherpas will use the fixed ropes for our transition to Camp III, where we will stay for a while and descend back to Camp II.

Day 25: Descend to Everest Base Camp, 5 to 6 hours

Now that our rotation plan has ended, today, we will descend back to Everest Base Camp.

Day 26 to Day 31: Rest and practice session

It is vital to recover from all the overexertion caused by the rotation sessions that we have undertaken before finally attacking the Everest summit.

Therefore, a few days have been set aside when you can fully rest, practice your tools and gear at Everest Base Camp. Or, you may also choose to descend to Tengboche, Pangboche, or Lobuche.

If you decide to descend to these villages, then you will have to be aware of the extra fee (not included). Our Sherpa crew at the base camp will keep surveying the weather and the route to the Everest.

Day 32 to Day 50: Mount Everest Summit Push, 8848.86 m with Contingency Days

We have reached the final phase of our Everest climbing expedition. Please understand that from this moment forward, the weather and the physical conditioning of each climber will play a vital role in our progress.

Thus, our days can change and will be adapted every hour or every minute, for that matter.

Also, kindly note that the decision made by our climbing sirdar (main guide) will be final, and you will have to follow his instructions at all costs for your own safety and well-being.

We will offer a 1-to-1 Sherpa guide to each climber, which means one climber will have one guide with one climber on the climbing phase.

We will also be supplying each climber with six 4-liter oxygen bottles from Camp III onwards, with a British top-out mask and regulator.

We cannot predict the exact days of climbing here, but we have outlined the plan for our Everest climbing:

Day 32: Ascend to Camp II from Everest Base Camp, 5 to 6 hours
Day 33: Rest
Day 34: Ascend to Camp III

Day 35: Ascend to Camp IV, 7920 m, 6 to 7 hours

This day is going to be the hardest and most adventurous on our Everest climbing expedition as we will be reaching the Death Zone or the South Col of the Everest summit.

At an altitude of nearly 8000 m, the air in Camp IV dangerously contains a very low oxygen level.

Additionally, the passage from Camp II and Camp IV features two very technical and demanding rugged zones, making this route yet another of the most challenging sections of our Everest climbing expedition.

At first, we will come across the Yellow Band (7620 m), which is composed of marble, limestone, phyllite, and semi-schist rock.

After overcoming this rugged outcrop, we will then encounter Geneva Spur. It is anvil-like black rock which extends between 7600 m and 7900 m altitude, thus posing more risk than the Yellow Band.

Our Sherpa will have our fixed ropes and tools ready, with which we will maneuver these two sections and reach Camp IV. Be prepared for more than extreme cold, low oxygen, and cyclone-like wind.

We will have our tents secured by heavy rocks and a net. Congratulations, you have reached the final point from where you will ascend the south wall of Everest in the following days.

Day 36: Final Summit Push and return to Camp II, 9 to 13 hours

The very day we have all been waiting for more than a month is finally here. While the outside world is still sleeping, we will rise, arm ourselves with our armor, tools, and gear, and head to conquer the roof of the world.

Our route from Camp IV to the summit of Everest will be as follows:

Ascend from Camp IV to Balcony, 8400 m, 5 to 6 hours

We will be continuously needing the oxygen from now on, but there are some daring climbers in the past who have dared to reach Everest without supplemental oxygen. However, for safety reasons, we will be using oxygen while traversing the route.

We will sharply ascend using the ropes and progress to Triangular Face. It is like the main traffic section of the Everest as it is quite narrow and covered with dense snow, making the progress quite slow, resulting in a long line of climbers.

Please be careful of the rock falling, so always keep your helmets on.

Ascend to South Summit, 8690 m, 4 to 5 hours

This is yet another arduous section of the Everest climbing due to not only rugged terrain but also due to the presence of some exposed rocky sections and a very steepened trail.

The route will be quite constricted as we progress toward the final stretch of the South Summit.

Ascend to Cornice Traverse and Hillary Step, 8790 m, 1 hour

After reaching the south summit, we will now proceed to tackle the Cornice Traverse. It is the most open and exposed part, but vast enough. With fixed ropes, we will cross this section and ascend to Hilary Step.

Hilary Step is a steep vertical rock wall that rises to 12 m in altitude. At this point, we will have to move very quickly and carefully so as not to overcrowd the trail, which is in threat of collapse if there is a heavy load.

After the 2015 earthquake, there has been an accumulation of snow bulbs in this area.

Ascend to Mount Everest Summit, 1 to 2 hours

The difficult sections are now crossed, and we have a gentle slope ahead. There will be several false summits on the way, but we will graciously reach the true summit of Everest.

Congratulations, you have made it to the highest altitude of the planet. Hold your head high, fill your chest with pride, plant your flags on the summit, and write your name. Look below and feel the aura of not only Everest but also of Cho Oyu, Lhotse, Nuptse, Changtse, and the wide Tibetan plateaus.

Descend to Camp IV, 4 to 7 hours

After making it to the top of the planet, now we have an equally agonizing descent waiting for us. Once again crossing the Hillary Step, the Cornice Traverse, and South Summit, we will make it to Camp IV.

Descend to Camp II, 3 hours

After a momentary rest, we will now head down to Camp II for more comforting oxygen air.

Day 37: Trek back to Everest Base Camp, 5 to 6 hours

After breaking down our tents and a bit of cleaning at Camp II, we will descend back to Everest Base Camp via Camp I.

Attention

We would like to emphasize again that the itineraries mentioned are just outlines and progress will depend on and will be affected by the health of the participants and the weather at Everest.

That’s why we have allocated enough contingency days so each participant can reach the summit of Mount Everest as much as possible.

For us, sustainable travel is very important; that’s why we will dedicate this day to cleaning up our camps at the Everest Base Camp.

We will collect our garbage and dispose of it at the respective bins as allocated by the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC).

We will break down our tents, carry our bags, and then follow the same trail that will descend us through Gorakshep to Lobuche. From here, the route then traverses the Dughla Pass and Dughla before we arrive at Pheriche.

Our Everest climbing adventure is now approaching its end, leading us to the same place from where it once started. Today, we will trek only downward through Shomare, Pangboche, Debuche, Tengboche, Phungi Thanga, Sanasa, and Kyanjuma to reach the lovely comfort of Namche beside the Dudh Koshi River.

Today is the final hiking day in our 58 days Everest climbing journey. From Namche, we will head back through Top Danda and Jorsale to Monjo.

With a last glance at the unique beauty of Sagarmatha National Park, we will now journey back to Lukla, passing through the lovely settlements of Benkar, Phakding, Ghat, Thadokoshi, Chheplung, and Chaurikharka.

In the evening, we will appreciate the effort and support of our local team and enjoy a good toast of Everest Beer.

After a very hard goodbye with our team and the Himalayas, we will get on an early morning flight to Kathmandu. If the landing happens at Ramechhap, our private pick-up vehicle will be ready to travel us back to Kathmandu.

Today is a well-deserved rest day after such a long and ultimate adventure of Everest climbing. If you wish, you can talk to our guide and go on a sightseeing excursion around Kathmandu, or you can just relax in a spa or take a hot stone bath.

We will host a very special Nepali farewell dinner to appreciate your effort in the evening. We will also hand you your achievement certificate for the Everest climbing.