Lobuche East Peak Climbing

Your adventure begins as your plane touches down at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu. Once you pass through immigration and pick up your luggage, you will be greeted by your representative of Himalayan Planet Adventures and taken by private vehicle to your hotel. After getting settled, there will be a meeting at the headquarters of Himalayan Planet Adventures where you will meet your guide. In the evening, enjoy a welcome dinner with a cultural program that will help orientate you to the incredible culture and hospitality of Nepal.

It is early morning as we leave for the domestic airport in Kathmandu to fly to Lukla (elev. 2800 m/9,186 ft.) And what a flight it is! This 35-minute flight follows along the backbone of the Himalayas as you fly eastward over the mighty snowcapped peaks before setting down in Lukla. Lukla is the gateway to the Everest region. There are no roads into this region; it remains in all of its pristine beauty with the only local transportation being on foot or by yak or donkey trains. From Lukla, the trek begins as you walk through jungles to reach your first destination of Phakding. Along the way, enjoy incredible views of Mt. Kusum-Kangaru (elev. 6,369 /20,890 ft.) as well as crossing a series of suspension bridges over the Dudh Khola River. Trekking time is 3 – 4 hours to reach Phakding Village.

The morning comes early with a beautiful sunrise over the high Himalayas as you enjoy breakfast before heading out on the trail. Cross a suspension bridge over the fast-flowing waters of the Dudh Khola River. It gets its name from its milky appearance as it foams over rocks.  At Monjo, we enter Sagarmatha National Park. The journey will cross a suspension bridge over the Bhote-Koshi River and then wind its way upward to reach the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar.  Along the way are amazing views of the snowcapped peaks. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours as we enter Namche Bazaar to spend the night at a nice guest house.

The land of Mt. Everest and Lobuche East is very high elevation, and it becomes necessary to take a day to allow our bodies to acclimatize. We at Himalayan Planet Adventures take altitude sickness quite seriously. Today we do some exploring around Namche Bazaar, visit the Sherpa Museum and even take a trip up to the luxury Everest View Hotel where we can see the most outstanding view of Mt. Everest, second only to our upcoming ascent of Mt. Lobuche East. We will return to our guest house for the night.

Today is a gradual trail as we climb upwards to the village of Dole. Along the way, we have rewarded some magnificent views of Mt. Everest along with Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Thamserku, and Kwangde. About two hours in, we reach a tiny village of Shanasa; then start a steeper climb upwards on Mongla Hill, and back down to Phortse Thanga. We are now close to our guest house as we reach the village of Dole.  Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

The morning begins with a climb up to the scenic ridge above Dole where we have a wonderful view of the majesty of the Eastern Himalayas. It is a steep climb upwards through scrub vegetation. We are leaving the tree line behind as we move to new heights. Our destination is the village of Maccharmo, who claims to fame is that there was a yeti sighting here in 1974. It’s an excellent place to spend the night. Go to sleep that night listening to the night sounds. But that strange, screeching noise that breaks the night air may make you a believer in yetis! Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

Today’s journey will take us into the beautiful Gokyo Valley. Many visitors to the Everest region sadly miss this beautiful place with its turquoise sacred lakes. It is here that we see Mt. Cho-Oyu, the 6^th highest mountain in the world at 8,153 m/26,748 ft. The trail passes the terminal moraine of the Ngazumpa glacier. We climb upwards on a steep path to the glacier until we finally see Gokyo up close. The village is situated on the Third Lake (we will pass two others) on our way to Gokyo. Today’s journey is around 3 – 4 hours, with our plan to have lunch in Gokyo at our tea house. We will explore the sacred lake in the afternoon.

It’s our second acclimatization day as we have reached new heights and need to allow our body’s time to adjust to the thinner air. We will explore more of the sacred lakes of Gokyo; beholding the most wonderful views of Mt. Everest as well as Mt. Cho-Oyu. We can see more of Ngazumpa Glacier, which is the world’s largest glacier. We will return to our tea house for a wonderful dinner in the evening.

We’re up before sunrise because we are going to experience one of the finest scenes in all of the Himalayas: sunrise from Mt. Gokyo Ri (elev. 5,330 m/17,483 ft.)! We climb to the top of this trekking peak to behold the rays of the effulgent sun as it climbs majestically over the Himalayas, illuminating the snowcapped peaks in all of its brilliance! It is an awesome scene as you watch this daily occurrence unfold before you. We return to our guesthouse for breakfast and then trek across the glacier to the village of Thaknak. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

It’s a high place as we cross the Cho-La Pass (elev. 5,367 m/17,604 ft). It’s not a difficult pass, but is steep and will require crossing a glacier. The scenery more than makes up for the effort to climb this pass as you can stand at the top and gaze at the magnificent mountains all around you. We will descend to the little village of Dzongla where we will stay at a quaint little tea house. The place is pretty basic, but it has wonderful Sherpa cooking with a cozy dining room. The views from here more than makeup for the plainness of the tea house.

It’s a short, easy trip to Base Camp, taking about three hours. Here we set up a tent and enjoy looking at the brilliant stars in the Himalayan skies at night. During the day, we can admire the wonderful mountain peaks.

We climb for two hours up a well-defined trail. We will pass alongside a hidden lake, a real gem to behold. We will make our camp at High Camp, preparing to tackle the summit tomorrow.

We start our climb early morning, following our climbing guide. The train is graded PD+ in the   Alpine Grading System. The trail today is steep and there is plenty of ice and snow, so we take care as we climb upwards. The stone slabs give way to a snow wall, which is a 45° angle. Often we find a fixed rope here if there are other parties making the ascent. We follow the ridge and finally reach the summit. Here, behold the most incredible views of Mt. Everest and the surrounding peaks!  We work our way from the summit to the True Summit, which will take a little rappelling. Once we reach the True Summit, we will begin our return to Base Camp where we will camp for the night.

Our journey is taking us toward what for many to the Everest region is The Holy Grail – Everest Base Camp. While the views of Mt. Everest are not that good from Everest Base Camp, it is a place of historic value as this is where Sir Edmund Hillary launched his climb of the world’s highest mountain. There are great views today of Mt. Kalapathar and Mt. Pumori. We stop for lunch at Lobuche (elev. 4910 m/16,108 ft.), enjoying amazing alpine vistas while we enjoy a hot meal. Today’s trek gives us an incredible view of Mt. Nuptse as we make our way to the pleasant little Sherpa village of Gorakshep. We will stop for the night at Gorakshep where we will spend the night at a local guest house, enjoying the local food and hospitality. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

The journey to Everest Base Camp is strenuous because of the elevation and the thin mountain air. While we don’t have a great view of Everest, we do trek this historic trail. We will meet many people along the way, and enjoy the camaraderie of meeting people from around the world. It takes between 2 – 3 hours to reach Everest Base Camp. There are rocky dunes, moraines and cold, fast-flowing glacier-fed streams that we will pass by on our way to Everest Base Camp. We will finally arrive, and enjoy meeting people here, knowing that we are part of a very select group that has come to this auspicious place. We will retrace our steps and return to Gorakshep for the night.

The hike to the top of Mt. Kalapathar (elev. 5,550 m/18,204 ft) is another exciting journey. While this is definitely not a climbing peak, it is of high elevation that will offer an incredible view of Mt. Everest and the surrounding snowcapped peaks. The view here is panoramic as you stand in awe of the majesty of the mighty Himalayas. It is here that you will realize that the majestic Everest holds court over the surrounding snowcapped peaks that seem to pay homage to the world’s highest mountain.  From here we look down on glaciers as well as the valley floor well below us. We will return to Gorakshep and from there make our way to the village of Dingboche. The village is famous for its barley crop, being the only place in the Khumbu region where barley is grown. The scenery from Dingboche is outstanding and we will spend the night in a nice hotel. Trekking time is 6 – 7 hours.

We are beginning our descent as we leave Dingboche and move toward today’s destination. Tyangboche is an absolutely beautiful village. It is situated in a picturesque setting, with a large Buddhist Gompa (monastery) that is the focal point. It is the highest Buddhist monastery in the world. From this village, we will have wonderful views of Mt. Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, and Lhotse Shar. Try to count all of the snowcapped peaks, if you can. We will spend the night in Tyangboche. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

We return today to the amazing village of Namche Bazaar. As we have noted, it is the traditional capital of the Sherpa lands. From here, you will find good restaurants, bakeries, ATM machines, Internet and more. As we descend, we encounter more and more forests with birch, rhododendron and pine trees. We will enjoy a really good hotel here in Namche Bazaar with excellent food. Trekking time is 5 – 6 hours.

Today is a long walk as well as being our final day of trekking. Our destination is the village of Lukla where tomorrow we will take our flight back to Kathmandu. We pass through jungles, crossing suspension bridges over cold mountain streams that are on their way to India and the Bay of Bengal. We lunch at Phakding and then reach Lukla after 7 – 8 hours of trekking. We celebrate our victory over dinner as we relax and prepare for the morning’s flight.

Our plan is to leave early morning for Kathmandu. However, it is not uncommon for flights to be delayed or even postponed a day due to weather, so we come prepared for any last-minute change of plans. Himalayan Planet Adventures has no control over the weather, so be prepared for whatever may happen. It is our plan to return to Kathmandu and enjoy a day of rest in Nepal’s capital city. Once you return to Kathmandu, you are on your own to enjoy all the Kathmandu Valley has to offer.

Himalayan Planet Adventures builds in this leisure day as a precaution against flight delays at Lukla. If all goes according to plan, you will have returned on Day 20, so, therefore, explore all that Kathmandu has to offer. There are seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Kathmandu. The city itself has an amazing number of temples, plus palaces, winding narrow streets and interesting architecture. Enjoy the day exploring, or simply resting from the successful completion of your Everest/Lobuche experience. In the evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with your guide and porter.

It’s been a really great trip. You have seen incredible scenery, climbed a mountain, walked by sacred lakes, and seen hidden waterfalls and much more. You have seen the fabled city of Kathmandu, plus explored its many streets and alleyways. Now it is time to leave. But there is so much of Nepal that you haven’t seen. So before you leave, why not discuss a return trip with your friends at Himalayan Planet Adventures? They can help you to book a jungle safari, a trek into the Annapurna Region, or other interesting places. Himalayan Planet Adventures are experts in the region of South Asia, which includes Tibet, Bhutan, India, Bangladesh, and Thailand. Talk to them about all there is to do in this incredible region of the world. As we say, a lifetime is not enough to explore all Nepal has to offer.