Lobuche Peak Climbing

Wake up to the pulsating rhythms of Kathmandu and spend a day relaxing, acclimatizing, and gearing yourselves up for your trek. It is your time to be a part of the cultural history of the valley through a visit to the sacred Hindu temple site of Pashupatinath, where cremations are traditionally carried out on the banks of Bagmati River, or to the towering Boudhanath Stupa, whose watchful eyes ever gaze upon one of the largest Buddhist monuments on earth.

Culture and history enthusiasts are free to go on a tour of the beautiful Patan Durbar Square architecture in the meantime, while also tough-as-a-teak types can spend some time purchasing any remaining equipment at the discount-value outdoor shops of Thamel. For your last night in town, we will dine out together on an orientation dinner of Nepali cuisine, the perfect chance to try some local cuisine and set everyone in the mood for tomorrow’s mountaineering adventure.

Kathmandu Valley Tour

Kathmandu Sightseeing Tour (Kathmandu UNESCO Heritage Tour) by Bold Himalaya $90 /person

7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tour with Bold Himalaya $120 /person

The excitement builds now with an early morning flight from Kathmandu to Lukla (2,860m) with breathtaking bird’s-eye views of the Himalayas along the way to landing at the world-famous mountain airstrip. You feel the energizing quality of mountain air as you step off the plane and view the colorful hubbub of porters and yaks unloading expedition supplies. Your first descent along the trail passes through the old village of Chaurikharka, with prayer flags fluttering against the backdrop of snow peaks.

The crowded trail passes through the pine-scented woods and across many suspension bridges which sway gently above the blue Dudh Koshi River. You pass through serene village of Ghat with its prayer wheel-encrusted mani stone walls to Phakding (2,610m), the night’s acclimatization halt. Riverside village Phakding boasts tea houses lined with pine trees, and beyond, the breathtaking peak of Kusum Kanguru (6,367m) a foretaste of the majesty of the Khumbu valley.

After a hearty breakfast, you carry on along Dudh Koshi River, crossing many swaying Suspension bridges a long way over foaming whitewater. The thrill is Hillary Suspension Bridge, draped in multicolored prayer flags and with distant-below views down into the river chasm beneath. You carry on into Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo, where forest ridges of rhododendron, magnolia, and fir form a multicolored tunnel along the route.

The final two hours of punishing ascent climb the hill sides but your effort is richly rewarded by the first view of Mount Everest towering over the horizon of Nuptse-Lhotse. A final turn brings into view Namche Bazaar (3,440m), an unbroken curve of rock dwellings chipped from mountainside. This prosperous Sherpa town has surprisingly sophisticated amenities—a freshly baked pastry, home-made apple cider—to go along with its stupendous Kongde Ri and Thamserku views looming overhead. You can walk around the streets of Namche and soak in the unique mountain ambiance that bestows this town its position as any Everest area trek’s crown jewel.

The day is spent in acclimatization and thus your body will gain enough time to adapt to the increasing altitude. Instead of complete rest, the best remedy is a gentle “climb high, sleep low” regimen. Breakfast, and then early morning departure for walk to Everest View Hotel (3,880m), and from al fresco sun room, there is undoubtedly one of the world’s finest mountain views—Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku well positioned against sky-blue Himalayas.

Return to Namche and pass the day meandering in this fascinating mountain village. Visit the Sherpa Culture Museum to learn of the interesting individuals who inhabit these mountains, or shop at the Saturday bazaar where traders from as far away as Tibet sell their wares. You may also treat yourself to the unexpected variety of cafes featuring anything from authentic espresso to apple pie. This combination of gentle exercise and relaxation familiarizes your body with the hard days ahead and a deeper understanding of the unique culture of the Khumbu valley.

Break camp at Namche and the trail climbs to a ridge cresting in prayer flags and chortens, and which affords stunning views well worth the climb. The panorama unfolds before you—Everest’s black pyramid rising behind Nuptse, the immaculate pyramid of Ama Dablam, and the massive bulk of Lhotse. The route then descends via scented pine and juniper forests to riverside village Phunki Tenga, where prayer wheels spin eternally on churning Dudh Koshi waters. Lunch here, then take on the day’s most formidable task—a terrifying, switchback climb through red-blooming rhododendron hells in spring, and steeped in cloud-forest verdure otherwise.

Your payoff awaits at Tengboche (3,860m), where stands the most important Buddhist monastery in the area. Reach the afternoon prayer ceremony, when monks consecrate the intricately carved temple with sacred hymns and the sonorous sounds of centuries-old instruments. As the sun sets, watch alpenglow bathe the front of Ama Dablam in liquid gold—a view that has people say that Tengboche has the most beautiful scenery in the whole Himalaya.

The day begins with peaceful chanting of monks going through morning ceremonies at Tengboche Monastery. In no time, you’re trekking downhill amidst mystical rhododendron forest to Deboche village, where a tiny nunnery remains hidden behind the forest. Trekking over a scenic bridge above swirling Imja Khola River, the path ascends consistently to Pangboche, where the oldest monastery in the Khumbu valley remains and awe-inspiring close-up Ama Dablam vistas that are within arm’s length to touch.

Beyond Pangboche, the view completely changes since the tree line is empty. Forest gives way to barren alpine terrain of stunted scrub and bare hillside. From Shomare village, the trail winds into Dingboche (4,410m), a charming stone village of small houses among fields terraced behind stone walls—not to define property lines but to protect precious crops from scorching Himalayan winds. Afternoon sun here is mystical, casting golden light upon Lhotse’s gigantic south face and Island Peak (your first glimpse of a trekking peak) at the head of the valley.

A second day of acclimatization is required in Dingboche but by no means relaxed. Set off after breakfast on the worthwhile trek to Nagarjun Hill (5,100m), Nangkartshang Peak. The path zigzags steeply up from the village, with increasingly fabulous views at each step. The view from the summit is unbroken—the sheer mass of Makalu (the fifth-highest mountain in the world), the whole Lhotse-Nuptse wall, and Island Peak plunging steeply out of the Imja Valley.

Afternoon to relax and restock your batteries at Dingboche. You can relax in a bakery with mountain views, enjoying ginger tea. You can also chat with other trekkers and guides, sharing experiences. The breathtaking mountain light is perfect for outdoor photos, and the increasing altitude (now well in excess of 4,400m) has you grabbing water glasses and conserving energy in anticipation of trying days ahead.

Today’s trek sets you on your path down into the high alpine area as you descend down the wide Khumbu Valley to the foot of Everest. Departing Dingboche, the trek climbs gradually over more desolate terrain over which scrub juniper is found and icy streams descend from the glaciers above. A few hours lead you to the small village of Dughla (Thukla), along a glacial brook below a steep moraine. There is a welcoming tea house on this floor just the spot to rest and have a break before the ominous climb to come.

Steep hike up the Thukla Pass will bring you to one of the most poignant views on the trek—a ridge covered with memorials to climbers who have died on Everest and other mountains in the vicinity. Ricks and tablets in memory of great climbers and Sherpas alike are a place for solemn reflection with the majestic view of Pumori and Lingtren as witness in the background. Apart from the memorials, the path now goes through increasingly otherworldly landscape—a moonscape of glacial moraine, ice lakes, and seracs of ice which finally lead to Lobuche (4,910m). This secluded camp of teahouses occupies the edge of the Khumbu Glacier, whose star-studded night sky twinkles with stars of extraordinary brightness.

Today is your watershed day as you abandon the normal Everest Base Camp path and begin becoming a mountaineer. You proceed along the edge of the Khumbu Glacier on foot from the village of Lobuche, into an ice-caved landscape grooved over a many-million-years period. Boulder moraines define the path down to Pumori’s serrated, fluted ice wall and the crenellated ridge joining it to Lingtren. Lofty seracs of glacial ice define a strange landscape half a world distant from forest seen just a couple of days back.

Arrival at Lobuche Peak Base Camp (5,400m) by early afternoon gives some welcome preparation time for climbing. Your trekking guide will escort you to a thorough practice session on the local slopes, covering proper usage of crampons, ice axes, and climbing harnesses. You’ll be practicing glacier travel rope techniques and running safety exercises for the climb to the top. Even such mundane labor proves challenging in this gossamer atmosphere at altitude, but the breathtaking 360-degree panorama of Himalayan giants is ever-present. Crawling back into your tent with dusk fallen, the warmth of a drink in hand, is peaceful time to ruminate on making the attempt come tomorrow’s summit as alpenglow tinges nearby peaks gold and pink.

The gradient gets steeper as you climb the slope from Base Camp (5,400m) to High Camp (5,800m). The trail is negotiation of rock outcrops and glacial moraines, with snow and ice patches requiring attention. With every climb, the air gets thinner and the landscape an otherworldly realm of rock and ice. Mt. Pumori towers above, its bulk a dominating presence as you climb higher and higher into the alpine zone.

You reach High Camp in the afternoon, and your group takes shelter in a warm camp nestled within a cluster of rock outcroppings that offers some protection from the omnipresent Himalayan winds. After camp is set up, your guide holds a final technical briefing to complete preparations for the next day’s attempt at the summit. While the sun nears sundown, fill your lungs and breathe in the stunning scenery surrounding you—Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, and several hundred more create a 360-degree amphitheater of Himalayan giants. Other than tomorrow’s ordeal, however, the last fleeting glimpse of the sun illuminating the mountains in nectar-tinted light makes this alpine sunset day unforgettable.

Your summit day begins in the darkness at around 2:00 AM with a rushed breakfast of hot porridge and tea in preparation for the ascent. Headlamp beams light the way as you begin climbing the steep snow slopes, crampons crunching and breathing rhythmic, a mesmeric song. Pre-dawn hours demand focus on rope work and diligent crampon placement as your group climbs ever-steeper terrain. The sun reveals the way you’ve ascended—the massive peaks towering around you above darkness as you ascend higher and higher, impelled by the increasing excitement of reaching the summit.

You eventually gain the 6,119m summit of Lobuche Peak after a few hours of steep ascent, defiantly where earth and sky converge. The panorama is unimaginable—the unique black pyramid of Everest, the monolithic mass of Makalu, the sheer cone of Ama Dablam, and dozens of others extending to the horizon in all directions. You snap photos and bask in the glow of success, and then begin the leisurely walk back down. The exhausted hike back to Base Camp is also the exhilarated feeling of success, walking toward warmer temperatures and denser oxygen levels on tired legs but jubilant minds.

Your muscles enjoy this more gradual downhill after yesterday’s summit success and leave behind the rocky beauty of high alpine. This drop to Lobuche village and Thukla Pass congested with memorial-markers is the alteration of older views offered by new angles and different outlooks for known peak silhouettes. The trail curves along the edges of Pheriche village to provide protection to its health station and, continuing onward by Shomare and solitary chorten-topped hump, begins dropping away downhill through Rhodi junipers now reaching out to glacier ends.

Later in the day, you reach Pangboche (3,985m), where the relatively denser air and warmer temperatures are a luxury after days at high altitude. The cozy teahouses of this ancient Sherpa village, one of the oldest monasteries in the area, are tucked in among fields with stone walls. The massive sacred peak of Ama Dablam towers above the sky, near enough to stretch out and touch in the mountain air. With pine and juniper woods repeating themselves, back to the world of vegetation is a relief after barrenness of the higher ranges.

Morning sun breaks through edges of cloud while descending from Pangboche on the path going by way of Deboche small nunnery amid a grove of rhododendron trees. The path soon turns into Tengboche with the final possible opportunity to visit its famous monastery. In its intricately carved prayer hall, butter lamps flicker under the opulent thankas (temple paintings), creating an aura of profound peace. You descend, then cross a series of suspension bridges swaying good and high over the Dudh Koshi River, ascend through hills covered in forests ringing with birdsong.

Arrival in Namche Bazaar is arrival in a town square once more after some days of living in villages. The horseshoe town with its rainbow-colored houses, busy marketplace, and facilities—hot showers, bakeries with fresh bread straight from the oven, even cybercafes—provide satisfying indulgences. Your body notices the denser air at 3,440m as you fight through the narrow streets, souvenir shopping perhaps or simply sitting over a cup of coffee and watching the whirling stew of trekkers, Sherpas, and porters making deals. The afternoon is yours to ponder your achievement and reward yourself with a celebratory dinner with your team.

Your final day on the trail begins with the steep drop from Namche Bazaar, switchbacking down the seemingly so daunting slope on the way up. You tread along the entrance gates of the Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo alongside the Dudh Koshi River, trudging through deserted villages where everything proceeds in their own timeless manner. The path winds its way through intricately chiseled mani stones, water-powered prayer wheels, and multicolored prayer flags that impart a blessing with each mountain breeze of wind.

Phakding and Ghat villages you have passed through before welcome you like long-lost friends with open arms as you choose to make good progress towards Lukla. The final ascent to the top of this mountain airstrip town is a metaphor—a final effort to complete the cycle of your odyssey. Arrival in Lukla (2,860m) is relief and wistfulness since you realize that your Himalayan odyssey is now about to reach its end. Evening is a celebration with your guides and porters, with stories, jokes, and Sherpa traditional dances—a wonderful way to end your stay in these beautiful mountains.

After an ascent of Lobuche Peak and an enjoyable trek, through the Everest Region it’s time to bid farewell to this place. Tomorrow morning we’ll embark on a flight, to Kathmandu. The Lobuche Peak journey will leave us with memories of our adventure as we return to Kathmandu.

The day is then free on return to the city. Feel like Shopping? Take the shopping-lined streets of Thamel. Want Culture? Head for the lovely durbar squares and temples. Or just relax – you deserve it! On the last night, there is a special farewell dinner to mark our incredible trek. You overnight in Kathmandu.

Boudhhanath Stupa

Bhaktapur Durbar Square

Kathmandu Durbar Square

After breakfast, we drop you to the airport where you return back home by air. Also, we can arrange alternative tours if you want to stay back for a few more days. We can allow you to have Kathmandu’s culture tour, jungle stay for Chitwan, or just relax in Pokhara. Your tour can be further improvised.