“Overview”
Imja Tse, more famously known as the Island Peak, is a 6,189m high trekking peak located at the Khumbu region in eastern Nepal. This peak got its name on 1951 when an expedition party viewed the peak as an island in a sea of ice from Dingboche. The peak is actually an extension of the ridge coming down off the south end of Lhotse Shar.
Island peak is one of the most popular trekking peaks in Nepal because of its difficulty and accessibility. The sight of the magnificent Nuptse, Lhotse, Lhotse Middle and Lhotse Shar forming a semi-circle in the north greets you at the summit of this peak. This peak has lured many first time climbers into becoming regular climbers once they discovered their taste for adventure in ice here in the Island Peak.
For more information please visit our FAQs section thank you.
Itinerary
You will be warmly greeted by the Himalayan Memories Trek Representative upon your arrival at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), Kathmandu (KTM), and escorted to the hotel. Stay overnight at the hotel.
We will take a 40min flight to Lukla early in the morning, in which you will get the first glimpse of the mountains. Porters will be introduced at the airport. Then, after breakfast, we will trek towards Phakding through the Dudh Kosi Valley, crossing a few local-style suspension bridges. You will admire the mountains and the green valley, colourful prayer flags, and stacks of Mani stones on the way. After this 2-3 hour trek, you will have the rest of the day to explore the village in Phakding.
We will head towards Namche Bazar. After a short leisurely hike across several suspension bridges, we will climb up to the Sagarmatha National Park entrance, where they will check permits. Then we will climb for 2-3 hours to Namche. There will be two viewing spots where you will get your first look at Mount Everest.
‘Climb high, sleep low’ is the motto to avoid Acute Mountain Sickness. Most of the trekkers show the first sign of AMS in or near Namche. Therefore, the day will be spent hiking up and coming back for the night to acclimatize. You will first ascend to Syangboche airstrip and then to Khunde Village passing several Chortens. In a monastery lies the purported Yeti Scalp. Climbing up further to Everest View Hotel, you will enjoy a 360-degree view of the amazing peaks including Mount Everest. Then, we will go back to Namche Bazaar.
Let’s go for an up and down path to Tengboche with an excellent view of peaks like Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, Nuptse, and Kwangde. We will pass the village of Sanasa and then the trail will be dropping down towards Phunki Thanga and climbing up sharply to Tengboche. The climb will pass through the forest of rhododendron, pine, fir, magnolia, and birch that starts to thin out as the famous Tengboche monastery comes to view. The area is a cluster of a few lodges, a bakery, and a monastery. This is the best place for a panoramic view of the peaks named earlier.
An easy descent through rhododendron forest and across a bridge over Imja Khola to Pangboche. The route will continue to Pheriche, for a 3-4 hour trek in total. There is a rudimentary hospital run by the Himalayan Rescue Association in Pheriche. It only opens in peak seasons (March-May and November-December). We will spend the night in Pheriche.
An 800m climb will take us to Nagarjun Peak at 5000m altitude. You will enjoy some good views of the mountains including Mt. Makalu, 5th highest mountain in the world. This hike usually helps with acclimatization. There are chances to see snow leopard on this 3-4 hour hike!! Once you arrive there, you will admire the view from the top and descend down to Pheriche.
The gradual climb to Lobuche will be pleasant as we will get closer and closer to the snow-clad giants. After a 45-60min hike, we will reach Thukla. There, we will make a stop for food and continue up to a flat area where several memorials dedicated to the climbers who died on Everest are erected. Then, we will climb out of the valley and descend to the yak pastures at Lobuche.
We will pack light for a 2-2.5 hour trek to Gorakshep composed of both easy and hard parts. The path winds between boulders and will be rocky and slippery, but then you will be surrounded by huge mountains. You will see the highest glacier (Khumbu) along the way. After reaching Gorakshep, we will check into a lodge, eat something, and head to Everest basecamp. Another 1-2 hour hike along the Khumbu glacier will bring us to the base camp. The yellow tents of the climbers will become visible as we will reach Everest basecamp. Spend about an hour. take pictures, and head back to Gorakshep.
You will notice when up in the Base Camp that Everest is not completely visible. From Gorak Shep, we will walk down, up, and up again to Kalapathar. We will climb up to Kalapather either sunrise or sunset time. It will take 1.5 to 2 hours. You will have the best view of Mount Everest, Nuptse, and Changtse with a little Lhotse from here. Then we will return to Gorak Shep for food and descend to Dingboche.
From Dingboche to Chhukung, the trek will be about 2 hours long and easy. Chhukung is a beautiful valley nestled between mountains like Lhotse, Nuptse, Ama Dablam, Imja Tse, etc. You will appreciate a really good and close view of these mountains and their glaciers. The river Imja Khola runs past the Chhukung village where we will be lodging.
After breakfast, we will trek towards the south, turn east and enter the main valley. We will walk along the stream and pass Imja and Lhotse glacier moraine before reaching the valley where we will camp in tents. From the camp, you will see the southwestern face of the Imja Tse (Island Peak). We might climb a few hundreds metres up and back to basecamp depending on how everyone feels.
We will walk toward the summit around 01:00 to 02:00 am. It will take about 2 hours to reach the High camp, then we will climb the rock gully. We will follow a ridge-line to the summit glacier and climb up a steep snow slope to reach the summit. There, you will get an excellent view of the mountains. After spending some time there, we will go back to high camp to base camp and all the way back to Chhukung .
Just in case of bad weather or any health problem, we will use this day on the base camp or further down on the trail. Whenever you may need this buffer day, you will be able to use it.
From Chhukung , we will walk down towards Pangboche and take the same trail we took up to descend and then climb up again to reach Tengboche. After this 4-5 hour trek, we will spend the night in Tyangboche.
We will walk for 6 to 7 hours, retracing our steps back to Namche Bazaar.
We will go for a 6 to 7-hour walk back to Lukla, where we will spend the night. This will be your last day in the mountains so it will be a good time to relax, enjoy and celebrate your success.
On this final day, we will take an early flight back to Kathmandu. Sitting on the right side of the plane, you will be able to take a last look at the mountains. farewell diner and last minutes shopping.
It’s your last day in Nepal! Grab some breakfast, and then take in some last-minute shopping in Kathmandu. We’ll make sure you arrive at Kathmandu International Airport with plenty of time before your flight home. At this time, we’ll say our goodbyes and bid you farewell, armed with warm memories and gorgeous photos to show your loved ones.
Cost Includes
- 1. ARRIVALS AND TRANSFER TO HOTEL BY THE TOURIST BUS OR PRIVATE VEHICLES.
- 2. 3 NIGHT ACCOMMODATION IN 3 STAR CATEGORISED HOTEL IN KATHMANDU.
- 3. HIMALAYAN MEMORIES TREK /DUFFEL BAG, T SHIRT, AND TREKKING MAP.
- 4. WELCOME DINNER WITH NEPAL CULTURAL SHOW.
- 5. ONE DAY KATHMANDU CITY SIGHT SCENE.
- 6. GOVERNMENT LICENCE HOLDER TREKKING GUIDE
- 7. ALL MEAL BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, AND TEA, COFFEE,
- 8. ALL STAFF EXPENSES
- 9. ALL STAFFS MEDICAL AND EMERGENCY RESCUE INSURANCES DURING THE TRIP.
- 10. ALL STAFF FOODS.
- 11. PORTER WAGES.
- 12. GUIDE WAGES.
- 13. PORTER EQUIPMENT.
- 14. KITCHEN UTENSILS.
- 15. NATIONAL PARK ENTRY FEE.
- 16. MUNICIPALITY CHARGE.
- 17. ALL GOVERNMENT TAXES.
- 18. CLIMBING PERMIT
Cost Excludes
- * 1. LUNCH AND DINNER IN KATHMANDU EXCEPT WELCOME AND FAREWELL DINNER.
- * 2. INTERNATIONAL AIRFARE.
- * 3. TRAVEL AND EMERGENCY RESCUE INSURANCE.
- * 4. NEPAL VISA FEE.
- * 5. ALCOHOLIC STUFFS.
- * 6. FILMING PERMIT OF DRONE AND CAMERA.
- * 7. EXTRA NIGHT ACCOMMODATION IN KATHMANDU IF LATE DEPARTURE.
- * 8. PERSONAL EXPENSES, LAUNDRY, WIFI CHARGE, SO ON.
- * 9. STAFF TIPS. (MINIMUM OF 5% OF YOUR TOTAL TRIP COST)
MORE INFORMATION
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On your trek, every morning, you are awoken early by a Himalayan Memories Trek staff with a first cup of native tea or coffee, along with a bowl of warm water to freshen up. Next, you are served a full breakfast of local fare. Such as fresh fruit and vegetables where it is available. We mainly serve freshly made porridge, eggs, camp made breads etc.
While you have breakfast the Sherpa’s use this time to disassemble the tents, so make sure you pack all bags before sitting for breakfast. while some porters set off on the daily walk in order to make setups in advance of our arrival at the next stop/camp, so that when we get there, all you have to do is relax and enjoy the area.
Typically, our walks start soon after breakfast. After a couple of hours walk, we will stop for lunches. In general, the afternoon walk is shorter than the morning one, to give people time to visit neighbouring villages, to rest and to chat while the chefs prepare the supper.
As soon as you book your trip with Himalayan Memories Trek you should purchase a policy which covers trekking upto 5500m this will cover you any unexpected events force you to cancel. Your policy should also cover helicopter rescue in the event of an emergency evacuation.The only two methods of travel mostly are on foot or by helicopter once in the mountains. Obviously certain medical conditions are either so debilitating or urgent that the first option is not practicable as an evacuation method. Helicopter evacuation is very expensive and is also dependent on favourable weather conditions. Many of the helicopters are working at the limit of their operating altitude in the higher parts of the valley. Himalayan memories trek will be well placed to coordinate an efficient rescue but we must stress that there is no single definitive cost for a helicopter rescue, much depends on what else the pilot is doing in the area, how far the helicopter has to fly, where it started from and so on. The maximum is about $10,000 from Everest base camp (for example) Itself, so your travel insurance should cover up to this figure specifically for rescue costs. The helicopter company will require a payment guarantee before they fly, this will be done by your insurance provider, opening a case number and arranging the relevant exchanges of information and certification. For this purpose, it is essential that you have the right policy and provide us with all the policy details. Our staff have got mobile phones and generally, there is somewhere near with a phone signal, or else one of the staff will go to the nearest place. The safety and stability of the injured person is the job of the group and the staff and anyone nearby who can assist because sometimes it can take hours for a helicopter to arrive. Thankfully many of the trails have first aid posts along the way, but every group should be prepared to help deal with an injured person and in this case, it goes without saying that the needs of that person are more important than the trek itinerary.
It will be a matter of the helicopter company ascertaining that it is safe to fly to the relevant location and then flying the casualty to a nominated location, almost certainly a hospital in Kathmandu. The helicopter will then be met by Himalayan Memories trek who will help to coordinate any further stages in the process. The helicopter will also fly into Kathmandu airport and our staff will arrange for a car or ambulance to take the person to the hospital. If for any reason the helicopter is unable to fly we will use our many local staff and contacts to coordinate an alternative rescue and treatment regime. Normally this means using horses or simply stretchering a person off the mountain to the nearest safe place or safe helicopter landing area. Again, this is something that will generally involve everyone.
1) Go slowly and take a full day for the hike rather than get there as fast as possible.
2) Drink lots of liquid.
3) Always give way to yaks right of way and when you meet one on a path with a drop to one side, always stand on the uphill side.
4) Don’t get caught out with inadequate clothing to cope with a rapid change in weather This is the high Himalaya and a clear bright morning does not mean the same in the afternoon.
5) Do not wander off by yourself and always make sure people know where you are. Anything can happen and a slip on scree or moraine can mean getting cold very quickly while waiting for someone to come and help.
6) Part of the trek is on lateral moraine and some places are slippery. There is no need for crampons but simple care where you are walking is important.
7) Remember that the best approach to safety is to prevent an accident happening in the first place.
Our treks allow a good time to acclimatise and as a mountain guiding outfit we always want to ensure the trek is safe. Reducing the number of days may make the price cheaper but the chances of safely reaching base camp also greatly reduce. We follow established mountaineering principles of height gain on all treks to altitude.
“Himalayan Memories Trek advisory equipment list”
(Feet)
Alpine boots for climbing
Casual Shoes
Crampons 12 point
Socks – thick woollen ones and hiking
(Head)
Neoprene face-mask
Balaclava or buffs
White sunhat with neck cover
Sunglasses with 100% UV lens
Woolly hats
Climbing helmet
(Hands)
Wind-stopper gloves and fleece gloves,
Down mitts-lightweight
Liner gloves
(Skin)
SPF40 Sunscreen
Dermatone high altitude sun-cream
SPF25 lip-cream
Moisturising cream
Base Layer
Thermals tops and bottoms, thin and thick
(Mid layer)
Fleece bottoms
Fleece tops
light down jacket
Hiking clothes
(Outer layer)
Down jacket – heavy duty
Windproof trousers and jacket,
(Climbing)
Ice Axe
Harness
‘Cows tail’ with jumar and safety karabiner
Descender (figure of 8 easiest)
Spares Bags
90 litre rucksack
45 litre day-sack
Large duffel bag
Many stuff sacks and dry bags
(Camping)
4 Season down/synthetic sleeping bag
1 litre metal flasks
water bottles with insulating cover
Rucksack cover
Head-torch with batteries, high quality (and spare head-torch)
Walking poles
Sleeping mat
Thermos food flask
Thermal mug
Towel
Box of repair kits(Leather-man)
Pee bottle
Alarm clock
Your main item of luggage should be a sturdy kit bag, duffel bag or similar. This will be carried during the trek by porters or pack animals and must weigh no more than 15kg. You should also bring on your holiday a day-pack of approximately 30 litres capacity. It is possible to leave items not required on trek at the hotel in Kathmandu. For your international flights, please check the baggage allowance with your airline.
AT YOUR HOME, BEFORE LEAVING TO JOIN TEAM HIMALAYAN MEMORIES TREK FOR HIMALAYAN ADVENTURES: WE RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING:
1. CRAMPON ON LADDER PRACTICE:
* You will need:
(a)aluminium house ladder,any length, longer the better.
(b) crampons that you will use in the mountains.
(c)climbing boots that you will use in the mountains.
Put on your crampons on your boots, grab your ladder and place it in the yard and PRACTICE walking back and forth on the ladder rungs.
Do the following:
1. One way walk over and step off ladder, turn and repeat.
2. turnarounds ON the ladder (rarely needed, but you never know and contingency preparation is always a good thing.
3. walk halfway or more over ladder, stop and reverse yourself back to where you started and step off. Repeat.
It is super important to have practice and feel confident on metal/aluminium ladders it may be placed on the routes on any mountains.
(Personal first aid kit contents)
Paracetamol
Ibuprofen
Antiseptic Wipes
Adhesive Plasters
Blister Plasters
Zinc Tape
Insect Repellent
Antihistamine tablets
Sunblock Cream
Water Purification Tablets
Crepe Bandage
Hydrocortisone Cream
Approximately $450 (or equivalent in pound Sterling, Euros) changed into local currency, should be allowed for miscellaneous expenses including porter and trek crew tips, drinks etc. It is not necessary to obtain local currency prior to departure. Pound Sterling, US Dollars and Euros are equally acceptable for exchange in Nepal. We recommend that you carry your travel money in the form of cash, since you will exchange the majority of this on the day of your arrival in Kathmandu. If you prefer not to carry all of your spending money in cash, it is possible to withdraw money from ATM’s in Kathmandu using your debit or credit cards. (Fee applies) During the trek it is possible to buy snacks, chocolate, soft drinks and beer on most days. Please be aware that since everything has to be carried up by porters or animals, these items become more expensive as you gain altitude.
Tipping is the accepted way of saying thank you for good service. Normally the porters and any other trek staff are given their tips at the end of the trek and this is best done as a group. Your Guide will advise the group on an appropriate level of tipping. Most groups will hand out the tips with a bit of ceremony (or sometimes a party) on the last evening, to mark the end of the holiday. we recommend that each group member contributes around 5 to 10% of your total trip cost to these tips. At the end of their trek many people also like to donate various items of equipment to the porters and trek staff who work so hard to make the trip a success. Boots, gloves, hats, scarves and even socks are always warmly received by the porters. Your guide will make arrangements for a fair distribution (possibly by raffle) amongst the trek crew. Please note that you will have the opportunity to tip your guide separately during dinner on the final evening of the holiday. If you felt your guide was especially helpful, please consider an appropriate bonus to him or her of 20% of group tips.
Our prices are competitive and good value, and we offer quality, service, security and an ethical stance on tourism in a developing country. We don’t want to be so expensive to run fewer trips and have our staff idle, but on the other hand we believe that running cheap trips that promote the practice of skimming budgets would result in the porters getting next to nothing, which is something we cannot consider. Your porters work extremely hard to carry your gear, advance set ups and keep your journey safe and enjoyable, sometimes at their own risk and peril. We could not complete our journey without them. They have families, too, and we all want to have an enjoyable, rewarding expedition full of great memories! Tashi Delek!