Kyajo Ri Peak Climbing  - 17 Days

On arrival at the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and formal completion of your custom and immigration processes, one of our representatives from Himalayan Glacier will be there to greet you at the arrival exit and escort you to your pre-determined hotel. You may relax in your hotel room for the rest of the time or you may stroll around the streets of Thamel. In the evening, there will be a welcome dinner hosted at an excellent Nepali restaurant where you can enjoy the authentic Nepalese cuisine along with a cultural program. Overnight in Kathmandu.

After breakfast in our hotel, we may wander around nearby areas and do some shopping for our adventurous trip the following day. In the afternoon, we will visit HGT office for a pre-trip discussion and meet our trekking guide as well as other participants. You will also be briefed on the nature of expedition, equipment and team composition. Later, we will go back to our hotel and have a peaceful sleep. Overnight in Kathmandu.

After breakfast, we will be taken to the domestic terminal of TIA for an early morning flight to Lukla. After a flying above the breathtaking green and white mountains, we reach Tenzing-Hillary Airport at Lukla. This is one of the most beautiful air routes in the world culminating in a landing on a hillside surrounded by high mountains. Upon our arrival at Lukla, we meet our other crew members and after some packing and arrangements, we start our trek through the prosperous village of Lukla until we reach Phakding. To assist in acclimatization, we only have a short hike today. However, if interested in additional activities, we can take a side trip to a nearby monastery. Overnight in Phakding.

After breakfast we walk through beautiful pine forests and then along Dudh Koshi River ending our nature-filled journey at Namche Bazaar. After walking for almost over an hour, we come across the glistening Mt. Thamserku (6,608m) on our right and also experience the serenity of pine, fir and juniper forests throughout our journey. If the weather is clear, we may even catch a glimpse of Mt. Everest peering over the Lhotse-Nuptse ridge. We continue walking until we reach the entrance to Sagarmatha National Park, Namche Bazaar, the gateway to Mt. Everest and main trading centre of this region. This day we cross five suspension bridges, the last one also known as the Hillary Bridge being the highest. It is an uphill walk from Hillary Bridge to Namche Bazaar. Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

This is the day set aside for acclimatization. Health experts recommend that we stay active and move around even during the rest day instead of being idle. There are a few options set aside for this day. We can either stroll around Namche’s quaint villages or come in contact with the Sherpa people and their rich culture, or we can hike up to the Everest View Hotel and enjoy an up-close view of the mighty Everest. While in the Namche village or upon returning from the hike to the Everest View Hotel, trekkers may also visit the local museum containing exhibits displaying the area’s native flora and fauna as well as the history of the Mount Everest region.

For trekkers who want to hike for a little longer, a hike to Khumjung village (5-6 hours) may also be an option. While in the village we can visit the Edmund Hillary School and Khumjung Monastery (a monastery famous for housing the head of the Yeti!). Overnight in Namche Bazaar.

The walk to Thame from Namche is relatively easy. The trail follows an almost steady level until we reach the settlement of Thame, a beautiful village with amazing views of the Himalayas. From here the trail makes a short ascent to Mende. Overnight in Mende.

From Mende we leave the main trails and follow a faint yak trail up over a couple of passes to enter the Kyajo Drangka; the isolated broad valley south of Kyajo Ri. On our way, we enjoy great views of the Himalayas including Thamserku, Khumbila, Kusum Kangaru, Kwangde and Pachharmo. Kyajo Ri Base Camp is set up on a flat surface between the rocky mountain on one side and a small river on the other. Overnight in Kyajo Ri Base Camp.

This day is set aside for proper acclimatization before summiting the Kyajo Ri peak.  However, since it is always wise to stay a little busy during acclimatization, we will be hiking to Camp I and back. Furthermore, we also check our climbing equipments today. Overnight at the Kyajo Ri Base Camp.

The ascent to Camp I begins with hiking over a grassy spur and boulders. Next, our trail follows the upward rocky section with a lot of boulders and skid pebbles. We walk for another few hours on a steep trail before reaching Camp I. Our camp will be set on a level ground, with good views and within easy reach of water flowing out from the frozen lake at the foot of the Glacier. Overnight camping at Camp I.

This is another day set aside for acclimatization and rest before summiting the Kyajo Ri peak. We trek to Camp II and come back to Camp I to spend the night. This will also help us prepare for the next day’s climb. Overnight at Camp I.

Today involves some technical climbing over mixed face slopes up to 55 degrees along with negotiating through a glacier. Camp II lies near the glacier and has sufficient place for camping. From the camp, we can see the climbing route we will be attempting the next day. We pitch our camp near a big glacier lake. If the weather is favorable, we get plenty of sunlight during the day. Overnight at Camp 2.

Our summit day begins in the early morning, at about 3:00 am. After light breakfast we start to climb though the rocky part with big boulders. Next, we reach a part of the glacier from where it is a fairly hard climb. Here the ground steepens, and we climb snow and ice on the Southwest Ridge. There is one short rock section but primarily the climbing is on snow and ice. The sharp summit is a narrow wedge of snow. After spending some time celebrating our success and taking pictures on the summit, we return back to Camp I. Overnight in Camp II.

Today we return back to Kyajo Ri Base Camp and celebrate the successful completion of our trip. The return trip will be relatively easier than the summit day as you will have already known what to expect on your journey back. Upon reaching the Base Camp, we relax for some time and if interested, we may even explore the surrounding area.

Understand that Himalayan Glacier strictly follows the ‘leave no trace principles’ whenever it can. We are a team deeply committed to maintaining ecosystems at home and around the world. Therefore, before leaving the base camp, we clean the area. The mountains are our home and we believe that it is unwise to disregard its value by not preserving it. After cleaning the base camp we return back to Namche Bazaar via Mende and Thame.

The trail descends steeply downward so we need to walk cautiously as our shaky legs continuously battle the rocky terrain. After crossing the suspension bridges over the fast flowing Dudh Koshi and its tributaries, the trail becomes more level and natural. After our arrival in Lukla, we stretch those sore legs and recall the experiences of the last couple of weeks. Overnight in Lukla.

We catch an early morning flight to Kathmandu after our long mountain journey. After reaching Kathmandu, we can take a rest or do some souvenir shopping. If we want to explore any other areas of Kathmandu, we may do that today. Our guides can help you with both souvenirs shopping or sightseeing. There will be a farewell dinner in the evening to celebrate the climbers’ successful summit of the Island peak. Overnight in Kathmandu.

Your adventure in Nepal comes to an end today! There is nothing to do but trade emails with your travel companions and organize your photos. A representative from Himalayan Glacier will take you to the airport, approximately 3 hours before your scheduled flight. On your way home you’ll have plenty of time to plan your next adventure in the wonderful country of Nepal.

Please note that often the Kathmandu-Lukla-Kathmandu flight gets delayed by a few hours or may even be canceled for one, two, or more days due to unfavorable weather conditions. Such conditions may arise even in the best seasons. Hence, in such cases, you must be prepared for long waits both at Kathmandu or Lukla airports, as this can happen either at the start or end of the trek or even both!  We do our utmost to avoid such delays, and fix you on next flight. Still, we suggest you to be prepared for possible delays/cancellation, and if possible to come with some extra buffer days (1-2 days) at the end of the trip to accommodate such delays. We also organize heli rescue in such conditions, if it’s available and upon request by our clients. The helicopter charges around USD 3500 and it can lift 4-5 persons per flight. If everything runs smoothly and if interested, you can also enjoy other activities like sightseeing, rafting, wildlife activities, shopping, etc during your buffer days. 

In case, the flight delay/cancellation happens at the start of trip and it goes so long that it disturbs your onward travel schedule, you are free to choose an alternative trip: such a trek in the Annapurna, Langtang, or any other regions.  If you are not interested in the alternative trip and would rather wait for the trip, you are welcome to wait in Kathmandu for as many days as it takes to get a flight to Lukla. However, please note that there will be no refund, if you lose your time waiting at the airport and do not take an alternative tour or you only do short trek later due to time limitation. If the cancellation happens before the trip, we will provide you accommodation and lunch in a guesthouse in Kathmandu. In case of the flight delay/cancelation after finishing of the trek, you will be responsible for all your expenses. Please also note that you will not be entitled to any refund for the services (such as hotel, transport, flight, etc) included in the package that you would not use later.