Lhakpa Ri Expedition  - 23 Days

Upon our arrival at the Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA) in Kathmandu, we will be greeted by a representative from Himalayan Glacier who will take us to our hotel. After checking in, we may take a rest or visit Himalayan Glacier’s office. In the evening there will be a welcome dinner in a traditional Nepali Restaurant where we will be able to enjoy authentic Nepali cuisine with a brief cultural program. Overnight in Kathmandu.

We spend the day in Kathmandu getting ready for our journey. We also train a little and prepare ourselves for our ultimate goal-summiting Lhakpa Ri. Our guides will provide training on peak climbing techniques and the proper ways of using climbing gears such as the ice axe, climbing boots and crampons, harness, ascender, etc. The training will also include using ropes to go up and down. We strongly believe that the training experience will boost your confidence and climbing skills to increase the chances of scaling the summit as well as to fully enjoy the experience. We can spend the rest of the afternoon in our hotel room. Overnight in Kathmandu.

After breakfast, we start our journey along the Friendship Highway for the Tibetan border. Along the way, we pass through some really splendid sights- cascading waterfalls, rivers and hill-side villages. At the border, we have our lunch and pass through the Nepalese side of customs and immigration. Upon crossing the Friendship Bridge, we will be at Tibet! Then, we take a 30-minute drive from Kodari to Zhangmu where we must pass another immigration checkpoint. From Zhangmu to Nyalam, we drive on a steep winding road. Overnight in Nyalam.

Although this day is set aside for acclimatization, health experts recommend that we stay active and move around even during the rest day instead of being idle. We have two options today where we can either spend the day exploring the town, visiting local shops and getting acquainted to the local lifestyle or we can even hike up to nearby hills. Overnight in Nyalam.

In the morning, we stroll around Nyalam which would help us to acclimatize with the high altitude. We depart for Lotingri after lunch. On the way, we will visit Milarapha Cave and Chamda Hot Spring for a little fun-filled afternoon. On our journey we encounter two spectacular passes: Thong La pass (5050m) and Lalung La pass (5082m). Along with the two passes, we also get to enjoy fabulous views of the high mountains including, Mt. Everest (8848m) and Shishapangma (8,013m). We spend the night in Lotingri.

Today is yet another day set aside for acclimatization. Today we hike up on hills close by to Lotingri. After the completion of our short hikes, we spend remainder of the day resting and/or getting to know the rich culture of the Tibetans.

Today, we head for the Everest Base Camp, which is also the ultimate highlight of the whole trip. Reaching the base of the world’s highest mountain is an achievement in its own right. We may capture this accomplishment with our camera while keeping ourselves busy with short treks which will help us in acclimatizing to the high altitude. At the base camp, we also enjoy the amazing Himalayan vista with the world’s highest peak, Mt. Everest, soaring above us. Overnight at Everest Base Camp.

Spending two full days at Everest Base Camp would not only be a memorable experience in itself, but will also help greatly in acclimatization. We can climb and explore beautiful hills nearby and enjoy the company of high Himalayan peaks. Overnight at Everest Base Camp.

From Everest Base Camp, we initially trek alongside the Rongbuk Glacier, an impressive frozen ocean of ice waves. Then, after a short run over gravel terrain, we walk along the lateral moraine of the Rongbuk glacier and skirt the Glacier from its east side. After an hour or so, we take the left path that leads steeply to the Japanese Camp. This camp is situated under a huge yellow rock. At this site, we enjoy the view of the Pumori Himalaya. Overnight at Japanese Camp.

The Interim Camp lies on the end of a nearby glacier. Along this trek, we enjoy the company of huge ice pinnacles. As we move ahead towards a dusty valley, we are welcomed with magnificent views of the East Rongbuk Glacier and high mountains like Pumori (7,161m/ 23,494ft) and Nuptse (7,861m/25,791ft). Although we might feel the high altitude, technically the route is quite easy. Overnight at Interim Camp.

Changtse is located adjacent to the north of Everest, hence the name Changtse which in Tibetan means north peak. Today, we leave the Japanese Base Camp and trek towards Changtse Base Camp which provides perhaps the best panoramic view of Mount Everest. The short trek will also help us with acclimatization.

As we continue to follow the east side of the Rongbuk Glacier, we get closer to the Everest and the Lhakpa Ri (7045m/23114 ft). Walking along the moraine rubble, we arrive at our destination, the Advanced Base Camp of Everest (ABC) which is situated near the Changtse Glacier. From here, the Everest Top appears so close that one might feel tempted to summit the mountain. In fact, the top of Everest is a little more than 2400 meters away from this camp. The Everest Advance Base Camp is also the closest non-climbers can get to the top of Mt. Everest. Overnight at Everest Advanced Base Camp.

It is important that we get properly acclimatized before moving higher up. Therefore, we spend another three days acclimatizing to the high altitude, take part in extensive training, and organize supplies. We enjoy panoramic views of the Himalayas with its glorious glaciers and peaks around the Everest Advanced Base Camp with short treks around the area for proper acclimatization. Furthermore, we may take plenty of pictures in the area to capture the unrivalled beauty of the Himalayan peaks including the highest peak in the world, Mt. Everest. Overnight at Everest Advanced Base Camp.

Today we leave advanced base camp after acclimatizing for three days and walk to halfway camp which is en route to Lhakpa Ri summit. In doing so, we will be less tired while actually summiting the Lhakpa Ri. It also gives us more time in case of unforeseen weather events and acclimatization.  Overnight at Halfway Camp.

Today we begin earlier than most days as it is the day we summit Lhakpa Ri which is the ultimate goal of our entire trip. Today will be the test of all the preparations that we have been doing so far. The snow slope leads to the north ridge, on the other side of the Kharta Glacier. If the weather permits, we enjoy magnificent views of the 8,000ers including Everest, Makalu, Cho Oyu, Kangchenjunga, and many more. After successfully summiting the Lhakpa Ri, we descent down to Advance Base Camp.

This is set aside should things don’t work out as planned due to weather or any other unforeseen circumstances.

We retrace our steps back to the Everest Base Camp (North face).

On the way to Zhangmu, we cross the Lalung La Pass (5,124m), Shung La Pass (5,200m) and Nyalam Pass (3,800m) which offers enchanting views of the surrounding Himalayan peaks. We then drive gradually down from the dry Tibetan Plateau towards the verdant and fertile vegetation of Zhangmu on the Nepalese side of the border. Overnight in Zhangmu.

A few kilometers drive from Zhangmu to Friendship Bridge over the Bhote Koshi River brings us to Immigration Control in Kodari where we are expected to complete some custom formalities. We then depart with our Tibetan guide and walk across the river where a Nepalese staff will be waiting for us. After around 4 hours of driving through deep valleys, we reach Kathmandu.

Your adventure in Nepal comes to an end today! There is nothing to do but trade emails with your travel companions and organiza 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.