Ama Dablam Expedition

This is a day to check your gear with your guides. If needed, there’s time to buy extra gear from local suppliers in Thamel. Once the gear check is complete, you can sightsee for the rest of the day. Don’t miss some of Kathmandu’s world heritage sites (e.g. Boudhnath, Kathmandu Dubar square, and Patan Pashupatinath temple). Kathmandu is a hectic city full of culture and historic Places.

Today you will be transferred to the domestic airport for an early morning flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. Lukla is the gateway to Khumbu and the entire Everest region. After landing at the airstrip of Lukla, we start our trek by following a trail that gradually ascends as we trek along the left bank of the Dudh Koshi river. Our trek passes through pine forest and beautifully painted Mani walls to arrive at Ghat. From there a mixture of both uphill and downhill trekking will lead us to Phakding.

We continue our trekking along the trail with several ups and downs. We will make a stop at the National Park Service where the park entrance fee is collected. As the mountain path zigzags uphill, we emerge at a ridge top rest area that offers excellent views of Everest 8848m and Lhotse 8516m. The climb eases somewhat as the path goes along the dense rhododendron and pine forest to arrive at Namche Bazaar The Sherpa Capital.

In order to avoid any kind of altitude sickness and to ensure a successful summit climb of Lobuche Peak, we will take a day's rest at Namche Bazaar for acclimatization and exploration. Namche Bazaar is an extensive market town where there is always something to see and places to explore. For acclimatization, we can hike up to Khunde Hospital which was set up by Sir Edmund Hillary, or take an hour's walk up to Syangboche at 3800 meters for enjoying magnificent views of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku, and Kusum Kanguru.

After spending a good day's rest at Namche Bazaar, we will follow the trail that descends passing through the village of Trashinga. From there, we will make a long climb to reach Tyangboche. The first part of the climb is very steep, however, the climb eases as we trek through a densely forested area until we arrive at the stone gate built by lamas which mark our entry into Tyangboche.

After breakfast we head to Pangboche, take a short break, cross the Imja river and then walk up the ridge opposite the village. It’s a gentle ascent to this meadow base camp that sits at the foot of the mountain. With close-up views of this Himalayan mastiff, it’s one of the best campsites in the Khumbu. The base camp consists of a dining tent, kitchen tent, shower tent, and individual comfortable stand-up tents for clients. You’ll get a good sleep on your 8-inch sleeping mattress, critical for good rest after acclimatization rounds on the mountain before the summit push.

We take an easy day to give your body extra time to slowly acclimatize. You can enjoy the day by exploring base campgrounds, taking short walks, or sleeping and enjoying your base camp service. Eating good healthy food is critical for success so eat well. During one of the rest days before beginning your acclimatization rounds, we’ll conduct a special puja (Buddhist ceremony) with the local lama to request the mountain spirits for safe passage. This is a highlight for many climbers.

We resume the day by first checking gear before heading out for a practice session. On a setup of fixed lines, we’ll practice climbing up and traversing on fixed lines, and abseiling over knots. You should be confident using your gear whilst fully kitted up (gloves, climbing clothes). Please feel free to ask your guides if you have questions about safety and explanations about the climbing route.

The first round of acclimatization trips on the mountain starts with a hike up to 5800m, at the foot of the SW ridge route. We walk eastwards on a ridge around the south end of the Mingbo glacier that stretches off Ama Dablam. From the saddle, we can see Mingbo La pass further East which gives passage to the Hunku valley. We’ll hike up through a boulder field, cross a slab area, and up a gully to the ridge. The SW route can be clearly seen from this advantage point to give you a better idea of the challenges and fun ahead! We return via the same route for good food and rest.

Over the next 2 days, we’ll be climbing up to Camp 2 and sleeping at Camp 1, so this is the day to pack and prepare. You’ll be carrying your sleeping bag, mat, and personal items. Some climbers choose to bring 2 sets of sleeping bags so that 1 is left at base camp and 1 at a higher camp. This spares you from carrying your sleeping bag constantly up and down the mountain. Climbing Sherpas will head up today to set up the camps carrying tents, food, and fuel.

We follow the ridge route up through the boulder field, over the slab, up the gully, and then scramble further to the tent platform, or Camp 1. You’ll be welcomed with a hot drink and will be able to rest in your tent before dinner.

This is the first serious day of climbing. It begins with a hike up to 2 finger-like rock projections and a climb up to the ridge proper. It’s a narrow ridge that leads to an exposed traverse on tension fixed lines. We jumar up to the ridge again and follow this to another face traverse, that takes us to the Yellow Tower. It’s a 15m pitch around AUS 16/US 5.8/5b standard to our camp. Camp 2 is an infamous site known for its precarious location with 360o degrees of surrounding exposure. Once we’ve touched this site we drop back down to base camp.

With our full rotation now complete and familiarity with the route and its challenges established, we rest and wait for our summit push. This is time to rest and eat! We plan an extra contingency day for weather.

The final summit push! We follow the now-familiar route up to Camp 1.

We continue up to Camp 2. Get a good rest and sleep. The next 2 days will be challenging and rewarding!

The climb from Camp 2 to Camp 3 is considered to be the most difficult of the entire route. We begin by dropping briefly, traverse eastwards, and then ascend to the base of the Grey Tower. We climb up alongside the Grey Tower using a steep rock gully that’s approximately an 80m ascent overpitches. Watch for rock fall here especially if there are other parties overhead. We cross an exposed traverse that brings us to the West side of a large snow ridge (Mushroom ridge). From here it’s a climb up on this steep and narrow ridge to Camp 3.)

Our summit push! We climb up the steep snow/ice slope behind Camp 3 and move towards the right side of the face to a small snow field. We cross a Bergschrund and climb up to an ice crest. This follows the summit ridge route to the large glorious snowfield summit top! The central position of Ama Dablam affords stunning views of Khumbu peaks and beyond from its summit. From the summit, you see the summit of Island Peak just below you, and unobstructed views of Everest and Lhotse. Further a field in other valleys, Cho Oyu and Malakhu can also be seen. After a period of celebration on the summit, we climb and abseil down to Camp 3. Pack up camp and head to Camp 2 for the night. Well-deserved rest awaits.

After a quick breakfast, we pack up Camp 2 and return to base camp. Showers and good food are waiting to welcome you “home” from your summit success.

We hike down the ridge to Pangboche and then follow the main traffic of hikers back to Namche. Back in town, you can send emails to family and friends about your summit news, and enjoy good coffee and bakery treats. Visit the world's highest point Irish pop bar at Namche Bazer.

The last day of our Lobuche Peak with Everest Base Camp Trek leads from Namche Bazaar via Monjo to Lukla. We will descend passing through a densely forested area filled with rhododendron, oak, and pine trees. Our trek is a pleasant walk, except for a few short uphill climbs and then down to the Bhote Koshi River crossing it three times. We will make a final uphill climb of approximately about forty-five minutes will bring us back to Lukla.

After breakfast, we will take an early morning flight from Lukla and fly back to Kathmandu. You would surely like to see as much of Kathmandu as possible.

Today is your last day in Nepal so prepare for departure, packing, and returning gear. A massage is highly recommended to relax your tired muscles before your long-haul flight home. Our Airport Representative will drop you at the International Airport as per your flight schedule.

Our Airport Representative will drop you at the International Airport as per your flight schedule.