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Adventure-pulse offers Lobuche Peak along with an acclimatization trip to Everest Base Camp in Nepal. If you are looking at climbing options along with the Everest Base Camp trek, then the best option would be Lobuche Peak with ample experience of adventure and a taste of Ice Climbing. Lobuche Peak offers spectacular views of the high Himalaya ranges of Khumbu Valley including Everest, Lhotse, Amadablam, and Makalu. From the summit, you will get a bird’s eye view of the entire Khumbu glacier.
Lobuche Peak lies close to Khumbu Glacier in the Everest Region, just 10 km from the Everest Base Camp. There are two distinct peaks, Lobuche East and Lobuche West. Although they are associated by a continuous ridge, there is a sharp gap and a very technical section between two peaks. The true Lobuche Peak East is quite prominent and is reached by climbing down the ridge into a marked cut off and then climbing an ice slope, back to the top.
Adventure-pulse offers the Lobuche Peak climb, for those who are interested in climbing even if you do not have prior training. We will attempt to better prepare you for the Lobuche Peak Climb by adding an acclimatization trip to Everest Base Camp (5160m) and Kalapatthar (5545m) before the attempt. Everyone can try it without bottled oxygen. We will have a day training at Lobuche Peak High camp before the summit for those who have never climbed. Our aim is to provide proper training on the use of ice axe, Jummar- ascenders, Descenders, crampons, rope fixing, climbing vertically on ice and all the techniques of basic ice climbing. Lobuche Peak is also climbed as a pre-preparation for Mt. Everest Expeditions.
Best Time : March-May & Oct-Dec
Duration : 19 days
Max. Altitude : 6,119 m
Commences At : Kathmandu
Ends At : Kathmandu
The first day of the Lobuche Peak Climb. Our team will be at the airport to receive you when you land in Kathmandu. Look out for beaming faces, frantic hands waving at you, and of course, signboards bearing our logo. We will personally escort you to your hotel, located in Thamel, which we dare-say is Kathmandu's most exciting district! Lined (in every conceivable direction) with pubs, restaurants and shops offering everything from expedition gear to local souvenirs. Thamel's musical, aromatic and bustling streets will keep you entertained, leaving you wanting to come back for more, every single time! Of all the times we’ve visited Nepal we still can't quite get enough of Thamel! Once the entire group arrives and checks into their rooms, a short but comprehensive briefing is done in order to prepare everyone for the journey to come and to resolve any queries that you might have before the Lobuche Climb begins. Our team will check your equipment to ensure that you are sufficiently prepared for the trek and will assist you with any last-minute shopping that needs to be done before we set off. After that, the day is entirely yours. The flight to Lukla is usually an early morning affair and while it's important to get an adequate amount of rest on your first night, it's also true that a little party never hurt anyone.
The 30-minute flight to Lukla will definitely occupy a prominent place on your list of top ten experiences during the course of this trek. The Tenzing-Hillary Airport here is one of the most challenging airstrips in the world. Built on a cliff-top 9334 ft in the air, this little runway is just 30 meters wide and 527 meters long (less than a tenth of the usual dimensions for a regular runway) with an 11.7 Degree gradient which is significant enough to make it one of the steepest approach landings in the world! There is no prospect of a successful go-around on-short final due to the terrain which is high (a jagged, unforgiving mountain face) immediately beyond the northern end of the runway and a steeply angled drop at the southern end of the runway into the valley below! Are you scared yet? Well, don't be! Only the most skilled and experienced pilots operate the flights that go to and from this area and they've practised it to perfection. The planes that land here aren't the regular Airbus and Boeings that we're used to either. The airport's paved asphalt runway is accessible only to helicopters and small, fixed-wing, short-take-off-and-landing aircraft such as the DHC-6 Twin Otter, Dornier 228 and Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter. The views of the Solo Khumbu's forested valleys and its panoramic snow-capped mountain ranges are absolutely surreal. What's more, for a plane that seats only 20 people, there's still an incredibly charming air-hostess and everyone gets a window seat!!! Once you land, we stop for breakfast during which time you will be introduced to the real muscle behind this climb – our team of intrepid Sherpas and their Yaks who will be entrusted with your luggage for the duration of the trek. We then start our journey to Lobuche peak by trekking to the quaint riverside village of Phakding.
Arguably the longest day of the climb during the course of the first part of our trek, our ascent to Namche Bazaar will see us intimately acquainted with the beautiful Dudh Kosi River. As she meanders through the Everest Valley, we enjoy her clever little game of hide-and-seek, at times appearing as a raging torrent under the many suspension bridges that we cross in our attempt to catch up with her, and, at others, a delightfully effervescent companion as we hop over rocks and through pretty tree-lined mountain trails inching closer and closer to the true heart of the Khumbu Valley - Namche Bazaar. Huge, beautifully carved Mani stones adorn the trail that cuts through the Sagarmatha National Park, accentuated by the colourful Buddhist prayer flags that flutter in the breeze seeking blessings from the clear-skied heavens above. As for the village itself, Namche Bazaar is teeming with life! The terraced approach with its quaint potato-kale-and-spinach farms, antiquated little shops (that sell everything you could possibly need), purposeful yak caravans, playfully curious local children, and its warm, welcoming people will leave your delighted heart, spoilt for choice.
At 3340m above mean sea level, after our first official night at high altitude, our fourth day sees us waking up to a well-deserved and much-needed rest day a.k.a ‘Acclimatization day’. The lofty snow-capped peaks of Thamserku and Kongde Ri stand guard right outside your window. With dreamy scenery now merging into everyday reality, even the most persistent dreamers find it impossible to delay their excitement at seeing these amazing peaks in favour for a few extra winks of sleep. Grumbling stomachs (and calf muscles alike) are in for a treat today too. A relatively relaxed start with a hot, wholesome breakfast - simple pleasures truly are the order of acclimatization days, which come along every time we gain roughly one vertical kilometre in height during this particular trail. The purpose of the Acclimatization day is to allow your body to get used to the lower levels of oxygen in the air. The universally accepted way of doing this is to "Climb high and sleep low". Once everyone has had their fill of the various manifestations of gourmet menus that Namche's tea houses are known to produce, we visit the Sherpa Cultural Museum which has many artefacts of historical significance and some detailed information on the local flora, fauna, topography and prevailing conditions of the region. The plateau that the museum sits on offers some great panoramic views of the Himalayas and marks the beginning of the trail for our hike to the Syangboche airstrip (you have to see this one to believe it) and the Everest View Hotel. It's a day full of exciting firsts for the Adventure Pulse teams including, but not limited to, your very first view of Mount Everest (weather permitting)!
The sheer beauty of this part of the trek to Everest Base Camp en route to climb Lobuche cannot be overstated, and is personally, our favourite day on the trail. The wildly fun descent to our lunch stop at the riverside village of Phukithanga takes you through expansive rhododendron forests which are a verdant delight after the monsoon season and are rivalled only by their pre-monsoon avatar which captivates all your senses with Its pink, white, and scarlet flowers that dance merrily above you and line the path all the way to the little village of Tengboche. Calories are never an issue in this part of the world, with lunch invariably being followed by immediate uphill stretches. Mount Everest stays visible and resolute all through the day's trek with her tell-tale plume of snowy clouds softly beckoning you closer. The route after our lunch stop is a steady, shaded climb whose forested slopes will have you shaking your head in utter-and-complete disbelief, at the fact that the Himalayas were, (in the not-so-distant past), entirely underwater, even as you walk through irrefutable proof of it! A beautifully carved gateway marks the end of the climb and welcomes you to Tengboche, home to the largest Gompa in the Khumbu region, the ancient and sacred Tengboche Monastery. Teams from Adventure Pulse bound for Lobuche Peak enjoy the rare privilege of attending the prayer ceremonies at this monastery where the monks and Lama bless our expedition and request the Gods to grant us safe passage to and from the mountain. Today will also be the day where you have your first view of Lobuche Peak.
There are certain treks, or sometimes, just specific trails that have the ability to turn your entire world upside down. The walk from Tengboche to Dingboche occupies a prime position amongst these. We start by descending to the settlement of Deboche which sits placidly sheltered in the shadow of Tengboche alongside the ImjaKohla River. If the trail itself doesn't immediately summon images of the scenery that one can usually only witness in epic fantasy movies like the Lord of the Rings, one look at the almost-elven-looking Rivendell Lodge here definitely will! The hike from Debouche to Dingboche is filled with stream and river crossings along wooden bridges, climbing up large steps, going through impressive colourful Tibetan gates, and the ever-present, never-tiring views of the Himalayas. Disguised as one of the infamous "Nepali flats", a term that you will doubtless hear from the locals at some stage during the course of your trek, there's only one way to find out what this trail is truly about! Cliché as it sounds, you will find that you discover more about yourself and who you really want to be with every passing step, as you gradually follow the river, crossing above the tree line into this improbably-beautiful, almost-lunar segment of our expedition. It's amazing to see just how much life there is up here despite the fact that you are at an altitude of more than 4000m and over 50 kilometres (not to mention a whole aeroplane ride) away from the nearest roads! The huge metal bridges that span the riverine valley will soon take you to the village of Dingboche where our groups invariably experience that magical, mesmerizing phenomenon we've all come to recognize as the first snowfall on the trail!
The acclimatization day at Dingboche is quite like the one at Namche Bazaar and involves a short day-hike uphill to a point called Nangakarshang which is ringed by some of the most technical and difficult peaks to climb. The viewpoint showcases the peaks of Lhotse (4th highest mountain in the world), Manaslu (the 5th highest mountain in the world), a new face of Ama Dablam (our constant travelling companion, initially deemed unclimbable by Everest's famous summiteer, Sir Edmund Hilary), Island Peak, Baruntse, Lobuche East and the ever steadfast Thamserku amongst others. From here we can see the route that we’ll take to make our way up to Lobuche. We get back to our tea house in time for a scrumptious lunch and spend the rest of the day enjoying Dingboche, exploring the area (basically following our noses as we chase the delicious smells that waft toward us from its little bakery) and playing various board/card games; or just reading a novel in a cosy corner in front of the Bukhara( fire stove) in the wooden dining hall.
The trek from Dingboche to Lobuche is where things suddenly start to get very real! There's a good chance you'll be walking through snow as you cross into the glacial moraine by this time which adds to the excitement. The fact that you are now only one short day away from Everest Base Camp adds to the excitement. Our route takes us to Lobuche over the Thukla-Dukla pass — a tough climb given the high altitude and steep terrain, both of which make for slow progress. However, perseverance is generously rewarded here and as you reach the top of the pass, you find yourself amidst memorials of some of the most famous climbers in the world who attempted Everest and died in the process! Lobuche village will also serve as our base camp once we come back from Everest Base Camp.
We start early in the morning from Lobuche and set off for Gorakshep in order to make our way to Everest Base Camp! The walk to Gorakshep takes us above 5000 mtrs, where even the most resilient climbers start slowing down due to the altitude. We stop at Gorakshep to catch our breath where we wait for our Sherpas to arrive with our bags so we can settle them into our rooms and in the meantime, fortify ourselves with brunch. Once everyone is well-rested, we set off on the glacier for Everest Base Camp. We head back to the shelter of Gorakshep's Tea house before night and turn in early to a welcoming soft bed and thick warm sleeping bags. The next day, after all, is the attempt at the summit of Kalapatthar.
Early next morning we will head off to Kalapathar. Following a grassy trail above Gorakshep. From here you can witness a beautiful sunrise over Mt. Everest. A 2-hour trek up. Once daylight breaks we head back down to Gorakshep to have a sumptuous breakfast before making our way to the village Lobuche which will serve as our base camp for our climb up to Lobuche. This will be the last night in tea houses before the summit of Lobuche. This is probably the most anticipated day of the journey as we finally get a chance to size up our challenge.
After breakfast, we’ll slowly start to trek towards Lobuche Peak Base Camp. The route starts off by heading towards Thukla before turning right and towards the base of Lobuche. Within 2 hours you will reach Base Camp and we then will continue to trek up to High Camp. The trail up to Base Camp is pretty much flat. From the base, the route Zigzags up through moraine and to high camp. All the training for Lobuche peak is finally paying off. Our climbing guide will re-check your gear and give you basic training about climbing, how to use your climbing gear such as crampons, using ice axes and walking on ice. The night will be spent in tents.
Today is the day we head to the summit of Lobuche Peak. We start the journey at midnight. Your climbing guide will give you a wakeup call, serve tea and some food. Once everyone is geared up we’ll start. Your guide will let you know when you need to use your climbing gear. Closer to the summit there is a ridge covered with snow from where you might have to use fixed ropes already placed. Within 6-7 hours you will be in Summit. The summit of Lobuche is a beautiful place from where you’ll have clear views of Mt. Everest, Ama Dablam and many fable peaks. After spending half an hour on the summit we’ll start descending to High Camp. It takes around 5 hours to come down.
This day is reserved in case of bad weather, in case of bad weather the previous day we will make our attempt to reach the summit of Lobuche Peak.
After we head down from Lobuche high camp, we start our journey back to civilization by and descend to the prettiest stopover on the trail, the evergreen, yak-breeding village of Pheriche. Here you will stay in the comfort of the tea house. This beautiful village is the sister village of Dingboche.
The next day we start our journey to Namche. Crossing Tengboche Monastery and thanking the gods for our successful summit. From Tengboche, we head to Phukitanga where we’ll have lunch and reach Namche by evening. Just in time for some celebratory drinks to our Lobuche Peak summit at the Namche Irish Pub.
Our last day in the valley, we trek to Lukla through the pine and fir forests and exit the Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo. We’ll have lunch at Phukding and reach Lukla by evening. Preparing ourselves for our flight out of the valley the next day.
Today we head back to the comfort of civilization, bidding adieu to Lobuche peak and the Khumbu valley. After we arrive in Kathmandu, we’ll drop you in Thamel and you can spend the rest of the day roaming the streets and exploring Kathmandu.
Our last day of the Lobuche Peak Climb. Adventure-Pulse representatives will drop you to the international airport.
Adventure Pulse plans all it treks during the most favourable season on the mountain but having said that weather is always an unpredictable factor. We usually look at weather reports before leaving for the Summit push. In case the weather is unfavourable for the Summit push, we delay it to the next day. A buffer day/s are always built-in the itinerary as a contingency if we get hit by unfavourable weather conditions.
Yes, do you some technical equipment for this climb, the three important things are – climbing shoes/crampons and a harness. But these can be easily rented from Dingboche or Lobuche at a reasonable price and you don’t need to spend extra on buying these.
The stay arrangements remain the same as on the Everest base camp trek, except for one day at the Lobuche High Camp. From Lukla to Lobuche and back, adventure Pulse organizes your stay in comfortable Tea houses. When we reach Lobuche peak base camp, the stay is in comfortable alpine-style tents on double sharing basis. We have a separate dining tent for your meals and a separate loo area. All Adventure Pulse treks and expeditions are on full board basis which includes your stay and food throughout the duration of the expedition.
Since the Lobuche peak climb follows the same route as the Everest Base camp trek, the communication system is quite good en route. You can find a combination of Phone network and wifi all the way till except on high camp. You also have an option of buying the Everest link wifi card for better wifi connectivity.
Lobuche peak climb in an excellent starting peak for a big Himalayan expedition. If you have good physical conditioning and stamina then you can definitely think of being part of a Lobuche peak expedition as your first climb. We at Adventure Pulse have special training days built in where we train you on basic technical skills required to climb the mountain. There is a one is to one ratio for climbers and guides and island peak climb can be the perfect start to your mountaineering carrier.
Lobuche Peak located at 6119 meters (20,075 feet) is one of the most popular climbing peaks in the Khumbu. One needs to be in very good physical condition to climb this peak. The climb through the night can be very strenuous and needs good stamina. Please refer to our “Physical fitness preparation section” for more details on this.
The Lobuche peak climb follows the same route as the Everest Base camp trek till Lobuche village. So the entry and exit points are the same as the Everest Base camp trek. One needs to start from Kathmandu and fly into Lukla. As we include an acclimatization trek to Everest Base Camp, we first head to Everest Base camp and on the way back turn from Lobuche Village and head to Lobuche High Camp.
As Lobuche Peak is a full-fledged mountaineering and climbing experience. You would need a combination of trekking as well as technical climbing equipment. Extreme temperature variations, high altitude, snow glare & proximity to the sun are certain factors which necessitate the need for proper mountaineering equipment. In order to enjoy your experience in the mountains, we have recommended that you carry the following with you.
QUALIFICATION
Lobuche requires some technical knowledge as well as a good fitness level. The physical fitness required for the Lobuche climb can be obtained by training around 2-3 months in advance depending on your current fitness level. High amount of cardiovascular endurance would be required and sports like swimming and running can help build that endurance. Walking up flights of stairs with a loaded backpack helps getting your muscles used to the rucksack you will be carrying. For complete beginners, basic technical knowledge is required for this climb, and so, we have allotted one entire day at Lobuche Base camp where your guide will teach you the basics of using equipment such as ice axes, jummars, ascenders, descenders, crampons, and the basics of ice climbing. However, if you have access to a rock climbing wall where you can learn how to use technical equipment, you can add that to your training plan.
Please remember, consistency is the key here. Do not do anything to exert yourself or something that will increase chances of injury. Running / brisk walking 4-5 kms for 5 days in a week is far better than running a 20 km on one day of the week and injuring your knee / ligaments in the process. If you can be consistent with above mentioned schedule, the Lobuche climb though physically challenging, will become a pleasant and enjoyable experience for you. Feel free to call us or mail us in case you want more details on how to prepare for this trek!
Contact: [email protected]