Island Peak Climbing - 14 Days Expedition | Everest Region Summit

In short: the Island Peak climb suits fit trekkers who want a technical first summit above 6,000 m, with a steep headwall on fixed rope, after four days on the Everest trail. It runs 14 days from Kathmandu, tops out at 6,165 m and is graded technically challenging. Prices start from USD 3,499 per person on Budget, USD 4,999 on Standard and USD 9,999 on Luxury, with permits, all technical gear, emergency oxygen and the USD 500 garbage fee included.

Island Peak Trek Highlights

• Stand on the summit of Island Peak (Imja Tse) at 6,165 metres (20,226ft), with Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam framed directly above you
• Four days on the Everest Base Camp trail before turning toward Island Peak base camp; the acclimatisation profile is built into the route, not bolted on
• Pre-summit skills session at Island Peak Base Camp on the afternoon before the climb: fixed-rope ascent, jumar and descender technique, ice-axe arrest and glacier travel, taught by your own climbing Sherpa
• All technical gear included in every tier: double mountaineering boots, crampons, harness, jumar, figure-of-eight descender, ice axe, helmet
• One climbing Sherpa per trekker on summit day — not a shared rope team
• 14-day schedule with a built-in contingency day at Lukla, so a cancelled mountain flight does not cost you your international connection

Why I built this trek the way I did

I am Shreejan, the founder of The Everest Holiday. Island Peak and Mera Peak are the two trekking peaks most clients ask about, and people assume they are interchangeable. They are not. Island Peak is technically harder. The summit headwall is steep, the final 100 metres are on fixed rope, and the exposure on the summit ridge is real. Mera Peak is the altitude challenge with gentle technical terrain. Island Peak is the technical challenge with slightly lower altitude. If you have done a glacier travel course, Island Peak is the better fit. If you have not, please tell me before you book.

The route matters. We approach Island Peak via the standard EBC trail, then divert at Dingboche. By the time you reach Chhukung and Island Peak Base Camp, your body has already adjusted to 4,400 metres over eight days. Operators who try to fast-track this with helicopter assists or shortened acclimatisation are gambling with your summit chances. The slow approach is what works.

The training day at Island Peak Base Camp is non-negotiable in our package. You spend a full day on the glacier with your climbing Sherpa before summit night. Crampon technique, fixed-rope ascent on jumar, descent on figure-of-eight, ice-axe arrest. If you have never done this before, the first time should not be at 4am on a steep snow slope in the dark. We teach it in daylight, on terrain that lets you make mistakes safely.

Every booking on this trip helps us pay the teacher's salary at our Nagarjun Learning Center in Saldum, where 70 children get free education. The salary is currently funded out of my own pocket. Your trek is what makes that sustainable.

The summit ridge of Island Peak narrows to a blade of snow and ice at 6,165 metres (20,226ft). Your boots punch through the crust with each step, the rope stretches taut between you and your climbing Sherpa, and the world drops away on both sides, the Khumbu Glacier to the west, the Imja valley to the east, and the summit pyramid of Lhotse filling the sky directly ahead. This is the moment you cross the line from trekker to mountaineer. This is Island Peak.

Fourteen days from Lukla to the summit and back. The route follows the classic Everest trail through Phakding, Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, and Dingboche, then turns east to Chhukung and the base camp of Island Peak (Imja Tse). You will walk the same Sherpa trails and sleep in the same teahouses as every EBC trekker, eat dal bhat in dining rooms warmed by yak-dung stoves, cross prayer flag–draped suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi River, and then, when the trekkers turn back, you keep going. Up onto the glacier. Up onto the headwall. Up onto the summit ridge where Nepal unfolds beneath you in every direction. All climbing gear is provided by The Everest Holiday. Your climbing Sherpas are expedition-qualified professionals from the Khumbu region.

What Makes This Climb Special

• Summit Island Peak (6,165m / 20,226ft), your first peak above 6,000 metres, with panoramic views of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Ama Dablam, and Baruntse
• Combine the classic Khumbu trek with real mountaineering, trekking through the Everest region before climbing a Himalayan summit
• All climbing gear provided by The Everest Holiday, ropes, harness, ice axe, crampons, helmet, and all technical equipment
• Climb with experienced TEH climbing Sherpas from the Khumbu region, expedition-qualified mountaineers who know this peak intimately
• Acclimatise through the classic Everest corridor, Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche, giving your body the best preparation for the summit push
• Visit Tengboche Monastery, the spiritual heart of the Khumbu, with Everest and Ama Dablam framed behind it
• Trek to Chhukung (4,730m / 15,518ft), a quiet, spectacular valley beneath the south face of Lhotse, away from the main EBC trail crowds
• At USD 3,499 for the Budget tier, one of the most affordable 6,000m peak climbing packages available from any reputable operator
• Hike to the Everest View Hotel (3,880m / 12,730ft) on your Namche rest day, your first clear view of the summit
• Cross suspension bridges draped in prayer flags over the Dudh Koshi River, some of the highest in the world
• Experience the transformation from trekker to climber, the moment you clip into the fixed rope on the headwall, everything changes

14-Day Island Peak Climbing Overview

Fourteen days splits neatly into three phases: the approach, the acclimatisation, and the climb. The first phase follows the Everest trail from Lukla through Phakding (2,610m / 8,563ft), Namche Bazaar (3,440m / 11,286ft), Tengboche (3,860m / 12,664ft), and Dingboche (4,410m / 14,469ft). This is the same trail walked by EBC trekkers, the suspension bridges, the Sherpa villages, the slowly transforming landscape from rhododendron forest to glacial moraine, and it serves as your acclimatisation corridor.

At Dingboche, you turn east. While EBC trekkers continue north towards Lobuche, you head into the Chhukung valley (4,730m / 15,518ft), a quieter, less-travelled arm of the Khumbu that sits beneath the immense south face of Lhotse. From Chhukung, you climb to Island Peak Base Camp (5,087m / 16,690ft), where your climbing team sets up camp and you prepare for the summit push.

Summit day begins well before dawn. You climb the glacier in the dark, headlamp illuminating the ice, then ascend the headwall on fixed ropes, ice axe and crampons biting into the slope, before emerging onto the summit ridge. The ridge is narrow and exposed, with the Khumbu on one side and the Imja valley on the other. At the top, 6,165 metres above sea level, you see Everest, Lhotse, Makalu, Ama Dablam, Baruntse, and a horizon of Himalayan peaks stretching in every direction. It is the moment that separates this trip from every other Everest region trek.

After the summit, you descend to Chhukung and retrace the classic trail through Namche to Lukla, then fly back to Kathmandu. You return not just as a trekker, but as a climber who stood on a Himalayan summit.

Before You Arrive

Please arrive in Kathmandu by 4 PM the day before your trek. This gives you time for a final gear check, a climbing briefing with your guide and climbing Sherpa, and a good night’s rest before the early morning start.

Your Online Briefing

Think of this as our first coffee together, but online. After you book, we schedule a video call where we walk you through every detail: what to pack for both trekking and climbing, what the summit day is really like, how to prepare physically, what climbing experience (if any) you need, and anything else on your mind. No question is too small.

This is also when we learn about you. Our trek itinerary does not include your hotel in Kathmandu, during the briefing, share your preferences and budget, and we will arrange accommodation that fits. Whether you want a simple guesthouse in Thamel or a five-star hotel, we will set it up for you.

Lukla Flight, What You Need to Know

The flight to Lukla is one of the most dramatic in the world, a short ride between mountain peaks that ends on a runway carved into a hillside at 2,860m (9,383ft). It is weather-dependent, and flights can be delayed by fog, cloud, or wind, sometimes for a full day. This is normal in the Himalayas and nothing to worry about, but it is something to plan for.

We strongly recommend keeping two buffer days at the end of your trip before your international flight home. During peak season (roughly 15 March–15 May and 25 September–30 November), flights may operate from Manthali Airport instead of Kathmandu. All ground transport is included in every package.

Your Trek, Your Way

Every trek we run is private, your group only, no strangers added. Whether you choose Budget, Standard, or Luxury, the mountains are yours and your companions’ alone. This is not a conveyor belt. This is your personal Himalayan experience.

Your hotel in Kathmandu is not included in the trek package, and that is intentional. Kathmandu has everything from USD 10 guesthouses in Thamel to five-star hotels with rooftop views. During the online briefing, tell us what you prefer and we will arrange it for you. Your trek package begins the moment you leave Kathmandu for the mountains.

Climbing Gear and Team

All climbing gear is provided by The Everest Holiday, ropes, harness, ice axe, crampons, helmet, and all technical equipment needed for the summit push. You do not need to bring or buy any climbing-specific gear.

Your climbing Sherpas are expedition-qualified professionals from the Khumbu region. Our team includes our climbing Sherpa and our expedition-qualified guides, all with mountaineering qualifications and deep experience on Island Peak and other Himalayan summits. If our primary team is unavailable, we deploy climbing Sherpas from the Khumbu who live a day below the peak and are always ready.

Difficulty: Technically Challenging

This is the hardest package we offer in the Everest region. The trekking portion is equivalent to the classic EBC route, 5-8 hours of walking per day over mountain trails. The climbing portion adds technical mountaineering: glacier travel, fixed rope ascent on a steep headwall, crampon and ice axe use, and an exposed summit ridge. Previous trekking experience is strongly recommended. Previous climbing experience is helpful but not essential, your climbing Sherpa will teach you everything on a training session before summit day. Excellent cardiovascular fitness is required.

Island Peak at a glance

Best time to climb Island Peak

Month by month: when to go

The approach follows the Everest trail to Dingboche, so the night lows are the Dingboche figures from our Everest weather page, modelled data you should treat as a guide and not a forecast. The royalty is the Nepal Mountaineering Association's published rate, and we pay it for you. See Everest weather month by month and Island Peak cost: the 2027 budget breakdown.

Permits

We arrange the NMA climbing permit, all park fees and your TIMS card, and include them in your climb price.

What the price covers, and what it does not

You need the NMA climbing permit (royalty USD 350 in spring, USD 175 in autumn, winter and summer), Sagarmatha National Park (NPR 3,000), the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality fee (NPR 3,000) and a TIMS card (NPR 2,000). The USD 500 garbage fee for the climb is included in your price on every tier, as are emergency oxygen and all technical gear. We arrange everything, and permits need 48 hours in government working days. See NMA rates for 2026.

Not in the price: your international flights, your Nepal visa (USD 50 for 30 days on arrival), climbing insurance bought at home, your Kathmandu hotel, tips for your team, and on Budget your meals on the trek. Meals on the climbing days above base camp are included on every tier.

A 10% deposit (about USD 350 on Budget) confirms your dates. You pay it by card through Himalayan Bank's secure gateway, and you pay the balance when you arrive in Kathmandu, in US dollars or euros, in cash or by card (card payments carry a 3.5% bank charge). If your plans change we move your trip to any date within a year, free, with 72 hours' notice. The deposit itself is not refunded if you cancel. If we cannot run the trip ourselves, we refund what you have paid, less taxes, bank and card charges and any money already spent for you on permits and flights.

Getting there

You fly from Kathmandu to Lukla (2,860 m), about 40 minutes, and follow the Everest trail through Phakding, Namche, Tengboche and Dingboche before turning east to Chhukung. In the busy seasons, roughly 15 March to 15 May and 25 September to 30 November, flights may leave from Manthali (Ramechhap) instead, with a midnight pickup and a 4 to 5 hour drive. Day 13 is a contingency day at Lukla, so a cancelled flight does not cost you your international connection, but keep a spare day or two after the climb as well. On Luxury you fly by helicopter between Kathmandu and Lukla both ways. See is the Lukla flight safe.

Safety and altitude

You sleep at Namche (3,440 m) with a rest day, Tengboche (3,860 m), Dingboche (4,410 m) with a rest day, Chhukung (4,730 m) and Island Peak Base Camp (5,087 m), so your body has had eight days to adjust before the summit at 6,165 m. Summit day crosses a glacier, climbs the steep headwall on fixed rope (the final 100 metres) and traverses a narrow summit ridge with drops on both sides. You climb with crampons, ice axe, jumar and descender, and one climbing Sherpa goes with each climber. We carry a pulse oximeter, first aid and emergency oxygen, and the climbing team's decision on summit night is final. Your insurance must cover helicopter evacuation to 6,165 m with mountaineering and climbing included, and you should buy it at home. See is Island Peak dangerous and Chhukung, the Island Peak base.

Packing basics

All technical gear is ours and included on every tier: double mountaineering boots, crampons, harness, jumar, figure-of-eight descender, ice axe and helmet. You bring your own warm layers, a down jacket, a good sleeping bag, gloves and liner gloves, a warm hat, goggles and sunglasses, a head torch with spare batteries and boots for the trek. If you do not own a sleeping bag or down jacket, tell us at your online briefing and we will lend you ones. We send the full list when you book.

Budget, Standard or Luxury: what actually changes

If you are going alone, Luxury still gives you your own dedicated porter. On Standard there is no porter, because porters are shared one between two trekkers, so your guide carries up to 10 kg of your bag instead. Budget never has a porter. You can add a porter of your own on any tier for USD 25 per day, plus 13% VAT and the 3.5% bank charge on top. On a climb your guide goes to base camp and a climbing Sherpa goes from base camp to the summit; you never climb alone.

Kathmandu hotel nights are not included in any trek tier, so tell us your budget at the online briefing and we will book them for you. We name your guide once you have booked.

Climbing as a group?

Bring your own group — friends, family, a club, a university society, your workplace, or a cause you are raising money for — and any of the three comfort levels can run as a private group on your own dates. Private or group, the price per person is the same; we never put strangers in your group. The more of you there are, the less each person pays:

The organiser travels free. Get fourteen or more paying people together and whoever organised the group joins the trip free. The one thing the organiser still pays is their own flights and permits, since those are fixed costs we pay out for every person and cannot absorb, and we cover the rest. Your departure is guaranteed on your own dates — from a solo traveller up to a group of twenty, and we never merge you into another trip.

Planning a group? Message me on WhatsApp with the trip, roughly when, and how many of you, and I will send you a price and a plan.

Compare Our Three Packages

Himalayas for Every Budget, same climbing Sherpas, same gear, same summit, three comfort levels.

Difficulty: Technically Challenging

Island Peak combines a full multi-day Himalayan trek with technical mountaineering. The trekking section (Days 1-8) involves 5-8 hours of walking per day over mountain trails with significant altitude gain. The climbing section (Days 9-11) involves glacier travel, fixed rope ascent on a steep ice headwall, crampon and ice axe technique, and an exposed summit ridge at 6,165m. You should be in excellent cardiovascular condition and comfortable with sustained physical effort at altitude. Previous climbing experience is helpful but not essential, your climbing Sherpa provides training and guides you through every technical section. Two acclimatisation days are built into the itinerary, and our guides carry first aid kits, altitude medication, and pulse oximeters.

Six thousand metres, one school year

Imja Tse is the most-climbed 7,000-metre peak in Nepal. It also has the largest charity contribution from any Everest-region trek we sell on the site, because the technical-climb pricing leaves more margin for what we care about. Every booking sends a fixed share to the Nagarjun Learning Center in the village of Saldum, where roughly seventy local children study for free and eat two meals a day on us. The centre is registered with the Nepalese authorities and listed on the UN Partner Portal.

More to read before you book

• Island Peak training plan
• Can a beginner climb Island Peak
• Mera Peak or Island Peak: which to climb first
• Island Peak: your first summit above six thousand metres