Lobuche East Peak Climbing, 15 Days

Before you go

• Experience: this is harder than Island Peak. A previous 6,000 m peak, or good experience of snow, ice and cold, is strongly advised. Tell us what you have done and we will say honestly whether Lobuche East or Island Peak is the better first peak.
• Fitness: you need excellent cardiovascular fitness. The trail days are 5 to 7 hours, and summit day is much longer.
• Altitude: you sleep as high as Lobuche at 4,940 m before the mountain camps. Your guide checks your oxygen level and how you feel every day. If you are not acclimatising, we do not go higher.
• The mountain: your climbing Sherpa decides whether you go on or turn back, and his decision is final. There is no refund for an unclimbed summit, because the permit, the staff and the flights are spent by then.
• Best months: April and May, and October and November. December to February is very cold, and June to mid-September has snow, cloud and avalanche risk.
• Permits: we apply for the climbing permit, so we need your passport details early. Permits need 48 hours, counted in government working days, so Nepali weekends and public holidays do not count. We ask for your details well before you fly.
• Group size and ratios: 1 to 20, all private. We never add strangers to a private booking.
• Insurance: buy it at home. It must cover climbing to 6,200 m and helicopter evacuation. We do not recommend insurance bought in Nepal.
• Spare days: keep at least one spare day before your international flight, because the Lukla flight depends on the weather.
• Never alone: you climb only with your guide team, and you never walk or climb apart from them.
• Hotels: hotel nights in Kathmandu are not included. We can book them for you, or you can stay at our family homestay (USD 15 per person per night), which supports the learning centre.