Lobuche Peak Expedition – 18 Days
The popular climbing and trekking peak beside Everest Base Camp — technical enough to matter, and the standard acclimatisation trip before a bigger mountain.
Trip Facts
| Duration | 18 days (15 trekking/climbing days, includes Everest Base Camp) |
|---|---|
| Max altitude | 6,119m / 20,075ft — Lobuche East summit |
| Difficulty | Challenging — technical summit ridge |
| Trek start / end | Kathmandu |
| Best season | Apr–May, Oct–Nov |
| Accommodation | Teahouse + 2 nights tented high camp |
| Group size | 2–8 (1:2 Sherpa ratio on summit day) |
| Permits | NMA climbing permit + Sagarmatha National Park + Khumbu municipality |
| Daily walking | 5–7 hours; 10–12 hours on summit day |
Overview
Lobuche is the peak directly above the Khumbu glacier at the Everest Base Camp trail's high point, and it has two summits. Lobuche West (6,145m) is a full expedition objective climbed by very few teams. Lobuche East (6,119m) is the one we climb, and it is the more interesting of the two trekking peaks in the Khumbu — a real technical summit rather than a snow walk, with a fixed-rope headwall, a genuinely narrow ridge and a corniced final section that has to be climbed carefully. We run it in eighteen days with Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar built into the acclimatisation, which is why this trip does two jobs at once. You walk the entire classic EBC route to 5,364m and stand on Kala Patthar at 5,545m for the Everest sunrise, and only then move to Lobuche East high camp for the climb. The result is the best-acclimatised summit day of any peak in the Khumbu, and the reason Lobuche East is the standard preparation for Ama Dablam, Manaslu and Everest itself. Summit day starts around 1am from high camp at 5,400m. The route crosses a glacier, then climbs a steepening snow and ice slope on fixed line to the ridge, and follows the ridge — narrow, corniced and exposed on the Khumbu side — to the true summit. Ten to twelve hours round trip. Sixteen to nineteen days is the sensible range for this mountain depending on whether Base Camp is included; ours is eighteen with EBC, Kala Patthar and one contingency day. You do not need a previous summit, but you do need to be comfortable moving on fixed rope with a pack — and Day 12 at high camp is where we teach it.
Highlights
- Two objectives in one trip — Everest Base Camp at 5,364m and a 6,119m summit
- Kala Patthar at 5,545m for the classic Everest sunrise before the climbing phase
- A genuinely technical summit — fixed-rope headwall, narrow corniced ridge, real exposure
- The best acclimatisation profile of any Khumbu climbing peak, and the standard warm-up for Ama Dablam and Everest
- Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse, Makalu and Ama Dablam from the summit ridge
- Tented high camp at 5,400m above the Khumbu glacier
- NMA summit certificate on return to Kathmandu
Itinerary
Arrive Kathmandu; expedition briefing and equipment check
Fly Kathmandu/Ramechhap to Lukla; trek to Phakding
Phakding to Namche Bazaar
Namche acclimatisation day — hike to Everest View Hotel
Namche to Tengboche monastery
Tengboche to Dingboche
Dingboche acclimatisation day — hike to Nangkartshang Peak
Dingboche to Lobuche village
Lobuche to Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp; return to Gorak Shep
Kala Patthar sunrise; descend to Lobuche village
Lobuche village to Lobuche East High Camp; camp set-up
High camp — fixed rope, ascender, abseil and crampon training
Summit day: High Camp to Lobuche East; descend to Pheriche
Contingency day for weather or a second summit attempt
Pheriche to Namche Bazaar
Namche to Lukla
Fly Lukla to Kathmandu; summit certificate and farewell dinner
Final departure
Everest Base Camp and Kala Patthar on Days 9 and 10 are the acclimatisation, not a detour. Sleeping at 4,940m and touching 5,545m before moving to high camp is what makes the summit rate on this itinerary high.
What the Price Includes
Cost Includes
- Airport pick-up and drop-off (private vehicle)
- All ground transport and internal flights per itinerary
- Teahouse/lodge accommodation on the trekking phase (twin share)
- Full-board tented camp at base camp and high camp
- Hotel accommodation in Kathmandu per itinerary (3-star, B&B)
- Three meals a day from the trailhead to the summit and back
- Government-licensed climbing guide (IFMGA or NNMGA certified)
- Climbing Sherpa on summit day — 1:2 ratio, 1:1 on Tilicho Peak
- Porter service on the trekking phase (1 porter per 2 members, max 25kg)
- All staff wages, insurance, equipment, food and lodging
- Climbing permit and national park/conservation entry fees
- TIMS card and Khumbu rural municipality fee
- Group climbing equipment — fixed and main rope, ice screws, snow bar, pickets
- Expedition tents, kitchen tent, dining tent, toilet tent and mattresses
- Emergency oxygen, mask and regulator carried by the climbing team
- Satellite phone and radio communication at base camp
- First aid kit, pulse oximeter and portable altitude chamber (PAC bag)
- Duffel bag, expedition map and company T-shirt
- Summit certificate issued by the Nepal Mountaineering Association
- All government taxes and service charges
Cost Excludes
- International airfare and Nepal visa fees
- Travel and medical insurance (mandatory — must cover helicopter evacuation and climbing to 7,500m)
- Meals in Kathmandu (except welcome and farewell dinner)
- Personal climbing equipment — boots, crampons, ice axe, harness, helmet, ascender, descender
- Personal trekking and down clothing
- Hot showers, Wi-Fi, battery charging and bottled drinks on trek
- Alcoholic and soft drinks
- Personal expenses — laundry, phone, souvenirs
- Emergency evacuation costs (recoverable from your insurer)
- Summit bonus for climbing Sherpa (customary — we advise the current rate)
- Tips for guide, Sherpa and porters
- Anything not listed under "Cost Includes"
Best Time to Trek
The most reliable season. Clear skies, stable weather, firm trails and the sharpest mountain views of the year. Book early; this is peak season on every route.
The second-best window and the finest season for scenery below 4,000m, when rhododendron forests are in full bloom. Warmer nights and longer days, with some afternoon haze building through May.
Clear, quiet and cold. Excellent for lower routes such as Poon Hill, Mardi Himal and Kathmandu Valley. High passes may close under snow.
Wet and leech-prone on most routes, but this is the right season for the rain-shadow trails: Upper Mustang, Nar Phu and Upper Dolpo.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lobuche East (6,119m), the NMA trekking peak, and the true east summit rather than the false summit that some operators stop at. Lobuche West (6,145m) is a separate expedition-permit peak with a serious connecting ridge; we run it only as a private trip for experienced alpinists.
Slightly, and in a different way. Island Peak has the bigger headwall; Lobuche East has the longer, narrower, more exposed summit ridge and a more sustained approach slope. Most climbers who have done both call Lobuche the more technical and the more satisfying.
No previous summit is required. You need strong trekking fitness and the willingness to learn on Day 12 — crampon technique, ice axe, ascending and abseiling on fixed line. Guides run a 1:2 ratio on summit day and 1:1 is available on request.
Because the skills and the profile match. Fixed-rope ascent with a pack, a 1am start, a long cold summit day at 6,000m, and sleeping in a tent at 5,400m are exactly what Ama Dablam, Manaslu and Everest ask of you. A Lobuche East summit is standard supporting evidence on an Everest permit application.
Yes. Base Camp, Gorak Shep and Kala Patthar are inside the itinerary and the price — there is no supplement for them.
Ready to Book This Trek?
Departures run year-round on your dates — private groups, couples and solo trekkers all welcome. Tell us your dates and we will send a full quote within 24 hours.
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