Ama Dablam Expedition

Preparation day in Kathmandu. Stay overnight at hotel in Kathmandu.

Fly from Kathmandu to Lukla which takes approximately 30 minutes and trek to Phakding. Stay overnight at lodge in Phakding. Early in the morning you will be driven from hotel to Kathmandu airport, after 30 minutes spectacular flight you will land to Lukla airport (2800m.).You begin your trek to Phakding (2652m.) and you walk for about 2 and half to 3 hrs. While trekking, you head up the Dudh Koshi Valley on a well-marked trail to Phakding (2652m.)

Trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3440 m.) which takes about 5 to 5 and half hours. Stay overnight at lodge in Namche Bazaar. This day you trek and cross the river on high suspension bridges. Beyond Monjo(2800m.) is the entrance to the Sagarmatha National Park which was set-up in order to protect and preserve this fragile mountain environment. You then ascend quite steeply to Namche and along the way, if the weather is clear, catch a first glimpse of Mt Everest in the distance. You can also enjoy the view of Mt. Kusum Kangaru, Thamserku, Konde-Ri, Tawache peak. You can also visit some of the village monasteries on the way of trekking to Namche Bazaar (3440 m.). Namche is the main trading village in the Khumbu region and holds a busy Saturday market. There is set a meeting place for the Hindu traders from the lowlands and the Tibetan yak caravans that have reached there by crossing the glaciated Nangpa La.

Rest at Namche Bazar for acclimatization and excursion around the places. Stay overnight at lodge in Namche Bazaar. Namche is tucked away between two ridges amidst the giant peaks of the Khumbu and has an abundance of lodges, tea shops and souvenir shops as well as a magnificent outlook. It is an ideal place to spend a rest day for acclimatization to the high altitude before heading off towards Tyangboche. For the acclimatization you walk upto Khunde Hospital which was set-up by Sir Edmund Hillary, or a one hour walk up to the Syangboche (3800m.) where Everest View Hotel is situated above Namche for the outstanding view of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Kusum Kangaru. There are also good views from the National Park Centre and Museum just above the town.

Trek from Namche Bazaar to Tyangboche (3850 m.) and it takes almost 5 hours. Stay overnight at lodge in Tyangboche. From Namche, the trail contours around the side of the valley, high above the Dudh Kosi. Now you have a glimpse of first really good views of the great peaks of the Khumbu including Mt Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam, Thamserku and Kusum Kangaru. Passing by several villages and numerous tea shops, the trail descends steeply to a bridge over the river Dudh Koshi at Phunki Tenga (3250m.).The village has an excellent place for lunch and you can take a short rest before making the steep climb to Tyangboche. Although exhausting due to the zigzag path, the trek has numerous attractions like rhododendron bushes, beautiful birds chirping and superb mountain scenery making your trek exciting. Tyangboche is famous for its legendary monastery, the largest in the Khumbu region.

Trek from Tyanboche to Ama Dablam Base Camp

Climbing period for Ama Dablam. Stay overnight at camp. Base camp (4600 m): Situated on a large grassy meadow with a wonderful views. To yak camp (5400 m): We use yaks to carry most of our equipment for this section, which saves us three to fours hours of heavy work. There is a rough track over very rocky terrain, which the yaks and we use.
To camp I (5800 m): Your first real camp is only one and half hours walk above Yak camp. This section is marked by rock cairns and involves boulder hopping and some easy scrambling. You sometimes fix a couple of sections with rope to be used as a handrail.

Camp I to Camp II (6000 m): Now you are really climbing. This section of the route is usually rock climbing only, depending on the season. The granite is high quality and the moves fun, challenging and exposed but “do-able”. You follow a narrow ridge, switching back and forth on each side of the ridge. This is the hardest rock climbing of the entire route. In places the exposure is extreme and you are very thankful of the fixed ropes in place. Whilst it is generally easier not to pull on the ropes all the time if you are finding the going getting a bit too hard you can just rest on the fixed rope. You can also use your jumar to help you over the odd spot of difficulties. Most of the climbing on this section is traversing on rock, so good rock climbing skills will help you move efficiently and quickly over this terrain.

Camp II: Situated on top of the Yellow Tower on a narrow platform this camp site is rather exposed and has fantastic views. If you dropped your cup from here it would probably land in base camp!

Camp II to Camp III (6300m): Now for the hardest snow and ice pitches of the route. We follow a system of steep snow and ice gullies up to join a feature called the Mushroom Ridge. Whilst the ridge itself is not as technical as the gullies leading up to it, the exposure here is palpable. It is a narrow, windy, snow mushroom-like ridge with giant Himalayan peaks in the background. This feature leads us up onto a small plateau at 6300 m, which serves the purpose of camp three.

Camp III: A cold and exposed position is the start of your summit push. The Sherpas will often use a full climbing rope to tie our tents down as the natural shape of the mountain can at times unfortunately funnel the wind to this location. It is however the only safe flat piece of real estate within range of the summit.

Summit day: The initial route is to the right of the huge “dablam” (ice cliff), up a moderately steep slope, which is often iced. Once past this feature we move toward the centre of the face. The angle eases slightly and a couple of tough hours later we emerge on the summit (6856 m). The summit is the size of a tennis court and allows us to move around and take pictures. Five of the world’s six highest peaks are clearly visible, with many other 7000m and lesser peaks filling the gaps.

Trek from Ama Dablam Base camp to Namche. Stay overnight at lodge.

Trek from Namche Bazaar to Phakding (2652m.) and it takes about four hours. Stay overnight at lodge. The trails descend steeply for early one and half hours. After that, the path has small ups and down to Phakding through Monjo.

Trek from Phakding to Lukla (2886m) and it takes about three hours. Stay overnight at lodge. Your final day’s trekking follows the Dudh Kosi back down to Lukla.

Fly from Lukla to Kathmandu and transfer to hotel. Stay overnight at hotel in Kathmandu.

Rest day in Kathmandu. Stay overnight at hotel in Kathmandu.

Fly out from Kathmandu.