POKALDE PEAK CLIMBING

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OVERVIEW

INTRODUCTION

The Everest Region popularly known as Khumbu Region is a dream destination for a lot of trekkers and mountaineers out there. This region offers plenty of trekking and peak climbing routes, the difficulty ranging from normal to most challenging, therefore attracting all kinds of tourists whether it be amateurs or highly motivated professionals.

Pokalde Peak Climbing route is one of the shortest and easiest peaks climbing in the Everest Region of Nepal. Some people tend to think that this route is very challenging and dangerous because the Nepal Mountaineering Association has categorized this peak climbing as a group B climbing trek. However, the climb is not exceptionally challenging. The altitude difference between the Pokalde base camp and the peak is only about 650 meters and you do not require climbing gears like crampons and ice-axes to summit the peak.

Pokalde Peak is also known as Domla Ri and it was first ascended in 1953. Since then a lot of people have already summitted the peak, nowadays even amateurs make it to the top. The views from the peak and the entire journey to the peak are exceptionally beautiful. The base camp of the peak even amazes with its beauty even more decorated by the turquoise-colored glacial lake in the middle.

Once you complete this climbing trek route you will have beholden plenty of mountain peaks below and above 8,000 meters including the roof of the world, Mt. Everest (8,848m). Other peaks such as Ama Dablam, Cho Oyu, Lhotse, etc. add to the list and the list keeps continuing. The journey begins with an exciting flight over the Himalayas to land in one of the shortest and most dangerous airstrips in the world. After we land on Lukla, we begin our trek towards Phakding. We continue climbing and pass different exquisite locations before reaching the top of Pokalde Peak. The Everest Base Camp, Kala Pathhar, and many other locations are as exciting as being at the top of the Pokalde Peak.

Spring and autumn seasons are the most suitable periods to complete this climbing route. These seasons offer greatness in the views of the landscapes and favorable weather conditions which makes it comfortable for everyone to operate. Winter and summer seasons are very less predictable and dangers may surround you at any instant without you getting any hint.

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ITINERARY

Day 01: Airport pickup and hotel transfer

Our Representative will be waiting for you at the airport and welcome you in our typical Nepali culture. You will be quickly arriving at the hotel afterward where you can expect luxurious accommodation. There will be a welcome dinner tonight and afterward a proper sleep which is much needed after the long trip from home.
Day 02: Rest and Tour Day at Kathmandu

Today we will discuss our trekking and make necessary preparations and we will take a quick city tour of Kathmandu as well. After all the briefings regarding the trek and acquiring necessary permits, we will arrange a short trip to a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the city such as Pashupatinath Temple, Swayambunath Temple, Boudhanath Stupa and so on. A quick stroll in the streets of Kathmandu and last minute gear shopping is a perfect thing to do in the evening.
Day 03: Fly from Kathmandu to Lukla (2,840m) and trek to Phakding (2,850m) – 3 Hours

The early morning 30 minute flight to Lukla is definitely going to give you some Adrenaline rush. A quick tip: Try to sit in the right-hand side seat of the aircraft for mesmerizing views during the final approach to the airport. After landing, the trek begins where you follow Dudhkoshi River valley, cross Tharo Koshi River through a suspension bridge, and make a final climb towards Phakding. We will walk about 3 hours today before arriving at Phakding and stay overnight.
Day 04: Trek from Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440m) – 6 Hours

On our fourth day of the trip, today, we will walk about 6 hours, starting by following the same Dudh Koshi River. The first interesting destination of today would be Zamputhi where you will get a mesmerizing glance of Thamserku Peak. Another interesting destination will be Chomoa which is the site of an agricultural project. This location will offer you an insight into the farming style of the people in this region. On walking further uphill, we will enter Sagarmatha National Park and we continue to finally reach Namche Bazaar. On our trip today we crossed a suspension bridge that falls in 123rd position in the list of world’s tallest bridges. We stayed overnight in Namche.
Day 05: Acclimatization Day at Namche Bazaar

In the morning we make an acclimatization hike to Everest view hotel and during the afternoon we explore the local market of Namche Bazaar. There are a lot of things that Namche offers and a single day can be short enough for you to enjoy everything. For a short day of refreshment, you can go for a movie or to a bar for refreshment. There are also a few popular coffee shops in the area. And of course, if you want to have a refreshing massage before you really start climbing; Namche can be the perfect place to do it. Or, we have another choice of doing a quick hike to Syangboche, where you can get your first close-up of Mt. Everest, Lhotse, Amadablam and Thamserku.
Day 06: Trek from Namche Bazaar to Tengboche (3,860m) – 5 Hours

Today, 5-6 hours of the walk will take us to our destination: Tengboche. Leaving behind Namche Bazaar, we descend and walk along the Dudh Koshi River. Then we will hike uphill to reach Tengboche. You will see small Buddhist monuments and stupas on the way. On reaching Tengboche, you will see a monastery which is the largest monastery of the Khumbu region. We stayed overnight in Tengboche.
Day 07: Trek from Tengboche to Dingboche (4,360m) – 5 Hours

Leaving behind Tengboche, eleven kilometers of trekking would be required to reach Dingboche. This should take us about 5-6 hours. We will be walking around the lane of the alpine forest. When the fragrance of Rhododendron hits your senses, you will get boosted. We will cross Imja Khola, climb to Pangboche and continue hiking up to Dingboche. Dingboche is a traditional Sherpa village. Here you will get astounding views of Lhotse, Island Peak, and Ama Dablam. The warmth and hospitality of local people will make you forget the tiredness of the day. We stayed overnight here.
Day 08: Trek from Dingboche to Lobuche (4,910m) – 6 Hours

Today should not be a difficult day as we walk again for about 5/6 hours and we are used to it by today. Our trail will follow a moraine of the Khumbu glacier and pass across stone memorials for the climbers who had to face sudden demise on nearby summits. We continue our climb, getting escorted by the panorama of beautiful mountains and reaching Lobuche. This place has very few settlements, lies at the foot of an enormous Lobuche peak and provides us the rest for the day as we stay overnight.
Day 09: Trek from Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5,140m), afternoon explore to Everest Base Camp (5,365m) – 8 Hours

You desperately wanted to reach Everest Base Camp, didn’t you? Guess What? Today is the day your dream comes true. We also walk a bit more hours than the previous days and the walk is also going to be quite difficult. We will hike up to Gorak Shep and continue walking to Everest Base Camp. This is the location where people can go closest to the peak of Mt. Everest, without any mountaineering equipment. The view you will get of the surrounding ridges and peaks will be so astounding that it will be pasted in your memories forever. After spending some time in EBC, we headed back to Gorak Shep for our overnight stay.
Day 10: Hike from Gorak Shep to Kala Patthar (5,550m) and trek back to Lobuche (4,910m) – 7 Hours

Also popularly known as Everest View Point, Kala Patthar offers you the most magnificent views of the mountain peaks in the entire trek. A Hike of about 4 hours would take us from Gorak Shep to Kala Patthar. You will get a panoramic view of mountain peaks including the roof of the world, Mt. Everest and other peaks such as Nuptse, Pumori, Chagatse, Lhotse and others. Basically, you will be surrounded by gigantic snow-capped peaks. After the refreshing view from Kala Pathar we started our descent back to Lobuche.
Day 11: Trek from Lobuche to Pokalde Base Camp (4,400m) via Kongma-La Pass (5,535m) – 7 Hours

We depart from Lobuche and head eastwards towards the Pokalde Base Camp. Trekking through the rocky trails and climbing up the steep trails we pass the Kongma-La Pass (5,535m). Kongma-La Pass is the highest pass of our trip. There are other popular high altitude passes in the Khumbu region, which would be trailed in other routes. After striving to ascend and cross the Kongma-La Pass, we finally reached Pokalde Base Camp. We stayed overnight in the base camp in our tents.
Day 12: Trek from Pokalde Base Camp to High Camp (5,000m) – 5 Hours

A 600 meter ascent from the base camp to the high camp is all we have to do today. But it is not as easy as it sounds. We will be approaching the 5,000m altitude mark, so we must watch our steps and not hurry as we may get prone to high altitude sickness. This section of the trail contains loose rocks in the way that adds to the danger of it and demands more concentration. Viewing the majestic views of Mt. Nuptse (7,861m), Mt. Lhotse (8,414m), and Mt. Makalu (8,463m) we continue our climb steadily towards the high camp. After walking for about 5 hours, we reached the high camp. The Pokalde peak as seen from here appears as a rough edge overshadowed by a substantial part of the vast Mt. Nuptse. We stayed overnight in the high camp.
Day 13: Summit Pokalde Peak (5,806m) from High Camp and trek back to Chhukung (4,730m) – 9 Hours

It’s the summit day and the wait is finally over. As we begin our day for the prime destination of our trip, we also prepare ourselves for one of the toughest days of the entire trip. And trust me the end is going to be absolutely satisfying and rewarding. We walk through the challenging rocky path all the way to the summit which takes roughly 5 hours. As we reach the top, we can witness jaw-dropping scenarios of the surrounding peaks. Mt. Makalu (8,481m), Mt. Pumori (7,165m), and Mt. Ama Dablam (6,856m) are just a list of few among them. After spending some quality time at the top, rewarding ourselves for the difficulties we faced reaching there, we started our descent towards base camp. Then, we head towards Chhukung where we will be staying overnight.
Day 14: Trek from Chukkung to Tengboche (3,860m) – 7 Hours

We descend towards Tengboche after a good breakfast. The trail for today is nothing compared to what we walked on yesterday. The trail penetrates through the pine trees along the banks of the Imja River. We will pass through the Sherpa settlements of Pheriche and Pangboche with a jaw-dropping view of the Himalayas in the backdrop. Finally, we reached Tengboche where we stayed overnight.
Day 15: Trek from Tengboche to Monjo (2,835m) – 7 Hours

The destination of today’s journey is a place called Monjo. Seven hours of the walk should be comfortable enough for us to trek from Tengboche to Monjo. The trail begins with crossing a suspension bridge and ascending along the other side of the terrain to reach Namche Bazaar. Most of the routes are designed such as staying in Namche Bazaar while returning. However, we will continue descending towards Monjo. We stayed overnight in Monjo.
Day 16: Trek from Monjo to Lukla (2,840m) – 6 Hours

On the final day of the adventure, we head back to Lukla. We will catch a flight tomorrow morning to reach Kathmandu. The trail passes eastwards alongside the Dudh Koshi River all the way to Lukla. After we arrive at Lukla, we can roam around embracing the magnificent sceneries all around for the final day at the lap of the Himalayas.
Day 17: Fly back to Kathmandu from Lukla

Usually, the flights to and from are completed in the early morning because of the unpredictable weather patterns in the afternoon. So we can expect to be in our hotel in Kathmandu by early afternoon. In Kathmandu, a farewell dinner would be organized for you all to make the last day of your trip memorable.

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COST

TRIP INFO

TREK OVERVIEW

Trek Duration : 17 Days
Difficulty : Challenging
Highest Elevation : 5,806m ( Pokalde Peak)
Accommodation : Teahouses(Lodges)/Tented Camps
Transportation : By land/By Air
Group Size : 4-16 pax
Best Season : Spring (March-May) and Autumn (Sept.-Nov.))
Walk Duration : 6 hours Daily (Average)
Trek Cost :

TRIP HIGHLIGHTS

Visit the ancient Tengboche Monastery
Explore different mountain peaks above 8,000m
Witness the pounding view of Mt. Everest from Kala Pathhar
Explore the Everest Base Camp Area
Explore the Pokalde Peak area and summit to the top
Cross the challenging Kongma-La Pass
Witness the majestic Mahalangur Himalayan Range situated in the Khumbu Region
Pristine sceneries of various landscapes, waterfalls, and exotic flora and fauna
Experience the lifestyle of Sherpas.
Adventurous flight to and from Lukla

WHAT IS INCLUDED

WHAT IS EXCLUDED

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MAP

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EQUIPMENT CHECKLIST

RECOMMENDED TREKKING GEARS

Trekking without any necessary gear can be very harmful and won’t be easy. No one wants to get hurt in a remote and distant area where there’s no proper health care. So to make your trekking safer and as well as trouble-free, we have enlisted some of the necessary gears that you need to acknowledge before heading for trekking is the highlands.

NECESSARY TREKKING GEARS

Here are some of the trekking gears which will be there to assist us while climbing any kind of mountain trails weather be steep or narrow. These trekking gears are extremely useful and are handy so make sure you have it in your checking list.

Trekking sticks
Quick-drying pants and shorts.
Jackets and thermal suit to outcast cold
Rainwear (jacket and pants.
Duffle bags
Plastic boots and crampons
Mountaineering ice axes
Climbing helmets (optional)

PERSONAL ITEMS CLOTHING

It’s very necessary to wear the outfit according to the situation and place. So here are some of the essential clothing gears required for trekking.

Warm, insulated jacket or vest
Fleece pants
Warm hat
Bandana (if necessary)
Boots or shoes suited to the terrain
Socks (synthetic or wool)
Extra clothing (beyond the minimum expectation)
Spare plastics or Ziplock bags to distinct clean clothes and dirty clothes.

PERSONAL HYGIENE

It’s very essential to take your own health and hygiene from the new weather condition. So here are some of the apparatus that might be needed while the trekking period.

Sunscreen
Sunglasses
Sanitation trowel (if no washroom)
Baby wipes
Sun Hat
Toilet Paper
Urinary products
Sanitizers and alcohol wipes

TECHNICAL MATERIALS

To capture moments, to withdraw money, and to trek in a very efficient manner here are some technical gears that should be packed.

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