Mt. Ama Dablam

01 / THE EXPERIENCE

Discover the journey

Stand in almost any part of Nepal and do a 360 - degree sweep: you will feel the layers of myth, legend, history, culture, art and architecture. On top of that, this nation is a playground of mountains having more than 1,310 of them making itself a world away from ordinary, and a spin to it leaves one feeling refreshed and complete. Perched at 6,812m above the sea level, Ama Dablam, translates to "Mother's necklace". ‘Ama’ meaning mother, refers to the mountain's broad ridges, which are seen to resemble a mother's arms reaching out to shield her children. Dablam, the name of the pendant worn by Sherpa women to honor the gods historically, refers to the conspicuous hanging glacier that hangs below the peak. This mountain is the third most popular Himalayan peak for permitted expeditions not because of its height but because of the aesthetic it holds. Also, it is depicted on the Nepalese banknote for one rupee. By using the Southwest Ridge, Mike Gill (New Zealand), Barry Bishop (USA), Mike Ward (UK), and Wally Romanes (New Zealand) conquered Ama Dablam for the first time on March 13, 1961. They had spent the winter at 5,800 meters close to the peak's base as a member of Sir Edmund Hillary's 1960–1961 Silver Hut expedition, thus they were acclimated to the altitude which is a key for mountain climbing. Anyone who has undertaken the journey to Everest base camp is familiar with the peak because it predominates the Eastern skyline for several days of the journey. The Southwest Ridge is by far the most used route. To reduce risk, climbers now choose to put up just two camps as a result of the avalanche. When climbing Ama Dablam, you need a climbing permit and a liaison officer. The ideal climbing seasons are April through May (before the monsoon) and September through October.

03 / YOUR ROUTE

Journey at a glance

Day Day 1: Arrival in Kathmandu (1,400m/4,593ft) — Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be picked up by our representative at the airport and taken to the hotel. You will meet your guide, discuss the trek program, and make final preparations for the trek. If you have an early arrival, we will take you for a sightseeing trip in the UNESCO world heritage site in Kathmandu and later, in the evening, you’ll have dinner in the hotel. From 20th March 2020 due to heavy congestion, all flights to and from Lukla depart from Ramechhap airport, 130km, a 4-hour drive from Kathmandu. It means now it’ll take an extra day to get to Lukla from Kathmandu though the flight price is the same. Day Day 2: Welcome brief, Gear check and Official formalities in Kathmandu — Today, you will go on a sightseeing tour of the city, visiting some of the popular tourist attractions. In the afternoon, you will have a pre-climbing briefing with your guide and do some final preparation. Day Day 3: Drive to Ramechhap (439m/1440.28) and Flight to Lukla (2,800m/9,186ft) — Kathmandu - Ramechhap via Road- Lukla via Air You should travel to Ramechhap from Kathmandu to catch your Lukla Flight and follow the same route for returning to Kathmandu. After having breakfast in the morning, you’ll have to take a bus ride to Ramechhap which is around 5 hours and have lunch on the way to where you can try various Nepali cuisines. After you reach Ramechhap, you’ll take a flight to Lukla from Manthali Airport which lies at an altitude of 439 m above sea level and is located at a distance of 132 km east of Kathmandu.A flight to Lukla is the most unpredictable part of Everest Three Pass trek itinerary and if the flight takes place as scheduled, you’ll reach Lukla in the evening or else you’ll need to wait for the next day to proceed to Lukla. There are several airlines operating flights to Lukla; Tara/Yeti Air, Summit Air,etc. and you can choose the one you like. Moreover, the best views of the mountains can be seen on the way to Lukla. Dinner will be ready at the hotel and your guide will give you the brief about the itinerary for following day. Distance from Kathmandu to Ramechhap - 132 km/82mi and Ramechhap to Lukla – 73.4km/45.6mi Time – 5 hrs drive, 40 min flight Total ascent – m/ ft Total descent – m/ ft Day Day 4: Trek to Phakding (2,652m/8,698ft) or Monjo (2,800m/9,186ft) — Lukla – Chheplung – Ghat – Phakding – Bengkar – Monjo In the early morning, you will have breakfast at the hotel and walking part of the trek begins. The trail starts from Lukla and descends to the Dudh Kosi River in Phakding and lunch will take place on the way. The first day gets difficult due to cold, high altitude and backpacks. You will get the view of picturesque sherpa villages, Tibetan Scriptures engraved Mane Walls and Chhortens and monasteries throughout the trails. Chhortens are like temples and often have relics of buddha in them. You’ll reach Phakding or Monjo exploring the trail and have dinner and overnight stay at hotel. Distance from Lukla to Phakding - 6km and Lukla to Monjo– 13 km/8 mi Time – 3h45min. Total ascent – 530 m/1738 ft Total descent – 543 m/1781 ft Day Day 5: From Phakding or Monjo, Trek to Namche Bazaar (3,440m/11,283ft) — Monjo - Jorsale - Namche Bazaar The trek from Phakding continues after breakfast, along the Dudh Kosi River, passing through pine forests and crossing several suspension bridges to Monjo. In Monjo, there is a national park checkpost. We will cross the river twice and reach Larcha Dovan, the confluence of two major rivers in Everest Valley and lunch will be in any small hotels or restaurants on the way. Here, we will cross the most iconic suspension bridge and follow a steeper trail to the historic trading town of Namche Bazaar which is surrounded by scenic mountains. From Phakding it's an 8 hrs trek and from Monjo, it's about 5-6 hrs. Dinner will be at Namche Bazar and rest for overnight. Distance – 6,5 km/4 mi Time – 4-5h. Total ascent – 662 m/2171 ft Total descent – 70 m/230 ft Day Day 6: Acclimatization Day in Namche Bazaar — Namche - Khumjung - Khunde - Namche You will take a rest day to acclimate at the high altitude. You can hike to the Everest View Hotel for a panoramic view of the Mt. Everest with delightful breakfast and tea or coffee. Then hike to the beautiful sherpa village of Khumjung and Khunde, have lunch there and return back to Namche via yak farm above Syangboche Airport. There is a newly opened Himalayan Museum and Sustainable Park in Syangboche. You can also explore the town, visit the local markets and Sherpa Cultural Museum if time permits. Make sure to charge all your electronic devices in Namche from there on you’ll have to pay extra for charging. Overnight stay at hotel. Day Day 7: Trek to Debuche (3700 m) via Tengboche Monastery — Namche - Tengboche - Debuche We, then, head towards Debuche which looks like a scene out of a movie. On the way to Debuche, we cross Tengboche where we will visit Tengboche monastery which was recently built. Small rhododendron trees grow just far enough apart to make the woods very walkable, though there are narrow trails running through it every which way. The rocks beneath your feet are covered in dense emerald moss. On some of the larger ones, you can make out ancient lettering that reads "forgotten mani stones" if you look closely. Distance - 12 km/7.5 mi Time - 6-7 hours Total ascent: 600 m/1,968 ft Total descent: 700 m/2,296 ft Day Day 8: Trek to Ama Dablam base camp — Debuche - Ama Dablam base camp Today, the real summit will begin after reaching Ama Dablam Base Camp. The path brings you with a moderate rise to reach a wide-open field just beneath towering Mt. Amadablam at base camp, after a short stroll down to the Imja tse river then steep up for a short while on top of a ridge within huge yak pasture fields. Distance - 5 km/3.1 mi Time - 3-4 hours Total ascent: 900 meters/2,952 ft Day Day 9: Rest day at Basecamp - Acclimatisation walk — This is another necessary rest day to acclimatize with the altitude. There will be ample time preparations for the climb and short hike to explore around less visited areas by the main flow of trekkers. Day Day 10: Training Day - Fixed Lines / Traverse / Summarizing the techniques — Although you might be a great climber, keep in mind that every mountain is different and comes with unique challenges. Since all climbing teams are involved in moving different types of equipment and camping gear to high camp, it is highly important for you to prepare for the climb by ferrying cargo to the following high camps loaded and carried by high altitude strong porters and guides. This is good training at a high altitude. Day Day 11: Climb to Camp 1 — Ama Dablam base camp - Camp 1 Today, you’ll climb to Camp 1 from the base camp if the weather is clear. Keep your body hydrated as you tend to lose a huge amount of fluid from your body during your climb. Day Day 12: Get to Camp 2 and come back to Camp 1 again — Camp 1 - Camp 2 - Camp 1 You’ll go to Camp 2 and return back to Camp 1 in order to make your body familiar with the ascending altitude and acclimatize. Day Day 13: Trek from Camp 1 back to base camp — Camp 1 - Ama Dablam Base Camp The trek descends down to the base camp from Camp 1. Make sure you follow every guideline given by Sherpas during your summit period. Day Day 14-15: Rest Day — It is a rest day and your body needs to relax for some time. It is vital to familiarize yourself with the environment in order to achieve your summit goals. Day Day 16: Climb to Camp 1, rest few hours and get to camp 2 — Ama Dablam Base Camp - Camp 1 - Camp 2 After a few days of rest, you’ll climb Camp 1, rest there for a few hours and get to Camp 2 Day Day 17: Climb to Ama Dablam Summit and back to Camp 1 — Camp 2 - Ama Dablam Summit - Camp 1 This is the final day of summit where you will climb Ama Dablam early in the morning from Camp 2. Then, you head towards Camp 1 for the night. Day Day 18: Trek back to Basecamp — Camp 1 - Ama Dablam Base Camp You descend down to Base camp from Camp 1. Distance - 7 km/4.3 mi Time - 4-5 hours Total descent: 900 meters/2,952 ft Day Day 19-20: Contingency Day — Two contingency days for climb in case of weather disruption or any other climatic disorder and challenges. Day Day 21: Trek to Namche Bazaar — Ama Dablam Base Camp - Namche You’ll head towards Namche Bazaar from the base camp. Distance - 17 km/10.5 mi Time - 8-9 hours Total descent: 2400 meters/7,874 ft Day Day 22: Trek to Lukla — Namche - Lukla It’s a long and final day of trek back to Lukla. It is about 20 km but mostly downhill with occasional uphill climb. The last couple of hours is uphill climb. We will retrace our steps on the left bank of Dudh Koshi river passing through lush forests and villages of lower Khumbu valley en route to Lukla. It will take about 8-9 hrs. Dinner and overnight stay at Lukla. Distance – 20 km/12.4mi Time – 8-9 hrs Total ascent – 694 m/2276 ft Total descent – 1200 m/3937 ft Day Day 23: Fly to Kathmandu and transfer to hotel — You’ll need to fly back to Ramechhap and drive to Kathmandu. After reaching, we will transfer you to a hotel. In the evening, you can go shopping for souvenirs, trying Nepali or Newari Cuisine (Ethnic group and native people of Kathmandu Valley. We will organize a farewell program for you to create memories with us. Day Day 24: Rest day in Kathmandu and return to home country — If your flight is in the evening, we will take you for sightseeing in one of the Buddhist stupa; Boudhanath/Swayambhunath which is also listed in UNESCO World Heritage Site. Then, Our representative will receive you from the hotel and drop you at the airport for your return journey back home.

YOUR DAY-BY-DAY ROUTE

Day-by-day itinerary

Day 1Arrival in Kathmandu (1,400m/4,593ft) — Upon arrival in Kathmandu, you will be picked up by our representative at the airport and taken to the hotel. You will meet your guide, discuss the trek program, and make final preparations for the trek. If you have an early arrival, we will take you for a sightseeing trip in the UNESCO world heritage site in Kathmandu and later, in the evening, you’ll have dinner in the hotel.+