Chhukung Ri Trek -15 Days

Just a couple of minutes before your flight lands, you’ll be welcomed into Nepal by the awe-inspiring snow-covered peaks of the mighty Himalayas. Upon your arrival at Kathmandu Airport, you’ll be cheerfully greeted by one of our representatives and escorted to your hotel via a private vehicle. After you made the check-in at the hotel, you can repose and enjoy the facilities provided by your hotel. At evening, you may take a delight in the vividness of the colourful Thamel Bazaar via a short leisurely walk.

Today, you can enjoy a free day in the Kathmandu Valley. Don’t misjudge the word “free” thinking you’ll have nothing to do as Kathmandu Valley offers a great many monuments and landmarks that you can go to observe. Kathmandu Valley, a UNESCO world heritage flaunts mainly 7 ancient structures displays the historical, cultural and artistic accomplishments that are an epitome of classic Nepalese architecture and vintage traditions. These 7 sites are: Pashupatinath Temple, the most sacred shrine of Hindu devotees situated on the banks of Holy Bagmati River; magnificent stupas of Swayambhunath and Boudhanath which are regarded as the heart of Tibetan Buddhism; Changunarayan Temple, oldest temple in the Nepalese history and last but not the least, the three Durbar Squares situated in the cities of Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. These Durbar Squares are the manifestation of elegance, fine arts and aesthetic construction. Feel no restriction to visit multiple sites or all of them. It entirely depends on your preferences.

Early in the morning, we’ll board on the domestic flight bound to Lukla (2,860m). This delightful 30-minutes flight will take you up above in the infinite blue sky; across the picturesque landscapes and inspiring Himalayan Range, bestowing you with mind-boggling outlooks. Once we land in Lukla, we’ll get ahead with our trek and pursue the trail which ascends to the north along the side of the glinting Dudh Koshi River. Eventually, we progress across the Sherpa Village of Chheplung (2,700m), and Ghat (2,590m) to Phakding (2,610m). On the way, you can catch a sight of lovely soaring Kusum Kanguru (6,369m) and Kwongde Mountain Range.

Resuming our trek, we set off to Namche Bazaar. This day, the meandering trail traverses through pine and cedar woodland, few Sherpa settlements, and a handful of suspension bridges. Ascending on the terrain encircled by snow-capped mountaintops; the trail heads to the direction of Monjo. Afterwards, it continues past Jhorsalle Village and enters the territory of Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979 A.D. From here, the trail arrives at Larja Dobhan where the two rivers i.e. Bhote Koshi and Dudh Koshi meet. Now, the trail abruptly ascends uphill to Namche Bazaar, the commercial and administrative centre of the Khumbu Region. On a clear day, you might get a window of opportunity to witness the Mt. Everest peeking behind the peaks of Lhotse and Nuptse. At the end of the day, you can explore Namche’s marketplace and traditional Sherpa museum in order to get an insight into the culture and traditions of the Sherpa community. 

This very day is meant to render a break to your exhausted muscles. Along with the rest, you’ll also acclimatize to the surrounding. Due to its location at the higher elevation, Khumbu region comprises of a thinner atmosphere containing low levels of oxygen. Thus, it is utterly important to acclimatize so we don’t have to encounter any unwanted troubles, mainly AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). The process of acclimatization can speed up with the short hikes to Everest View Hotel or the neighbouring villages of Khumjung and Khunde where the viewpoints extend the exquisite mountain panoramas. In fact, Namche Bazaar itself extends the close-up views of Kongde Ri (6,187m) and Thamserku (6,623m).

After energizing our body and spirit with yesterday’s rest, we commence our trek along the trekking trail that now becomes serpentine and makes a downhill descent across pinewood. Accompanied by the mesmerizing outlooks of Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Taboche; we traverse the Sherpa villages of Sanasa and Kenjoma then arrive at the crossing of the trails heading to Gokyo valley and Everest Base Camp. Thereafter, we climb down to the riverbed of Dudh Koshi River via stone steps, range over a suspension bridge and make an abrupt ascend through the woodland. Past the prayer wheels powered by the force of flowing water; we set our foot in Tengboche (3,860m). We can explore the Tengboche Monastery, the largest monastery in Khumbu Region which is overlooked by the peaks of Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse and Ama Dablam

This morning, trekking on the rugged trail, we’ll descend to Deboche. Afterwards, the trail advances by the many large boulder and prayer stone then range over a suspension bridge built above Imja Khola. Past a number of chortens; the trekking trail finally reaches Pangboche Village. Here, you can explore Pangboche Monastery, the oldest monastery in the Khumbu Region and witness the beautiful outlook of Mt. Ama Dablam. At last, we push forward across few suspension bridges to Somare Village and climb uphill through alpine vegetations and set our foot in Dingboche (4,300m).

Continuing our trek, we advance across the stone-walled farmlands of Dingboche Village and proceed beyond the Imja Valley. We now enter glacial moraines amid the formidable Himalayas and forge ahead to Bibre. A yak herdsmen settlement, we can observe summer huts made especially for keeping the yak and other domesticated animals during the summer season. Enchanted by the irresistible sight of Mt. Ama Dablam and neighbouring snowy peaks, we now move across a frigid stream and make it to Chhukung Valley (4,370m). You can explore this sublime place and enjoy its natural splendour.

his very day, we’ll make our progress to Chukung Ri (5,546m).  Categorizes as “Trekking Peak”, it is technically non-challenging and renders the climbing experience to beginners as the climbers. With time on our side, we’ll make a very pleasurable trek on a stone-strewn trail in a fairly slow pace. On a clear day, we can enjoy spell-binning surrounding scenery comprising of splendid landscapes. Succeeding a few hours of the trek from Chhukung Valley, we eventually end up at the Chhukung Ri Base Camp (5,087m). At Base Camp, we set our camps as overnight accommodation and prepare for the upper ascent to the summit simultaneously.

The day ten of our escapade is entirely devoted for rest and acclimatization purposes. At the elevation of above 5,000m adequate rest and proper adaptation to the surrounding atmosphere is the key for a successful ascent to the top of Chhukung Ri. As the level of oxygen is lower at the higher altitudes, we must adapt to our current environment and take some time off from continuous trekking activity in order to keep our body moving without suffering any negative consequences such as AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness). Also, keep in mind that the location is remote and any immediate medical assistance is difficult to acquire. So always remember “prevention is better than cure”!! Beside safety precautions, you can enjoy prepossessing panorama embracing stupendous countryside dominated by the snow-capped mountains of the mighty Himalayan Range.

We tighten our shoelaces this very morning and march forward to conquer the summit of Chhukung Ri located at the elevation of 5,550 m. The top of this peak rewards our days’ long physical and mental effort via mesmerizing glimpses of Ama Dablam and Amphu Labsa in close proximity. In addition, we can also gaze the 3600 views of surroundings with heavenly natural settings. We capture these marvellous moments in our minds and cameras, then return back to Chhukung Valley.

We now trek downhill on the same uneven trekking trail that we utilized our quest to the apex. Making our way across glacial moraines, chortens, boulderstone, monasteries, suspension bridges, pinewoods and numerous Sherpa settlements such as Bibre, Dingboche, Somare, Pangboche, and Deboche; we set our foot in the village of Tengboche at the end.

At the break of the day, we carry on with our descent. We trek down across the suspension bridge over Dudh Koshi River then proceed beyond multiple Sherpa villages and woodlands of pine to Namche Bazaar. With a short break here in the Sherpa capital, we resume our trek along the Dudh Koshi River to Lukla. Throughout the way, we can find the alluring mountain vistas by our side.

You’ll board an early morning flight back to Kathmandu which takes about 30 minutes. As you fly across the Himalayan Range, you’ll see the glimpses of the alluring mountaintops for the last time. Moreover, you’ll also catch the sight of a few scenic landscapes during the flight. At Kathmandu, you can either rest in your hotel room or you can wander around the city and explore the remaining landmarks. Also, you can do some last minute shopping for souvenirs or click the pictures as you precious memento from your escapade.

Day fifteen is the last day of your stay in Nepal. We hope that you are satisfied with our hospitality, expertise and services. We truly expect to see you again during your next adventure in Nepal. One of our representatives will guide you to the airport, three hours earlier so that you would not miss your flight back home!! Fly Safe!!