Adventure · Chhukung
Walk to Island Peak base camp
Follow the moraine east from Chhukung to Island Peak base camp at about 5,000 m, beneath the 6,165 m peak that Shipton's party named in 1951. Watch climbers prepare, see the Imja glacier close up, and return to Chhukung.
Island Peak earned its name from Dingboche, where it looks like an island in a sea of ice. From Chhukung the trail heads east along the valley, then climbs onto the lateral moraine of the Lhotse glacier, a ridge of rubble with views down onto ice and meltwater ponds. After 2–3 hours you reach base camp, a flat area of tent platforms beneath the peak's rocky south-west ridge.
In October, November, April and May the camp is busy with teams preparing to climb: sorting crampons, practising on fixed ropes and resting before a pre-dawn summit push. The climb itself, to about 6,165 m, involves glacier travel and a steep headwall on fixed lines, and needs a climbing permit and a licensed guide. Walking to base camp needs neither, only acclimatisation.
From the moraine you also see Imja Tsho, the glacial lake that has grown rapidly since the 1960s and was lowered by about 3.4 m in 2016. Return to Chhukung by the same route. Carry lunch, water and layers, and be back before the afternoon wind. If the climb tempts you, we can plan an Island Peak expedition on a future trip.
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Questions
Can trekkers walk to Island Peak base camp without climbing?
Yes. The walk from Chhukung to base camp, at about 5,000 m, takes 2–3 hours each way and needs only the standard trekking permits. Climbing beyond base camp requires a climbing permit, technical equipment and a licensed climbing guide. Check current status before you travel, as permit rules change.
How hard is it to climb Island Peak?
Island Peak, about 6,165 m, is a popular trekking peak but a real climb: glacier travel roped up, crevasses, and a steep snow and ice headwall on fixed ropes to the summit ridge. You need prior crampon and ice-axe skills, good acclimatisation and a licensed guide. A typical expedition takes 16–19 days including the Everest trail.
Why is it called Island Peak?
Members of Eric Shipton's party in 1951 thought it looked like an island in a sea of ice when seen from Dingboche, surrounded by the Imja and Lhotse glaciers. The Nepali government renamed it Imja Tse in 1983, but Island Peak remains the name almost everyone uses.
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