Lobuche Peak

Overview

 Lobuche peak lies in the Sagarmatha Zone, Solukhumbu district, close to Khumbu glacier and in Lobuche village. It is situated at a height of 6119m. There are 2 main peaks of Lobuche, Lobuche East, and Lobuche West. According to the National mountaineering Association of Nepal, Lobuche east is classified as Trekking peak and Lobuche west as Expedition Peak. These two peaks are separated by a deep long notched ridge, and considerable distance which makes approaching the west peak impossible from the east peak. On 1984 April 25, Laurence Neilson along with Sherpa mountaineer Ang Gyalzen made their first summit on Lobuche East. Again in 1955, Lobuche west was first climbed via south shoulder. Lobuche East remains popular among people and is also one of the most climbed peaks. The peak itself falls under the protection of Sagarmatha National Park which covers an area of 124,400 hectares. The trail passes through the lush green forest which includes Juniper, fir, Himalayan Birch, Rhododendrons, and many more. You also get to see many endangered animals like snow leopard, bearded vulture, snowcock, red pandas, etc. The spectacular view of Mount Everest, Khumbu valley from its summit, and the amazing hospitality of Sherpa people are the main attraction of this trek. 

Temperature and weather

Due to the combination of humidity and temperature, the spring season is quite warmer here, especially in lower altitudes. During the month of spring, the average temperature rises from 17-27. Also, autumn has a similar temperature around 16-25. The winter season is the coldest of all, with the average temperature 14-18 in lower altitudes. The summer season is very warm hence the busiest month of all. Spring and autumn are also very peak seasons to trek and climb Lobuche peak. In winter, peak climbing is difficult due to harsh weather and heavy snowfall. 

Food and accommodation 

Lobuche peak climbing trek involves both teahouse and camping nights. One has to be ready for camping in high altitudes in low temperatures. Nevertheless, there are teahouses available in the main valleys. The teahouses basically provide a warm room with twin sharing beds, clean blankets, and pillows. Toilets, bathrooms, dining hall has to be shared with other trekkers as well. In teahouses, you can get a home-cooked meal like Dal, Bhat, vegetables, soup, coffee, noodles, etc. During your camping days, you need to prepare food by yourself. 

Guides and porters– when it comes to peak climbing, professional, licensed, well-educated, and experienced guides are everything you need. They lead you, they have great knowledge about directions, people, villages, camping sites, etc. Since you will be carrying all the stuff for camping you will definitely need a porter to help you. Guides usually charge up to 35-40$ per day and porters charge around 25-30$ per day. However, if you choose to travel through agencies they will hire a guide and a porter for you. 

Transportation– the gateway for Lobuche peak is Lukla and the easiest and fastest way to reach Lukla is to take a flight from Kathmandu which only takes 35 minutes. You can also travel by bus but it is certainly a tiring route. There is no direct connection between Kathmandu and Lukla and you need to travel via Jiri.

Communication and electronics

When you are in the teahouses, all kinds of facilities like electricity, internet, mobile coverage, are available. There will be no problem with charging your electronics or talking to your family. You need to however pay some extra money to the owner for these facilities. Once you arrive at the base camp, all these facilities are not available. You will be camping those days and only satellite phones are used for communication. Extra batteries and power banks are highly recommended. 

Permits and fees

1. Sagarmatha National Park entry Permit 

NON SAARC countries- 3000 (excluding VAT)

SAARC countries- 1500 (excluding VAT)

1. Everest region entry permit

NON SAARC countries- 3000 (excluding VAT)

SAARC countries- 1500 (excluding VAT)

1. Lobuche peak climbing permit 

– Spring (March-May)-250$

          – Autumn (September- November)-125$

– Winter (December- February)-70$

– Summer (June-August)-70$

Safety and fitness 

The road to Lobuche peak base camp is rough, steep, and can be snowy. The trail above the base camp is more challenging. The extreme temperature and altitude can be a serious problem if you don’t apply the necessary precaution. Any peak climbing requires concentration, focus, patience, and knowledge. Physical and mental stability is the most important factor. Physical fitness can be built by running, jogging, and doing some light exercise before starting your trek. The average walking hour of 5-6 per day, and overnight camping, risk of altitude sickness, combining all these facts, the trek and climb to Lobuche peak can be moderately difficult.  

*Symptoms of Mountain sickness

-Headache

-Dizziness

-Loss of appetite

-Shortness of breath

-Fast heartbeats

*Preventing mountain sickness 

-Walk slow

-Stay hydrated

-Have nutritional food 

-Have enough rest

-Avoid smoking and alcohol 

*Medicines for mountain sickness 

-Acetazolamide 

-Ibuprofen, paracetamol (for headache)

-Promethazine (for nausea) 

Other requirements

Travel insurance- trekking to high altitudes can always be risky. Travel Insurance is something you might want to do before trekking anywhere. Sometimes in emergency cases, people need to be evacuated through a helicopter and get medical service. So, in such cases, your travel insurance will be bearing the cost for you. Seeing all these benefits, the government of Nepal has made travel insurance mandatory thing before trekking. However, it is very important to mention the heights and all the places you will be reaching during your trek. Your insurance entirely depends on the details you have provided earlier. Travel insurance costs you around 150$ which is good for 1 month. 

Visas/passports- if you are not a Nepalese or Indian citizen, then a visa and a passport are mandatory. You can get your Nepalese Visa at Tribhuvan airport in Kathmandu. The passport must hold a visa of a minimum of 6 months.