Cholatse Peak Trek

Tour itinerary: Kathmandu → Khumbupasanglahmu → Kathmandu

Overview-

Mount Cholatse (6440m) is a beautiful, challenging, and technical peak that lies between Khumbu and the Gokyo valley of Nepal. Mount Cholatse is a combination of 3 meaningful words, “Cho” which means Lake, “La” which means a pass, and “Tse” which means peak. The literal meaning of Cholatse is “Lake pass peak”. the lake just below the pass to the east justifies the name here. The base camp of this peak lies at a height of 4930m. Through a long ridge, Cholatse is connected to Taboche (6501m). In 1982, on April 22, Vern Clevenger, Galen Rowell, John Roskelley, Bill O’Connor, and Peter Hackett were the first person to climb Mount Cholatse via the south ridge. The solo ascent was successfully done on April 15, 2005, by Ueli Steck through the north face. The area falls under the protection of Sagarmatha National Park which is home to thousands of flora and fauna. You get to see Rhododendrons, oaks, Himalayan Tahr, musk deer, etc on your way. However, the stunning and close-up views of Mt. Everest, Mt.Nuptse, Mt Cho-Oyu, and Mt.Makalu are the major highlights of this trek. Besides this, you get to explore beautiful Gokyo valley and Gokyo lakes, Sherpa settlements, monasteries, prayer flags, etc. Mount Cholatse is said to be a very technical peak as compared to others. You need to have a great deal of fitness, focus, and mental stability to climb this peak. You also need mountaineering skills and experience for this peak climbing. These days, the number of the climb has accelerated.  

Best season to climb Cholatse peak-

Climbing Cholatse peak is very technical and challenging. Climate and weather are very important factors in this trek. The best and the peak season to climb this peak is no other than spring (March-May), or autumn (September-November). during these seasons there are fewer challenges and risks. Spring and autumn have beautiful weather and temperature. It has a clean atmosphere and crystal blue sky. You can have a clear view of the mountains and sky. Also, the trails are in their best condition during these seasons. The average temperature in the spring season is around 15-20C in the daytime and can fall to -5 to -8 at night time. During the autumn season, the average temperature is around 12-20C in the daytime and around -7 to -15 in the nighttime. The summer season is the hottest of all and the temperature is around 20-25C in the daytime and 5 to -3 at nighttime. The Winter season is harsh and coldest of all. The temperature is around 8-10C in the daytime and -10 to -15 in the nighttime. The weather while climbing the peak can be very unpredictable with sudden harsh changes, you need to be prepared enough to face the changes. 

Food/drinks and accommodation-

In the lower altitude or as long as you are in Khumbu village, there is proper accommodation available. As the place is more developed these days, you get enough teahouses to spend your night. The teahouses there are small and cozy and give you homely vibes. They have a room which you have to share with someone. Also, toilets and bathrooms have to be shared as the teahouses are very small. If you want a hot shower you need to pay extra. Also, some of the teahouses might charge you extra for charging electronics and using the internet. However, you cannot expect the same facilities during your summit days. Those days, you have to camp and spend your night inside a tent. You need to be well prepared for that with warm sleeping bags, cooking gas, utensils, and packed foods. Or, your travel agency can manage all these for you. You can also rent a tent and other equipment if you want. For food, you get enough varieties as long as you are in the teahouses. There are options like Dal, Bhat, vegetables, meat, fried rice, soup, noodles, pasta, pizza, eggs, bread, etc. Drinks like beer, water, tea, coffee, hot chocolates, and soda are also available there. But, again during your peak climbing days, you cannot get all these options and have to rely on packed foods. Or, your travel agency can hire a cook for you who can make some easy food like bread, eggs, noodles, pudding, etc. 

Difficulties of Cholatse peak-

As mentioned earlier, the Cholatse peak falls under a challenging and technical peak. Climbing this peak requires experience in ice and glaciers, mountaineering skills like using ropes, ice ax, harnesses, etc, and technical skills. This peak is perfect for those searching for actual thrill and adventure. You need to be very fit, stable, focused, and prepared to climb this peak. Laying at the height of 6440m, there is a great chance of mountain sickness.  Even though the trails to base camp are easy the peak climbing itself requires a lot of effort. The altitude, temperature, and harsh weather can make your climb very difficult. Also, the lack of teahouses at the higher altitude and nights spent in tents can be challenging for a few people. You need to be well-prepared for every difficulty. To avoid mountain sickness remember to walk slowly and give yourself time to adjust to the increasing height. 

Permits for Cholatse peak- 

Sagarmatha National Park permit-

      - SAARC countries- 3000NRS (30$)

- Non-SAARC countries- 1500 NRS

- Khumbu region Government Permit- 2000 NRS (20$) per person. 

- Nepal Mountaineering Association permit- 

- Spring (March-May)- 250 $ per person

- Autumn (September-November)- 125$ per person 

- Winter (December-February)- 70$ per person

-Summer (June-August)- 70$ per person

- TIMS- 1000 NRS (10$) per person    

Guides and porters-

Yes, guides and porters are two important things on this trek. When you are climbing a peak, you need a guide who is well-experienced, skilled, confident, professional, and licensed of course. Without help and guidance, you cannot possibly climb a whole peak. A guide will help you, instruct you, create a path, and knows about the risks too. They might charge around 35-40$ per day. On the other hand, you need many equipment and stuff for camping and climbing. You cannot carry all of them with you and walk for several hours. Normally people are not used to these things. But porters, are very much experienced and hardworking. They will carry all your belongings and help you to walk freely. They might charge you around 25-30$ per day. 

Other facilities in Cholatse peak-

In the Khumbu region, all kinds of facilities are available as it is quite more developed than other places. There are lodges with electricity, Wi-Fi, communication service, hot water, food, nice rooms, etc. Radios are still the primary source of communication. These kinds of facilities might not be available during your climbing days or once you cross the village. That is why, extra pairs of batteries, and power banks are highly needed in higher altitudes. For transportation, there is a direct flight available from Kathmandu to Lukla which is the starting and ending point of this trek. However, there are no buses available from Kathmandu to Lukla. If you want to take a bus you can reach Jiri from Kathmandu and you need to hike from Jiri to Lukla. There are also flights from Kathmandu to Pokhara and again from Pokhara to Lukla, in case you want to explore Pokhara first. The direct flight from Kathmandu to Lukla takes around 40 minutes. 

Route and duration