Kusum Kanguru Peak Climbing

Your guide will meet you at your hotel in the morning to begin your city tour in Kathmandu. You will visit the Boudhanath temple, the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal, Pashupatinath, a Hindu pilgrimage site, and possibly view cremation ceremonies along the banks of the Bagmati River. Continue on to Patan Durbar Square to take in ancient Nepalese architecture and end your tour with a lunch. After that you will view ancient Nepalese art in the Patan museum. Overnight in Kathmandu.

This morning you’ll be transferred to the domestic airport to fly to Lukla. It is a 40-minute scenic flight to Lukla airport. On arrival at Lukla, you will meet our trekking crew. Then we will head eastwards from Lukla passing through pristine hamlets and thick forest of silver fir, birch, pine and rhododendron along the hillside below Nau Lekh.The trail is usually straightforward. After 3-4 hours of trekking, we reach Chutanga. You will have lunch and then rest of the time you can explore local area. We will fine many small streams with numerous places for a campsite. Our first campsite in the wilderness is pitched on the meadow and overnight at tented camp.

At Chutanga we will spend one more day for acclimatization. This gives us sufficient time for acclimatization prior to confronting Zatrwa La Pass. We can indulge in leisurely trek to a small 4000m peak below the Zatrwa La Pass. Excellent views unveil as we glimpse over the valley of the Dudh Kosi and the picturesque trail zigzagging towards Zatrwa La. After exploring, we descend back to our camp at Chutanga and take a complete relaxation.

The trail crosses the Kalo Himal Ridge which separates the Khumbu from the Hinku Valley. Further  ahead, we transverse a comfortable path showcasing a cairned notch on the ridge with a collection of prayer flags at an elevation of 4450m. En route we may encounter yak herders. The views across the Dudh Kosi towards Karyolung and the Lumding Himal are very impressive and so is the view across the rolling foothills east of the Hinku Valley. Half an hour below the pass is a huge boulder which marks our campsite, Tuli Kharka.

NOTE: If weather conditions are getting bad, we do have the option of crossing a lower pass to the south of the Zatrwa La, an alternative route which involves 2 additional days of trekking.

From our Tuli Kharka camp, we have a short trek on a downhill slope with a superb view of Peak 43 and Kusum Kanguru before coming to a fine vantage point of the Hinku valley, with a grand view of the South Face of Mera Peak. Entering the forest once again, the trail drops steeply into the Hinku valley. A pleasant walk leads through a forest full of tall Himalayan pine and rhododendron. We make our camp on the clearing known as Mousum Kharka by the Hinku Drangka River and overnight at the tented camp.

As we head to the west bank of the Hinku Khola northwards, forest blurs in and valley zooms out. We spot meadows being used as grazing areas for goats, sheep and yaks in the Upper Hinku. After several ascents for 4-6 hours, we approach summer settlement of Tangnag as we cross a single-plank bridge at Gondishung. We halt for lunch at this spot. Lying in its vicinity is 200 year-old gompa resting beneath a massive boulder and a number of crude mani walls. The trail offers an outstanding view of Peak 43.

At Tangnag we spend one more day for a complete acclimatization. After proper rest, we can explore other adventure possibilities like strolling by Sabal Tsho, beautiful moraine-dammed lake which is hidden behind the Sabal Glacier and climbing a peak up to an altitude of nearly 5000m. We can also explore Hinku Nup Glacier which leads north toward Kangtaiga. The upper Hinku valley turns to the east at Tangnag, crossing the moraine of the Dig Glaciers.

Today we trek to the base camp. While trekking we get captivated by the exotic beauty of snow-slope and the panorama of Himalayan peaks. Overnight at camp.

From the higher camp we can see most of the spectacular panorama of the Himalayan Peaks.

Early in the morning at around 2am after breakfast, we advance towards the summit. By sunrise we can reach up to 6000m. With continuous attempts, we finally summit the Kusum Kanguru Peak… From the summit, we can embrace the most spectacular view of at least five of the world’s fourteen 8000m peaks. After the climb, we descend to the base camp.

Today it will be the last day of the trek. It remains pleasant, except for few short uphill climbs and then down to the Bhote-Koshi River crossing it three times. The last uphill climb of 45 minutes will bring you to Lukla for your overnight stay.

We will get an early morning flight to Kathmandu. Upon arrival in Kathmandu you will be transferred to Hotel. The rest of the day you will be free to relax or shopping.

Note: Flights into Lukla are sometimes delayed due to weather conditions either in fog-bound Kathmandu or windy Lukla; be reassured that our staff in Lukla and in Kathmandu will be doing everything possible to minimize the inconvenience caused if this happens. Your patience in the trying circumstances, which can occur, will be greatly appreciated.

With an altitude of 6,367 m. (6,369m or 6,370m according to other map sources), Kusum Kanguru is classified as a trekking peak, but it is considered one of the most difficult to climb. It is an impressive rock and ice peak which forms the border between the Dudhkosi in the south and Hinku Valley to the north. This peak is a complex, triple-summated mountain having at least five major ridges and faces. The north face of the main summit is the most spectacular one. The name Kusum Kanguru comes from Tibetan language which means “Home of Three Gods” and it actually has 3 different summits. The peak was first ascended in the autumn of 1979 by a Japanese team.