Baruntse Expedition

Price includes

• Airport / Hotel / Airport pick up & drop by Tourist vehicle. 
• Standard twin sharing accommodation in three star hotel in Kathmandu;
  Breakfast included. (6 nights) 
• Guided city tour in Kathmandu byTourist Vehicle. 
• Full board meal during the camping, prepared by our cook with hot Tea
  & coffee. 
• All camping and Kitchen equipment(We will provide fully water proof
  dining tents, kitchen gears, dining table, chairs, toilet tents and shower tent
  ). 
• All Base camp and Advance base camp camping gears 
• High quality Climbing tents for all camps (Above Base Camp). 
• Insurance for all Nepali staffs and porters including helicopter rescue
  provision. 
• Boiled and purify drinking water for the trek. 
• Expedition permits 
• Liaison officer and his round trip flight, insurance, wages, expedition
  equipments etc. 
• High altitude climbing food, fuel, Gas- above base camp (you are also
  advised to bring some high altitude food yourselves) 
• Guide, cook, porters, helpers up to base camp 
• Climbing Sherpas (2 member = 1 Sherpa Ratio on climbing day) 
• A well stocked first aid and medical kit sufficient to counter any
  possible mountaineering ailments, from headache to serious injury. 
• Oxygen equipment for medical use only. 
• A portable hyperbaric chamber (Gamow bag) 
• Emergency communications on the mountain and satellite communications
  link for helicopter evacuation. 
• Sightseeing/Monument entrance fees in Kathmandu. 
• Farewell dinner for members in Kathmandu. 
• Power supply at Base Camp for charging electronics such as phone,
  laptops and cameras (solar backup) 
• Flight cost from Kathmandu - Lukla - Kathmandu including airport
  departure tax at both airport. 
• All our government taxes and vat. 

Price Does not Include

• Lunch and dinner whilst in Kathmandu. 
• Travel insurance which covers emergency Rescue and Evacuation. (See
  the travel insurance page) 
• International airfare and airport departure tax. (See
  the international flights page) 
• Nepal entry visa; you can obtain a visa easily upon your arrival at
  Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu. (Tourist Visa with Multiple
  Entries for 30 days can be obtained by paying US $ 50 or equivalent foreign
  currency. Similarly, Tourist Visa with Multiple Entries for 90 days can be
  obtained by paying US $ 125. Please bring 2 copies of passport size photos). 
• Alcoholic and cold drinks. 
• Personal trekking and climbing Equipment (Click the trekking equipment
  tab). 
• Tips for trekking staff and driver (Tipping is expected, see info
  below). 
• Any others expenses which are not mentioned on 'Price Includes' section. 
• Allow $50-100 for general non-sherpa crew who stay at base camp. 
• Allow $100-200 for sherpas who go up to the base camp. 
• Summit climbing Sherpa US$ 200 – 500 per Sherpa. 

We have the shower tent for the entire trip, starting from Lukla to the base camp of Baruntse and back to Lukla. Bucket of hot water will be provided for shower.

You should be in the best shape of your life! This is our long climb of the year. It requires patience, stamina, mental fortitude, and a strong will. Summit day can sometimes be over 20 hours long! Day by day the challenges are different, but the more prepared you are, both mentally and physically, the smoother your trip will go.

Depending on the group size we use both porter or Yaks to carry your luggage. All you need to carry is your small day bag for your personal belongings like camera, water bottle, sun cream etc only.

It depends on the day and your level of acclimatization. At the beginning of the trip, everything seems slower and longer, but as you get more adjusted to the mountain, the days go quicker. Average days can be 5-8 hours long. Summit day can be up to 12 hours long.

Of course! Most people on the expedition, members end up bringing “the kitchen sink”! We encourage you to bring some of your favorite goodies and tech toys, as base camp will become our home for many days. The more comfortable you are, the more energy you have for the climb, so every little thing helps!

You will have your own tent in base camp, but on the mountain, you will be sharing a tent with others. We generally book you in to a single room in the hotel in Kathmandu whilst it is twin share in the lodges on the trek into base camp. A single supplement is available. Please contact us for further details.

Additional Personal Sherpas (who have successfully climbed Baruntse) are available for hire, the cost will US$1500 extra (includes all their costs) to climb with an individual who desires someone to climb with them on a personal basis.

Laundry service is difficult to find, except in cities. For other trips, laundry is done by self at the taps.

Climbing is not simply a game but it is the most attractive and the most challenging test which require a solid experience of peak climbing. We strongly recommend joining this trip only to them who have basic snow and ice-climbing skills and should be comfortable with glacier travel, which includes moving in a rope team, self arrest, and basic crevasse rescue. Climbers who have already climb the peaks like Mera Peak; Island Peak can easily be involved in this trip. The following tips would be helpful to judge your experience level:

• A Good all-round climbing experience, having completed routes of at least Alpine AD or equivalent.
• To be proficient on short steep sections of snow and ice of about 50°.
• To have completed other expeditions to the greater ranges, graded at least beginner or equivalent.
• To have a high level of fitness and be physically tough. You need to carry loads to high altitudes that could be as heavy as 10-20 Kg.

Since this is our biggest and longest trip, we usually suggest our expedition members to bring USD$800 -$1000 . This will cover everything from gifts, to bottled drinks, tips, and anything else that catches your eye on the trail. ATM cash machines work in Kathmandu, but only pays the local currency, Rupees.

We invest in insurance coverage for commercial liability and medical and disability insurance for our employees and Sherpas while participating on our programs. We cannot insure you for your personal needs, but we do expect you to be as fiscally responsible as we are. We strongly recommend that you insure yourself against potentially expensive difficulties that may arise. First, trip cancellation insurance may provide financial relief should you be forced to withdraw from the climb before it even happens. Next, make sure you have adequate traveler’s medical and evacuation insurance for coverage should you have a problem during the trip. Medical care and evacuation from mountain can be expensive.

Please check our recommended travel insurance companies page. 

Yes, we encourage that. Perhaps there may be someone in your area that can become a training partner, perhaps they can help you source some hard to find gear. The bottom line is that it’s a good idea to have some contact with folks that you will share this experience with.

After meeting all your team and crew in Kathmandu we fly by helicopter or fixed wing plane directly to Lukla and follow the trail to Mera Peak and climb Mera before attempting Baruntche. Acclimatizing along the way and relishing in the hospitality provided by our Sherpa friends we reach base camp and after some rest and preparation we begin the ascent. Base camp will be a collection of sleeping tents, as well as a large kitchen and dining tent. We utilize the services of specially trained Sherpa cooks and we import a lot of high quality food to supplement the local produce available. The guides and Sherpas will fix rope on the route and stock the camps with provisions and equipment. By utilizing fixed rope we can climb in average weather, and, if necessary descend to base camp with little problem in case of a major storm. Two or three climbing Sherpas will assist with the load carrying but no more will be engaged in order to avoid clogging the route and spoiling the nature of the climb. When the fixed line is in place, and the two camps are established and stocked, we will climb back up the ropes and make a bid for the summit. Sufficient supplies will be available to support all members. Guides and Sherpas will carry all group gear but members are expected to carry their own personal gear. Radios will be used to co-ordinate the movements on the mountain and provide a safety back-up for the lead team.

It will depend on the day. On a “carry” day, where you are moving your personal gear between camps, your pack can be 20-40lbs, equal to 10-20kg , sometimes higher if you choose to carry more of your equipment. On “move” days, the weight goes down significantly, to 10-15lbs., 5-7kg..

All these will depend on what camp we are in. In the base camp, we import tons of food from Kathmandu. So don’t be surprised by our sushi nights, fresh muffins, yoghurt for breakfast, and pizza! On the mountain, we usually have a wide variety of meals; these are significantly tastier than freeze dried, as they are real food and ready to heat and eat! We have Sherpa cook staff, who prepare more ‘base camp like’ food. Pizza, pasta, eggs and bacon! We work hard to make sure our food is second to none.

Yes. Please contact us for the price. However we strongly suggest bringing the good quality equipment yourself. It is hard to find good quality brand new climbing equipment in Nepal.

Maximum 10 members can be included on our Barnutse expedition. This is to ensure that we can maintain safety and our attention on detail. There may be more in base camp and in the camps on the mountain if there are private expeditions, but they will generally travel separately from the main team.

Sure! This is one of the best points to start the expedition, having family and friends trek to base camp to see you off on your journey. Base camp for non-climbers is not a very hospitable place, but we strive to make your guests comfortable and welcome. Guests for the duration of the expedition are allowed on a case by case basis. The reason for this is simple. On the trip, our job is to be climbing, spending time just at base camp can be quite boring sometimes, so we usually encourage guests to trek in at the beginning or end of the expedition, to join you during the most exciting parts of the trip! Contact us for details.

Experience has shown how important it is on mountain to be able to talk to every team member, at all times. If you join Ace the Himalaya on Baruntse, you will have a dedicated radio. Our climbing Sherpa will also have his own radio, so that at all times we can keep in touch with everyone, and everyone can keep in touch with each other.

Base Camp is equipped with a small laptop and satellite connection (depending on the weather condition, sometime it may not work well). The satellite communications are also used to send back regular reports, every couple of days, to Ace the Himalaya office. Expedition updates are then posted on the web and/or are sent to family and friends via email.

YES all our climbing guides are licensed by the Nepal Mountaineering Association. They are experienced in many 6000 and 7000 meters peaks and also been to 8000 meters peaks few times. We only provide the Sherpa who been toe Ama Dablam multiple times previously.

Yes. In fact, the managing director, Prem K Khatry, has served as the board member in the association.

There will be an Ace the Himalaya representative at the airport to meet you, and the first of many team briefing occurs in the evening of day 1 and 2 in Kathmandu with our local Sherpa guides.

Taking Baruntse expedition is a once in a lifetime experience, we wanted to make sure you have every possible advantage. Some clients enjoy the added privacy and schedule flexibility that a private expedition allows. A private means you will have your own guides, your share of the Sherpa carry staff, a private dining tent, and optional private communication facilities. This allows you to climb at your own pace, and enjoy the mountain on your own terms. The costs vary depending on how many clients there are in your private group. Please contact the office for details.

Ace the Himalaya is one of the prime supporters of the social organization Sambhav Nepal. There are several on-going projects in a village called Arupokhari (Gorkha district) which you are more than welcome to visit or even volunteer at. You will be able to gain a different insight into the lives of the people in the hills and also make a difference!

Click here to learn more about our volunteer programs 

This is a difficult thing to gauge. We have seen everything from USD 50 to USD 1000 per person for guides and porters. Tipping is not required, but a small gesture of thanks to your guides and local porters. The level of the tip should reflect the level of satisfaction from and personal involvement with your guide. However, we recommend you to spend minimum 10% of your total trip cost for tipping entire local staffs. See the recommended tipping and Sherpa bonuses are as follow:

• Allow $80-150 for general non-sherpa crew who stay at base camp.
• Allow $150-200 for sherpas who go up to the base camp.
• Summit climbing Sherpa US$ 300 – 500 per Sherpa

No vaccinations are compulsory in Himalaya, but we do recommend you are covered for diphtheria; TB, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, *malaria, typhoid, polio and tetanus.

We also recommend:

• A dental check-up prior to travelling.
• That you know your blood group in case of emergency.

If you have any pre-existing medical conditions which might affect you on tour, you make these known to your tour leader and Ace the Himalaya at the time of your booking.

We recommend that you visit the travel clinic at a major University Hospital or your local Public Health Department for the most up to date info on travel requirements.

Yes, you need to book your own International flights. We are a local agent and it would cost you significantly higher to book through us. Please find more information in the International Flight page. 

Climbing member may cancel his/her participation on the following basis:

• Two months before trip departure – 50% refund of the total cost.
• After Two months – no refund will be made.

As long as possible, we request you to arrive in Kathmandu on the assigned date, to assure your baggage makes it on time, and you have time to recover from jet lag before trekking. It is hard to catch the group if you are arriving late and still waiting for lost baggage! We can arrange extra nights in the hotel. Many people depart from our Nepal expeditions later, to enjoy the sights and sounds of Kathmandu, but do keep in mind that this is long expedition and we find that people want to head home as quickly as possible after the climb finishes.

Holiday should never be about making it to the final point quickly. Along your trek we can add days at your request with additional costs to cover guides, porters, accommodation and food.

YES, you can obtain the visa easily upon your arrival at Tribhuwan International Airport in Kathmandu (Tourist Visa with Multiple Entries for 15 days can be obtained by paying USD 30 or equivalent foreign currency. Similarly, Tourist Visa with Multiple Entries for 30 days and 90 days can be obtained by paying USD 50 and 125 respectively. Please bring 2 copies of passport size photos.)

We use standard rooms from three in Kathmandu with breakfast included. Hotel Vaishali, Samasara Resort, Hotel Tibet are the examples of the hotel that we use in Kathmandu.

Our company insures all our trekking staff members, including guides, cooks, Sherpas and porters. Please browse though Company Information pages to view insurance details.

Yes, they have all received a 45-day training from the Hotel Management and Tourism Center in Nepal. The guides have also received high altitude first aid training from KEEP (Kathmandu Environmental Education Project). Please check our Trekking Guides Profiles and Training Certificates. 

As we all know that when you make a decision to climb the mountain it is one of the most financially challenging trips to come on. Our prices compared to other outfitters that provide the same product, services, if not a lesser product are actually less! We invite you to shop around and compare, both in price and quality. We feel strongly that you will find us to be the best in the business.

One of the main things that set us apart is our attention to detail. Nowhere else you will find a team of people more dedicated to your success! From the time you contact the office to the time you step on the mountain, our customer service is the best. Another most important reason to choose is our community service.

Our trip prices are much more reasonable compare to many global based companies; it is not because we are economical in service in which we operate. We are local operator therefore we DO NOT re-sell or use second party or agency. Many international companies will take anything from one third to three quarters of the profits this is how your trip price makes huge unusual.

Yes, there are a plenty of options and choices to extend your holiday before or after your main trip.