Mt. Ama Dablam Expedition is more than just a climb. It's a journey into the heart of the Himalayas. Located in the Khumbu valley of Nepal, only 12 km from the summit of Mount Everest, AmaDablam demands the attention of every passer-by. Soaring ridge lines and super-steep faces guard the summit from all but the experienced climber. From the summit you are surrounded by a vista of peaks like the five of the highest peaks in the world are clearly visible.
Mt. Ama Dablam's first ascent (via the SW ridge) was not made until the mid 60's by a strong NZ/USA team. The north ridge fell to a talented French team as late as 1979. In recent years many parties have successfully climbed the mountain, with nearly all ascents via the original SW ridge route.
Our ascent will also be made via the conventional SW ridge route, a technical route that requires 3500m of fixed ropes and three camps above base camp. The climbing with thisroute involves pure rock climbing on exquisite granite followed by mixed snow and rock climbing. The last section to the summit involves ice climbing followed by a long steep snow slope: often ropes are employed all the way to the summit. The reasons for this are three-fold: safety, speed, and success. Due to the technical nature of the route, ropes will be fixed for most of the climb above camp one. A good working knowledge of abseiling and use of mechanical ascenders (jumars) is mandatory; prior experience is required.
Objective dangers on the SW Ridge route are minimal, ice cliffs do not threaten it, the snow slopes are generally stable (with minimal avalanche risk), the rock is of good quality and the mountain is below the reach of jet stream winds. The route is extremely exposed and mistakes with rope work can be unforgiving. For this reason, we have a low client: guide ratio and use experienced guides to keep you safely on track. Your guide(s) will be involved in the fixing of rope and the smooth running of the expedition but their primary concerns are client safety, best service and success.
Island Peak "ImjeTse", 6,160meter has an impressive, highly glaciated West Face, which rises from the Lhotse Glacier. In fact, the mountain extends from the South Ridge of Lhotse Shar and is separated only by a small col.
Above this gap is the ridge leading to the summit. From base camp, we will ascend a steep, grassy slope and small rocky steps to high camp. It is necessary to climb a steep, exposed 300 meters of snow and ice ramp to the summit ridge; fixed ropes will be used at this point in an otherwise, non-technical snow climb. We will negotiate a final tricky snow pitch before reaching the summit. Again, stunning views of the surrounding mountains can be seen from the peak, including Nuptse, Lhotse, Cho Polu, Makalu, AmaDablam and Baruntse.
Situated on a large meadow with wonderful views of the Imja valley.
Our first real camp is only one and a half-hours walk above Yak camp. This section is marked by rock cairns and involves boulder hopping and some easy scrambling. We sometimes fix a couple of sections with rope to be used as a handrail.
This section of the route is usually rock climbing only, depending on the season. The granite is high quality and the moves fun, challenging and exposed but “do-able”. We follow a narrow ridge, switching back and forth on each side of the ridge. This is the hardest rock climbing of the entire route. In places the exposure is extreme and you are very thankful for the fixed ropes in place. Whilst it is generally easier not to pull on the ropes all the time if you are finding the going getting a bit too hard you can just rest on the fixed rope. You can also use your jumar to help you over the odd spot of difficulties. Most of the climbing in this section is traversing on the rock, so good rock climbing skills will help you move efficiently and quickly over this terrain.
Camp two: Situated on top of the YellowTower on a narrow platform this campsite is rather exposed and has fantastic views. If you dropped your cup from here it would probably land in base camp!
Now for the hardest snow and ice pitches of the route. We follow a system of steep snow and ice gullies up to join a feature called the Mushroom Ridge. Whilst the ridge itself is not as technical as the gullies leading up to it, the exposure here is palpable. It is a narrow, windy, snow mushroom-like ridge with giant Himalayan peaks in the background. This feature leads us up onto a small plateau at 6300 m, which serves the purpose of camp three.
Camp three: A cold and exposed position is the start of our summit push. The Sherpas will often use a full climbing rope to tie our tents down as the natural shape of the mountain can at times, unfortunately, funnel the wind to this location. It is, however, the only safe flat piece of real estate within the range of the summit.
The initial route is to the right of the huge “dablam” (ice cliff), up a moderately steep slope, which is often iced. Once past this feature, we move toward the center of the face. The angle eases slightly and a couple of tough hours later we emerge on the summit (6,812m). The summit is the size of a tennis court and allows us to move around and take pictures. Five of the world’s six highest peaks are clearly visible, with many other 7000m and lesser peaks filling the gaps.
Day 1
Arrival in KTM, transfer to hotel& briefingDay 2
Half day sightseeing and afternoon equipment checking and fittingDay 3
Fly to Lukla, Trek to Phakding (2,600m)40min flight, 3-4hrs trekDay 4
Trek to Namche (3,440m) 5-6hrsDay 5
Acclimatization day in Namche to Khumjung/Khunde (3,800m)Day 6
Trek to Tengboche(3,905m) 6hrsDay 7
Trek to Dengboche (4,410m) 5hrsDay 8
Acclimatization day in Dingboche up to 5,100mDay 9
Trek to Chukung (4,743m) 3-4hrsDay 10
Acclimatization to Chukung Ri (5,550m), 5hrsDay 11
Trek to Island Peak base camp (4,970m) 4hrsDay 12
Summit attempt of Island Peak (6160m) and decent to base camp 7hrsDay 13
Trek to Pangboche (3,930m)Day 14
Trek to Amadablam base camp (4,600m)Day 15-24
Climbing Period on Mt. AmadablamDay 25
Trek to Pangbouche, 4hrsDay 26
Trek to Namche 5hrsDay 27
Trek to Lukla 6hrsDay 28
Fly to KathmanduDay 29
Free day in KathmanduDay 30
Int’l departure to home Our 6,000m expedition peaks are more challenging than trekking peak climbing trips. Your tough level of fitness is really important for this trip; therefore we strongly suggest preparing yourself for good physical fitness level. You do not need to be an athlete, but a good level of overall fitness is important. Being fit will certainly improve your chances of reaching your chosen summit. As an indication, you should be able to walk 8 km / 5 miles with a maximum height gain of 800m/2,000ft with a 10kg rucksack in 5 hours or less.
In order to get ready for this challenge, you need to be trained at least for about 5 to 7 months to prepare yourself as a strong candidate. You can go to the fitness center every morning for about 2 hours, do hiking every weekend with increasing weights on your pack (i.e. 7kg, 10kg, 13 kg, 16kg and up to 20kg), manage some time for cycling for a couple of hours for 3 or 4 times a week. However, during climbing, there might be little symptoms of altitude illness like mild headache, fatigue, etc. but take it as normal and just drink a lot of water (4 – 5 liters) every day. On this trek, you need to be able to hike 6 – 10 hours over hilly terrain up to 6,000m of altitude with a daypack. On the summit push, extra effort is required walking on ice and climbing up to 10 – 12 hours. We will have porters to carry our heavy camping equipment, food and also the climbing gear.
All of our 6000m expedition trips are accessible to experienced trekkers and those who have done some climbing trips in European mountains in order to take another challenge on the Himalayas Mountains. This trip will be helpful if you want to gain some knowledge about mountaineering and have a future plan to climb the BIG Mountains.
If you have any previous mountaineering experiences and well knowledge about how to play with mountaineering gears, good with rock climbing and ice climbing, will surely increase the chances of reaching the summit and also previous trekking and mountaineering experiences is mandatory but doesn’t require any technical experience. But if you are participating in one the technical climbing peak then you must have well knowledge about how to use the mountaineering climbing gears (i.e. crampon with boot, Ice axe, harness, ropes, jumars, prussiks, abseiling, moving past knots, anchor etc.).Crampons are used for maximum grip and harness and ropes are used for maximum safety during climbing. But for those who have no mountaineering experience and skill but have got tough level of fitness, you will have basic training sessions by our guides about how to use the climbing gears during rest/acclimatization day. So we always make sure regarding the safety of the team and the successful climb of the peak.
Dream Himalaya is an awesome outfitter! The Guides, Porters, and Dawa are trustworthy and easy to talk to... It's these kind people that makes your trip hassle and worry free. Highly recommend!
The EBC trek is incredible and highly recommended with stunning scenery and good people. DHA's guides and porters are great and took very good care of us. If you are looking for a great trek in the Himalaya's then this one is for you!
Patrick & Geoff - Basecamp 2019 Dawa Sherpa and his team were exceptional in their care and aid of out Basecamp trek for 2019. It was an amazing experience not only to see and feel the mountains but also to speak to his crew and learn about the region and trekking/mountaineering in general. They were always ready to help whenever we needed. We will certainly be coming back to Nepal and the Himalayas again. Most definitely through Dream Himalaya Adventures. Patrick Nhim
Wow wow wow! Ok so the scenery was awesome - that’s a given! The food was nutritional and hot! Sleeping was easy because the body was ready for rest. But the team at Dream Himalaya Adventures could not have been better selected. Nothing was a problem. Anything was possible. If you wanted it, you got it! Their main aim is to get you to your destination and back safely and for you to enjoy the entire experience. If we weren’t eating enough, they encouraged us to fuel up. If we weren’t drinking enough “pani” (water), they stopped us for a drink break. If we walked too quickly (I’m amazed some of our team members could), they reminded us to walk “bistari bistari” (slowly slowly) to
I have recently returned from touring and trekking with Dream Himalayas Adventures team with Dawa and his Sherpas. The highlights of my trip was the stunning scenery on the trek and the friendly people of Nepal. It was definitely a life changing experience and i would love to do it again some day with my daughter. Dawa and his team were amazing i found them very organized, caring and friendly which impressed me.
We had a beautiful trip! From the very first contact with Dawa a few months before to the airport drop off, Dream Himalayan Advantures provided excellent service, answered questions quickly, and took wonderful care of our team. Their guides were so friendly and very competent in what they do. We had a big team of 10 people, but they were able to meet each person’s needs. Would definitely work with them again!
Dawa S. Lama of the Dream Himalaya Adventures has provided services for the expedition to Jannu (Kumbhakarna), 7711m via South East route. The expedition took place between February and April 2019. It combined a documentary film project “The Wall of Shadows” about the life of Sherpas” Dawa’s insight, a phenomenal attention to detail and discipline, his admirable communication skills, polite and respectful manner, an ease of problem solving, open-mindedness, generosity and adaptability to unusual requirements from the film team were the qualities that put Dawa and his Agency at the top of the list of the most reliable agents in Nepal. We sincerely recommend the Agency and trust any expedition or trekking party will be fully satisfied and comes home from the Himalaya
My experience with Dream Himalaya Adventures was excellent! Dawa Sherpa took care of every detail before and after our trek. I felt very confident in his abilities. All of our drivers and guides were most helpful and informative. Our trek guide, Sherku Sherpa, was exceptional, and he took very good care of us. We had an incredible adventure with stunning scenery every day. I highly recommend Dream Himalaya Adventures to anyone seeking an unparalleled experience in and around the Himalaya!
It was our second trek with Dream Himalaya Adventures and we loved it. We had so much fun with our guide Tendi and Rajesh who also works for DHA. The experience on a trek like this made us feeling like friends rather than clients. It's not only about hiking, you also learn a lot about the Nepalese culture and nature. The feeling of waking up early to see the sunrise at Poon Hill surrounded by the highest mountains in the world is incredible. This was an experience we will never forget and definitely the highlight of our trek. Thank you Dawa for making it possible and organizing everything so well! See you soon!
Dream Himalaya Adventures provided us the best mother / daughter trip that we could experience. We could not have chosen a better agency for our trek to Langtang and Helambu area. Dawa was very helpful from the first email contact. He did not only organize the trek but also the airport pick-up, city tour and all preparations needed with our guide Tendi. Tendi was the best guide that we could wish for. He was not only funny and entertaining and also gave us a glimpse into his culture and his life in Nepal as a professional mountaineer. He really cared about our health and well being during day and night which was very important for our mothers. We enjoyed the trip
Dream Himalaya Adventure (DHA) is a responsible tour, adventure trekking, and expeditions operator with more than a decade of experience. We take all the responsibility of making your dream adventure come true, and so that you can enjoy the [...]
We have set our prices accordingly, considering the quality of our service. Therefore, the prices we offer are neither expensive nor too cheap. Our service standard is equal to the more expensive outfitters. Once you partner your dream trip [...]
We are one the most trusted local trekking and mountaineering operators in Nepal. We have been getting more clients every season through the recommendation from our previous clients. Trusting a travel company that you have no prior experience [...]
We treat our clients as friends and family. A major part of our business now is from recommendations by previous clients. ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ is our motto, meaning we leave no stone unturned when it comes to making your adventure [...]
Copyrights © 2021 Dream Himalaya Adventure. All Rights Reserved.
QUESTIONS? WE'RE HERE TO HELP