Climb Cho Oyu - Tibet

The world's most popular 8000+m climb awaits you on Nepal's border with Tibet. At 8201m / 26,906ft she is the 6th highest peak in the world. Climbing Cho Oyu is not technical, but a very physically demanding climb.

Our group equipment on this expedition will include a Portable Altitude Compression Chamber and a supply of oxygen. A qualified mountain first aider will be part of the team. The number of Sherpa guides will be based on the number of climbers, with a ratio of about 1:3.  Subject to the number of participating climbers, there may be additional staff from UK / NZ / USA.

The temperatures we expect at Base Camp will be in the range from 20° C during the day and overnight they will be around 0° Celsius. The overnight temperatures above 7000 metres may go down to minus 35°.

Detailed Itinerary

Days 01 & 02 Arrival and free time in Kathmandu. Relaxation then as usual there will be extensive preparations, packing bags and equipment at the hotel, ready for the following day. You can leave your belongings which you will not need during the expedition, packed and locked in bags at the hotel.

Day 03  Coach to Tibet border. Early in the morning we take a bus drive along the Friendship - Highway to Zhangmu at the Nepal-Tibet frontier. The journey normally takes about 5 to 6 hours depending on the condition of the road. Sometimes the journey time is doubled because of the landslides that occur in the area .

Day 04 Drive to Nyalam (3,600m). Our jeeps and trucks meander their way up the precipitous mountain road - " the road to hell " as the Chinese call it The journey to Nyalam is a short day and gives us some opportunity to acclimatise.

Day 05  Relax at Nyalam for acclimatisation purposes. Some exercise is helpful to the acclimatisation process.

Day 06  Drive to Tingri (4,500m). A spectacular day as we climb up to 5,000 metres elevation. If the weather is clear the views from this road are absolutely superb. Arriving in Tingri we get our first views of the lonely mountains across the grassy plains.

Day 07 Drive to Cho Oyu base camp (4800m). The drive takes about 2 hours. Our campsite is known locally as Chinese Base Camp and after establishing our camp we can rest and enjoy the views. The camp is pleasantly situated on a grassy patch alongside a river.

Days 08 & 09 Base Camp - We will spend 2 days at base camp for acclimatisation purposes and to prepare our equipment for the yak to carry to advanced base camp. All our equipment is transported in blue plastic drums or kit bags and it is usual to have in the region of 60 yaks to transport our supplies and equipment.

Days 10 & 11  Trek to Advance Base Camp. It takes 2 days to trek up to the Advance Base Camp near the foot of the Nangpa La Pass. Our expedition equipment will be carried by yaks and we will trek alongside with our day packs.

Days 12 to 37 Climb - Cho Oyu. The expedition leader will control the day to day running of the expedition. Normally we establish camp 1 at an elevation of 6,400m and Camp 2 at 7,100m before returning to the advance base camp to rest. Our Sherpa team will then establish Camp 3 at 7,500m with the team members following in. We will sleep only one night at Camp 3 before attempting the summit.

Day 38 Base Camp. By this day all the expedition members and Sherpas will have to be back at Chinese Base Camp where our truck and personnel transport will be waiting for us. Everything will be packed into the blue plastic expedition drums for the return journey to Kathmandu.

Day 39  Drive to Tatopani, Nepal. Loading all our equipment onto the truck we drive to the border which we cross and descend to Kodari. A few miles down the road is the village of Tatopani where we stay for the night. There are quite a number of local village tea houses which can provide accommodation or we will camp.

Day 40  Drive to Kathmandu. This is a spectacular and enjoyable journey down the Sun Kosi river valley. Some members may wish to enjoy the scenery from the roof of the bus. We should arrive into Kathmandu in the early, assuming there are no landslides to slow us down. Option - White Water Raft part of the way, please ask for details.

Days 41 & 42 At leisure in Kathmandu and departure. Time for relaxation and souvenir hunting before we celebrate our long and exciting expedition.

Price Indication per person GB£ / US$:

£6,960 - £7,300 / $10,600 - $11,100 Ref: EHCO

Email for current price and availability

You can book as an individual, but we need a minimum of 8 for the climb to proceed at these prices. The maximum group size is 12.

What is included
Our group equipment will include a Portable Altitude Compression Chamber and a supply of oxygen. A qualified mountain first aider will be part of the team. All transport is provided to ferry personnel, and a truck and Yak team for our equipment. Kathmandu hotels with breakfast only. Our Sherpa crew will provide the food up to and at Base Camp and there may be a kitchen established at the Camp 2, depending on the conditions. For the climb above Camp 3, clients are requested to bring their own food of high caloric value. Tibetan visa fees.

What is not included
The price does not include international airfare and departure taxes (UK and Nepal, about £43 in total). lunch and evening meals while in Kathmandu. Meals above base camp. Personal high altitude equipment as detailed on the separate list. Personal insurance. Nepalese &Tibetan visa fees; vaccination costs; all items of a personal nature and all alcoholic drinks. Unscheduled hotel usage, please see the following note.

Kathmandu Hotels
We have included 4 nights accommodation in Hotel Marshyandi in Kathmandu, 2 nights before departure and 2 nights after arrival from the expedition, on set dates. If you need to leave the expedition early, our staff in Kathmandu can supply you with a list of our special negotiated rates at different hotels in Kathmandu or arrange accommodation for you. Please note though that this accommodation is not included within the price quoted.

The hotel chosen is clean and comfortable with modern conveniences and is on a par with UK 3*. If you would like to downgrade to budget or upgrade to something like UK 4 * then please ask for details. All tented camping is on a shared basis.

Personal Insurance
Comprehensive personal insurance, including search and rescue is required on this trek. We recommend the policies issued by the British Mountaineering Council, see www.thebmc.co.uk 

Airfare (from the UK)
As a guide, the international airfare should be in the range £450 - £650 for economy class.

Visas
A double entry visa is required for Nepal if you plan to visit Tibet and return via Nepal and this will cost about £55.  We will send the form to you on receipt of your booking.  We can arrange the Nepali visa for you should you wish for an additional fee.  The Tibet visa is arranged for the group by Muir's Tours.

Travel Insurance
Comprehensive personal insurance, including search and rescue is required on this trip. We recommend the BMC policies www.thebmc.co.uk

Equipment
For climbing above the base camp, we provide group equipment - tents, ropes, snow bars, ice screws, etc. Clients are required to have their own set of personal equipment, such as plastic boots, sleeping bag, Thermarest, crampons, climbing harness, ice-axe, climbing helmet, karabiners, etc. A detailed list of items will be sent to you on confirmation of your booking.
While sorting out your equipment for an expedition of this type, the vital considerations are warmth and weight. It is expected to be extremely cold at times during the expedition and you should have full expedition clothing and an expedition sleeping bag. Since you will be carrying your personal equipment, plus a share of the group's equipment during the final part of the climb, you should make sure that you minimise the weight of your gear in whatever way possible.