Cho Oyu Expedition

We provide licensed trekking guides with fluent English. Our guides are certified by the Hotel Management and Tourism Center after receiving 45 days of training. Similarly, the guides receive high-altitude training from Kathmandu Environmental Education Project (KEEP).

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.

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

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.

We have experienced local Sherpa guides, who have scaled the mountains of over 7,000 and 8,000 meters including Cho Oyu multiple times.

• COVID-19 vaccination (Negative PCR report in case of unvaccinated travelers.)
• Typhoid vaccination is recommended but not required

We suggest you have a dental checkup before your trip and know your blood type. It is helpful if you inform us of any medical condition that is relevant so we may convey this information in the event of an emergency. Ace the Himalaya keeps your medical condition confidential unless treatment is necessary.

We cater to all group sizes, while maintaining the field staff ratio to give you the best quality and experience.

Notice should be provided 20 days before the trip start date in case of cancellation. The trip can be canceled for justifiable reasons. Once the trip is canceled, a fee of 30% of the trip cost is retained for administrative costs.

However, the trip amount is entirely non-refundable if the cancellation is not made before the 20 days as per our terms and conditions. For submitting a claim to your insurance company after the cancellation, we can assist with documentation such as a receipt of monies paid. Refund will not be provided for unused accommodation in case of trip cancellation caused by personal reasons/sickness/weather.

More information about our cancellation policy can be found here in Terms and Conditions page.

Yes, you can extend your holiday. Ace the Himalaya offers many options and alternatives for your holiday extension. For more information, you can visit our Day trips pages.

Our company insures all our trekking staff members, including guides, cooks, Sherpa, and porters. Please browse through our legal docment page to view insurance details.

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.

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.

Yes, you can obtain a Nepal visa upon your arrival at the airport. There are kiosks in the arrival hall that you use to complete the necessary forms.  The cost is USD 30 for a 15-day tourist visa, including numerous entries, or USD 50 and USD 125 for a 30-day or 90-day tourist visa including numerous entries respectively. You should carry cash (USD) with you to pay your visa fees quickly and easily, as digital payments are frequently unavailable.

After meeting all your team and crew in Kathmandu we fly directly to Lhasa. After exploring Lhasa and Potala Palace with lots of sights and monasteries, we drive to 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.

As we all know that when you make a decision to climb any 8,000m peak, 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.

Sure! This is one of the best parts 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.

You must have a solid experience of climbing skills. It is suitable for experienced, self-sufficient mountaineers. Climbers who have already climbed the peaks like Mera Peak; Island, Huascaran, Illimani, Denali, Muztag Ata, Spantik or similar, could well consider Cho Oyu. Climbers must be in excellent physical condition. Climbing an 8,000m peak is a tough test of endurance; both physical and psychological. Only having such condition, one has maximum chance of kissing on the top.

Of course! Most people on the climbing, members end up bringing “the kitchen sink”!

Taking as your Cho Oyu climbing may be 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.

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 15 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.

Maximum 10 members can be included on our Ace Cho Oyu 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.

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.

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 9-18kg , sometimes higher if you choose to carry more of your equipment. On “move” days, the weight goes down significantly, to 10-15lbs., 5-7kg.

Travelling in Tibet is one of the best experiences in life, the travelers are required to know that Tibet is located in a very high altitude. It is natural that most of the travelers have the more expectations while travelling any part of the world in terms of hotels, accommodations and the services as a whole. But what we have to consider that world is not perfect and no one is perfect. Since, Tibet is located in very high altitude, the hotels, accommodations and other services can’t be expected deluxe similar to Kathmandu all the moment. We normally provide two star (as per Tibetan stander) hotel accommodation in Lhasa but the accommodation outside of Lhasa can be very basic and some time even dormitory style. All the accommodations are pre-booked before starting the trip. While in the tour, if you want to change the hotels, the additional cost should paid by you to our guide directly. You will have your own tent in base camp, but on the mountain and while one the 4WD tour in Tibet, you will be sharing a room with others. We generally book you in to a single room in the hotel in Kathmandu. A single supplement is available. Please contact us for further details.

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! At our advanced base camp, 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.

We will arrange hotel and guesthouse accommodation including breakfast below base camp, however lunch and dinner in the hotel and guesthouse is not covered by our package price, you will be spending roughly US$ 14 to USU 18 per day for the lunch and dinner. From base camp and above until you return to base all the foods are provided.

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 5-12 hours long. Summit day can be up to 15 hours long.

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, you will have a dedicated radio. Each 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 lap top and high speed satellite connection. 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.

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

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.

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

In major places, we arrange guesthouse with hot shower. And in rest of the places, hotel water in bucket will be provided for shower. We will also have the shower tent at the base camp.

Since this is our biggest and longest trip, we usually suggest our climbing members to bring USD$1500 -$2000. 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 pay the local currency, Rupees.

This is a difficult thing to gauge. We have seen everything from 20USD to 15,000USD for an Everest expedition tip. Tipping is not must, but a small way to show your guides thanks for their help. The level of the tip should reflect the level of personal involvement with your guide. Recommended tipping and Sherpa bonuses are as follow:

• Allow $80-150 for general non-sherpa crew who stay at base camp.
• Allow $150-250 for sherpas who go up to the base camp.
• Summit climbing Sherpa US$ 400 – 600 per Sherpa

Besides Chinese Yuan, only US dollars can be accepted in Tibet. Also shops that accept American currency are very limited and you might not be able to get a good deal for an exchange rate. Credit cards can only be used at some hotels. The Bank of China also accepts credit cards. ATM is not widely available. Exchanging your money to Chinese currency will be the best option for you, which can be done at the Bank of China (exchange rate between USD & RMB is 1:7.5 at the time of writing this text). While changing money at the local money exchange centers, please make sure that you are accompanied by your guide and do consult him as you may easily be duped with counterfeit notes.

Tibet is becoming more expensive every year. There are many shops in Lhasa, Shigatse and Gyantse that sell traditional Tibetan handicrafts. We recommend you to bring extra money to spend on souvenirs.