The Hidden Face of Everest

Overview

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The 30th anniversary trek from Kangshung to Rongbuk

Introduction

In 1996, Jagged Globe organised an expedition to Everest via the North-East Ridge from Tibet, with five climbers summiting, including Alan Hinkes OBE, who later became the first Briton to summit all 14 of the world's 8,000 metre peaks. Since then, Jagged Globe has helped nearly 300 people climb Everest from both Nepal and Tibet. To celebrate this history, we are returning with members of the 1996 team to trek to the lesser-known Kangshung Face on the east side of Everest.

The team will fly to Chengdu, China, where we'll obtain Tibetan travel permits. After two nights in Chengdu, you'll fly to Lhasa for a three-night stay to explore and acclimatise at 3,660m. The journey then takes you overland via Shigatse and Xegar, crossing the high passes of Gyatso La (5,220m) and Pang La (5,150m), which provide dramatic views of Everest's North Face and other Himalayan giants, before the team arrives in Kharta.

From Kharta, a seven-day trek begins, taking you through ecologically diverse zones - from lush forests to alpine tundra and culminating at Everest's Kangshung Base Camp on the mountain's remote eastern flank. The group spends a full day here, taking in the spectacular scenery.

The return trek to Kharta takes four days via a different route over Langma La. The expedition then travels by road to Rongbuk Monastery and Rongbuk Base Camp on the north side of Everest. Finally, the trip concludes by driving west across the Tibetan Plateau to Kyirong, then south across the border into Nepal, finishing in Kathmandu before heading home.

Join us on the Hidden Face of Everest trek

• A unique trip designed by Jagged Globe. The 2026 trek celebrates Jagged Globe's 1996 Everest expedition - their first as an independent mountaineering company.
• Visit the Kangshung Face Base Camp, Rongbuk Monastery and Everest's North Base Camp.
• Expedition led by Jagged Globe MD, Simon Lowe. It is expected that other members of the 1996 expedition will also join.
• Emergency equipment includes oxygen for therapeutic use, Portable Hyperbaric Chamber (PAC) and Satellite Communicator (either phone or InReach)

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What experience do I need?

Due to its remote location and the high altitude of Lhasa and the Tibetan Plateau, you should be a regular hill walker and have experience of climbing or trekking in the Himalaya or Andes and sleeping at or above 4,000m. Please download and read the trek PDF for a more detailed overview of the experience required.

Read our Training for Trekking and Hiking article by Steve House of Uphill Athlete.

Additional Information

If you wish to discuss any aspect of the trek or your suitability for it, please phone +44 (0)114 276 3322 or contact us.

Dates & Prices

Date	Meeting in		Availability
2027 dates to be announced — Please register your interest

Know Before You Go

Jagged Globe supports the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) 'Know Before You Go' campaign. We recommend that you read the FCDO Travel Advice for China and Nepal on the FCDO Website.

What the price includes

• Economy class outbound, single airfare and associated airport taxes from the UK to Chengdu (unless booked Land-Only).
• Economy class inbound, single airfare and associated airport taxes from Kathmandu to UK (unless booked Land-Only).
• Economy Class, in-country, single airfare between Chengdu and Lhasa by scheduled airline.
• Four (4) Airport transfers, as follows: 1. On arrival in Chengdu from the airport to the hotel in Chengdu. 2. On departure from Chengdu, between the hotel and Chengdu airport; 3. On arrival in Lhasa, from the airport to the hotel in Lhasa; 4. On departure from Kathmandu, between the hotel in Thamel and the International Airport.
• Two (2) nights' bed and breakfast, twin-sharing hotel accommodation in Chengdu.
• Three (3) nights' bed and breakfast, twin-sharing hotel accommodation in Lhasa.
• One (1) nights' dinner, bed and breakfast, twin-sharing hotel accommodation in Shigatse.
• One (1) nights' dinner, bed and breakfast, twin-sharing hotel accommodation in Xegar/ Shegar.
• Thirteen (13) camping nights in shared twin-tents, with communal mess tent and shared toilet tent. Breakfast, lunch (picnic) and dinner throughout.
• One (1) nights' dinner, bed and breakfast, in twin-sharing lodge accommodation in Tingri.
• One (1) nights' full-board hotel, in twin-sharing hotel accommodation in Kyriong Dzongka.
• Permit and visa support before departure and, for China and Tibet, in Chengdu, but excluding the cost of applying for and obtaining visas and permits.
• Emergency equipment (oxygen for therapeutic use, Portable Hyperbaric Chamber (PAC), Satellite Communicator (either phone or InReach)) - see later for more details.
• All road transport by private vehicles, as described in the itinerary.
• The cost of porterage of your personal bags, limited to 15Kg per person, and all group equipment and camp-stores by yak or other means during the trek ex-Kharta.
• Jagged Globe kitbag or fleece.
• Jagged Globe tee-shirt for travel, as needed.

What the price does not include

• Visa fees, for Nepal and China.
• Tibet travel permit.
• Overseas airports taxes not paid in advance through the international airline ticket bought for you by Jagged Globe as part of the package.
• Bar bills and laundry.
• Travel insurance.
• Lunch and Evening Meals in Chengdu, Lhasa and Kathmandu.
• Optional trips and sightseeing tours in Chengdu, Lhasa and Kathmandu.
• Tips to Sherpa and Tibetan staff.

Tailor Made Trips

We can organise this trek on a ‘tailor-made’ private basis for groups of friends, families, clubs, charities or any other group. The cost of going private can be surprisingly reasonable. Please contact us to discuss the itinerary and your preferred dates. We will then send you a quote, with no obligation.

Insurance

You will need a travel insurance policy that caters for the activities you will undertake on your trip with Jagged Globe. It is a requirement of our booking conditions that you have such a policy. For a list of insurers who specialise in mountaineering, trekking and skiing, please see our Travel Insurance page »

Itinerary

Here is an outline itinerary for this trip. A more detailed day-to-day itinerary is available as a downloadable PDF »

Typical Itinerary

Day 1 - 2:	Fly to Chengdu (1,350m) Team members joining on a "land-only", please plan to arrive in Chengdu on Day 2 no later than 1630, when your services will begin. Overnight hotel.
Day 3:	Chengdu - Tibet Travel Permit Overnight hotel.
Day 4:	Fly to Lhasa (3,660m) We will be met on arrival and taken to our hotel, where we spend the next three nights. Given the altitude, it would be best not to rush around town this evening, but to take time and to relax.
Day 5 - 6:	At leisure in Lhasa (3,660m) The primary purpose of the next two days and nights is to acclimatise to the altitude, before we move on. However, we would not want to miss the highlights of being in Lhasa, such as the chance to see and to visit the Potala Palace. Overnight hotels.
Day 7:	Drive to Shigatse (3,900m) Travel via the more southerly route to Yamdrok Lake and the Karola Glacier. Overnight hotel.
Day 8:	Drive to Xegar/Shegar (4,000m) via Gyatso La (5,220m) Drive west along the Friendship Highway for about 160Km before turning south to move closer to the main Himalayan Chain. Meet Sherpa team. Overnight hotel.
Day 9:	Xegar/Shegar to Kharta over the Pang La (5,150m). Camp at Thangachanmo (3,700m) Drive over the Pang La, enjoying panoramic views of Everest. We finish the day at our campsite in the Kharta Valley, sleeping among fertile pastures and forests.
Day 10:	Start trek, camp in Dampu (3,990m) We enjoy a pleasant trek among forests and across verdant fields. We follow the Kharta Chu, which flows from the glacier at the head of the valley, and joins the Arun River in Nepal – thus, along with other tributaries, forming one of the water gaps in the Himalayan chain. So, following the green banks of the river upwards, we will find our campsite in a meadow on a lush shelf above the river - it is a beautiful alpine campsite.
Day 11 - 14:	Trek to Kangshung Face Base Camp (5,030m) Four more days of trekking to reach our 'summit' at Pethang Ringmo Camp (5,030m).
Day 15:	Explore around Pethang Ringmo Camp (5,030m)
Day 16:	Trek to Parthang / Kharka Camp We begin our walk away from the Kangshung Face with a modest day of just a few hours' trekking. Retracing our footsteps the way we came, will take us down through alpine scrub and into dwarf rhododendron before we meet carpets of juniper lying across the hillsides.
Day 17:	Tsurume near-by lake Camp (5,000m)
Day 18:	Over the Langma La (5,320m) to Lacham Camp (4,800m)
Day 19:	End trek in Thangachenmo/Kharta Camp (3,700m)
Day 20:	Drive Kharta - Rongbuk, Camp (5,250m) Unlike the Hidden East Face of Everest, its North Face does not hide at all but instead reveals her full majesty as soon as we enter the Rongbuk Valley and see the mountain 20Km, or so, in the distance. With her upper reaches having been on proud display from the Pang La, she now stands tall before us, in full sight, stretching upwards from the valley floor, at the head of the Central Rongbuk Glacier, to the very pinnacle of the Earth.
Day 21:	In Rongbuk, visit Monastery, Camp (5,250m)
Day 22:	Drive to Tingri (4,300m) 70Km drive. Overnight hotel.
Day 23:	Drive to Kyirong Dzongka (4,130m) 200Km drive. Overnight hotel.
Day 24:	Drive to Nepalese Border and to Kathmandu Overnight hotel.
Day 25:	At Leisure in Kathmandu A chance to explore the bustling capital, with its beautiful temples and bustling markets. Overnight hotel.
Day 26:	Fly home Airport transfer. For those joining "land-only", you should book your flight home today.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Every effort will be made to keep to the above itinerary, but as this is adventure travel in a remote mountain region, we cannot guarantee it! Weather conditions, availability of porters and the health of team members can all contribute to changes. The leaders and their Sherpa assistants will try to ensure that the trip runs according to plan, but please be prepared to be flexible if necessary.

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