Nepalese side of the border or Zhangmu - Early in the morning we take a bus drive along the Friendship - Highway to Zhangmu at the Nepal-Tibet frontier. The journey normally may take about 5 to 6 hours depending on the condition of the road, and sometime likely the landslides that could double this journey time. We will stay on the Nepalese side of the border, or perhaps in Zhagmu, just up the hill on the Tibetan side.

Nyalam 3,600 metres. Our jeeps and trucks meander their way up the precipitous mountain road - " the road to hell " as the Chinese literally express and we have the opportunity now to find it out for our-self, why. The journey to Nyalam is a short day and gives us some opportunity  to acclimatise.

Nyalam - Rest day at Nyalam for acclimatisation.             

Base Camp (4,900m.)- We depart on the vehicles and drive up the side of a huge gorge, eventually emerging onto the barren Tibetan plateau. The change of landscape is strange, form the lush Nepalese countryside to arid mountain desert. Magnificent views of Shishapagma and many other mountains make today's road journey an eternal memories. After crossing the Thang La (5,200m.) we turn off the Lhasa highway and head west along the road to Mt. Kailash for a further 25 km. Turning south on to an even smaller track, we eventually arrive at Base Camp (4,900m.), This is situated close to Yambughangala river which drains the north side of Shishapagma.

Base Camp- Our first two days at Base Camp are spent preparing out equipment and organizing loads for the yaks. These are important days for our acclimatization, as we will all feel the effects of living at nearly 5,000m. and we need to be in good shape for the long route to Advance Base Camp.

Advance base camp(5,800m.) - After loading up the yaks with all of out equipment we will set off with them on the 12 mile/20 km. trek to Advance Base Camp (ABC). Initially we follow a jeep track to a plateau above the river and them the west bank of the valley to ABC near the snout of the Yambughangala Glacier (5,800m.) This is in very impressive situation, with the giant white pinnacles of the glacier leading  up the valley to Shishapangma. Here we unload the yaks and set up the camp which will be the take-off point for the climb. From here on we will have to do our own load carrying!

The Climb - This expedition is on ABC support servicve only. From now on, you'll be moving up on your own.

Base Camp - All expedition members and equipment will need to be back at Base Camp by today, ready for our departure tomorrow. Once again, yaks will be used to transport all expedition equipment from ABC to Base Camp.

Nyalam

Kathmandu - Drive to Kathmandu and transfer to the hotel.

Note : This itinerary is intend to be a guideline only we will do our best to adhere to it as closely as possible, but unexpected events may force changes to be made at the last moment. Please be prepared to be flexible if necessary.

Warning

We have run many successful and safe expeditions however you must understand this is as real as it gets. We try our best with safety and gear within the limits of the expedition budget and the success rates for Shishapangma (Central summit) are high, but this is 8000m and anything can happen. Even with good gear, good everything, the risk of death is small BUT REAL. There is UNAVOIDABLE avalanche danger, although the probability is low. If you haven't climbed to 8000m before you will find the mountain bigger and scarier than you ever imagined.

We try our best and we are very responsible, caring  people HOWEVER we are not liable for anything, full stop.

Attitude
Mentally, you should not be on this expedition unless you think you can climb to the summit, there is a lot of power is positive thinking. At the same time you must be prepared for disappointment; conditions may not be perfect, you may struggle at extreme altitude etc.

Experience and fitness
Despite the relatively non-technical nature you MUST have some mountaineering experience and MUST have been to 6000m before. The fitter you are when you arrive the better. You must be at least moderately fit, your fitness will build remarkably on the mountain. Don't underestimate the difficulty and strength of will required to climb at over 7000m.