This is the 360 degree panorama I was hoping to get from the summit of Island Peak or Imja Tse. I can’t believe how small Ama Dablam looks from up here (6814m, at the centre). Mighty Makalu (8462m) rises above the ridge at the left, and the confluence of the Lhotse Shar, Amphu Laptse, and Imja Glaciers and the Imja Tso glacial lake can be seen below Lapste to the left of the main Island Peak (Imja Tse) ridge in the middle.

In the distance just beyond the Island Peak ridge is the rest of the Imja Drengka valley and the villages of Chukhung and Dingboche. To the right of the valley the stunning peaks of Tawoche and Arakamptse stand tall above the glacial flows of the Nuptse, Lhotse Nup and Lhotse Glacier. These glaciers slowly flow from the snow and ice that falls on the giant Nuptse-Lhotse Wall, with the peak of Lhotse, the 4th highest mountain on Earth rising to an incredible 8516m at the right.

The distance in altitude from the summit of Island Peak and the top of Lhotse is more than 2300m, which means you could slide the whole of Australia at its highest point, horizontally, between the two summits with room to move. Australia is indeed flat, and these mountains are indeed the largest in the world… what a privilege to have been here.

The panorama is a composite of 18 photos taken with a Canon 400D using a 17-85mm IS USM lens with circular polarising filter.

Featured in “Panoramas”