Everest Base Camp 珠穆朗玛峰 Travel Guide

The journey to Everest Base Camp is certainly half of the adventure being several days from Lhasa through the spectacular scenery of the Tibetan plateau. However, the journey’s end does not disappoint with the best views of the world’s highest mountain (weather permitting!) Base camp is an eclectic mix of hardy tourists and much hardier climbers. Conditions are tough up here even at the best time of year but the memories you take back will last a lifetime.

The view – the northern, Tibet, side of the Everest shows off a much more impressive view of the world’s highest peak than the more commonly visited Nepalese side. This will give you good bragging rights on arrival in Kathmandu!

Well, cloud permitting there is only one real draw of course, Everest itself although the journey is as much of the attraction. This is a place to sit and contemplate the majesty of the scenery but you may also see Yak herders and their animals and climbing groups. The moving memorials to climbers who didn’t make it off the mountain are poignant reminders of what awaits the few who venture beyond base camp. The best times of year for visibility are April and May and September and October although you are likely to see the mountain at dawn and dusk throughout the year.

Everest is well worth the discomfort of a night at Rombuk and the effects of altitude. The image of the vast northern face of Mount Everest will stay in your mind infinitely longer than the uncomfortable night in the Monastery Guesthouse! Make sure you get up early to see the sunrise.

Not surprisingly options are quite limited at Everest. The standard place to stay is the Rombuk Monastery Guesthouse about 2 hours walk from Base Camp. Better from approximately late May to early October are the seasonal tented camps that appear at Base Camp itself.

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By Phil Stanley & Headseast – TCTC Destination Expert.