The south base camp of Everest lies on the rubble-covered ice of the Khumbu Glacier, beneath the Khumbu Icefall, the jumble of seracs that climbers cross to reach Camp 1. The trekkers' marker, a boulder painted with Everest Base Camp 5,364 m and hung with prayer flags, sits at the lower edge of the expedition area. The site moves slightly each year with the glacier, and from June to February it is mostly empty ice and moraine. In April and May it becomes a seasonal town of several hundred yellow and orange tents.
A surprise for many first-time visitors is that you cannot see the summit of Everest from base camp. The view is blocked by the West Shoulder and Nuptse. What you do see is the icefall, the steep faces of Nuptse (7,861 m), Pumori (7,161 m) and the Lho La, and the scale of the glacier. For the classic summit view, climb Kala Patthar (5,644 m) at sunrise or sunset, which is why nearly every itinerary includes both.
Trekkers do not sleep at base camp unless they hold an expedition permit or are guests of a team. The usual plan is to walk from Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5,164 m) in the morning, drop bags, walk on to base camp and back in the afternoon (about 3–4 hours return over moraine), then sleep at Gorak Shep. The trail along the glacier edge is rocky, rises and falls repeatedly and is slow at this altitude, so leave Gorak Shep by early afternoon at the latest.
What to see and do
- Khumbu Icefall up close
From the moraine at base camp you look straight at the lower Khumbu Icefall, a chaos of ice towers and crevasses dropping about 600 m from the Western Cwm. In the climbing season you can watch climbers' headlamps on it before dawn.
- Expedition tent city in spring
From early April to late May, hundreds of tents spread along the glacier, with dining domes, prayer-flag lines and helipads. Trekkers walk through the lower edge but should not enter team camps uninvited. Outside spring, the camp is almost empty.
- Nuptse and Pumori walls
Nuptse's black and white face rises more than 2,400 m above base camp to the east, and Pumori's fluted pyramid stands to the west. On clear mornings the light on these walls is one of the strongest images of the trek.
- The trekkers' boulder
The painted boulder and prayer flags marking Everest Base Camp 5,364 m are where almost everyone takes their summit photo. Queues form in peak weeks around midday; arriving earlier or later in the afternoon is quieter.
- Walking on the Khumbu Glacier
The last hour from Gorak Shep follows the lateral moraine and then crosses rubble-covered glacier ice. You hear ice cracking under the rocks and see small turquoise melt pools and seracs. It is a very different landscape from the green valleys below.
- Everest memorials on the way
Above Dughla, on the way to Lobuche, the Thukla Pass memorials remember climbers and Sherpas who died on Everest, including Scott Fischer and Babu Chiri Sherpa. Most trekkers pause here in silence on their way to base camp.
Experiences in Everest Base Camp
How to reach Everest Base Camp
On foot
From Lukla, the standard route goes via Phakding, Namche (2 nights), Tengboche, Dingboche (2 nights) and Lobuche to Gorak Shep, then on to base camp: about 65 km one way and 8 days. Return takes 3–4 days. From Gorak Shep the base camp walk is about 3–4 hours return.
Helicopter
Helicopter tours do not normally land at base camp itself, which is on moving glacier ice crowded with expedition tents. Most fly over it and land at Kala Patthar or Gorak Shep for 10–15 minutes, weather and current rules permitting. Check current status before you travel.
Air
The nearest airport is Lukla (2,860 m), about 35 minutes from Kathmandu, or 20 minutes from Ramechhap during peak months when scheduled flights move there. Check current status before you travel.
Where to stay
There are no lodges at Everest Base Camp. Trekkers sleep at Gorak Shep (5,164 m), about 2 hours away along the moraine, where a handful of basic lodges offer twin rooms with shared toilets, a heated dining room and expensive food. Rooms are cold, often well below freezing at night, and water is limited. Lobuche (4,940 m), about 2–3 hours below Gorak Shep, has more lodges and slightly better comfort, and some itineraries visit base camp from there and return in one long day. Expedition members stay in tented camps at base camp under permit.
Tips from our trip managers
- Leave Gorak Shep for base camp by 1 pm at the latest, as the moraine trail is slow and cold after dark.
- Climb Kala Patthar for the summit view of Everest, which you cannot see from base camp itself.
- Stay on marked paths and do not enter expedition camps unless you are invited.
- Carry a down jacket, gloves, 1 litre of water and a headlamp even for the short walk from Gorak Shep.
- In April and May, step aside for yaks and porters supplying expeditions; give them the inside of the trail.
