Trekking the Mighty Everest – Mount Everest

Scaling Mount Everest, the highest mountain peak in the world, is the biggest challenge to even the most experienced and daring trekker/climber in the world.

About Mt Everest:

Mount Everest is the highest mountain peak in the world with a height of about 8,848 km. It is also called Sagarmatha or Chomolungma in Nepali language.

Trekking the Everest:

During the time when Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary scaled Mt Everest, challenges were tough for equipments to top the mountain were not much developed. The duo did not even have fixed ropes to cross the hurdle. Today, climbers ascend the mountain using fixed ropes previously set up by sherpas. Once crossing the step, it is comparatively easy to climb to the top on fairly angled snow slopes. After crossing the Hillary Step, adventurers need to traverse a very loose and rocky section, which can pose danger in inclement weather. Even though the climbers take great pain in reaching the top, they get to spend little time there for they realise the need to descend to Camp IV before darkness sets in.

The trek to the Everest is a journey that goes through the heart of Sherpa country and offers sight of the most spectacular mountain range in the world. The trek includes a strenuous 20-day mission that starts at Lukla (at 9,000 feet) before reaching the highest point at 18,300 feet.

The scenery from Kala Pattar, a high moraine ridge right across from Everest Base Camp, is mesmerizing indeed. One can get glimpse of the highest peaks of the Himalayas easily from here. April-May and October-November are the best times to trek this region, as the weather remains mostly dry and sunny. June and September and December-March are not suitable for trekking, the reason being the rains, the cold and the shorter days.

Solukhumbu, the heartland of the Everest region and an integral part of the Himalayan mystique, stands out as a top draw for the Everest hikers. Throughout the trek, trekkers feel overwhelmed by unbelievable peaks, Buddhist monasteries and friendly Sherpa villages. Yet another attraction for the Himalayan adventurers is the mystical animal called ‘Yeti’ that has often caught public imagination.

Trekking the Everest is by no means an easy task, even though the peak witnesses frequent footfalls. People die from slipping (their dead bodied often remaining unrescued), or by meeting fateful ends in a dead zone void of Oxygen) or fall prey to the dangerous frostbite. But even then, mountain lovers rush in numbers to scale the mighty peak.

Trekking fees:

It is necessary to procure a permit from the Government of Nepal against a heavy fee of USD 25,000 (for per person).

Trekking Trips:

• Everest Base Camp Trek – 16 Days

• Everest Panorama Trek – 8 Days
• Everest Base Camp Gokyo Cross Chola La – 19 Days
• Gokyo Ri Trek – 14 Days
• Gokyo Valley Via Renjola Pass – 12 Days
• Everest Trek Via Jiri – 26 Days