At the Foot of Everest - A Journey Through Nepal’s Khumbu Region

Words: Lucy Connors

Photography: Ratchanon Tisadoldilok

Everest has a way of embedding itself in the imagination long before you see it. The stories of the men who gave everything to climb it - simply because “it was there” - have a habit of staying with you.

So when the opportunity came to undertake the two-week trek through Nepal to Base Camp, following tumbling rivers and jagged ridgelines, passing through Sherpa villages and Buddhist monasteries, it wasn’t something to overthink.

The journey technically begins in Kathmandu, but it doesn’t truly start until you board the turboprop flight bound for Lukla. Tenzing-Hillary Airport - famously dubbed the most dangerous in the world - offers a short, sloped runway perched at high altitude, framed by unforgiving Himalayan terrain.

We secured one of the first flights of the day, banking on clear skies and calmer conditions. Inside the small plane, a cocktail of nerves, anticipation and adrenaline takes hold during the thirty-minute ascent into the mountains. Everest itself remained elusive behind cloud, but its neighbouring peaks - craggy, stoic, and immense - were no less arresting.

From Lukla to Phakding: The First Steps into the Himalayas

The journey into the Khumbu begins with that short flight - a sharp transition from city to altitude. It’s a reminder that some of the most memorable journeys begin not just with the destination, but the route itself - whether crossing continents by rail or tracing remote landscapes step by step, much like the world’s most scenic railway journeys.

The remainder of day one eases you in with the first stretch: a modest five-mile trek from Lukla to Phakding, typically around three hours on foot. It’s a forgiving start - designed more for acclimatisation than exertion, as the body begins adjusting to altitude.

"Arriving in Namche at 3,340 metres marks a significant threshold - often the point where altitude begins to assert itself..."

The trail traces the Dudh Koshi river valley, winding through pine forests and across suspension bridges that sway gently above glacial water rushing below.

For the duration of the trek, we stayed in traditional tea houses - simple, bed-and-breakfast-style lodges scattered throughout the region. They are basic but reliable, offering home-cooked meals, warm shelter, and, of course, endless tea.

Namche Bazaar and Acclimatisation in the Everest Region

From Phakding, we continued to Namche Bazaar - the Sherpa capital. At roughly seven miles, this is the first truly demanding day, and we were advised to take it slowly. That caution isn’t optional; it’s essential for avoiding altitude sickness. The route follows the river deeper into forest before entering Sagarmatha National Park - the gateway to the Everest region.

As the climb progresses, the terrain begins to shift: ascents grow longer, the air thinner, and the dense pine forests give way to a more exposed, rocky mountainside.

Arriving in Namche at 3,340 metres marks a significant threshold - often the point where altitude begins to assert itself. We spent two nights here to acclimatise, a pause that ultimately determines whether you can continue.

Perched across a steep mountainside, Namche unfolds as a layered amphitheatre of colour and movement. Once known for yak butter and cheese trading, it remains a vital hub, balancing the demands of modern trekking with a strong sense of tradition. It’s here that the human element becomes as memorable as the landscape - generous, open, and resilient.

Tengboche and the Changing Landscape

One acclimatisation hike takes you above the village monastery, climbing over 500 metres in less than two miles. It’s a slow, deliberate ascent - one that introduces the true reality of altitude.

Each step feels heavier, each breath more measured. The reward, however, is immediate: uninterrupted views of Thamserku, Kongde Ri, and Kusum Kangguru rising sharply against the skyline.

"While Everest dominates the narrative, it’s Ama Dablam that subtly commands attention here..."

The next stop is Tengboche, sitting at 3,900 metres. After a relatively gentle two-hour departure from Namche, the trail drops steeply to the river before the final push - a relentless 700-metre climb.

Tengboche is defined by its monastery, set beneath the sacred peak of Khumbila, with Ama Dablam rising dramatically behind. While Everest dominates the narrative, it’s Ama Dablam that subtly commands attention here.

Dingboche and Crossing 4,000 Metres

From there, the route continues to Dingboche, crossing the 4,000-metre threshold. This marks a shift - not just in altitude, but in atmosphere. The landscape opens up, the vegetation thins, and the environment becomes more exposed.

Dingboche itself is quieter, more contained - the last substantial settlement before Base Camp.

An acclimatisation hike to Nangkartshang Peak reaches 5,083 metres - a physically demanding climb, but one that offers a full perspective of the Khumbu valley. By this point, the rhythm of the trek is established: slow progress, constant adjustment, and an increasing awareness of the body’s limits.

Journeys like this - remote, physically demanding, and deeply immersive - share something with more expansive wilderness destinations, whether in Nepal or further afield in places like British Columbia, where scale and landscape reshape the way you travel.

Lobuche and the Everest Memorial at Thukla Pass

Beyond Dingboche lies Lobuche. The approach through Tukla is calm, almost subdued - until the climb to Thukla Pass.

It’s a short ascent, but one that carries a different kind of weight.

"In front of you, the Khumbu Icefall rises - vast, unstable, and imposing - the first real barrier for those attempting the summit..."

At the summit sits the Everest Memorial: a collection of stone cairns dedicated to climbers who never returned.

Draped in prayer flags and surrounded by silence, it forces a moment of pause. No one speaks here. You don’t need to.

Everest Base Camp at 5,364 Metres

The final push to Everest Base Camp is the most demanding - physically and mentally. The terrain shifts to loose rock, glacial moraine and uneven boulder fields as you pass through Gorak Shep. Progress slows, not just because of the ground beneath you, but because of the altitude itself.

Reaching Base Camp doesn’t feel like arrival - it feels like confrontation. At 5,364 metres, even the simplest movement requires effort.

In front of you, the Khumbu Icefall rises - vast, unstable, and imposing - the first real barrier for those attempting the summit.

Behind it, Everest finally reveals itself. The scale is difficult to process; the effort required to get here suddenly feels secondary.

Kala Patthar Sunrise and the Best Views of Everest

We returned to Gorak Shep for the night, before setting out again at 4am for the ascent of Kala Patthar.

The climb is slow and silent, under a sky thick with stars.

"It’s not just the landscape, or even the scale of Everest itself. It’s what the journey asks of you, and what it leaves behind..."

As dawn breaks, the peaks begin to shift - Everest first, then Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam - catching light in stages until the entire range is set alight in gold.

It’s a moment that feels suspended in time - still, precise, and completely absorbing.

The Return Journey from Everest Base Camp

The descent comes quickly by comparison. The body, now acclimatised, moves more easily as we retrace our steps through Tengboche and Namche before returning to Lukla. The flight back to Kathmandu feels almost abrupt - a sharp return from something far more elemental.

We arrived back exhausted - physically depleted, mentally stretched - but with a clarity that only this kind of journey delivers.

It’s not just the landscape, or even the scale of Everest itself. It’s what the journey asks of you, and what it leaves behind.

This is not an easy trek. At times, it’s brutally demanding. But standing at the foot of Everest - face-to-face with something so mythologised, yet so real - reframes everything.