Mt Everest Base Camp Trek (40 Photos)

The Mount Everest Base Camp trek was one of the most incredibly intense and beautiful adventures of my life.

Unfortunately, just days after that amazing experience was complete, a massive earthquake shocked the region, and the storytelling from the trip was put on hold.

Instead, we focused our attention on Active Hearts Himalaya and the relief efforts in Nepal.

The villages and families that were hit by the Nepali earthquake still have a long way to go before they fully recover, however, Nepal is open for business and ready to be explored once again!

To celebrate this, here are my favorite photos from our epic 19-day trek to Mt Everest Base Camp in Nepal with Active Adventures!

Flying into Lukla from Kathmandu was one of the sketchiest things I’ve ever done. The plan was tiny and the mountains were massive.

Lukla Airport (2,860 m – 9,383 ft) is considered to be the most dangerous in the world, but we made it with only a few moments of stomach-turning turbulence.

It was the perfect way to start the adventure!

After a last gear check with our guides, we laced up our boots and hit the trail, hiking down into the Phakding village on the banks of the Dudh Khosi River.

Weaving our way down to the river, we crossed over wobbly suspension bridges and past terraced crop fields.

The trail was a busy highway for trekkers and porters (of all kinds), as we maneuvered from one beautiful village to the next.

Nepali children would come out to watch the crazy trekkers pass by and ask for chocolate.

After a long uphill push on our second day, we made it to the picturesque village of Namche Bazaar (3,440 m – 11,290 ft).

Namche was historically an important stopping point for trading expeditions across the Nangpa La to Tibet and is still an important supply point for mountaineers and trekkers. It’s one of the largest villages we stopped in during the trek.

We stocked up on extra food and supplies at the bustling Namche Bazaar market on our two-day acclimatization stopover.

Onwards from Namche, we traversed higher into the mountains.

In the late afternoons, after arriving at our tea house for the night, we’d sit around, drink tea and play cards.

I’d even try to help out in the kitchen…

In the village of Tengboche, we visited the Tengboche Gompa, an important Buddhist monastery in the Khumbu region.

Inside the monastery, we sat in on a Buddhist Puja ceremony as the local monks chanted scriptures. Below, a colorful wall of compartments filled with religious scriptures.

From Tengboche, we hiked higher into the cold and snowy terrain.

Our group stops to pose for a pic on the way up!

I sneak out early one morning before breakfast in Dingboche to capture a Himalayan timelapse…

Little yellow tents serve as a check point for some Everest trekkers on their way up to base camp.

A beautiful view on our way to Lobuche…

Along our expedition, we passed memorials dedicated to those who lost their lives trying to conquer Everest – Including this one of American Mountain Climber, Scott Fischer (read “Into Thin Air”).

Making our descent into Gorakshep (5,164 m – 16,942 ft), the final village before base camp…

After a lunch break in Gorakshep, we made the final 2.5-hour trek to Mt Everest Base Camp!

Mount Everest Base Camp! 5,380 meters. 17,700 feet. Exhausted. And to think, people just go here to get started.

Despite our headaches and sore bodies, the next morning after reaching base camp, we woke up at 3:30am to hike up Kala Patthar from Gorakshep – our highest altitude endeavor of the trip at 5,643 m – 18,514 ft.

We climbed through the darkness to reach an incredible view of Everest in the distance (black mountain set back).

At the top of Kala Patthar!

From Kala Patthar, we began our journey back down the mountains…

We ran into a big snow storm in Khumjung, which turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. We were all tired and worn out, but the snow made the final days exciting and fun.

And at night, I snuck out of our tea house in Pheriche to get some night shots along the stream…

After two weeks of trekking, we returned to Lukla to celebrate the journey, and the Nepali New Year with our entire Active Adventures group! The next morning we caught a flight back to Kathmandu – with an uncontrollable grin from ear to ear.

For more photos, stories and information check out Clint’s take at Triphackr.com.

For more Everest Base Camp trekking details, check out Active Adventures.

And, be sure to Subscribe to the T2T YouTube Channel for Mt Everest Base Camp footage!

Gareth

My name is Gareth Leonard, a Marketing Director turned World Traveler with a passion for slow, meaningful travel. I have been traveling the world full-time for the past 9+ years and document it all on Instagram and YouTube. Come join me!

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