Everest Base Camp - a pictorial diary
It can be hard to imagine just exactly what it is like trekking in the Himalayas. You will undoubtedly have seen pictures of Everest itself but what about the actual route there - the terrain, the scenery along the way, the swing bridges you have to cross and what the infamous Khumbu Icefall looks like if you are standing at its base.
Below are a selection of images taken from a two week trek to Base Camp which should give you a better idea of what to expect on what may be either the biggest challenge of your life, the culmination of a life-long ambition or just a trip you have toyed with booking but have been unsure what to expect.
Hopefully these images will whet appetites so you too can follow in the Footsteps of Hillary
The infamous heavily angled airstrip at Lukla built for STOL aircraft -Short Take Off and Landing airplanes!
Sharing the trail with yak trains - stay on the inside of them as they pass you with those sheer drops on the other side!
One of many mani stones (rocks covered in prayers) passed on route - traditionally people walk clockwise round them
A typical teahouse menu
Inside a typical teahouse - positions near the central stove to be treated with caution as they can get unbearably hot.
One of the many swing bridges crossed en route - beware of sharing them with yak trains!
Official entrance to Sagamartha (Everest) National Park which you enter on Day 2 of the trek.
Day 2 also sees the ascent of the infamous hill before Namche Bazaar - it's not that steep is it?!
Namche Bazaar where valuable acclimatisation days are spent enjoying internet cafes, endless shopping and... your first view of Everest.
A dung-covered home beneath a mani stone in Syangboche (just above Namche) - locals use dried dung for fuel.
The stunning Ama Dablam which dominates the scenery between Namche and Tengboche (Thyangboche).
Turning prayer wheels at the Tengboche Monastery after a moving religious Buddhist ceremony
Young monks at play at Tengboche Monastery beneath mighty Ama Dablam
Lecture on gamow bags (which aid altitude-related illness) at the Pheriche high altitude clinic.
Entrance to the peaceful memorial area packed full of stone cairns to fallen climbers with the terminal moraine of the Khumbu Glacier behind - after a tough climb up the Dughla Pass, the third big hill after Namche and Tengboche.
The stunning mountain amphitheatre landscape between Lobuche and Gorak Shep just after the last hill of the route (prior to Kala Pattar that is!).
Approaching Gorak Shep, the last settlement to Base Camp, with Kala Pattar and the stunning Pumori in the background. Kala Pattar is the hill trekkers ascend in order to get the best views of Everest as you cannot actually see Everest as clearly from Base Camp itself - however it feels a lot steeper and higher than the picture implies when trekking in the cold of early morning at over 5000 metres! Hence a late afternoon ascent is better for stunning sunset pictures and a slightly more 'comfortable' hike.
Sunrise over Everest, Nuptse and a spur of Lhotse from Kala Pattar- just before the sun's rays hit the camera lens!
The same view later on that morning when the glare of the sun is out of the way. The mountain to the left is actually in Tibet. The picture clearly shows the Khumbu Glacier winding its way from Everest and down through the valley. Base Camp is located roughly at the curve of the glacier on the far left of the picture.
Walking along the boulder and rubble-strewn glacial path in between Gorak Shep and Base Camp.
A montage of images taken at Base Camp - expedition tents, the 'facilities', twisted ladders bent by the movements of the Khumbu Icefall and the rubbish left by visitors to the site.
A prayer-flag bedecked cairn at the base of the infamous Khumbu Icefall which is the first dangerous challenge faced by climbers tackling the world's highest peak.
For more information on trekking in Nepal please see Walking and Trekking in the Himalayas
