Mount Everest stands at 8,848.86m above sea level, the highest point on the surface of the earth. Nepal and China jointly confirmed this figure in December 2020, using GPS survey equipment and ground-penetrating radar to measure the snow cap sitting on top of the rock summit. It’s the most precise measurement ever taken of the mountain.
But Everest is more than a number. It’s a living border between two countries, a national park holding over 1,000 recorded plant species, home to roughly 5,000 Sherpa people who’ve lived in its shadow for five centuries, and the site of one of the most tightly regulated, expensive, and dangerous activities in the world. This page covers all of it: where the mountain actually sits, how it formed, who lives there, what lives there, and every way you can reach it, whether you want to summit it or simply stand and look at it.
Where is Mount Everest located?
Everest sits exactly on the international border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, at coordinates 27.9881°N, 86.9250°E. The summit itself is the border. Climbers approaching from the south start in Nepal’s Solukhumbu District; climbers approaching from the north start in Tibet.
The mountain belongs to the Mahalangur Himal, a sub-range of the Himalayas that also holds three other 8,000m peaks: Lhotse (8,516m), Makalu (8,485m), and Cho Oyu (8,201m). This cluster of giants is why the Everest skyline looks the way it does from Kala Patthar or Gokyo Ri: not one mountain standing alone, but a wall of the four highest points on Earth’s Asian ranges within sight of each other.
Locally, the mountain carries two names older than “Everest” itself. Nepal calls it Sagarmatha, meaning “forehead of the sky.” Tibet calls it Chomolungma, “goddess mother of the world.” The English name honours Sir George Everest, a former Surveyor General of India, and was adopted by the Royal Geographical Society in 1865, decades before anyone had gotten close to climbing it.
How Mount Everest was formed
Everest is roughly 60 million years old, young by geological standards. It formed when the Indian tectonic plate collided with the Eurasian plate, a collision that began 40 to 50 million years ago and, remarkably, is still happening. The Himalayas continue to rise a few millimetres a year as a result, which means Everest is, technically, still growing.
One detail surprises most people: the rock near Everest’s summit is marine limestone, containing fossils of ancient sea creatures. Millions of years before the collision, this rock sat at the bottom of the Tethys Ocean. The same tectonic forces that pushed the Himalayas skyward carried that seabed up with them, all the way to the highest point on land.
Everest’s height: how we know what we know
The first serious measurement came in 1856, when British surveyor Andrew Waugh calculated the peak then known only as “Peak XV” at 8,840m using triangulation from the plains of India, since foreigners weren’t permitted to enter Nepal or Tibet at the time to measure it directly. For over a century, that estimate held up remarkably well.
Modern GPS surveys have refined the number since. A 2005 Chinese survey measured the rock height alone (excluding snow) at 8,844m. The definitive 2020 joint Nepal-China survey settled on 8,848.86m as the official figure, which is now the internationally accepted height, factoring in the permanent snow and ice cap.
The people of the Everest region
The Khumbu, the high valley system directly below Everest’s southern flank, is home to the Sherpa people. According to Nepal’s 2021 census, the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, which covers the core Everest trekking region, has a population of 8,720 people across 2,489 households. Sherpas make up roughly 59% of that population, concentrated in villages between 3,000m and 4,500m: Namche Bazaar, Khumjung, Khunde, and Pangboche among them.
The Sherpa people migrated into this region from eastern Tibet roughly 500 years ago, arriving in several waves between the 16th and 18th centuries. They practise Tibetan Buddhism, and the region’s monasteries, most famously Tengboche, remain active centres of religious life and community gathering, not tourist props.
Lower down the valley, toward Jiri and Phaplu, the population shifts. Rai, Tamang, Magar, Chhetri, and Brahmin communities become more common between 1,500m and 3,000m, reflecting Solukhumbu District’s broader ethnic makeup, which the 2021 census put at roughly 104,851 people district-wide.
Since Tenzing Norgay Sherpa summited alongside Edmund Hillary in 1953, Sherpas have become central to nearly every Everest expedition on the Nepal side, working as high-altitude guides, rope-fixers, and logistics support. Many Khumbu households speak three or four languages fluently: Sherpa at home, Nepali as the national language, and English, learned young because of tourism.
Biodiversity: what actually lives around Everest
Everest itself, above roughly 6,000m, supports essentially no life. But the national park surrounding it, Sagarmatha National Park, is a different story entirely.
Established in 1976 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, the park covers 124,400 hectares of the Solu-Khumbu district and holds an elevation range of 6,000m, from subtropical forest floor to the summit itself. That range is exactly why its biodiversity is so unusual: you pass through four distinct ecological zones on a single trek, temperate forest, subalpine forest, alpine meadow, and finally the nival zone above 5,000m, where almost nothing grows.
Mammals. The park holds 28 recorded mammal species, including the snow leopard, red panda, Himalayan tahr, musk deer, Himalayan black bear, and grey wolf. Snow leopards sit at the top of the food chain here, preying mainly on tahr and other high-altitude ungulates, and their re-colonization of parts of the park in recent years is treated as a strong sign of habitat health.
Birds. Over 200 bird species have been documented, making the park one of the Himalaya’s better birdwatching destinations. The Himalayan monal, called Danphe locally, is Nepal’s national bird and one of the most visually striking, with iridescent green, purple, and copper plumage. You’re most likely to spot one foraging in rhododendron forest around Tengboche, especially in the early morning.
Plants. Over 1,000 flora species have been recorded across the park’s elevation range, from pine and hemlock forest lower down to fir, birch, and dense rhododendron in the subalpine zone. Rhododendron forests bloom red and pink through March and April, timing that draws as many photographers to the region as trekkers.
The Sherpa community’s own conservation ethic plays a real role here. Buddhist reverence for the mountain and its wildlife long predates the national park’s formal 1976 designation, and park management has increasingly leaned on that existing cultural relationship rather than working against it.
How to reach Mount Everest
There’s no road to Everest. Every route, whether you’re trekking to base camp or attempting the summit, ends with either a flight or days of walking, and most trips involve both.
By air to Lukla. The standard approach is a short flight to Lukla’s Tenzing-Hillary Airport, often cited as one of the world’s more thrilling landings because of its short, sloped runway. Outside peak season (roughly December to February, plus parts of the shoulder months), this flight departs directly from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport and takes 30 to 35 minutes. During peak season (mid-March to mid-May, and late September through November), Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority reroutes nearly all Lukla flights through Manthali Airport in Ramechhap, roughly 132km east of Kathmandu, to ease congestion at Kathmandu’s single runway. That means a pre-dawn road transfer of 4 to 5 hours, followed by a shorter 15 to 20 minute flight into Lukla.
By road and trail, avoiding Lukla altogether. Trekkers wary of mountain flights can drive from Kathmandu to Jiri, Salleri, or Phaplu, then walk in. This is the original approach route, the one Hillary and Tenzing’s expedition used in 1953, before Lukla’s airstrip existed. It adds 3 to 8 extra trekking days depending on the starting point, but trades flight uncertainty for a longer, more gradual walk-in through mid-hill villages most trekkers never see.
By helicopter. For those who want the view without the multi-day walk, helicopter tours from Kathmandu or Pokhara can reach Everest Base Camp or Kala Patthar and return the same day. This isn’t a substitute for the trekking experience, but it’s a genuine option for travellers short on time.
On foot from Lukla to Base Camp. However you arrive at Lukla, the trail itself is the same from there: Lukla to Phakding, up to Namche Bazaar (3,440m), on through Tengboche (3,860m) and Dingboche (4,410m), then Lobuche (4,940m) and Gorak Shep (5,164m), before the final push to Everest Base Camp at 5,364m. Most itineraries take 8 to 12 days each way, with built-in rest days at Namche and Dingboche for acclimatization. If you’d rather not plan this yourself, our Everest Base Camp Short Trek covers this exact route on a 12-day itinerary with acclimatization days built in.
Trekking to Everest vs. climbing it: two very different trips
This is one of the most common points of confusion, and it’s worth being direct about: walking to Everest Base Camp and climbing to Everest’s summit are almost entirely unrelated undertakings.
The Everest Base Camp trek is a walking holiday. It requires no technical climbing skills, no rope work, and no prior mountaineering experience, just reasonable fitness and the willingness to walk 5 to 7 hours a day for a week or two at altitude. You’ll never touch ice axe or crampon. Base camp itself, at 5,364m, is as high as the trek goes.
Climbing Everest is a different sport entirely. It involves fixed ropes, supplemental oxygen, technical sections like the Khumbu Icefall and the Hillary Step, and weeks spent above base camp in progressively higher camps to acclimatize before a summit push. It also costs vastly more, takes vastly longer, and carries genuine risk to life. Conflating the two, thinking a base camp trek is “practice” for a summit attempt, or that summiting is just a longer version of the trek, undersells both.
Climbing Mount Everest: routes, records, and rules
The two standard routes
The South Col route (Nepal side). This is the route Hillary and Tenzing used in 1953 and remains the more popular of the two today, historically accounting for around 75% of all Everest traffic. Climbers pass through the Khumbu Icefall, one of the most objectively dangerous sections on the mountain due to shifting glacial ice, then up through Camps I to IV before a final summit push from the South Col at roughly 7,900m.
The North Ridge route (Tibet side). Base camp on this side sits higher, around 5,150m, and climbers face the technically demanding Second Step near the summit along with generally harsher wind exposure. China caps permits at around 300 climbers per season on this side; Nepal imposes no such formal limit on the south.
How many people climb it, and how many make it
The 2025 spring season saw 468 foreign permits issued on the Nepal side alone. Roughly 722 people reached the summit from Nepal that year (a mix of foreign clients, Nepali clients, guides, and rope-fixers), plus another 100 or so from the Tibet side, bringing the season total to around 850 summits. Since 1953, more than 13,700 individual summits have been recorded, a 43% overall success rate when measured against all attempts above base camp.
The 2pm rule
Every guided expedition operates under what’s known as the 2pm rule, or mandatory turnaround time: if you haven’t reached the summit by 2:00pm local time on summit day, you turn around and descend, regardless of how close you are. As of the 2026 season, Nepal has made this a formally enforced regulation rather than just best practice, with fines and permit bans for guides who ignore it. The rule exists because more than 80% of Everest fatalities happen during descent, when climbers are exhausted, low on oxygen, and racing failing daylight.
Deaths and safety trends
Everest’s overall death toll stands at 339 confirmed fatalities through the end of 2025. That number sounds alarming in isolation, but the trend is genuinely encouraging: the mortality rate above base camp has fallen from around 1.4% in the period 1921 to 2006, down to roughly 0.7% for 2007 to 2024, the safest extended period in the mountain’s climbing history. The 2025 season itself recorded just five deaths, well below the modern-era average of five to eight per year.
Records worth knowing
The first confirmed summit was Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, on May 29, 1953. The first woman to summit was Junko Tabei of Japan, in 1975, climbing with the first all-women expedition. The youngest confirmed summiteer is generally recognized as a Nepali teenager in the mid-2000s, though age records have shifted more than once as claims are verified; the oldest confirmed summiteer is Yuichiro Miura of Japan, who reached the top in 2013 at age 80.
What it costs and what’s required
Nepal raised its Everest climbing permit fee to $15,000 per person for the spring 2026 season (up from $11,000), with lower fees of roughly $7,500 in autumn and $3,750 in winter or monsoon. That permit fee is just the government royalty; total expedition costs, covering guides, oxygen, gear, logistics, and insurance, typically range from $40,000 to well over $100,000 depending on the operator and service level.
As of 2026, Nepal requires all foreign climbers to hold prior climbing experience above 7,000m before a permit will be issued, along with mandatory death and rescue insurance coverage. Solo and alpine-style ascents are no longer permitted on the Nepal side. A licensed guide has been mandatory for all foreign trekkers and climbers entering Sagarmatha National Park since April 2023, enforced at the Monjo checkpoint below Namche Bazaar. Solo trekking on the Everest Base Camp route, not just solo climbing, is no longer legally possible for foreign nationals.
Altitude and the dangers of the Everest region
Altitude is the defining hazard of this entire region, for trekkers and climbers alike. Above roughly 2,500m, acute mountain sickness can affect anyone, regardless of age or prior fitness. It has nothing to do with how strong a climber you are and everything to do with how quickly your body adjusts to falling oxygen levels.
Above 8,000m lies what climbers call the Death Zone, where oxygen levels are so low the human body can no longer acclimatize and effectively begins to shut down rather than recover, even at rest. This is why supplemental oxygen, fixed turnaround times, and experienced guiding matter so much on a summit attempt. It’s also why data shows climbers who skip supplemental oxygen die at dramatically higher rates than those who use it.
For trekkers on the Everest Base Camp route, the risk is real but far more manageable. Itineraries build in rest days at Namche Bazaar and Dingboche specifically to let your body adjust before pushing higher, and mild headache or fatigue at altitude is normal. Anything more serious- confusion, loss of coordination, or breathlessness at rest- is the signal to stop ascending and descend.
Frequently asked questions about Mount Everest
How tall is Mount Everest? Mount Everest stands at 8,848.86m (29,031.7ft) above sea level, according to the official height jointly confirmed by Nepal and China in December 2020. This figure includes the permanent snow and ice cap on the summit; the rock height alone measures slightly less, around 8,844m.
Is Mount Everest in Nepal or China? Both. The summit sits exactly on the international border between Nepal’s Solukhumbu District and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. Climbers can approach from either side, though the Nepal (south) side has historically carried the majority of climbing and trekking traffic.
How long does it take to climb Mount Everest? A full expedition typically takes 6 to 9 weeks from arrival in Kathmandu to return, most of it spent at or above base camp acclimatizing through progressively higher camps before a short summit push. This is separate from the Everest Base Camp trek, which takes 8 to 12 days each way and involves no technical climbing.
Do you need a guide to climb or trek to Everest? Yes, on both counts. Since April 2023, all foreign nationals must hire a licensed guide through a registered Nepali trekking agency to enter Sagarmatha National Park, whether trekking to base camp or climbing beyond it. This is enforced at the Monjo checkpoint, and solo trekking or climbing is no longer legally permitted for foreigners.
How much does it cost to climb Mount Everest? Nepal’s government permit fee alone is $15,000 per person for the spring 2026 season. Once you add guides, oxygen, gear, logistics, and insurance, total expedition costs typically range from $40,000 to over $100,000 depending on the operator and service level chosen.
What is the Everest Base Camp trek, and is it different from summiting? Yes, substantially. The Everest Base Camp trek is a walking holiday to 5,364m requiring no technical skills, taking 8 to 12 days each way. Summiting Everest is a technical mountaineering expedition to 8,848.86m, requiring supplemental oxygen, fixed ropes, and weeks of altitude acclimatization, and it carries genuine risk to life that the base camp trek does not.
What’s the best time of year to visit or climb Everest? Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) offer the most stable weather for both trekking and climbing, with spring being the primary window for summit attempts. Monsoon season (June to August) brings poor visibility and difficult trail conditions, and winter (December to February) brings extreme cold and more frequent flight disruptions.
How dangerous is Mount Everest? Less dangerous than its reputation suggests, and improving steadily. The mortality rate above base camp has fallen from around 1.4% (1921 to 2006) to roughly 0.7% (2007 to 2024), the safest extended period in the mountain’s climbing history, though individual bad-weather seasons can still spike sharply.
What animals live around Mount Everest? Sagarmatha National Park, surrounding the mountain, holds 28 recorded mammal species (including snow leopards, red pandas, and Himalayan tahr) and over 200 bird species (including the Himalayan monal, Nepal’s national bird). Everest itself, above roughly 6,000m, supports essentially no life.
Who are the Sherpa people, and do they still live near Everest? The Sherpa are a Tibetan Buddhist ethnic group who migrated into the Khumbu region roughly 500 years ago. Around 5,000 to 5,500 Sherpas still live in villages below Everest today, including Namche Bazaar, Khumjung, and Pangboche, and they remain central to nearly every expedition and trek in the region as guides and logistics support.
See Everest for yourself
You don’t need $50,000 or a permit above 7,000m to stand in front of this mountain. The Everest Base Camp Short Trek gets you to 5,364m in 12 days, following the same trail Hillary and Tenzing’s expedition used on their way to the first summit in 1953, through the same Sherpa villages, past the same monasteries, with the same view of the Khumbu Icefall that every climber has to cross.
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Info Nepal Tours and Treks, Thamel, Kathmandu. Small groups. Certified guides. All permits included.