Mount Everest - How to Visit It
Located at the border between China and Nepal, Mt. Everest is known as Mt.Qomolangma, which means Goddess Third. Mt. Everest is 8848 meters above sea level and now still grows by about a quarter of an inch (0.25") every year, named the world’s highest mountain. It lies at the borderline, its north ridge belongs to China and its south belongs to Nepal. The north ridge of Mt. Everest in Tibet has a more gentle slope than the south ridge in Nepal. This Is why the north ridge route is more chosen by mountaineers.
Mt. Everest is formed by the movement of the Indian tectonic plate pushing up and against the Asian plate, which in fact a part of the Himalayas Mountain. The main body shapes like a giant pyramid, along with a large glacier stretching more than 26 km. It consists of different types of shale, limestone, and marble and forms amazing mountain waves, together with other peaks around. The rocky summit is covered with accumulated eternal snow. Around Mt.Everest, there are four peaks above 8000 meters high, including Mt. Makarluh, Gosanthain, Zhuoyo, and Shishabanma, which is the dreamland of mountaineering adventurers.
Quick Facts About Mount Everest
- Name: Mt. Everest (Mt.Qomolangma) 珠穆朗玛峰 Zhu mu lang ma feng
- Location: Nepal/China border, Dingri, Shigatse, Tibet; more than 11 hours drive from Lhasa
- Height: 8,844.43 meters (29,016 ft)
- Tibet Base Camp: 5,180 meters (17,000 ft)
- Experiences: hiking, mountaineering, camping, and photography
Best Time to Visit Mt. Everest
Due to its high altitude and unique geographical environment, Mt. Everest is a classic alpine climate: extremely low temperature all year round, perpetual snow, glaciers, and ice slopes are everywhere, very thin air, and frequent high-speed wind. The weather is severe cold all throughout the year and the temperature varies widely from day and night, complicated and changeable.
Early June to the middle of September is considered the rainy season when the weather is terrible with frequent rainstorms and snowstorms. The weather from the middle of November to February in the following year is greatly influenced by the northwest cold snap, reducing the temperature to -600C. Hence, Mt. Everest is also honored as “the world’s third pole”. It can also be very hot with temperatures over 380C in the Western Cwm, an area climbers go through to reach the summit. The coldest time is February while the hottest period is in August.
For visitors, exploration of Mt.Everest is not suitable from October to April in the following year because of the chill weather; and it is monsoon in July and August when it is impossible to see Mt.Everest in the misty rain. So it's the best time to enjoy Mt.Everest in April, May, and June.
During spring and winter, the wind is very powerful, striking at over 80 km/h (about 50 mph). This powerful wind is locally called the “Jet Stream” and many times it is the one that doesn’t allow the climbers to reach the summit.
The best time to climb Mt. Everest is in a short period from April to mid-May and from September to October. During this period, the jet stream moves north causing the winds the calm and temperatures to warm enough for people to try to summit. This is called the 'summit window', with an average temperature ranging from 150C to 250C.
Best Way to Tour Mt. Everest
Ways to visit Mt. Everest are different between adventurous mountaineers and most common visitors.
For most visitors, travel starts by visiting Rongbuk Monastery, the highest monastery in the world. The monastery lies in Dingri County, near the base of the north side of Mount Everest at 4980 meters above sea level. Then visitors will be transferred to Everest Base Camp by shuttle bus. Visitors can take a look at the beautiful Mt. Everest from a distance to feel its solemnity and mystery.
For adventurous mountaineers who are enthusiastic about climbing, the best way to see Mount Everest is to trek and hike to the Everest Base Camp and spend a camping night there to enjoy a different view of Mt. Everest, like its sunrise, sunset, and its starry night. Adventurous individuals can also climb to the top of the peak, which will be a great challenge.
How to Get to Mt. Everest from Lhasa
There are no trains, flights or public bus go to Mt. Everest directly. Travelers need to arrive in Lhasa firstly from other cities in China. You could choose to fly to Lhasa from Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xining, and Kunming or take the train from Xi’an, Beijing, Chongqing, Lanzhou, or Xi’ning.
In order to have more time to adapt to altitude sickness, you are advised to enter Tibet by flight and leave Tibet by train. Because you can get the amazing views along the road: Rippling Qinghai Lake, Kunlun Snow Mountain, Tanggula Mountain, Holy Namco Lake, the yak running over the grasslands, and one of the No Man's Lands – Kekexili.
And then take the car which agreement by us to Shigatse – Tingri – EBC (Rongbuk Monastery).
Top Mount Everest Travel Tips
Read These Suggestions before planning your Mount Everest trip:
1. Get a Tibet Travel Permit before departure.
To enter Tibet and travel around Tibet, travel permits are needed. Besides a Tibet Entry Permit, an Aliens' Travel Permit is required to travel to Mt. Everest.
Read more on How to Get Tibet Travel Permits.
2. Beware of the Altitude Sickness
Please make sure you let the tour guide know if you feel terrible. There are also oxygen carriers available on the bus if needed. Altitude sickness is a prior concern when going to Mt. Everest as it stands in the plateau area. After days of sightseeing in Shigatse, Lhasa, with an altitude of 4000 meters, people can gradually get used to the surrounding condition. On the way from Shigatse to Mt. Everest, the altitude will get higher, even close to 5000 meters in some places. That will cause uncomfortable situations for lots of travelers.
The temperature difference is huge on Mt. Everest, even in summer from July to August. It might be hot at noon, but at night, the weather can get freezing cold. It is always a good idea to make preparations and carry certain items to avoid colds, health issues, frostbites, and many other serious problems.
Read more on Mt. Everest Travel Tips.