Mount Everest (Sagarmatha)

Everest's height was re-measured jointly by Nepal and China in 2020 as 8,848.86 m. In Nepali it is Sagarmatha, 'forehead of the sky'; in Sherpa and Tibetan, Chomolungma. The summit lies on the border with Tibet, and the Nepali side is protected within Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary reached the top on 29 May 1953, and today several hundred climbers summit each spring. For everyone else, the mountain is best seen from Kala Patthar or Gokyo Ri, or on a mountain flight from Kathmandu.

Where to see it

Everest is surprisingly hard to see: from much of the Khumbu it hides behind Nuptse and Lhotse. The classic viewpoints are Kala Patthar (5,644 m) above Gorak Shep, Gokyo Ri (5,357 m), the Everest View Hotel above Namche, and Tengboche, where the summit peeks over the Nuptse–Lhotse wall. Mountain flights from Kathmandu give an hour-long view of the whole range without trekking.

Climbing history

The Nepali side was closed to foreigners until 1949. After British attempts from Tibet in the 1920s and 1930s, Tenzing Norgay Sherpa and Edmund Hillary reached the top via the South Col on 29 May 1953. Since then more than ten thousand ascents have been made; Sherpa climbers such as Kami Rita Sherpa hold records for the most summits.

Good to know

Climbing Everest requires an expensive permit, weeks of acclimatisation and an experienced team. For trekkers, altitude is the main risk — follow the 'climb high, sleep low' rule, add rest days at Namche and Dingboche, and descend if symptoms worsen. The Sagarmatha National Park and local Khumbu municipality entry fees are paid at Monjo and Lukla.