Pass The Passport

Bucket List / Adventure Travel Goals

Climb Mt Everest, Summit Of Asia

Still to do

Two months, one weather window and 8,849 metres of rock and ice to stand on the highest point on Earth.

Climb Mt Everest, Summit Of Asia

The adventure

Everest is the ultimate summit: 8,849 metres of rock and ice where the jet stream tears plumes of snow off the top and each breath holds about a third of the oxygen it would at sea level. Most climbers approach from Nepal, trekking for more than a week through Sherpa villages and monasteries to base camp on the Khumbu Glacier, a tent city at over 5,300 metres.

Then come weeks of rotations: through the shifting seracs of the Khumbu Icefall before dawn, into the Western Cwm, up the steep blue ice of the Lhotse Face, and back down to recover. When a weather window opens in May, teams move up to the South Col and leave for the top around midnight, climbing on bottled oxygen past the Balcony and the South Summit. At the summit, where Hillary and Tenzing first stood in 1953, the whole Himalaya lies below you.

Why it’s epic

  • Reaching the highest point on Earth at 8,849 metres.
  • Following the 1953 route of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay via the South Col.
  • Climbing through the Khumbu Icefall and up the Lhotse Face.
  • Weeks living at Everest Base Camp beside the Khumbu Glacier.

What it is

At 8,849 metres, Mount Everest is the highest point on Earth.

How to do it

Climbers need previous high-altitude experience and usually go with a guided expedition from the Nepal side. Permits are expensive.

Top tip

Start with Everest Base Camp to get a taste of the region.

Need to know

  • Reputable operators insist on serious high-altitude experience first, usually several 6,000 to 7,000-metre peaks or an 8,000-metre summit.
  • Allow about two months; the main summit window is usually mid to late May.
  • Nepal's climbing permit is expensive and the fee rose in 2025, and insurance must cover climbing above 8,000 metres and helicopter rescue.
  • Trek to Everest Base Camp first to see how you handle altitude.

Plan this trip

Rough cost
£5,000 or more per person, including flights from the UK
Time needed
About 2 months
Best time to go
April to May
Fly into
KTM airport

The permit, guides, Sherpa support and bottled oxygen push expeditions well into tens of thousands of pounds.

Make it happen

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Why it’s on my list

Not done yet. If you’ve done it and have tips, tell me about it.

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