Himalayas/Nepal/Tibet | Gap Year & Round the World Travel - Lonely Planet Forum

ONLINE

Sat, 01 Dec 2007 21:10:55 +0000

Hi - we're counting down until we go, and still trying to work out our SE asia countries (thanks to all of those who answered the vietnam versus china versus thailand versus laos versus nepal versus tibet debate)... anyway, whilst we still argue over what to drop, i mean discuss....I wanted to ask, what is probably a stupid question, but though i'd ask nevertheless...

We're going to be in India, and i'd like to see the himalayas - probably from Darjeeling maybe (if there is a train from varansai?) and then we thought, if we're going to see the himalayas, let's see the mother of all of them, everest. Now, i know that the base camp is in Tibet, but can you still see it at all from any of the India or Nepal borders? I.e. the main reason to go to Tibet is to see everest (and the temples, but we'll park that for the moment) but if we can even catch a glimpse of it from Nepal or India, then i guess that would suffice and we could make our way to Beijing (would we fly over it/or train)

Anyway, do let me know. and also if anyone has been on any good himalayan treks, let us know what you recommend. (and when i say trek.. i mean just a little walk round the base, not a proper climb up)

PS - walking boots or walking shoes? brashers or the other ones..?

ONLINE

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:05:51 +0000

There are various Everest Base Camps located in both Tibet and Nepal. Most travellers see Everest and most climbers climb Everest from Nepal. You can do a trek/walk/hike to one of the the lower base camps in Nepal or take a jeep or bicycle tour through Tibet to the lowest base camp on the north side. You can also take early morning sight-seeing flights from Nepal that basically go up and fly near to Everest with every passenger getting a window seat.

My RTW journals

my website

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

ONLINE

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:23:04 +0000

I wouldn't say most climbers start from the Nepal side. Lately it's gotten pretty even as the North approach is safer, since you don't have to pass the icefall.

Getting back to OP's question. You can see Everest in 3 ways.

The Tibet base camp is essentially a drive, where you hire a 4wd via an agency in either KTM or Lhasa.

From Nepal, you can need to fly to Lukla and then trek at least as far as Namche. On a clear day you can see Everest from there. At a minimum you need to plan on 4-5 days. Of course you can trek on another 6-7 days to Gorak Shep and climb up Kala Pattar for a great view. From the base camp itself (3 hours further walking from GS, you cannot see the peak since the mountain has a steep shoulder just above the camping area.

The third and easiest way is to take a mountain view flight from KTM for about $125 pp.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

ONLINE

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 23:09:12 +0000

I guess I stand corrected.

According to la_vache, historically an equal amount of people have climbed to the top from both Tibet and Nepal and visited the respective base camps.

I guess that's an important point.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

ONLINE

Sun, 09 Dec 2007 01:56:39 +0000

Historically more people have summited from Nepal. The Chinese made permitting a lot more difficult in the past. However in the past few years it's evened up quite a bit. The north approach is more technical, but fatality rates are lower. If I were to attempt it (no chance) I'd choose the north.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

ONLINE

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 05:26:19 +0000

Yes, you can see Everest from Nepal. If seeing Everest is the ONLY reason you were thinking of going to Tibet, it's probably not worth the hassle.

Copy and paste the url below to share the link.

Pro tip