All around the world, kids are taught in schools that the world’s highest mountain is Mount Qomolangma and that this mountain lies in Tibet. For many people, traveling to Mount Qomolangma Base Camp is a dream of a lifetime, not least for the bragging rights. It gives you once you get back home. Being able to describe your visit to the highest mountain on the planet is a story that everyone wants to be able to tell.   

Lying on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, Mount Qomolangma has long been a desired destination for adventurous travelers and in the past, it was only the rich or those on expensive mountaineering expeditions that could travel to this stunning mountain. However, that has all changed now, with the advent of commercial tourism in the Himalayas, allowing even the everyday tourist to travel to Mount Qomolangma’s Tibetan base camp and take photos of this amazing summit. 

History of Mount Qomolangma  

First discovered by the western world in around 1847, Mount Qomolangma (known as Mt. Everest) was not actually recognized as the world’s highest peak until 1852, and the information was not made public until 1856. However, the mountain was actually listed as early as 1715 by an expedition from the Chinese Qing Empire, when it was measured and depicted to be known in China as Mount Qomolangma.    

Ever since the mountain was first listed as the highest mountain in the world, people have been making attempts to climb to the summit. The mountain has inspired dreams of climbers for more than a century, yet it was not until the British climbing expedition of 1953 that a proven summiting occurred, by Sir Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay. Since that day, the mountain has been climbed to the summit more than 6,800 times by a total of 4,042 people.   

Why travel to Mount Qomolangma?   

Reaching Mount Qomolangma is often a dream of many young children and with the opening of tourism in Tibet and Nepal, it suddenly became possible to get to the mountain for ordinary tourists. In Nepal, the trail used by Hillary to reach the summit became a popular hiking trail, while in Tibet, the immense Friendship Highway, which ran across the plateau, became a much easier route to get to the area of the mountain. This all made it more feasible to actually reach the mountain, though the route to the base camp in Nepal was not as widely used in the early days.    

This huge mountain is not just a grand sight; it is an epic journey of adventure and excitement, traveling thousands of miles around the world to visit the peak that defied climbers and mountaineers for almost a century. With its 8,848-meter peak being the highest point on the planet, this amazing mountain has long intrigued the curiosity of climbers, mountaineers, and even everyday people and is an amazing sight that can only be best appreciated by being there. As awesome as the photos of the mountain are, there is nothing like actually being there to see it yourself.   

Which is better, Nepal or Tibet?   

There are actually two ways to get to Mount Qomolangma, and while the route to Qomolangma Base Camp in Nepal is an interesting hike, trekking is not everyone’s idea of fun. Starting from the small village of Lukla, the trek to the base camp on the southern side of the mountain covers a distance of 130 kilometers round trip, and takes around 12-14 days, depending on your walking pace. While this is an amazing trek, it is a long and arduous journey. Once you have made it to the base camp, you cannot actually see the peak and have to trek to a nearby ridge to get a good view of the summit.   

In Tibet, getting to Mount Qomolangma’s Northern Base Camp is done by car, driving across the plateau right up to the base camp itself, without doing any trekking unless you want to. With the improvement of the Friendship Highway, the journey to the base camp in Tibet is made even easier, meaning that anyone can take the trip, from young kids to the elderly. As a direct route, the drive to Qomolangma Base Camp in Tibet from the capital, Lhasa, is around 605 kilometers. The best thing is that you can travel across the plateau at your leisure, taking several days to make the trip and enjoying a huge number of other attractions on the Qinghai-Tibet plateau along the way.   

Which is cheaper, Nepal or Tibet?   

For those trekking to the base camp in Nepal, there are a lot of things to consider in making the journey, especially if you have never taken the trek before, You will need to hire a guide and possibly a porter just for the trek and will need to include the cost of the flight from Kathmandu to Lukla, accommodation and food, trekking equipment and many other things on top. In total, a trip to Qomolangma Base Camp in Nepal will cost as much as 1,400-1,700 US dollars per person.   

For those taking a trip to Qomolangma Base Camp in Tibet, the trip is not as expensive as Nepal. It is much more comfortable too. Tours with Explore Tibet can be arranged easily, and a Private Tibet Tour, where you are traveling alone or with friends or family, tours to Mount Qomolangma will cost around 1,110 US dollars per person, not including travel to Tibet. If you want to reduce that cost even further, you can opt for one of the stunning Tibet Small Group Tours, which are designed to allow solo travelers to join other people in a small group of up to ten people. For a winter tour, from November to March, this cost can be as little as around 850 US dollars per person, a huge difference from the cost of trekking in Nepal, and much more comfortable in Tibet.   

Conclusion   

Mount Qomolangma is the pinnacle of Touring in Tibet and has long been the most popular destination on the plateau. Thousands of tourists make the immense journey along the Friendship Highway to Qomolangma Base Camp every year, in every season of the year including winter. This unique tour brings you face-to-face with the highest mountains in the world, and takes you to some of the most beautiful places on the plateau along the way.