Sharath M Srinivasan's photostream

It takes about 3 hours to get to the top of Kalapathar and the views are worth it!

A large rock and some prayer flags overlooking the Khumbu Glacier says that you've arrived at the Everest Base Camp. The actual camp site itself is a little further ahead. Clearly, the summit expedition teams do not want any nosy 'tourists' around their camp site.

Taking a mountain flight from Kathmandu to Lukla is the quickest way to start your trek. The airport at Lukla (Tenzing-Hillary Airport) is ranked as the most extreme airport in the world, as pilots get no second chances to take-off or land. The runway itself is just 460m long and has a gradient which helps mountain flights to speed-up or slow down during take-offs and landing. One end of the runway is a steep drop of about 2000ft and on the other side is a hillock (from where I shot this video). Mountain flights can seat upto 10 people (including an air-hostess!), with checked-in bags thrown right into the cabin. The flights usually operate between 6AM-8AM, after which the visibility drops due to heavy clouds. If you do not choose to take this 30 minute flight, you'll need to ride on a bus for a day and then trek for 3 more days to get to Lukla. If you do take the flight, you'll still need to account for possible mountian flight delays -- sometimes for upto 3 days due to impossible weather.