Khumbu Glacier Deep Dive
The Khumbu is the highest-altitude major glacier in the world and one of the most famous. It drains the Western Cwm of Everest down into the Khumbu valley above the village of Gorak Shep in Nepal, and its notorious icefall is the standard route from Everest Base Camp.
Geography
Khumbu is about 17 km long, with the upper Western Cwm starting at roughly 6 500 m. The Khumbu Icefall — the chaotic, heavily crevassed section between Base Camp (5 364 m) and Camp 1 (6 065 m) — is the single most technically risky stretch of the standard Everest route. Below the icefall, the glacier becomes the long debris-covered trunk that descends to Gorak Shep.
The icefall
The icefall moves up to a metre per day; seracs collapse and crevasses shift constantly. Sherpa "icefall doctors" rebuild the route through it each pre-monsoon season. Several major disasters — including the 2014 serac fall that killed 16 Sherpas — have happened here.
Base camp visit
Trekkers can reach Everest Base Camp on a 12-14 day round-trip from Lukla. The trail does not cross the icefall; visitors look at it from below. The walk-up via Gorak Shep is one of the great glacier approaches in the world.
Climate signals
Khumbu has thinned by several metres per year at altitudes below 5 500 m in recent decades. The Pyramid research station near Lobuche runs some of the longest mass-balance and meteorological series in the Himalaya.
How to visit
- Trek to EBC. Standard 12-14 day route from Lukla via Namche, Tengboche, Dingboche, Gorak Shep.
- Kala Patthar. Sunrise viewpoint at 5 643 m overlooking the whole upper glacier and the Everest icefall.
- Helicopter tours. Day flights from Kathmandu to Kala Patthar are available but expensive and contested for environmental reasons.
When to go
October-November and April-May are the standard pre- and post-monsoon windows. Avoid the monsoon (June-September) and the deep winter (January-February).
Explore on the map
Find Khumbu, Gorak Shep, Base Camp and the surrounding Everest region glaciers (Imja, Ngozumpa, Khangri, Lhotse) on the interactive map.