In pictures: My trek to the Everest Base Camp

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Our plane at the Tenzing-Hillary airport in Lukla (2840 metres). The flight is in equal parts stomach-churning and awe-inspiring. We occasionally weaved so close to the mountains that through the plane window, I could make out the leaves on the trees that dot the verdant slopes. And a magnificent panorama featuring some of the world’s highest peaks is only a little farther away. The experience is to die for. And air pockets make you feel that you actually might! We started clapping and whistling in relief and delight when the plane landed

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An early glimpse of the snowy giants. After spending a night at Lukla, we trekked to Phakding (2610 metres), stopping en route at Monjo to procure our trek permits before entering the Sagarmatha National Park. The next day, our destination was Namche Bazaar, the largest settlement on the route

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Me on the approach to the double-decker suspension bridge named after Edmund Hillary on the way to Namche Bazaar (3440 metres), where we spent two nights acclimatising. This is the first tough day of the trek for many

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The gateway to Namche Bazaar. From souvenirs to medicines, trekking equipment to pubs, there is something for everyone here, irrespective of whether you are ascending or descending

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A pit stop on our acclimatisation trek to the Hotel Everest View (3880 metres) on our second day at Namche Bazaar

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The acclimatisation trek took us above the treeline. The landscape was perhaps even more brown than usual because we were undertaking the journey in early November

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The magnificent view from the terrace of the Hotel Everest View. The snow peak at the centre of the frame is Ama Dablam (6856 metres). Behind it, on its right, is the Everest (8848 metres) with clouds and snow being blown off its peak by the jetstream

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Lunch with my fellow trekkers at Somare (4010 metres), on our way to Dingboche. From Namche Bazaar we had proceeded to Phortse (3810 metres), where we spent the night. By next evening we reached Dingboche (4410 metres), where we spent our second acclimatisation day. (Inset) A typical Nepali lunch thali. The food options on the Everest Base Camp trek are meagre. This is what most trekkers have for lunch and dinner for the duration of the trek. It does not help that the altitude also affects your appetite

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The tea houses at Dingboche. By now, even the most seasoned trekker among us was feeling the effects of altitude. Some were taking medicines to deal with headaches and other symptoms of altitude sickness. Not having followed a regular fitness regimen all my life, I was banking on my 25 years of trekking experience to push on

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The rocky route from Dingboche to Lobuche (4910 metres)

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Don’t let the sunshine fool you. Our trudge through the grey, treeless landscape was in bitter cold. The air here has roughly half the oxygen at sea level. The views, however, are worth every bit of the effort

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The Everest memorial at Thukla (4620 metres), on the way to Lobuche. The stone cairns and memorials here commemorate climbers who have lost their lives on the Everest

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A glimpse of the world’s highest mountain on our trek from Gorakshep (5164 metres) to the Everest Base Camp (5364 metres). The base camp is too close to the mountain to offer a proper view of it

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Everest aglow at sunset. This was our most memorable sighting of the mountain and we got it from atop Kalapathar. Many trek up this 5550-metre peak from Gorakshep to see the Everest from up close. Most attempt the climb in the morning because the weather can deteriorate later in the day. We took our chance in the afternoon and were amply rewarded

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Dream fulfilled! I have been to the Kanchenjunga and Annapurna base camps, but this was indeed the ultimate goal. With rucksacks spilling over with memories of a lifetime, we started our descent. It took us four days to return to Kathmandu, half the time we took to reach the base camp