Where is Mount Everest?

Mt Everest's coordinates are 27.9881° N and 86.9250° E. It's shared between the northeast of Nepal and the southwest of China.

More specifically, Mt Everest is located within the Mahalangur Himal, a subrange of the greater Himalayan mountain range. It's a proverbial stone's throw from some of the world’s other highest peaks, such as Mt Lhotse, Mt Makalu and Mt Cho Oyu.

The southern side of Mt Everest is protected by Nepal's Sagarmatha National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The northern side is protected by China's Qomolangma National Nature Preserve.

A hiker on the Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal

As mentioned, Mt Everest is shared between Nepal and Tibet (which is controlled by China).

Given its position on the border between China and Nepal, it shouldn't surprise you to learn that there are two Everest Base Camps: one in Tibet and one in Nepal.

The base camp in Tibet naturally is your starting point for ascending the north side of Mt Everest, while the base camp in Nepal is your starting point for ascending the south side of the mountain. The base camp in Nepal is the busier and more famous one, and so is often referred to simply as Everest Base Camp. But if you wanted to distinguish between the two camps, you would refer to the one in Tibet as North Base Camp and the one in Nepal as South Base Camp.

Most people wanting to visit Mt Everest head to Nepal, regardless of whether they're wanting to simply see the mountain or trek to its base camp or even climb it. There are a handful of solid reasons for this, including:

You can learn more on this topic in Tibet Everest Base Camp vs Nepal Everest Base Camp. And if you think you might be interested in trekking to South Base Camp at some stage, please download our free guide below as it can be a handy resource in preparing for the trek.

To reach the south side of Mt Everest, you must fly into Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital. You then need to catch a small plane ride to the mountainside town of Lukla in the Himalayas. From here, you either catch a helicopter ride to South Base Camp or trek there along one of the storied Everest Base Camp trek routes.

To reach the north side of Mt Everest, you need to fly into one of China's international airports, then catch a domestic flight or train to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. You then drive to North Base Camp.

Mt Everest is believed to be 8,849 m (29,032 ft) above sea level. That said, this figure can be contested. And the mountain is actually growing even taller!

We explain the story behind these two statements in 7 Mount Everest facts that will surprise you, which makes for the perfect next read.

View from Tibet of Mt Everest's north face