Himalaya – the name says it all. Straddling the border between Tibet and its southerly neighbor, the Kingdom of Nepal, the world’s tallest mountains soar to the heavens, seemingly piercing the unimaginably blue Tibetan skies. For the peoples of the Himalayan kingdoms, these mountains are sacred; for on their lofty heights dwell the gods and goddesses of the Indic religious traditions of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. In fact, the mountains themselves are considered manifestations of the deities.

Rising above them all is the “goddess” of all mountains, the colossal Everest. Reaching a stupendous 29,017 feet, the world’s tallest mountain exerts a powerfully magnetic pull. Indeed, for many an intrepid explorer, the lure of the summit has proved irresistible, albeit at times tragically so. Known as “Peak XV” by the early Indo-British surveying team that established its summit as the world’s highest, the mountain was later named after Sir George Everest, head of the Great Trigonometrical Survey. While this is the name by which most Westerners know the mountain, to Tibetans it is Chomolangma, “The Goddess Mother of the Universe,” while to Nepalis it is Sagarmatha, “The Forehead of the Sky.”

We begin our journey in the hustle and bustle of Kathmandu before taking the breathtaking mountain flight to Lukla, our trailhead. We then undertake the popular trek to bask in the glory of Everest’s majestic south face in the Khumbu, land of the Sherpa. Staying in comfortable mountain lodges or private camps, we hike along the historic trekking route that was pioneered by the like of Sir Edmond Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.