From Lukla, climbers trek upward to the Sherpa capital of Namche Bazaar, 3,440 metres (11,290 ft), following the valley of the Dudh Kosi river.

On 25 April 2015, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the moment magnitude scale, struck Nepal and triggered an avalanche on Pumori that swept through the South Base Camp.

[5] On 17 June 2022, it was announced that the camp would be moved 200 to 400 metres (700 to 1,300 ft) lower, since the Khumbu Glacier, on which the campsite is located, is rapidly melting and thinning out, which makes it unsafe for the trekkers.

[9] The signboard, located at the iconic base camp, featured updated information and an image of Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay.

The North Base Camp is accessed by vehicle through a 100 km (62 mile) road branching to the South from the Friendship Highway near Shelkar, at the southern foot of the 5,220-metre (17,130 ft) high Gyatso La pass.

From the Rombuk guest house, all tourists were required to take the horse-drawn carriages or small buses managed by the government to limit the traffic on the last stretch of gravel road to a marked hill at 5,200 metres above sea level, just before the climbers' camp.