A veteran Sherpa guide who scaled Mount Everest for a record 22nd time has returned from the mountain and says he is already planning his next trip.

Kami Rita flew back to Kathmandu by helicopter on Sunday, saying he is not ready to retire and plans to continue to guide on Everest next year.

Friends and supporters welcomed the 48-year-old at Kathmandu's airport with bouquets and traditional ceremonial scarves.

Two other Sherpa guides have climbed Everest 21 times, and both have already retired.

Kami Rita first scaled the world's highest peak when he was 24 and has made the climb to the 29,035ft summit almost every year since then.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.