The story of the flight of Alma and his people gives us the best clue in the Book of Mormon to the distance between the lands of Nephi and Zarahemla. It takes Alma and his group eight days to go from the waters of Mormon (in the borders of the land of Nephi—Mosiah 18:4) to the land of Helam (Mosiah 23:3). Then when they finally leave Helam, it takes them an additional twelve days of travel to go to the land of Zarahemla. (Mosiah 24:25.) Thus approximately twenty days are spent in travel by Alma and his group in going from the borders of the land of Nephi to the land of Zarahemla.