Colourful houses
On terraces.
Nirojsedhai — CC BY-SA 4.0 · stevehicks — CC BY 2.0 · Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0 · Vyacheslav Argenberg — CC BY 4.0
The Sherpa capital and largest town of the Everest region, at about 3,440 metres, its colourful houses with blue and green roofs spread over horseshoe-shaped terraces on a mountainside ringed by towering snow peaks. It was once a trading market between Nepal and Tibet, and its weekly market still draws people from nearby villages. Today it is the main stop on the Everest Base Camp trail, where trekkers spend two days acclimatising among gear shops, bakeries, cafés and lodges. Short climbs above town give the first view of Everest and elegant Ama Dablam, and a small museum covers Sherpa culture and climbing history. Visitors get here by a short flight to Lukla's mountain airstrip, then a two-day walk uphill over suspension bridges above rivers. A Sagarmatha National Park permit and a local municipality permit are required. Altitude sickness can strike anyone above 2,500 metres, so climb slowly, take acclimatisation days and descend at once if symptoms worsen. The monsoon brings landslides in the mountains, and Nepal now requires a licensed guide on many treks, so check permit and guide rules before you travel. The clearest months are October to December and March to April; in the June-September monsoon the mountains hide behind cloud.
On terraces.
Above town.
Old trade.
Khumbu, Sagarmatha National Park, at about 3,440 metres
A short flight to Lukla, then two days' walk uphill, with park and municipality permits; a licensed guide is advised.