Solo Khumbu or Everest region The Khumbu or Everest region is one of the most popular trekking areas in Nepal. The Solo Khumbu area is famous because of its proximity to Mount Everest, but it is also the home of the Sherpas -- the famed mountain people of Nepal. Getting into the Khumbu region, however, takes a lot of effort. One must either walk for 10 days or fly to Lukla, a remote mountain airstrip where flights are notoriously unreliable. Lukla is located at an altitude of 2,850 m (9350 ft) and the area to the north of Lukla is called the Khumbu region. The half-hour flight from Kathmandu can be a spectacular experience, passing close to some of the highest mountain peaks in the world. However, these flights are rather unreliable due to the weather conditions in the mountains.

W.H. Tilman, on the Khumbu region. (Download Realplayer)

Namche Bazar, a major trading center and headquarters of the Sagarmatha National Park Credit: Scott Yost

Namche Bazar
Namche Bazar is a village lying at the junction of the Dudh Koshi and a lateral valley that leads to the frontier pass of Nangpa La (18,000 ft). It is tucked away in a "bowl" at a height of 7,845 ft. The first European entered it in 1950 and many more have come since then. However, the basic character of the village remains unchanged. It has an aeroplane landing strip high above and a temple with a stream of clear water flowing past it. Prayer flags, inscribed with the words "Om mani padme hum" flutter from every rooftop and every house has a cottage industry where Yak wool is spun and woven into carpets and thick sweaters. Facilities like a bank, a post office, hotels and shops where one can purchase climbing equipment as well as tinned food have sprung up over the years. Namche Bazar is the major regional trading center, and contains the headquarters of the Sagarmatha National Park.

Map of the Everest Region Credit: Scott Yost

Thyangboche
The monastery at Thyangboche (or Tengboche) is one of the famous gompas in Nepal. It is one of the most important centers of Buddhism in the region. The largest gompa in the Khumbu region, it was built in 1923. It was destroyed due to a fire in 1989 and has been carefully rebuilt partly with foreign aid and volunteers. From Thyangboche, one gets a panoramic view of the Himalayan giants Kwangde, Tawache, Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Amadablam, Kangtenga, and Thamserku.

  Khumjung
Khumjung is a village lying west of Thyangboche. There is a famous gompa here, where the skull of a supposed Yeti --the Abominable Snowman -- is preserved under the supervision of the head Lama. To many visitors to the region, the skull seems more like the outer skin of Himalayan Brown Bear, and this is borne out by the report of a scientific exploratory expedition conducted by Sir Edmund Hillary, a copy of which is kept in the gompa.