Khumjung village and tea facing Everest
We leave Namche after breakfast and climb steeply above the town to the Syangboche plateau, about 1.5 to 2 hours at an easy pace. From here a short path through juniper and rhododendron leads to Hotel Everest View at 3,880 m, set on a ridge facing Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and Ama Dablam. Its terrace is the place for hot chocolate or a late breakfast with the highest mountain on earth in front of you, clear mornings permitting.
From the hotel we descend gently to Khumjung, at about 3,790 m, one of the largest Sherpa villages in the Khumbu. Its stone houses, roofed in green and blue tin, sit around walled potato fields on a broad, flat valley floor below the sacred peak of Khumbila. The Khumjung school was founded with the support of Sir Edmund Hillary in 1961 and still serves children from across the region. Khumjung monastery keeps a skull that local tradition holds to be a yeti's, shown for a small donation.
Neighbouring Khunde, a short walk west, has a hospital also founded with Hillary's support. We take lunch in a village lodge, then walk back to Namche over the ridge, or stay overnight in Khumjung if the journey continues to Tengboche. The total day is 5 to 6 hours of walking with about 450 m of climbing. It works both as an acclimatisation day and as the high point of a short Everest walk.
Questions travellers ask
Good to know
Can we stay at Hotel Everest View?
It is possible, but we rarely recommend it. At 3,880 m it is a big jump in sleeping altitude from Namche, and guests often sleep poorly there. We prefer to visit for tea or breakfast on the terrace during an acclimatisation walk, then sleep lower in Namche. The view of Everest and Ama Dablam is the same.
Is the Khumjung walk suitable for families?
Yes, for families with older children who walk regularly and have acclimatised in Namche. The climb to Syangboche is steep, but the rest of the walk is gentler, and the day can be shortened. Children enjoy the yeti skull, the school and the yaks. Watch closely for any signs of altitude sickness and turn back if they appear.
What is the yeti skull in Khumjung?
Khumjung monastery keeps a dome-shaped scalp that local tradition says belonged to a yeti, shown to visitors for a small donation. In 1960 it was taken abroad for study and returned; scientists concluded it was made from the skin of a serow, a Himalayan goat-antelope. It remains a respected object in the village.
Also in Everest Region (Khumbu)
More hours to plan around
