Namche Bazaar to Tengboche Monastery via Everest View and Khumjung<<>> Namche Bazaar to Tengboche monestery via Everest view and Khumjung is a fabulous trek. You walk the paths and trails that give you impressive views of the majestic peaks of Mount Everest, Lhotse, Thamserku, Ama Dablam and other magnificent peaks. Namche is just up the hill from Lukla. And is a one or two day hike from there depending on your pace and acclimatization program. The walk winds its way up the hill and follows the Dudh Kosi River, which you cross again and again on the bouncy suspension bridges. In the busy season these can be bottlenecks as you wait for the many trekkers, porters or laden Dzo’s to cross.
The trail meanders through groups of nepali houses and small villages while passing Buddhist stupas, mani stones, pray flags and prayer wheels. Looking up from the trail you can see many meandering paths crossing the mountainside to various buildings and other small settlements.
Your first glimpse of Everest through the trees on your way to Namche Bazaar could be missed ... but never forgotten. Namche Bazaar at 3440m above sea level is the gateway to the high Himalayand and is the main trading center for the Khumbu region. Being the crossroads to so many treks nearly all trekkers pass through with many staying at least one night, for altitude acclimatization. A bustling Sherpa town that is set in a bowl and surrounded by snow-capped mountains it is a welcome shelter in the hills. With the mainstay being tourism the town is full of shops, stalls, cafes, bakeries, teahouses and hotels. It is packed with people from all over the world either on their way up on treks or going back down. The narrow streets don’t leave much room for the Dzos and Yaks to pass. But at least you can hear them as the melodic sound of their bells clang away. The daily activity, the descending cloud and cold of the mid-afternoon all make this place magical.
On Saturday morning till early afternoon, a weekly market is held on the edge of the village. Local people from all around the Namche area come to sell their wares and buy their supplies. It makes an interesting visit as does the periodic Tibetan market where clothing and cheap Chinese consumer goods tend to be the main articles for sale. To see the Tibetans arriving with their Yaks and setting up their tents and stalls is a wonderful piece of entertainment. Tibetan merchants have traditionally come to the market by way of high passes through the Himalayas and you often see them in various villages selling their goods.
A popular short but steep acclimatisation walk from Namche Bazaar goes to the Everest View Hotel. A less steep path is to go via the now disused airstrip, which is used as a helipad for supplies and emergencies. As the name suggests, the hotel gives good views of Everest and is considered to be the best view in the area. At an altitude of 3,800m the hotel has a terrace at the back and on a clear day the view is fantastic. Here you can sit with a drink and just soak up the vista of Mount Everest peeping over Lhotse, Thamserku and the more picturesque Ama Dablam. It seems so near and yet so far away nestling between other mountains.
If you go on over the hill you could visit Khumjung (3970 m) a much more traditional village to the touristy Namche. Sitting at the base of the holy mountain, Khumbila it has many Mani Stones and the old and new Stupas. It also hosts a well known "Gomba" or monastery that houses what is said to be a yeti scalp. For a small donation the attending Buddhist monk will open the box and let you see it. It is said to be from a deceased yeti that was befriended by a Lama centuries ago. Khumjung is also the home of the Sir Edmund Hillary Foundation School and Hospital.
<<>> From here you could have a days trek to The Buddhist Tengboche monastery, the largest in the Khumbu region. Being on the main route to the Base Camp it offers spectacular views of some of the world's highest mountains. Including Ama Dablam [6,812m], Nuptse [7,855m] Lhotse [8,516m], Thamserku [6,623m], Kantega [6,779m] and Everest at 8,848 metres. The monastery was built in 1923 but in 1934, it was destroyed by an earthquake and again by a fire in 1989. Here you can see the famous stone in which Lama Sangwa Dorje left his footprint forever.
Namche Bazaar and the surrounding area will leave an imprint on your soul that will last forever.
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