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Interesting and justifiably famous, not
only for its proximity to the world's highest mountain,
but also for its Sherpa villages and monasteries, the
Everest, or Solu Khumbu area is the second most popular
trekking destination in Nepal. The primary objective of
Everest treks is either the Everest base camp, about
5.340 meters, or Kala Pattar, an unassuming 5.545 meter
hump on the southern flank of Pumori (7.161 meters),
which provides a fine view of Everest (8.848 meters).
The Everest region may be reached by STOL (short
take-off and landing) airstrips at LukIa (2.800 metres),
Shyangboche (3.700 metres), or Phaphlu (2364 metres) or
by an eight-day trek from the road head at Jiri, 188 km
from Kathmandu. Those who fly to Lukla miss the historic
and culturally fascinating route followed by the Everest
expeditions of the ''50s and '60s although the trek has
changed substantially in the past 30 years. It is best
to take the time to walk from Jiri, then after
acclimatization and conditioning afforded by the trek,
visit base camp or climb Kala Pattar and either fly out
from Lukla or walk back by an alternative route to
Kathmandu. Those who insist their time is limited can
fly to Lukla and spend as little as six days to visit
Namche Bazar and Thyangboche. It is ill advised to
attempt a quick visit to base camp, because of the lack
of time for acclimatization, if you fly in to one of
these airstrips. You should allow at least eight or nine
days to reach the base camp region if you fly to Lukla;
the return from base camp to Lukla can be made in as few
as four or five days, so an absolute minimum of two
weeks is required for a safe trek to base camp. The
timing is further complicated because flights to LukIa
often do not work as planned, so those with a tight
schedule would do well to allow a few spare days for
both the flight in and the flight out. |
