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Ama Dablam rising above the clouds

Places in Sagarmatha National Park

Sherpa villages, monasteries, sacred lakes and high passes — the park, place by place.

Seen on a map, the park is a fan of four valleys that meet at Namche Bazaar. The trail from Lukla brings you in from the south; from Namche you can go west to Thame, north-west to Gokyo, north-east to Tengboche, Pangboche and Everest, or simply climb an hour to the villages on the shelf above.

We have grouped the places below by the kind of visit they suit: the gateways everyone passes through, the villages and monasteries that can fill a short trip on their own, and the high valleys that need time and acclimatisation.

Gateways to the park

Namche Bazaar at sunrise, with first light on the peaks above the town Gateways to the park 3,440 m

Namche Bazaar

The Sherpa capital and park headquarters

A horseshoe of lodges, bakeries and shops in a natural amphitheatre at 3,440 m. Namche is the trading hub of the Khumbu, home to the Saturday market, the Sherpa museum and the national park visitor centre — and the place where every visitor pauses to acclimatise.

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A porter passes the Sagarmatha National Park entrance sign at the Jorsalle gate Gateways to the park 2,860 m

Lukla, Phakding & Monjo

The airstrip, the river trail and the park gate

Most journeys begin on the sloping runway at Lukla (2,860 m), follow the Dudh Koshi past mani walls and suspension bridges through Phakding, and enter Sagarmatha National Park at the Monjo–Jorsalle gate, where permits are checked.

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Sherpa villages & monasteries

Stone-walled fields and green-roofed houses of Khunde, with Ama Dablam in the distance Sherpa villages & monasteries 3,790 m

Khumjung & Khunde

Green-roofed twin villages beneath sacred Khumbila

Two traditional Sherpa villages in a broad valley above Namche at about 3,790 m, with stone-walled potato fields, the school Sir Edmund Hillary founded in 1961, the Khunde hospital and a monastery that keeps a famous “yeti scalp”.

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The main temple of Tengboche Monastery with a white chorten and prayer flags Sherpa villages & monasteries 3,867 m

Tengboche Monastery

The spiritual heart of the Khumbu

The largest monastery in the Khumbu stands on a forested saddle at 3,867 m with Ama Dablam, Everest and Lhotse on the horizon. Visitors may attend prayers, and each autumn the masked dances of the Mani Rimdu festival fill its courtyard.

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Lodges of Thame under fresh snow, with high peaks behind Sherpa villages & monasteries 3,800 m

Thame

The quiet valley of famous climbers

A half-day walk west of Namche, Thame (about 3,800 m) lies on the old trade route to Tibet. It has a cliff-side monastery, was the childhood home of Tenzing Norgay, and is rebuilding after a glacial flood in 2024.

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The high valleys

The turquoise Gokyo lake, the village and the Ngozumpa Glacier seen from Gokyo Ri The high valleys 4,790 m

Gokyo Lakes & Gokyo Ri

Turquoise lakes beside Nepal’s longest glacier

A chain of sacred glacial lakes at 4,700–5,000 m, protected as a Ramsar wetland, with the lodges of Gokyo on the third lake. The climb of Gokyo Ri (5,357 m) gives what many consider the finest panorama in the park: Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu.

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A trekker crossing the snow-covered Cho La pass The high valleys 5,535 m

The Three Passes

Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La

Three passes above 5,300 m link the four high valleys of the park into one grand circuit. Kongma La (5,535 m), Cho La (5,420 m) and Renjo La (5,360 m) make the hardest and most complete trek in Sagarmatha.

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The Khumbu Icefall and Glacier at Everest Base Camp The high valleys 5,364 m

Everest Base Camp & Kala Patthar

The foot of the highest mountain on Earth

At the head of the Khumbu valley, the base camp of Mount Everest (about 5,364 m) sits on the rubble of the Khumbu Glacier under the Icefall. The best view of the summit itself is from the nearby hill of Kala Patthar (5,644 m).

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Putting places together

With three to five days in the park, base yourself in Namche Bazaar and visit Khumjung, Khunde and the Everest View ridge, with Thame or Tengboche as an overnight. With a week to ten days, add Pangboche and Ama Dablam Base Camp, or head for the Gokyo Lakes. With two to three weeks, link the valleys over one or more of the Three Passes. Our treks and routes page turns these into itineraries.

Plan your Sagarmatha trip

Walk into the home of the world’s highest mountain

Three days to a first view of Everest, three weeks over the high passes, or one morning by helicopter — compare guided treks, flights and heli tours and book in a few taps.

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