The Himalayas info - Everest Trek

                                                                                overlooking Namche Bazaar

The whole trip usually takes a minimum of about 2-3 weeks. Some mountain walking experience and a moderate fitness is recommended. The bus trip to Jiri, the starting point of the trek, from Kathmandu takes 10-12 hours. Alternatively you can fly to the small airfield of Lukla, saving a week walking there from Jiri. You can easily spend a week or more exploring the different valleys of Gokyo, Chhukung and the Khumbu Glacier. On the bus from Kathmandu to Jiri you gradually climb out of the Kathmandu Valley catching your first glimpse of the mountains at Dhulikel. Averaging 20km per hour, bus travel in Nepal is slow. Jiri is as far as the bus goes, from here it's walking country. From Jiri to the valley of the Dudh Kosi River where you turn north you have to cross seven valleys. All in all you climb more than the total height of Mount Everest, before getting to Namche Bazaar!

Namche lies at an elevation of 3440m and is the administrative centre for the region. It's also the headquarters for the Sagarmatha National Park, which was established in 1976 to protect the fragile environment of the region. (Sagarmatha is the local name for Mount Everest meaning the "Mother of the Universe"). Namche is a surprisingly sprawling place with a few dozen lodges catering for the thousands of trekkers who flock here in the spring and autumn season. In 1983 a project sponsored by UNESCO built a small hydroelectric plant providing the village with electricity, in part to avoid logging for firewood in the region.

Most trekkers spend a few days here acclimatising before continuing to higher ground. Namche used to be a trading place with caravans coming from Tibet taking wool, yaks and salt to trade for goods from India. The Sherpa people of the Khumbu still trade but today it's more focused to trekkers and climbers. The Saturday market is still quite an event as hundreds of people gather here. It's a colourful spectacle. The Sherpa people originally come from Tibet, Sher-pa meaning people coming from the east. They grow barley, potatoes, and some vegetables and some keep yaks. They have become famous as dependable mountain guides and nowadays their economy is largely dependent on tourism.