Namche Bazaar day trip: Hike to Khumjung and Khunde villages

The monastery at Khumjung

Khunde and Khumjung are both historic Sherpa farming villages. They're not as touristy or geared towards trekkers as some of the settlements that sit along the Everest Base Camp (EBC) trek route, which helps them to retain a more traditional setup and flavour.

Khumjung village sits at the base of Mt Khumbila

The hike to the villages is also great in helping you to acclimatise (acclimate) before pushing your body to trek further up the valley towards Everest Base Camp. (You can learn more on this important topic in Altitude sickness on the Everest Base Camp trek.)

That said, please don't do this hike if you're really struggling with the altitude in Namche Bazaar; if this is the case, rather stay put and enjoy some of the best things to do in Namche Bazaar.

The entrance to Khunde with Mt Khumbila in the background

The trail connecting Namche Bazaar with Khunde and Khumjung is a well-established and decently wide footpath punctuated with clear signs.

You start the hike by following the signs that lead you northwest out of Namche Bazaar towards Thame village. In due course, you take the branching trail to the right that leads to Syangboche airstrip (which is no longer in use, but at one time saw guests and goods being flown in for nearby Hotel Everest View).

The monasteries in the region are very welcoming of visitors

After hiking through a gully strewn with boulders as well as rhododendron and juniper bushes, you descend a stairway into a storybook-like valley adorned with a white stupa (Tibetan Buddhist shrine). From here, you walk the final stretch to the archway welcoming you into the village of Khunde.

A stupa creates an impossibly picturesque scene just outside of Khunde

When you're ready to move on from Khunde, take the cobbled path that leads down the valley and through crop fields before landing you in Khumjung after just about 15 minutes of walking.

After enjoying your fill of scenery and culture (and perhaps food) in Khumjung, you can either head straight back to Namche Bazaar or go via Hotel Everest View, which is arguably the prettier route. Case in point, the trail to Hotel Everest View leads you past the Hillary Memorial Stupa and then up into a charming forest. What's more, this route lets you stop at the famous hotel for a drink or bite to eat while enjoying an incredible view of the peak of Mt Everest!

On a nice day it's lovely to sit on the terrace of Hotel Everest View

From here, follow the trail to Syangboche and then down the steep path to Chhorkung, the little village on a ridge above Namche Bazaar. Then it's just a hop and a skip down into town.

Khunde village

We suggest that you start by simply exploring the village and enjoying the different views of the surrounding peaks of Mt Khumbila, Mt Thamserku and Mt Ama Dablam.

That said, we do recommend that you search out Khunde Gompa, a working monastery where you can admire the religious murals, statues, carvings and other traditional artistries.

Khunde's colourfully painted monastery brightens a wintry scene

There's also the option (if you have the necessary store of time and energy) of a doing a rewarding side hike of about 30 minutes to visit the Hillary Memorial Viewpoint. From here you can enjoy 360-degree views of Khunde and Namche Bazaar as well as Mt Pachermo and Mt Ama Dablam.

Note that a stone's throw from the viewpoint are three memorial stupas erected for Hillary as well as his wife and daughter (who died in a local plane accident).

As with Khunde, we recommend just having an aimless wander to get a feel for the village and see what you see.

A stupa (called a chorten in Tibetan) near Khumjung with Mt Khumbila presiding

If you're feeling peckish, there are several options for places to enjoy something to eat and drink as well as a generous view. A popular option for a delicious treat is Everest Bakery Café, which is something of an institution and particularly famous for its apple pie.

Khumjung Monastery is famous for housing a supposed yeti scalp

A must while in Khumjung is to visit the village's small and colourful gompa (monastery), believed by some to house a yeti scalp. It was actually taken to the USA by Sir Edmund Hillary and Khumjung resident Konchok Chumbi for scientific analysis and shown to be the skin of a serow, but the legend persists, as all good legends do.

You might also like to visit the school established by Hillary in 1961, which teaches both primary and secondary education to children from Khumjung and the surrounding villages. There's also a very long and beautiful nearby mani wall to admire (mani walls being solid, tiered walls made of stones that have been inscribed, through carvings or paint, with Buddhist prayers).

The hike itself isn't arduous in terms of distance or duration, but the high elevation throughout does make it quite tough. This is especially true since most people who do it only arrived in Namche Bazaar the day before from lower down on the Everest Base Camp trek, and so are still busy acclimatising to the high altitude.

The path leading into Khumjung

We recommend that you treat this day hike the same as you would any other day on the EBC trek in terms of what you wear and carry. This means wearing or putting into your daypack:

And that's all you need to know! We know you're going to absolutely love this highly rewarding day hike from Namche Bazaar. 🤓