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How do you reach Khumjung Village?
From Namche Bazaar, hike 90 minutes steeply uphill past the Syangboche airstrip or the Everest View Hotel terrace to drop gently into the Khumjung valley bowl.
The walk from Namche is the classic acclimatization circuit used by trekkers heading to Everest Base Camp.
Twin village Khunde sits just 15 minutes to the west, home to the Khunde Hospital.
A scenic stone path connects Khumjung directly to Sanasa, allowing trekkers to continue up towards Tengboche without returning to Namche.
What is Sir Edmund Hillary's legacy in Khumjung?
In 1961, Sir Edmund Hillary founded the Khumjung School through his Himalayan Trust in response to a Sherpa elder asking for education for their children.
The school started as two simple classrooms with aluminum roofs and has grown into a prestigious secondary boarding school.
A bronze memorial bust of Sir Edmund Hillary sits proudly in the school courtyard overlooking Mount Ama Dablam.
Hillary's foundation also established the nearby Khunde Hospital, which has provided modern healthcare to Khumbu families for over 50 years.
What can you see at the Khumjung Monastery?
Khumjung Gompa is a 400-year-old Buddhist sanctuary renowned for housing what Sherpas believe to be the genuine dried scalp of a Yeti (Abominable Snowman).
Visitors can pay a small donation to the monastery caretaker to open the locked glass vault and view the conical relic.
The monastery grounds feature peaceful prayer wheels and tall flagpoles honoring local protective deities.
The sacred jagged peak of Mount Khumbila (5,761 m) rises directly behind the village, revered as the spiritual guardian of all Sherpas.
Things to do in Khumjung Village
- 01
Visit the Khumjung School and Hillary Memorial
Tour the historic Himalayan Trust school and view the memorial statue celebrating Sir Edmund Hillary.
- 02
Inspect the Yeti scalp at Khumjung Gompa
See the legendary scalp relic housed in the monastery's sacred shrine chamber.
- 03
Walk to the Everest View Hotel terrace
Ascend 20 minutes to the luxury terrace for unobstructed tea-time panoramas of Mount Everest and Ama Dablam.
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Frequently asked questions
Sources checked
- The Himalayan TrustHimalayan Trust Nepal, checked 10 October 2026
Fees and regulations in Nepal change. This page was last verified on 10 October 2026.
