Junbesi, Everest & Solukhumbu: story, things to do and when to go

The air at Junbesi

Altitude2,675 m30.2% of the way to 8,849 m

BeltLekhलेक · High hills: pasture, pine, the last fields

Each breath72%of the oxygen at sea level

Water boils90.9 °Cso dal takes longer here

vs Kathmandu-8.3 °Ctypical difference by height

Oxygen, boiling point and temperature are worked out from the standard atmosphere for 2,675 m; real days vary with weather.

Junbesi lies in a bowl of fields and pine forest beside the Junbesi Khola, its whitewashed Sherpa houses gathered around an old village gompa and a big chorten, with the snows of Numbur at the head of the valley. Trekkers coming over the Lamjura La from the west drop into it after a long day, and many say it is the prettiest village on the old route to Everest.

Before Lukla's airstrip opened in 1964, expeditions walked this way, and Junbesi was a regular halt. Today far fewer trekkers pass, which makes it a rewarding place to linger. The village has a long-established school, family lodges, apple and potato fields, and the Serlo Gompa with its monastic school.

North of the village, a trail climbs to Thubten Chholing, founded in 1968 by Trulshik Rinpoche, the Rongbuk lama who crossed into Nepal in 1959 with monks and nuns. It is now one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist nunneries in the Himalaya, home to hundreds of monastics. A morning there, among the chanting and the prayer wheels, is the reason many come to Junbesi.

Why go

Thubten Chholing

About an hour above Junbesi, Thubten Chholing was founded in 1968 by Trulshik Rinpoche and is home to hundreds of monks and nuns. Morning prayers, rows of prayer wheels and the nuns' quarters spread across the hillside make a quiet, powerful visit.

Junbesi's village gompa and chorten

At the heart of the village, the old gompa and big whitewashed chorten anchor daily life. Walk the kora in the late afternoon with older villagers turning prayer wheels.

Lamjura La rhododendrons

West of Junbesi, the Lamjura La at about 3,530 m crosses forests of rhododendron, magnolia and fir that bloom red, pink and white in March and April. It is the highest point on the old Jiri–Everest trail.

Ringmo apples and the Taksindu La

East of Junbesi, Ringmo's orchards supply apple pie and juice in autumn, and the trail climbs on to the Taksindu La and Taksindu monastery with views of Numbur and the Khumbu peaks.

Serlo Gompa and its school

In the village, Serlo Gompa trains young monks in a monastic school. Visitors may see the prayer hall and, with permission, the classes at work.

१The story of Junbesi

Refugee lamas and the road the expeditions walked

Junbesi is an old Sherpa settlement of Solu, the lower valleys the Sherpas call Shorong. Its families farmed potatoes, barley and wheat on the valley floor, herded yaks on the high pastures under Numbur and traded along the trail that linked the Kathmandu Valley with Khumbu. Before 1964 that trail, through Jiri, the Lamjura La, Junbesi and Ringmo, was the only way to Everest, and early expeditions marched along it.

In 1959, as Chinese control tightened over Tibet, Trulshik Rinpoche, a senior lama of Rongbuk Monastery on the north side of Everest, fled over the passes into Khumbu with a large group of monks and nuns. After some years in Khumbu he was given land near Junbesi, and in 1968 he built Thubten Chholing. It grew into one of the largest Nyingma communities in Nepal, especially of nuns, and Trulshik Rinpoche became one of the most respected teachers of his tradition, teacher to the Dalai Lama among others, until his death in 2011.

Today Junbesi is a quiet village where trekkers are welcome but not dominant. Roads now reach nearby, and fewer people walk the whole Jiri route, but the trail still links Junbesi with Ringmo, the Taksindu La and the Dudh Koshi. In spring the Lamjura La above the village blazes with rhododendron; in autumn the potato harvest and clear skies over Numbur make it glow.

३The people

Who lives here

Junbesi is a Sherpa village of farmers, lodge keepers and families with relatives working in Kathmandu and abroad. Above it, Thubten Chholing's monks and nuns, many from Solu and Khumbu and some of Tibetan origin, form a large monastic community. Serlo Gompa runs a monastic school. Sherpa is the home language, Tibetan the language of the monasteries, and Nepali the common tongue.

४Words you will hear

Tibetan

ཨ་ནི

ani

Buddhist nun; Thubten Chholing has a large community

Tibetan

བླ་མ

lama

Teacher or monk; in Sherpa villages also a married householder priest

Sherpa

མ་ཎི

mani

Prayer stone or wall carved with om mani padme hum

Every word on this site

५What to eat

Apple pie and apple rakshi

Junbesi and neighbouring Ringmo sit among Solu's apple orchards, and in autumn lodges bake apple pie in wood-fired ovens, press juice and distil apple rakshi, a clear spirit served warm. Try a slice in Junbesi and the rakshi only if you are not climbing higher the next day.

६Few people know

Things most guides leave out

Trulshik Rinpoche fled Rongbuk Monastery in Tibet in 1959 with many monks and nuns, and built Thubten Chholing near Junbesi in 1968. It became one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist nunneries in the Himalaya.

Wikipedia: Trulshik Rinpoche

Trulshik Rinpoche, the founder of Thubten Chholing, was one of the teachers of the 14th Dalai Lama and became head of the Nyingma school in 2010, a year before his death in 2011.

Wikipedia: Trulshik Rinpoche

Before the Lukla airstrip opened in 1964, the walking route through Jiri, the Lamjura La and Junbesi was the main approach to Khumbu and Everest from the Kathmandu Valley.

Wikipedia: Jiri

Untold Nepal, region by region

Experiences

Four ways to spend a day in Junbesi

Spiritual

Junbesi3 hours

Morning prayers at Thubten Chholing

Walk an hour above Junbesi to Thubten Chholing, the monastic community Trulshik Rinpoche founded in 1968 after fleeing Tibet. Join …

Heritage

Junbesi1.5 hours

Junbesi's old gompa and evening kora

Spend a late afternoon in Junbesi's centre, at the old village gompa and the large chorten, walking the kora with …

Nature

Junbesi5–7 hours

Rhododendron forests of the Lamjura La

Walk west from Junbesi up to the Lamjura La, about 3,530 m, the highest point on the old Jiri–Everest trail, …

Trekking

Junbesi6–7 hours

Over the Taksindu La to Taksindu monastery

Walk east from Junbesi through Ringmo's apple orchards and up to the Taksindu La, about 3,070 m, to the Taksindu …

Getting there

How to reach Junbesi

On foot

From Phaplu, about 4–5 hours via Salleri and the forest trail north. From the west, the old route over the Lamjura La, about 3,530 m, from Sete or the roadheads beyond Jiri. East to Ringmo, about 2–3 hours.

Road

Jeeps from Kathmandu reach Phaplu and Salleri in 10–12 hours; rough roads now approach Junbesi too, but conditions change after every monsoon. Check current status before you travel.

Air

The nearest airstrip is Phaplu, about 30–35 minutes by air from Kathmandu, then a 4–5 hour walk.

Where to stay

Junbesi has several family-run lodges with simple rooms, some with attached bathrooms, warm dining rooms and good home cooking, often with vegetables and apples from their own gardens. The village is quiet and rooms are rarely full except in October and April. Ringmo, 2–3 hours east, has a few more lodges among the orchards. There is no upmarket hotel here; we pick lodges by recent visits.

Local tips

Visit Thubten Chholing in the early morning for prayers, and dress modestly.
Ask permission before photographing monks or nuns, especially the young ones.
Walk the Lamjura La in March or April for the rhododendron bloom.
Carry cash; there are no ATMs in Junbesi.
Combine Junbesi with Phaplu and Chiwong for a gentle Solu loop of 4–6 days.

On the map

Junbesi and what is near it

Drawn by Book Nepal Trip from Natural Earth outlines (public domain). International borders as depicted by Nepal. Rivers: Karnali, Gandaki and Koshi systems. Not for navigation.

Trips

Trips that stop in Junbesi

Everest & Solukhumbumax 4,065 m

7 nightsModeratetrek

Pikey Peak and Junbesi Trek in Solu

A short, quiet trek in Solu, the lower half of Solukhumbu. Drive to Phaplu, walk to the Sherpa village of Junbesi and …

fromUSD 950See the days

Everest & Solukhumbumax 3,867 m

16 nightsChallengingtrek

Solu to Khumbu Walk-in: Phaplu to Tengboche

Walk into the Everest region the way expeditions did before the Lukla airstrip. Sixteen nights from Phaplu across the ridges of Solu, …

fromUSD 1,850See the days

Nearby

Pair Junbesi with

Everest & Solukhumbu2,413 m

hill townPahadफाप्लु

Phaplu

Solu's airstrip town below cliff-top Chiwong Gompa

Mar – Apr · Oct – Nov

Everest & Solukhumbu2,860 m

trek stopLekhलुक्ला

Lukla

The sloping airstrip where nearly every Everest walk begins

Mar – Apr · Oct – Nov

Questions

Junbesi: what travellers ask

Where is Junbesi?

Junbesi is a Sherpa village in Solu, the lower part of Solukhumbu District, at about 2,675 m in the valley of the Junbesi Khola below Numbur. It lies on the old walking route from Jiri to Everest, about 4–5 hours north of Phaplu on foot. Thubten Chholing monastery is an hour above.

How do I get to Junbesi?

Fly or drive from Kathmandu to Phaplu, then walk about 4–5 hours north. Or walk the old route from the roadheads beyond Jiri over the Lamjura La. Rough roads now approach Junbesi, but conditions vary after each monsoon. Check current status before you travel.

What is Junbesi known for?

Thubten Chholing, one of the largest Buddhist nunneries in the Himalaya, founded in 1968 by Trulshik Rinpoche; the old village gompa and Serlo Gompa; the rhododendron forests of the Lamjura La; nearby Ringmo's apple orchards; and its place on the historic walking route to Everest.

Is Junbesi on the way to Everest Base Camp?

It is on the old walking route, used before the Lukla airstrip opened in 1964 and still walked by trekkers who prefer a slow approach. From Junbesi it takes about 3–4 more days via Ringmo, the Taksindu La and Nunthala to reach the main trail below Lukla, then a further week to Base Camp.

How long should I stay in Junbesi?

One or two nights. One night allows a walk around the village and a morning at Thubten Chholing; two nights let you add the Lamjura La forests or a slower day. Junbesi suits trekkers on a Solu loop and travellers walking the old route to Khumbu.

Are there lodges in Junbesi?

Yes, several family-run lodges with simple rooms, some with attached bathrooms, and good home cooking. They rarely fill except in October and April. Ringmo, 2–3 hours east, has more lodges among the orchards. There is no upmarket hotel; comfort is modest but genuine.

Do I need a permit for Junbesi?

No national park or Khumbu municipality permit is needed for Junbesi, which lies outside Sagarmatha National Park. If you continue into Khumbu, you will need the Khumbu Pasanglhamu municipality permit and the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit, and a licensed guide under the April 2023 rule. Check current status before you travel.

What is the best time to visit Junbesi?

October and November for clear skies and the potato and apple harvest. March and April for rhododendrons on the Lamjura La. December to February are cold but clear and quiet. June to September is monsoon, with rain, leeches and difficult roads.

Can I visit Thubten Chholing from Junbesi in a day?

Yes, easily. It is about an hour's walk north. A round trip with time for morning prayers and the kora takes about three hours. Go early to catch the chanting. Dress modestly, remove shoes and hats inside and ask before taking photographs.