Everest is only the beginning. Explore the whole park — glaciers and turquoise lakes, rhododendron forests and snow-leopard country, Sherpa villages, monasteries and festivals — with honest planning advice and hand-picked treks and tours.
Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for Mount Everest; the Sherpa people who live at its foot call it Chomolungma. The national park that carries the name was created in 1976 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. It protects 1,148 square kilometres of the upper Khumbu, from the forested gorge at Monjo (about 2,845 m) to the 8,848.86 m summit.
Inside are three of the world’s 8,000-metre peaks, Nepal’s longest glacier, a chain of sacred lakes, and some of the last good habitat for snow leopard, musk deer and Himalayan tahr. It is also a living landscape: several thousand Sherpas farm, trade, pray and run lodges here, and their monasteries, mani walls and festivals are as much a reason to come as the mountains.
Well-reviewed experiences booked through GetYourGuide — from a one-hour flight to a three-week circuit. Prices are indicative starting points; tap any card for live availability in your currency.
Guided trek from €1274 A guided trek up the quieter western valley of the park: Namche Bazaar, Dole and Machhermo to the Gokyo Lakes, then the climb of Gokyo Ri for a view of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu. Flights to and from Lukla are part of the package.
Short guided trek from €1083 The short way into the park: fly to Lukla, walk up the Dudh Koshi to Namche Bazaar and climb to the Everest View ridge at about 3,880 m, where Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam line up across the valley. Back in Kathmandu in five days.
Helicopter tour from €1535 A morning helicopter flight from Kathmandu to Lukla and on over Namche, Tengboche and the Khumbu Glacier, with a short landing near Kala Patthar for a close view of Everest. Landings and routing always depend on weather and on the pilot’s decision.
Mountain flight from €143 The classic dawn “mountain flight” from Kathmandu airport: about an hour in the air along the Himalayan chain to the Everest massif and back. The most affordable way to see the park’s peaks, and highly rated by travellers.
Challenging guided trek from €1559 The complete circuit of Sagarmatha National Park: three passes above 5,300 m link the Imja, Khumbu, Gokyo and Thame valleys, taking in Base Camp, Kala Patthar and Gokyo Ri on the way. Long, high and demanding — for fit, experienced trekkers.
Guided trek from €850 The best-known walk in the park: Lukla to Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche and Gorak Shep, then Everest Base Camp and the sunrise viewpoint of Kala Patthar. A well-paced twelve-day programme with consistently top reviews.
Guided trek from €1363 A week-long trek through Namche Bazaar and Tengboche to Pangboche, with a day walk up to the meadow of Ama Dablam Base Camp beneath the mountain’s great west face. A fine choice when you have about a week and want more than a viewpoint.
Mountain flight from €160 The same dawn mountain flight to the Everest massif, with a private car between your hotel and the domestic terminal so that the early start is painless. A good option for families and anyone who prefers door-to-door arrangements.
Real-time prices and availability for the Everest region, straight from GetYourGuide. Many options offer free cancellation.
Sagarmatha is more than one trail. These are the places that give the park its character — most of them reachable without going anywhere near Base Camp.
Gateways to the park 3,440 m 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.
Sherpa villages & monasteries 3,790 m 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”.
Sherpa villages & monasteries 3,867 m 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.
Sherpa villages & monasteries 3,985 m The oldest gompa and the loveliest mountain
Pangboche (about 3,985 m) is a year-round farming village with what is considered the oldest monastery in the Khumbu. Across the river a side trail climbs to the grassy base camp of Ama Dablam at about 4,600 m — one of the best day walks in the park.
The high valleys 4,790 m 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.
The high valleys 5,364 m 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).
The best-rated lodges in Namche Bazaar, on the Everest View ridge and in Lukla, plus hotels in Kathmandu for before and after — with live rates on Trip.com.
A Thamel institution with a garden courtyard, used by expeditions and trekkers for decades. Step outside and you are among the gear shops and agencies where trips to the park are organised.
A modern chain hotel at the edge of Thamel, with dependable hot water, Wi-Fi and beds — welcome after two weeks of tea houses — and a straightforward drive to the domestic terminal.
A well-managed hotel inside Thamel whose rooftop pool is a rarity in this part of the city. Popular for the first night back from the mountains.
Entry fees, the guide rule, altitude, costs, park rules and how to trek responsibly.
Gokyo Lakes, the Three Passes, short Everest-view treks, Ama Dablam Base Camp, heli tours and flights compared.
The great mountains, the Khumbu and Ngozumpa glaciers, climate change, and the animals and forests of the park.
Monasteries, Mani Rimdu and Dumje, mani walls and the etiquette every visitor should know.
Lukla flights from Kathmandu and Ramechhap, the road via Phaplu and Salleri, and helicopters.
Season by season: weather, crowds, flowers, festivals and which routes are open.
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.
In the Solukhumbu District of north-eastern Nepal, in the region known as the Khumbu, on the border with Tibet. The usual gateway is the airstrip at Lukla, about 30 minutes by air from Kathmandu; the park entrance is at Monjo, a day and a half’s walk further on.
Sagarmatha is the Nepali name for Mount Everest, and Chomolungma is its Tibetan and Sherpa name. Sagarmatha National Park is the protected area around the Nepali side of the mountain — it also includes Lhotse, Cho Oyu, Ama Dablam, the Gokyo Lakes and many Sherpa villages.
Yes. Foreign visitors pay a national park entry fee and a separate fee to the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality. Amounts change from time to time; see our park guide for the current picture.
Absolutely. Short treks of three to seven days reach Namche Bazaar, Khumjung, the Everest View ridge and Tengboche; the Gokyo Lakes make a superb alternative to Base Camp; and helicopter tours and mountain flights show the park in a morning. Compare them on our treks and routes page.
October–November and March–May have the most settled weather. Autumn has the clearest skies and the Mani Rimdu festival; spring has rhododendrons in flower and the Everest climbing season. See when to go.
Himalayan tahr and the Himalayan monal (danphe), Nepal’s national bird, are seen regularly around Namche and Tengboche; musk deer are shy but present in the forests. Snow leopards and red pandas live in the park but are very rarely seen. More in wildlife and nature.
No. Sagarmatha.com is an independent travel guide. The park is managed by Nepal’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation.