Plan my trek
Plan my trek
Koshi
Salleri (c. 2,400 m)
3,312 km²
104,851 (2021)
c. 600 m – 8,849 m
1 municipality + 7 RMs
Solukhumbu is the district in north-eastern Nepal that holds Mount Everest. Most visitors only see its northern tip, the Khumbu, on the way to Everest Base Camp. The other three-quarters of the district, the green hill country of Solu and the deep Dudh Koshi gorge of Pharak, get a small fraction of those visitors, and that is the main reason to read this guide.
Solukhumbu is in Koshi Province (known as Province No. 1 until it was renamed in 2023). Its headquarters is Salleri, a hill town at about 2,400 m, roughly 260–270 km from Kathmandu by road. The district covers 3,312 km² and had a population of 104,851 in the 2021 national census, a little down on the 105,886 counted in 2011.
Few districts anywhere span such a range of height. The lowest ground, around Tuintar on the Dudh Koshi, sits at about 600 m among rice terraces and subtropical forest. The highest point is the summit of Everest at 8,848.86 m. Between the two you pass through oak and rhododendron forest, apple orchards, yak pastures and glaciers.
Think of the district as a long, tilted rectangle. Tibet (China) forms the northern border along the main Himalayan crest. Sankhuwasabha lies to the east, Bhojpur, Khotang and Okhaldhunga to the south, and the Bagmati Province districts of Ramechhap and Dolakha to the west. The Dudh Koshi river drains almost the whole district from north to south, joined by side valleys such as the Solu Khola, the Hinku and the Hongu.
Since Nepal’s 2017 local government restructuring, Solukhumbu has been divided into one municipality and seven rural municipalities. Census populations below are from 2021 and exclude people living in institutions, which is why they add up to slightly less than the district total.
| Local unit | Type | Population (2021) | What’s there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solududhkunda | Municipality | 25,678 | Salleri, Phaplu, Chiwong, Ringmo, Dudh Kunda |
| Thulung Dudhkoshi | Rural municipality | 18,354 | Thulung Rai villages above the Dudh Koshi |
| Dudhkoshi | Rural municipality | 12,648 | Lower Dudh Koshi valley |
| Mahakulung | Rural municipality | 11,847 | Kulung Rai country of the Hongu valley |
| Nechasalyan | Rural municipality | 11,381 | Southern hills |
| Sotang | Rural municipality | 9,025 | Eastern hills above the Hongu |
| Khumbu Pasanglhamu | Rural municipality | 8,720 | Lukla, Namche Bazaar, Everest |
| Likhupike | Rural municipality | 5,334 | Western hills along the Likhu Khola |
Khumbu Pasanglhamu, named after Pasang Lhamu Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to summit Everest, covers more than 1,500 km² but has the second-smallest population in the district. That contrast sums up Solukhumbu: the famous north is vast and thinly settled, while most people live in the warmer south.
The name Solukhumbu (often written Solu Khumbu) joins the two best-known parts of the district, but Sherpa communities have traditionally recognised three areas, and they are useful for planning.
| Solu | Pharak | Khumbu | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherpa name | Shorong | Pharak | Khumbu |
| Typical altitude | 2,000–3,500 m (peaks to about 4,000 m) | 2,300–2,900 m in the valley | 3,400 m and above |
| Landscape | Forested ridges, farmland, orchards, monasteries | Steep Dudh Koshi gorge, villages on the trail | High valleys, yak pastures, glaciers, 8,000 m peaks |
| Main places | Salleri, Phaplu, Junbesi, Ringmo, Pikey Peak | Lukla, Chaurikharka, Surke, Phakding | Namche, Tengboche, Dingboche, Gokyo |
| Visitors | Few; mainly Nepali visitors and small trekking groups | Busy where it overlaps the EBC trail | Tens of thousands of trekkers a year |
| Road access | Yes: tarmac to Salleri and Phaplu | Rough jeep tracks reach the lower villages | No roads |
Solu (Shorong) is the southern Sherpa heartland. Sherpa clan histories record that families who had crossed into Khumbu from Tibet over the Nangpa La in the 1530s moved south over the following decades, founding Zhung, the village now called Junbesi, around 1550. Today Solu is a mix of Sherpa, Rai, Tamang, Chhetri and Brahmin communities, with a road, a district hospital and the government offices in Salleri.
Pharak is the stretch of the Dudh Koshi valley between Solu and the national park, roughly from Kharikhola and Surke up to Lukla, Phakding and the park gate at Monjo. Most EBC trekkers pass through its upper part without knowing its name. The lower villages are where the new road from Salleri now ends.
Khumbu is the high country inside Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. We cover it in full on our Everest Region guide; there is a short summary further down this page.
These are the towns, villages and sacred sites that make the lower district worth the trip. Altitudes are approximate; published figures vary by a few tens of metres.
The district headquarters, at about 2,400 m, is a working hill town rather than a tourist resort. It has government offices, banks, shops, lodges and a busy Saturday market where farmers from across the district sell produce. Buses and jeeps from Kathmandu terminate here, and it is the place to stock up before heading to the trails.
Just south of Salleri (about 15 minutes by jeep), Phaplu has the district’s only paved airstrip at 2,413 m. Its hospital was built by Sir Edmund Hillary’s Himalayan Trust in the mid-1970s and later became the district hospital. Hillary’s wife Louise and daughter Belinda died in March 1975 when their plane crashed on take-off from Kathmandu on the way here. Phaplu is the usual start for Pikey Peak, Dudh Kunda and the Lower Solu loop.
A Nyingma monastery on a cliff above Phaplu and Chiwong village, at roughly 2,900 m, founded around 1923. It is one of the places where the Mani Rimdu masked-dance festival is held, usually in October or November, with the public dances lasting about three days. Outside the festival, it is a quiet half-day walk up from Phaplu with wide views over the Solu valley.
A Sherpa village at around 2,700 m on the old trail between Phaplu and the Taksindu ridge, surrounded by orchards of apple, apricot and peach. It is a common overnight on the Lower Solu and Dudh Kunda routes, and the point where the trail to the sacred lake leaves the valley.
The ridge-top monastery of Taksindu sits just below the Taksindu La (about 3,070 m), with the long Pangoma mani wall along the trail nearby. It was a fixture of the classic walk-in from Jiri to Everest, and on a clear morning the views stretch north towards the Khumbu peaks. Below it, the trail drops steeply to Nunthala and the Dudh Koshi.
Known to Sherpas as Zhung, Junbesi (about 2,675 m) is one of the oldest Sherpa villages in Nepal, founded around 1550 by the Lamaserwa clan. Its stone houses, prayer flags and small temple sit in a side valley under Numbur. It has a cluster of lodges and makes the best base for exploring Solu on foot.
About an hour’s uphill walk from Junbesi at roughly 3,000 m, Thupten Choling is one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist communities in Nepal, home to several hundred nuns and monks, many of them Tibetan refugees. It was founded in 1968 by Trulshik Rinpoche (1923–2011), who came to Nepal from Tibet in 1959. It is a working religious community: visit quietly, dress modestly and ask before photographing people.
At about 3,530 m, the Lamjura La is the high point of the old trail from Jiri and Shivalaya into Solu. Its rhododendron forests are at their best in March and April. Weather changes fast here, and in winter the pass can hold snow, so it is not a place to cross late in the day.
Pikey Peak (4,065 m) is a grassy summit south-west of Junbesi, regarded as sacred by local Sherpas and topped with prayer flags. From the top, on a clear morning, the view runs along the Himalaya from the Everest massif across a long line of high peaks. It is reached on a short trek with no technical climbing.
The “milk lake” at about 4,560 m lies under Numbur (6,958 m), a mountain Solu Sherpas regard as a protector deity. It is a major pilgrimage site at Janai Purnima, the full moon of the month of Shrawan (usually August), when pilgrims and shamans walk for days to bathe in the lake. Some sources give a lower altitude of about 4,400 m.
These Pharak villages lie on the trail between Solu and Lukla. Kharikhola is a sizeable Sherpa and Rai village with a monastery above the river; Surke sits a few hours’ walk below Lukla. Since the jeep track from Salleri was pushed north, they have become the road-head for travellers who want to reach the Everest trail without flying.
Solu has no single headline trek, but a handful of well-proven routes, all reachable by road. Durations below are typical ranges from Kathmandu or from the trailhead, not fixed itineraries; for a broader comparison see our Nepal trekking guide.
Typical length: 5–8 days from Kathmandu. High point: 4,065 m.
The most popular trek in Solu. Common versions drive to Phaplu or Dhap, then walk via Ringmo and Junbesi to the high camp at Jasmane Bhanjyang (about 3,000 m), with a pre-dawn climb to the summit. Lodges are simpler than on the EBC trail, and those at the highest stops can be very basic. A good choice for a first Himalayan trek or a short trip.
Typical length: 7–9 days from Kathmandu. High point: about 4,560 m.
A pilgrimage route from Phaplu via Ringmo to the pastures below Numbur, then up to the sacred lake and back via Junbesi. The altitude gain is significant for a short trek, so it needs proper acclimatisation. Lodges are few above Ringmo; check what is open, especially outside the main seasons.
Typical length: 5–7 days. High point: about 3,070 m.
A gentle loop from Phaplu to Ringmo, Taksindu and Junbesi, with a day for Thupten Choling, then back to Phaplu. It stays below 3,100 m, so altitude is less of a concern, and the days are short. It suits families and anyone more interested in villages and monasteries than in high passes.
Typical length: 7–9 days to Lukla. High point on the walk-in: Lamjura La, about 3,530 m.
The route used by the 1953 Everest expedition, before Lukla airstrip existed. Most trekkers now start at Shivalaya (beyond Jiri, in Dolakha) and cross Deurali, Lamjura, Junbesi, Taksindu, Nunthala and Kharikhola to reach Lukla. It is long and full of steep climbs and descents, but it builds fitness and acclimatisation before the Khumbu. The first section lies in the Gaurishankar Conservation Area, which has its own permit.
Typical length: adds 2–4 days to an EBC trek.
Instead of flying to Lukla, you can drive to Salleri, take a 4WD jeep along the rough track towards Thamdanda and Surke, then walk up to the main trail. It avoids flight cancellations, but the jeep section is slow and can close for days in the monsoon. Read more in our guide to planning an Everest Base Camp trek.
The high treks of the district, including Everest Base Camp, Gokyo Lakes and the Three Passes, start from Lukla and are covered on our Everest Region page. A Solu trek before or after makes a good add-on.
Solukhumbu is one of the few Himalayan districts you can reach both by road and by air. Which you choose depends on where you are going: Solu is a long drive, while the Khumbu is usually reached by flying to Lukla.
By road, Kathmandu to Salleri is roughly 260–270 km. The usual route leaves Kathmandu towards Dhulikhel, follows the BP Highway down to the Sun Koshi valley, then climbs through Okhaldhunga district to Salleri and Phaplu. The road is paved all the way to Salleri, but surfaces are patchy, and drivers and travellers commonly report 9–12 hours with stops. Beyond Salleri, a rough 4WD track continues north for about 38 km towards Thamdanda, a few hours’ walk below Lukla.
Buses and shared jeeps to Salleri leave very early, usually between 4 am and 6 am, mainly from Chabahil (some services use Gongabu bus park). Fares change with fuel prices and season, and published figures vary, so treat the numbers below as a guide and confirm at the counter.
| Option | Route | Typical time | Approximate cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public bus | Kathmandu – Salleri | 10–12 hours | About NPR 1,500 (about £7.50) |
| Shared jeep | Kathmandu – Salleri / Phaplu | 9–12 hours | About NPR 1,900–2,200 (£9.50–£11) |
| Shared jeep | Salleri – Thamdanda / Surke area | 4–5 hours or more | Varies widely; agree the price before you set off |
| Private jeep | Kathmandu – Salleri | 9–11 hours | Priced per vehicle; ask for quotes |
| Flight | Kathmandu – Phaplu | About 30–40 minutes | Check with airlines; foreigners pay a higher fare than Nepalis |
| Flight | Kathmandu or Ramechhap – Lukla | About 20–40 minutes | See the Lukla section below |
Ticket agents and hotels often add a commission, so buying directly at the departure counter is usually cheapest. On some shared-jeep services passengers are transferred to a bus part-way without notice. In the monsoon (roughly mid-June to early September), landslides can close the road for hours or days.
Phaplu airport (2,413 m) opened in 1976, and its runway was paved after a closure in 2013. Nepal Airlines resumed four weekly flights to Kathmandu in May 2025 after a five-month suspension, and other domestic carriers serve it on a scheduled or charter basis. Services are less frequent and less reliable than the Lukla route, so build in a spare day.
For the Khumbu, almost everyone flies to Lukla. In the busy spring and autumn seasons, many Lukla flights operate from Manthali airport in Ramechhap, a drive of several hours from Kathmandu, rather than from Kathmandu itself. Our Lukla page covers the current arrangements.
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The northern third of the district is the Khumbu, the Sherpa homeland around Everest and the area most people mean by “Solukhumbu”. Almost all of it lies inside Sagarmatha National Park, which protects 1,148 km² of high valleys, glaciers and peaks, including Everest, Lhotse and Cho Oyu.
The standard approach is a flight to Lukla, then a walk up the Dudh Koshi to Namche Bazaar, the trading town of the Khumbu. From there, trails lead to Tengboche monastery, Dingboche and Gorak Shep, the last stop before Everest Base Camp. Others head west to Gokyo or Thame.
Everything about trekking in the Khumbu, from permits and seasons to routes and villages, is on our Everest Region guide. For costs and difficulty, see our Everest Base Camp trek cost and difficulty guides.
Solukhumbu is often thought of as purely Sherpa country, but it is one of Nepal’s most mixed districts. In the 2011 census, Nepali was the first language of about 35% of residents and Sherpa of 17%, followed by the Rai languages Kulung, Khaling and Thulung and by Tamang. By religion, the census recorded roughly 40% Hindu, 29% Kirati and 27% Buddhist. You can read about the wider picture in our guide to culture in Nepal.
Sherpa means “people from the east”: the clans trace their origins to Kham in eastern Tibet, from where their ancestors migrated in the late 15th and 16th centuries. They practise the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, and the monasteries of Solu, from Chiwong to Thupten Choling, are as much part of community life as the better-known gompas of the Khumbu. Mountaineering made Sherpa names famous worldwide, from Tenzing Norgay to record-holders such as Kami Rita Sherpa.
Key festivals include Mani Rimdu, a sequence of masked dances and blessings held at Chiwong and, in the Khumbu, at Tengboche and Thame; Dumji, a village masked-dance festival celebrated in Solu villages; and Losar, the Tibetan new year, usually in February or March. Dates follow the Tibetan lunar calendar and change every year.
The Rai are Kirati peoples whose roots in the eastern hills long predate the arrival of the Sherpas; the area was part of the Kirat territory of Majh Kirat before it was absorbed into the Gorkha kingdom in 1773. Several Rai groups live in Solukhumbu, each with its own language: the Kulung in the Hongu valley (Mahakulung), the Thulung, Khaling and others in the mid-hills above the Dudh Koshi. The Kulung bury their dead rather than cremating them, unlike most Hindu and Buddhist communities in Nepal.
The great Rai festival is Sakela, danced in village circles twice a year: as Ubhauli in spring, when herds move up to higher pastures, and as Udhauli in late autumn, when they come down. If you are walking through Rai villages at those times, you may well see it.
Solu is lower and warmer than the Khumbu, so its trekking seasons are a little longer. The same broad pattern applies across Nepal: clear, dry autumns and springs, a wet summer monsoon, and cold but often clear winters. For a nationwide view, see our guide to the best season to travel in Nepal.
| Season | Months | Solu (2,000–4,000 m) |
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Late September – November | The most reliable mountain views and dry trails. Mani Rimdu at Chiwong usually falls in this period. |
| Winter | December – February | Clear, cold days; frosty nights in Junbesi. Snow possible on Lamjura, Pikey Peak and the Dudh Kunda route, and some high lodges close. |
| Spring | March – May | Rhododendrons in flower on Lamjura and the Pikey ridges. Haze often builds later in the season. |
| Monsoon | June – mid-September | Heavy rain, leeches and frequent road closures. Dudh Kunda’s Janai Purnima pilgrimage takes place at this time. |
For Solu itself, including Salleri, Phaplu, Junbesi and Pikey Peak, there is no national park entry permit, because these areas lie outside Sagarmatha National Park. Rules for specific routes and checkpoints do change, so confirm with your trekking agency or the Nepal Tourism Board before you go. If you start from Shivalaya on the old Jiri route, you need a Gaurishankar Conservation Area permit for that first section.
Walking north into the Khumbu, you pay two fees as a foreign visitor: the Sagarmatha National Park entry fee (NPR 3,000 plus VAT, about £15) and the Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality entry fee (NPR 3,000, about £15, for most nationalities since July 2024; NPR 2,000 for SAARC and Chinese nationals). The TIMS card is not used in the Khumbu; the municipality’s own permit replaced it in 2023. Full details are on our Everest Region page.
From 1 April 2023 the Nepal Tourism Board stopped issuing trekking cards to independent foreign trekkers, effectively requiring a licensed guide in many areas. The Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality publicly declined to enforce this in the Everest area, as reported by The Himalayan Times. The position has stayed unclear and enforcement has varied, so check the current rules before planning to trek alone. In Solu, where trails are less marked and lodges are far apart, a local guide is worth having in any case. Our trekking safety tips explain why.
Most of Solu lies below 3,500 m, but Pikey Peak and especially Dudh Kunda take you high enough for altitude sickness to be a real risk. Ascend gradually, drink plenty of water, and descend if symptoms worsen. Read our guide to altitude sickness, and speak to your doctor before travelling, particularly if you have heart or lung conditions or take regular medication.
Solukhumbu works for very different trips. A week in Solu suits travellers who want villages, monasteries and Himalayan views without the altitude or crowds of the Khumbu. Two to three weeks lets you combine the two, for example by driving to Salleri and walking up through Pharak to join the Everest trail, or by adding Pikey Peak after an Everest trek.
Our own 16-day Everest Base Camp trek is run on the ground by licensed Nepali agencies, and it is our main product in the district. If you would like to add time in Solu, tell us when you plan your trip. For the wider picture, see our Nepal itinerary ideas, Nepal trip cost guide and things to know before travelling to Nepal.
In-depth articles on the Everest Base Camp trek, the Khumbu and the climbers who made Everest famous.
Related guides to read next.
Solukhumbu is in Koshi Province in eastern Nepal. The province was known as Province No. 1 until it was renamed in 2023, so older sources still use that name.
Salleri, in Solududhkunda Municipality, at about 2,400 m. The airport at Phaplu is a short drive away.
Yes. Everest stands on the border between Solukhumbu and Tibet (China), inside Sagarmatha National Park in the north of the district.
Kathmandu to Salleri, the district headquarters, is about 260–270 km by road and usually takes 9–12 hours. Lukla, the gateway to the Khumbu, is about 30–40 minutes by air from Kathmandu.
Recent reports put the public bus to Salleri at around NPR 1,500 (about £7.50) and a seat in a shared jeep at around NPR 1,900–2,200 (£9.50–£11). Prices change often, so check at the ticket counter.
Solu is the lower, southern part of the district: forested hills, farming villages and monasteries at roughly 2,000–3,500 m, reachable by road. Khumbu is the high country around Everest, above about 3,400 m, with no roads. Pharak is the Dudh Koshi valley between the two, around Lukla.
For the main Solu areas around Salleri, Phaplu, Junbesi and Pikey Peak, no national park permit is needed. Starting from Shivalaya requires a Gaurishankar Conservation Area permit, and entering the Khumbu requires the Sagarmatha National Park and Khumbu Pasanglhamu fees. Check current rules before you go.
Yes. You can walk from Phaplu via Ringmo, Taksindu, Nunthala and Kharikhola to Lukla in about five to six days, or take a jeep from Salleri towards Thamdanda and Surke and walk up from there. Both avoid the Lukla flight, but they add days to an EBC trek.
Mount Everest and the Sherpa people, above all. The lower district is also known for old Sherpa villages such as Junbesi, monasteries such as Thupten Choling and Chiwong, the sacred lake of Dudh Kunda and the views from Pikey Peak.
Sherpas, several Rai peoples (including Kulung, Thulung and Khaling), Tamang, Chhetri, Brahmin and Dalit communities. The 2021 census counted 104,851 people across the district.
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By Govind Rai · Updated 3 November 2026The tick-box kit list for Everest Base Camp, Annapurna and every teahouse trek in Nepal.
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