Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
far better vistas than those on the Nepali side, and access is a lot easier as a road runs all
the way to Base Camp.
Everest's Tibetan name is generally rendered as Qomolangma, and some 27,000 sq km
of territory around Everest's Tibetan face have been designated as the Qomolangma
Nature Reserve.
There are two roads into the Everest region: the main road from Baber via Chay and the
Pang-la; and from Tingri via the Lamna-la.
The main road to Everest begins around 6km west of the Shegar/Baber checkpoint. The
91km drive takes around two to three hours. About 3km from the Friendship Hwy your
entry ticket will be checked at the village of Chay, from where it's a winding drive up to
the Pang-la (5050m). The views here are stupendous on a clear day, and feature a huge
sweep of the Himalaya range, including Makalu, Lhotse, Everest, Gyachung and Cho Oyu.
The road descends past a couple of photogenic villages and drops into the fertile Dzaka
Valley and the village of Tashi Dzom (also known as Peruche), where you can get lunch or
a bed for the night. The road then runs up the wide valley to the village of Pagsum, which
also offers accommodation. The next main village is Chö Dzom and from here the road
turns south towards Rongphu (also Rong-puk or Rongbuk). The first views of Everest ap-
pear half an hour before you arrive at Rongphu.
The alternative driving route from Tingri is shorter at 70km but the corrugated and dusty
road makes for a bumpier ride. After a permit check outside Tingri, the dirt road passes a
mani
lhakhang
at Gandapa village and then branches left at the junction to Cho Oyu Base
Camp. You pass the ridgetop monastery at Cholong and then Lonchung village and the ru-
ins of Ngang Tsang Drag Dog Dzong, before climbing slowly to the 5100m Lamna-la,
27km from Tingri. The route then descends for 10km to Zombuk village to join the main
valley road near the ruins of the Chö-puk hermitage across the river. From Zombuk it's
21km to Rongphu.
For an overview map of routes into the Everest region see the Trekking chapter.
