Everest region sees tourist boom as spring season peaks

KATHMANDU: Surrounded by icy cliffs, infused with Sherpa culture, and blessed with breathtaking Himalayan vistas, the Everest region continues to captivate thousands of tourists every year.

With the onset of spring, the flow of visitors to this iconic destination has significantly increased.

According to the Sagarmatha National Park Office, a total of 12,003 tourists visited the Everest region in the month of Chaitra alone (mid-March to mid-April). Ranger Vivek Shrestha from the park stated that this season is ideal for mountaineering, trekking, and scenic Himalayan observation, contributing to the surge in tourist arrivals.

“This is the best time for mountaineering and sightseeing, attracting both domestic and international tourists. Since Everest and other prominent peaks fall under the Sagarmatha National Park area, the increase in visitors has also increased our responsibilities,” said Ranger Shrestha.

With the rise in tourist arrivals, business activities and hotel occupancy in the Khumbu region have surged. Hotels from Namche Bazaar to Lukla are currently packed with visitors. Favorable weather has enabled hundreds of tourists to enter the park daily through Lukla Airport, flying in from Kathmandu and Manthali Airport in Ramechhap.

However, during adverse weather conditions, tourists opt for alternative land routes—travelling by jeep from Kathmandu via Salleri and Surke, according to transportation entrepreneurs.

Air and Road Access to Everest Region Expanding

In the past, the only major route to Everest was by flight to Lukla. But in recent years, with road expansion, reaching the Himalayas by vehicle has become increasingly feasible.

When flights are grounded due to bad weather, tourists now opt for jeep travel through Khurkot, Ghurmi, and Okhaldhunga to reach Salleri, the district headquarters of Solukhumbu. From there, they continue by Bolero jeep to Surke, a village near Lukla.

This road development has been welcomed by everyone from drivers to hotel owners. Tourism operators are especially pleased, as poor weather no longer forces visitors to cancel their Everest trip altogether.

“When the Kathmandu–Lukla or Manthali–Lukla flights are canceled, many foreign tourists head to Surke via Salleri,” said transport entrepreneur Ram Bahadur Baraile.

During such times, hotels and lodges in Salleri and Phaplu are filled with international tourists arriving by jeep. Since the road above Salleri is still unpaved and unsuitable for larger jeeps, tourists switch to Bolero vehicles for the final leg of their journey, noted driver Santosh Tamang.

“Frequent flight cancellations in Lukla make road access even more valuable,” said Karma Sherpa, Senior Vice President of the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN). “Now that the road reaches close to Lukla, travel by vehicle is possible too—this is great news.”

Still, some tourists hoping to visit Khumbu are diverted elsewhere when weather conditions disrupt their itinerary.

“The most convenient way to reach Khumbu is still by plane,” said tourism entrepreneur Tembachhiring Sherpa. “But when flights are grounded, many tourists with limited visa duration choose other destinations.”

Sagarmatha National Park Sees Encouraging Tourist Influx

Established in 1975 (2032 B.S.), the Sagarmatha National Park spans an area of 1,148 square kilometers in the Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality of Solukhumbu district, Eastern Nepal.

The park is home to Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak, and several other towering summits over 6,000 meters, including Lhotse, Nuptse, Cho Oyu, Lhotse Shar, Pumori, Ama Dablam, and Thamserku.

The Gokyo Lake system, located within the park, was added to the Ramsar list in 2007. Since 1979, Sagarmatha National Park has also been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The park ranges in altitude from 1,800 meters to 8,848 meters and features alpine ecosystems rich in flora and fauna. Trees like blue pine, silver fir, hemlock, juniper, birch, and rhododendron dominate its landscape. In spring, blooming rhododendrons paint the forests in vibrant hues.

Wildlife includes the musk deer, Himalayan black bear, snow leopard, Himalayan tahr, goral, and serow. Bird species such as the danphe (Himalayan monal), blood pheasant, kalij pheasant, Himalayan snowcock, red-billed and yellow-billed choughs are also found—a total of 193 bird species inhabit the park.

The region also holds deep cultural significance, with Tengboche and Thame monasteries providing Buddhist teachings.

Each year, thousands of tourists are drawn not just for mountaineering and trekking, but also for cultural exploration and wildlife observation.

The peak tourist seasons are from March to May and October to December.

Over 43,000 Tourists Visited in Nine Months

In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, over 43,000 tourists visited the Sagarmatha National Park area. According to park data, 44,608 tourists passed through the Jorsalle checkpoint from mid-July to mid-April:

• July: 125

• August: 1,394

• September: 8,002

• November: 4,394

• December: 1,711

• January: 943

• February: 2,487

• March-April (Chaitra): 12,003

From these visitors, the park collected Rs. 113.2 million in revenue.

Of the total visitors, 37,796 were foreigners, while 5,897 were Nepali nationals. Among the foreigners, 3,996 came from SAARC countries, while 33,800 were from other nations.

Currently, more than 400 tourists per day—both domestic and international—are reaching the Everest region through various travel routes.

While the increased tourist influx has boosted the local economy, it has also led to rising environmental concerns.

“Our current priority must be the conservation of natural resources and sustainable tourism development,” said tourism expert Angchhiring Sherpa. “Everest is a pride of Nepal and a unique treasure admired by people across the world. We must send the message that experiencing this wonder is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”