Everest Region (Khumbu)जुनबेसी
A Solu Sherpa village of stone houses and fields on the old Jiri to Everest trail, below Pikey Peak.
Higher seasonal exposure: road blockages (Jun-Sep).
Junbesi is a Sherpa village at about 2,675 m in a bowl of terraced fields and pine forest in Solu, the lower part of Solukhumbu. Within the Everest region it is a stop on the old walking route from Jiri towards Lukla and the usual overnight after descending from Pikey Peak.
Whitewashed stone houses, a large mani wall and fields of barley and buckwheat give the village a settled, unhurried feel, quite different from the lodge settlements of Khumbu. A couple of hours up the valley to the north is Thubten Chholing, a large Tibetan Buddhist monastic community, and a short climb above the village leads to Serlo monastery. From Junbesi trails continue east over the ridge to Ringmu and the Lukla route, or south to Phaplu and Salleri for road and air links.
Junbesi is one of the older Sherpa settlements of Solu. Thubten Chholing was founded in the late 1960s by Trulshik Rinpoche (1923-2011), a Tibetan lama who left Tibet in 1959, and grew into a community of several hundred monks and nuns. Before the Lukla airstrip opened, Everest expeditions walked through Junbesi on the long approach from the Kathmandu side, and the village still sees trekkers on the Jiri route.
Walk to Thubten Chholing
A round trip of about 4 hours up the valley to the monastic community; visitors should be quiet and modestly dressed.
Visit Serlo monastery
A short climb through pines above the village.
Forecast for 2,675 m. Conditions change fast in the mountains.
Weather data: MET Norway, licensed CC BY 4.0. A forecast, not a guarantee.
Mar-May, Oct-Nov
A few family lodges and homestays.
No partner stays are listed here yet. List a property.
Junbesi is reached on foot from Phaplu or Salleri in about 5-6 hours, or from Pikey Peak in a day.
Nearest hub: Phaplu (airstrip and road head)
Nearest hub: Phaplu. Times are typical ranges, not schedules, and vary with roadworks, weather and the season.
By airfrom Kathmanduabout 0.5-0.8 hPhapluoften delayed or cancelled by weather
Phaplu airstrip, at about 2,413 m and roughly 280 km from Kathmandu, is served by domestic operators on an irregular basis, then it is 5-6 h on foot to Junbesi. Schedules change by season, so check what is running.
When to set off: hill flights are scheduled in the morning, before the afternoon cloud builds
By car or jeepfrom Kathmanduabout 8-11 h
Kathmandu to Phaplu or Salleri by jeep, roughly 8-11 h, then 5-6 h on foot over the forested ridge to Junbesi. The road is blacktopped for most of the way and slow in the monsoon.
Road: Blacktopped highway and hill road for most of the way, with steeper, narrower stretches beyond Okhaldhunga; a jeep is normally used and the monsoon makes it muddy.
When to set off: leave Kathmandu by 06:00 to reach lower Solukhumbu in one day
By motorbikefrom Kathmanduabout 8-11 hModerate riding
Rideable on a sealed-to-mixed hill road, but it is a long day with steep, narrow sections in the hills beyond Okhaldhunga and little help if something breaks.
Road: Mostly blacktopped, narrowing and steepening in the hills; slippery and landslide-prone in the monsoon.
When to set off: start at first light; this is a full day in the saddle
On footfrom Phapluabout 5-6 h5-6 h from Phaplu over a forested ridge, or 5-6 h down from Pikey Peak with about 1,400 m of descent
On foot from the Phaplu or Salleri road head, or down off the Pikey Peak ridge at the end of that trek.
When to set off: teahouse stages start after breakfast, usually by 07:30, to arrive before the afternoon cloud and wind
None needed
Junbesi is outside Sagarmatha National Park and no park permit is needed. Check whether a TIMS card is currently required, and whether a Gaurishankar Conservation Area permit applies if you walk in from the Jiri side.
Verify before travel: permit rules and fees change. Checked 2026-10-06 against Nepal Tourism Board.
On the Pikey Peak trek, Jiri to Lukla trek.
What this place is typically exposed to, and when. These are seasonal patterns, not a report on conditions now.
Road blockageshigh in a typical yearJun-Sep
The mountain roads into Solukhumbu turn muddy and slippery in the monsoon and landslides are possible, so road journeys from Kathmandu run much slower in June to September.
Othermoderate in a typical yearJun-Aug
June to August is wet: heavy rain hides the mountains, the stone staircases and bridge approaches stay slippery, and leeches are a nuisance in the forest below about 3,000 m.
Coldmoderate in a typical yearNov-Mar
Nights drop well below freezing from November to March, with frost most mornings and only the dining room heated in most lodges.
Seasonal closuremoderate in a typical yearJun-Sep
Phaplu's flights are irregular and weather-bound, and the monsoon months are the worst of it, so the road is the dependable way in and out in June to September.
Snowlow in a typical yearDec-Feb
Junbesi itself is below the snow line most winters, but the ridges above it towards Pikey Peak can hold snow in December to February.
Check current conditions before you travel
Roads, trails, passes and flights change with the weather and with roadworks, and nothing on this page describes conditions today. Before you set off, check the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology for weather and flood warnings, the Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction Portal for incidents, and the local authority, police or your licensed operator for road, trail and flight status.
A short, lower trek in Solu, the southern part of Solukhumbu, to the grassy summit of Pikey Peak (about 4,065 m) for a long Himalayan panorama including Everest, then down to Junbesi and Phaplu.
Drive from Kathmandu to Phaplu or Salleri and walk about 5-6 hours, or reach it on foot from Pikey Peak or along the Jiri route.
No national park permit is needed. Check whether a TIMS card is currently required, and the conservation area permit if you walk in from Jiri.
A large Tibetan Buddhist monastic community about two hours north of Junbesi, founded by Trulshik Rinpoche in the late 1960s.
Lake · 4,750 m
A chain of glacier-fed lakes beside the Ngozumpa glacier, with views of Everest and Cho Oyu from the hill of Gokyo Ri.
Viewpoint · 5,644 m
A dark ridge-top viewpoint above Gorak Shep with a close view of Everest, Nuptse and the Khumbu Glacier.
Viewpoint · 4,065 m
A grassy 4,065 m summit in lower Solukhumbu with a long view of the eastern Himalaya, reached on a short trek through Sherpa villages.
Trek stop · 4,730 m
A high lodge settlement at the head of the Imja valley, below Lhotse's south face and Island Peak.
Mountain pass · 5,420 m
A glaciated pass linking the Everest Base Camp trail with the Gokyo valley, crossed between Dzongla and Thagnak.
Trek stop · 4,410 m
A walled-field Sherpa village in the Imja valley, the usual acclimatisation stop on the way to Everest Base Camp.
Trek stop · 4,038 m
A small lodge village in the upper Dudh Kosi valley, the first night above Namche on the way to Gokyo.
Trek stop · 4,830 m
A tiny lodge stop on a high pasture below Cholatse, the eastern base for crossing the Cho La.
Valley or region
The Sherpa homeland below Everest, reached on foot from Lukla through stone villages, monasteries and glacial valleys.