Lukla

Lukla owes its existence to the airstrip that Edmund Hillary helped build in 1964. Today the Tenzing–Hillary Airport handles dozens of small planes a day in good weather, landing uphill on a runway of about 500 m that ends at a rock wall.

The town is a string of lodges, bakeries, gear shops and porter agencies. Flights are often delayed by cloud, so leave a spare day or two at the end of any Everest trip. In busy seasons many flights now leave from Ramechhap (Manthali) instead of Kathmandu.