Lukla
Lukla is a village in Khumbu and home to the region's main airport. Most travelers visiting the region will enter and exit from here.
Understand
Lukla is basically just an airport and a strip of hotels. There are two expensive, up-scale places which offer such luxuries as hot tubs, while the other hotels are largely the same. Lukla is 2,860 m above sea level.
Get in
There are numerous flights flying the busy Kathmandu–Lukla route, though with a much reduced service during the off-season months. Sita Air is considered to be one of the more reliable airlines flying this route and operates two flights every morning from Kathmandu Domestic Airport at 07:00 and 08:20, with return flights at 07:40 and 09:00. Flights from Kathmandu take around 25 minutes. Be aware that during the summer rainy season there may be substantial delays, and even a wait of one week is not uncommon. Tenzing-Hillary Airport is often named one of the most dangerous airports in the world due to its position against the side of the mountain.
Get around
The only way you can get around Lukla is by foot. There are neither roads nor any other means of modern transport. There are plenty of impressive mountainous views around Lukla.
See
You can see the hospitals which are highly equipped with modern instruments. it is heavily funded by the tourist from outside and provide free medical services to poor people.
Do
Lukla is the usual starting point for the trek to Everest Base Camp.
Eat
- Eco Paradise Lodge (see Sleep below)
- Across from the entrance to the airport there is a German bakery, which serves delicious "apple cheese cake" and good coffee. Inside the village, there are two more bakeries with good cakes and coffee.
Sleep
Lukla has several accommodations so you can be selective.
- K2 Lodge is near the "Starbucks". A room with bathroom is Rs. 100 if you eat there. Rooms are clean, though uninteresting. Food is quite cheap in comparison to most guesthouses in town and pretty tasty. The owner Dawa is friendly and seemingly always has a smile on his face.
- Eco Paradise Lodge offers spotlessly clean, albeit simple rooms, and a very warm and cosy lounge/dining room with views over the airport and mountains beyond for a very reasonable price (it is a good place to have breakfast on the outward journey). In addition, the owner can help purchase airline tickets and assist with the check in at the airport.
- North Face Resort (straight down the main street after exiting the airport, about 200m on the left), ☏ +977 19-626016. Check-in: 12:00, check-out: 10:00. Good place at the end of trekking to spend a night before leaving Lukla in the morning for Kathmandu. Comfortable rooms, with en-suite bathrooms and a restaurant serving wholesome food. The balcony has a good view to the runway.