Walk to Tibetan Everest BC

After overcoming an interesting Pang la pass famous for great views of the Himalayas the road leads in fertile valley of Zakar. Green barley acres are lined with picturesque villages and arid ridges. These fields at a height of up to 4500 nm belong among the highest located in the world.
 

Life here in the village is still straightforward as years ago.

In some places is the valley very wide and you do not entirely have a feeling that you should be in a moment near the world's highest mountain – Mount Everest – called here rather in Tibetan Qomolangma.
 

After a while you will pass the turnoff to Zangpucun through which you will most likely go after a visit to Everest BC.

The valley turns to the south and rises toward the highest mountain in the world, which appears after a while.

On the way to Everest BC is also the highest located monastery in the world – Rongbuk (5 000 m asl). Rather than with its architecture it is interesting by the fact that sherpas used to organize here pilgrimages from Nepal through difficult crossing of the pass Nangpa la.

The way ends (after one hour drive through the valley) on a windy, dusty patch (5 015 m asl), where are souvenir shops and food stalls. Here you must either change to „unpolluted bus“ for extra money or walk the remaining about 4 km to BC. Walking is obviously far better option, because you can still admire the north side of Everest. Otherwise, the famous eco bus looks like a normal old piece of junk scraped 10 years ago from city transportation.

At the beginning of the journey there is a long plane that is slowly rising to an old glacial moraine. After about 15 minutes walking you will reach a small pond.

The path continue to rise through landscape full of piles of glacial debris and shortens twists of dusty path /valley itself is not very nice/. Finally you get to the river and see buildings in BC a huge main moraine on the horizon.

Everest BC (5 150 m asl) is a small patch with a mast and Chinese flag surrounded by cardboard cells and small checkpost. In summer it is quite deserted, as people trek here in April-May.
 

After about 45 minutes’ walk from the car park is your destination /only 200 meters behind BC/ an outlook hill (5 150 m asl) looking of the glacier Ronbuk. Anyway, they will not allow you to go further unless you’re within the trekking permit.

The way back is far less interesting, because you are not looking of Everest, but just into rubble.