Everest

The Everest region — the Khumbu — is where Himalayan trekking began, and it still sets the standard. From the airstrip at Lukla the trail climbs the Dudh Koshi past Namche Bazaar, the Sherpa capital, into a high amphitheatre of peaks: Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and the spire of Ama Dablam. You sleep in family-run teahouses, cross prayer-flagged suspension bridges, and gain altitude on a schedule built around real acclimatization.

It is high, cold and committing — most routes top out above 5,000 m — but the infrastructure is the best in Nepal, and the reward is unmatched. Whether you want the classic walk to Base Camp, the quieter Gokyo lakes, or the full Three Passes circuit, the Khumbu rewards patience and fitness in equal measure.