An hour or two beyond Tengboche, the trail to Everest passes Pangboche, one of the oldest Sherpa settlements in the Khumbu, at about 3,985 metres. Its stone houses and potato fields sit on a terrace above the Imja Khola, directly beneath the soaring ridges of Ama Dablam. Above the main trail, in Upper Pangboche, stands the oldest monastery in the region, once home to a famous “yeti hand”.

Pangboche at a glance

• Altitude: about 3,985 m (13,075 ft)
• Parts: Lower Pangboche on the main trail; Upper Pangboche with the monastery, about 15 minutes above
• Monastery: Pangboche Gompa, traditionally founded by Lama Sangwa Dorje in the 17th century and regarded as the Khumbu’s oldest
• Famous relic: the “Pangboche Hand”, said to be a yeti’s, stolen in 1991; a replica was returned in 2011
• Nearby: Ama Dablam Base Camp (day hike)
• Known for: home of many Everest summiters and high-altitude Sherpa climbers
• On our trek: Day 5 (Tengboche to Dingboche) and Day 11 on the way down

Pangboche Monastery

According to Sherpa tradition, Buddhism came to the Khumbu with Lama Sangwa Dorje, a Tibetan lama who is said to have flown over the mountains and left his footprints in a rock at Pangboche. The monastery he founded in the 17th century is considered the oldest in the Khumbu, older than Tengboche. Its dark prayer hall is full of old paintings, statues and texts, and a juniper grove nearby is said to have grown from hair the lama scattered. It is a quiet, atmospheric place; ask your guide if it is open, remove your shoes and leave a small donation.

The story of the Pangboche yeti hand

For centuries the monastery kept a mummified hand and a scalp said to be from a yeti. Legend says a yeti looked after Lama Sangwa Dorje while he meditated in a cave, and the relics were brought to the monastery after it died. In the 1950s Western yeti-hunting expeditions came to see it, and a finger was famously smuggled out. In 1991 the hand was stolen. In 2011 a replica, made in New Zealand, was returned to the monastery. DNA tests on the finger later showed it was human. Whatever the truth, the story is part of Khumbu folklore, and you can still see the famous yeti scalp at Khumjung Monastery.

The closest village to Ama Dablam

Ama Dablam rises right above Pangboche, and the village is the starting point for climbing expeditions to its South-west Ridge. With an extra day, trekkers can hike to Ama Dablam Base Camp (about 4,600 m) for close views of the face and the chance to see climbing teams. Many of Pangboche’s families are climbing families: Sherpas from the village have reached the summit of Everest many times.

Pangboche on the 14-day Everest Base Camp Trek

On Day 5 you walk from Tengboche down through rhododendron forest to Deboche, cross the Imja Khola and climb gently to Pangboche, a good tea or lunch stop, before continuing to Dingboche. On Day 11 you pass through again on the way down from Pheriche to Namche Bazaar. If you have a little time, take the upper trail to visit the monastery.