Rongbuk Monastery

The highest monastery in the world at 4,980 m, situated at the head of the Rongbuk Valley on the north side of Mount Everest, providing what is widely regarded as the finest close view of the mountain accessible by road.

Rongbuk Monastery was established in its current form in 1902 by Nyingmapa lama Ngawang Tenzin Norbu, though the valley had been used for meditation by Tibetan Buddhist practitioners for centuries before this. The monastery sits at 4,980 m at the head of the Rongbuk Glacier valley, at the northern base of Mount Everest (known in Tibetan as Chomolungma, 珠穆朗玛峰 in Mandarin).

From the monastery's courtyard, Everest's north face and north-east ridge are visible as a triangular peak above the Rongbuk Glacier snout — one of the most iconic mountain views in the world, made famous by photographs from the early British Everest expeditions of the 1920s and 1930s. The foreground of the view includes the monastery's white stupa, creating a composition that photographers have sought for over a century.

A rough track continues from the monastery approximately 8 km to Everest Base Camp on the Chinese (Tibetan) side, reaching an elevation of 5,200 m. Travellers with a valid Everest restricted area permit can reach base camp by electric shuttle or on foot. A further walk up the lateral moraine gives views over the Rongbuk Glacier. Since access restrictions were tightened in the 2000s, foreign tourists cannot travel beyond base camp.

The monastery itself is small and partly ruinous — much was damaged during the Cultural Revolution — but it remains active, housing monks and nuns who practice within the Nyingmapa tradition. The attached guesthouse is the highest commercial accommodation in the world.