The Rongbuk Monastery is located at the northern foot of Mt. Everest. The monastery is located 5,154 meters above sea level near the north side base camp of Mount Everest, making it the highest monastery in the world.
The monastery was originally built in 1899 by a lama named Ngawang Tenzin Norbu of the Red Sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The area where Rongbuk Monastery was built that had been used by monks and hermits for meditation for over 400 years. It now houses about thirty monks and nuns. Hermitage meditation caves dot the cliffs around the monastery, and many stones carved with prayers and sacred symbols line the paths to them.
The monastery is a good place for mountaineers and an ideal location to view Mt. Everest from afar. Walking forward from Rongbuk Monastery, you will also see the famous Rongbuk Glacier Zone, which is the largest among hundreds of glaciers formed around the Mt. Everest.
Climbers must pass through Rongbuk in order to reach the highest peak of Mt. Qomolangma via the North Face. It is described as having some of the most dramatic views in the world, presenting a panorama of the Shishapangma, Mt. Qomolangma, Cho Oyu, and Gyachung Kang peaks to visitors.
There is a hostel in Rongbuk with 100 beds, a dinning room and a store, where tourists and mountaineers may have cooked food and instant food, even beer. Besides the Tibet Entry Permit, you must further apply for Alien Trable Permit, which is issued by the Local Public Security Bureau of Tibet to travel Mt. Everest area. The best season to go is the periods between April and May, along with early September and late October.
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