Lukla (Nepali)

Lukla (Nepali: लुक्ला/लुग्ळ्ह [ˈlukla]) is a small town in the Khumbu Pasanglhamu rural municipality of the Solukhumbu District in the Province No. 1 of north-eastern Nepal. Situated at 2,860 metres (9,383 ft), it is a popular place for visitors to the Himalayas near Mount Everest to arrive. Although Lukla means place with many goats and sheep, few are found in the area nowadays.

Lukla contains a small airport servicing the region, and a variety of shops and lodges catering to tourists and trekkers, providing western-style meals and trail supplies. From Lukla, travellers will take two days to reach the village Namche Bazaar, an altitude acclimatization stop for those continuing on. In August 2014, the Nepalese government announced plans to open the first tarmac road from Kathmandu to Lukla.

Airport

Lukla is served by the Tenzing-Hillary Airport. Weather permitting, twin-engined Dornier 228s and de Havilland Canada Twin Otters make frequent daylight flights between Lukla and Kathmandu. Lukla Airport has a very short and steep airstrip, often compounded by hazardous weather, resulting in several fatal accidents. It has been called the most dangerous airport in the world.

Climate

Lukla has a subarctic climate (Köppen classification Dwc) with warm summers and very cold winters. There is high diurnal temperature variation, and temperatures can reach freezing even in the middle of summer.