Rolwaling Valley

Rolwaling runs east below Gauri Shankar toward the Tibetan border, a valley that sees a small fraction of the traffic of Khumbu next door and holds Tsho Rolpa, a glacial lake that has grown from a few ponds in the 1950s to several kilometres long as the Trakarding glacier retreated, held back by a moraine dam and monitored for years as one of the more serious outburst-flood risks in Nepal, with engineering work done to lower it. The valley is Sherpa, with Beding and Na the main villages and gompas among them. Trekkers either go in and out to the lake, or cross the Tashi Lapcha pass at over 5,700 metres into Khumbu, which is a mountaineering undertaking rather than a trek.

What you actually see

• Tsho Rolpa - the long glacial lake behind its moraine dam.
• Gauri Shankar - the sacred peak above the valley.
• Beding and Na - the Sherpa villages and their gompas.
• Glacier retreat - the visible evidence in the growing lake.

When to go

October to November and April to May. Winter closes the upper valley and monsoon brings landslides on the approach. The Tashi Lapcha crossing is only feasible in settled conditions with equipment.

Honest expectations

The approach is long and the valley is remote with basic lodges and long gaps between them. The Tashi Lapcha pass requires ropes, crampons and experience and has a real accident history; it is not a trekking route. A guide is effectively necessary. Rescue is difficult.

Nearby

Khumbu lies east over the Tashi Lapcha; Dolakha is south.