Lukla

Lukla
town

Looking across the township of Lukla, with the air strip of Lukla Airport in the foreground
Lukla

Location in Nepal

Coordinates: 27°41′N 86°43′E / 27.683°N 86.717°ECoordinates: 27°41′N 86°43′E / 27.683°N 86.717°E
Country    Nepal
Zone Sagarmatha Zone
District Solukhumbu District
Elevation 2,860 m (9,380 ft)
Time zone Nepal Time (UTC+5:45)
Postal code 56010
Area code(s) 038

Lukla is a town in the Khumbu area of the Solukhumbu District in the Sagarmatha Zone 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 these days.

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 Namche Bazaar, both an interesting village and an altitude acclimatization stop for those continuing on.[1]

In August 2014, the Nepalese government announced plans to open the first tarmac road from Kathmandu to Lukla.[2]

Airport

Lukla is served by the Tenzing-Hillary Airport. Weather permitting, twin-engined Dornier Do 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.<ref name=World's Most Dangerous Airports>"World's Most Dangerous Airports". Retrieved 2011-03-25.</ref>

Climate

Climate data for Lukla, Nepal
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 1.0
(33.8)
1.9
(35.4)
4.7
(40.5)
8.2
(46.8)
11.6
(52.9)
14.7
(58.5)
14.4
(57.9)
13.4
(56.1)
12.7
(54.9)
8.9
(48)
5.5
(41.9)
3.3
(37.9)
8.36
(47.05)
Daily mean °C (°F) −5.9
(21.4)
−4.8
(23.4)
−1.6
(29.1)
2.2
(36)
5.6
(42.1)
9.2
(48.6)
10.3
(50.5)
9.8
(49.6)
8.0
(46.4)
3.1
(37.6)
−1.2
(29.8)
−3.8
(25.2)
2.58
(36.64)
Average low °C (°F) −18.2
(−0.8)
−16.3
(2.7)
−12.1
(10.2)
−7.4
(18.7)
−3.4
(25.9)
1.6
(34.9)
3.9
(39)
3.5
(38.3)
0.8
(33.4)
−6.5
(20.3)
−12.5
(9.5)
−16.3
(2.7)
−6.91
(19.57)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 10.8
(0.425)
18.0
(0.709)
21.6
(0.85)
28.3
(1.114)
34.4
(1.354)
96.1
(3.783)
153.8
(6.055)
144.7
(5.697)
80.7
(3.177)
37.4
(1.472)
6.2
(0.244)
13.0
(0.512)
645
(25.392)
Avg. precipitation days 2.6 2.7 3.6 5.0 9.5 16.1 22 21.8 15.0 4.5 1.9 1.4 106.1
Source: weatherbase.com[3]

References

  1. Muza, SR; Fulco, CS; Cymerman, A (2004). "Altitude Acclimatization Guide.". US Army Research Inst. of Environmental Medicine Thermal and Mountain Medicine Division Technical Report (USARIEM–TN–04–05). Retrieved 2009-03-05.
  2. "A new highway... up to Everest: First tarmac road to town known as gateway to the mountain set to be built". Retrieved 2014-08-14.
  3. http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=603638

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lukla.