---
title: "Pikey Peak: A Short Trek with a Long View of Everest"
canonical: "https://lokoon.com/blog/pikey-peak"
author: "Lokoon"
published: "2026-11-15T04:32:51.888380+00:00"
modified: "2026-11-15T04:32:51.888544+00:00"
kind: "blog"
---

# Pikey Peak: A Short Trek with a Long View of Everest

> In the lower Everest region, a 4,000-metre hilltop looks across the whole eastern Himalaya. A quiet, road-accessed trek of five to seven days.

Long before the airstrip at Lukla existed, expeditions to Everest walked in from the south through a region of rolling ridges, forests and Sherpa villages called Solu. Few trekkers go that way now, which is exactly its appeal. The highlight of the area is Pikey Peak, a rounded summit of about 4,065 metres with one of the broadest mountain panoramas in Nepal.
The view
From the top at sunrise, the horizon is lined with peaks from west to east: Dhaulagiri and the Annapurnas far off, then Manaslu, Ganesh Himal, Langtang, Gauri Shankar, the Numbur range close at hand, Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and, on the clearest mornings, Kanchenjunga. Sir Edmund Hillary is widely said to have named it his favourite view of Everest. Whether or not he did, the claim is easy to believe once you are standing there.
Getting to the start
The trek begins at Dhap or nearby Jhapre, in Solukhumbu district, reached by a drive of eight to nine hours from Kathmandu on a road that is paved for much of the way. No flight is needed. Shared jeeps and buses run daily, and private vehicles can be arranged.
A typical itinerary
Day one: drive from Kathmandu to Dhap. Overnight in a simple lodge at about 2,900 metres.
Day two: Dhap to Jhapre (4–5 hours). An easy walk along a ridge through farmland and patches of forest. Jhapre has a small monastery and a stupa on a knoll with a first view of Everest and Numbur.
Day three: Jhapre to Pikey Base Camp (5–6 hours). The trail follows a broad ridgeline through rhododendron forest and open yak pastures, passing long mani walls. Base camp, at around 3,640 metres, is a group of lodges on a grassy shoulder below the peak.
Day four: summit and descent to Junbesi (6–7 hours). Rise at about half past four and climb for an hour and a half to two hours on a clear path to the summit, marked by prayer flags. Watch the sun come up over the eastern Himalaya, then return for breakfast.
The trail then crosses a pass and descends through magnificent old forest to Junbesi, a prosperous Sherpa village at about 2,700 metres with whitewashed houses, apple orchards and a school founded by Hillary's trust.
Day five: Junbesi and Thupten Chholing. A morning walk of ninety minutes up the valley leads to one of the largest Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Nepal, home to several hundred monks and nuns, many of whom came from Tibet. Visitors may quietly observe prayers. In the afternoon, walk on to Phaplu or stay a second night.
Day six: return to Kathmandu by jeep from Phaplu, or by a flight from its small airstrip when one is operating.
Shorter versions climb the peak and return the same way in four days. Longer ones continue north along the old expedition trail towards Lukla.
Difficulty
This is a moderate trek. Daily stages are of reasonable length, the trail is good and the maximum sleeping altitude is under 3,700 metres. The summit morning is cold and steep in parts but short. It suits beginners with decent fitness, older walkers and families with teenage children. The rapid gain to base camp means you should still watch for headaches and take the ascent steadily.
Lodges and atmosphere
Accommodation is in small family lodges, plainer than those on the main Everest trail. Rooms are basic, toilets are shared, and the dining room stove is the centre of evening life. Hosts are Sherpa families who also farm, and the food is simple and filling: dal bhat, noodle soup, potatoes, Tibetan bread and tea. You may be the only guests.
Culture along the way
Solu is the cultural heartland of the Sherpa people. Villages have well-kept monasteries, carved mani stones, prayer wheels driven by streams and chortens on the ridges. Compared with the Khumbu higher up, life here revolves around farming and herding more than tourism, and visitors are still something of a novelty.
When to go
- October to December: the clearest skies. December is cold but often superb.

- March and April: the ridges are covered in flowering rhododendron, though haze can soften the distant peaks.

- January and February: feasible in settled weather, with snow possible on the summit.

- June to September: wet and cloudy.

The case for Pikey
If you want to see Everest without flying to Lukla, without crowds and without sleeping above 4,000 metres, this is the trek. It offers a fine view, a quiet trail and a look at Sherpa life as it is lived away from the main tourist route.

Source: https://lokoon.com/blog/pikey-peak