Episode Information

'Life of Khumbu' takes you on a journey to the highest mountain range on earth, to the land of Sherpas and one of the best hiking areas in the world. After the first successful ascent of Everest in 1953, by Sir Edmund Hillary and sherpa Tenzing Norgay, tourism couldn't be avoided and the region began an ongoing process of development that has changed the livelihood of the communities forever. As the gateway to Everest Base Camp and many other high altitude trails, the Khumbu Valley is visited by more and more tourists every year. This is where hikers embark on a journey through the traditional Sherpa villages and culture. Most of the people living in the region have become guides, porters and hoteliers, but some are still farming and keeping livestock to try to keep their cultural identity alive. Even with all the transformation and tourism, the Khumbu region is still a place like nowhere else on Earth. Following the Life of Khumbu is a journey to a new world, with a completely different way of life. The amazing Sherpa people and their traditional livelihood, along with the trails that connect all the villages at the top of the world, are what makes this area unique.