Rongbuk Monastery, Buddhist monastery at Mount Everest base camp, Tibet, China

Rongbuk Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect in Basum Township, Dingri County, Shigatse Prefecture, Tibet. It stands at 4,980 metres at the end of the Dzakar Chu valley, near the base of Everest's north side. The complex consists of low whitewashed buildings with flat roofs and dark rectangular windows, built into a bare brown slope. At its centre is a white stupa with a stepped base and tall square shaft, topped by a conical spire of stacked rings and a small finial. Strings of coloured prayer flags run from the stupa to the surrounding buildings and across the ground. A short wall encloses the complex, and a few green flagpoles rise among the structures.

Rongbuk Monastery was founded in 1902 by the Nyingmapa lama Ngawang Tenzin Norbu, also known as Zatul Rinpoche, in an area of meditation huts and caves used by nuns since the 18th century. Early Everest expeditions of the 1920s and 1930s visited it after a five-week journey from Darjeeling. It was destroyed by 1974 during the Cultural Revolution, and renovation has been carried out since 1983.

The prayer hall still serves the community of nuns and monks who live here according to the Nyingma school tradition. Worshipers can be seen walking around the stupa with prayer wheels and placing offerings.

Travelers should plan at least three days to adjust to the elevation before coming here, as the thin air can cause physical discomfort. The best time to visit is between April and November, when the access road is passable and basic overnight accommodation is available in the guesthouse.

The 1922 silent film "Climbing Mt. Everest" shows the Rongbuk Lama, the monastery buildings and ritual dancing for about 20 minutes, starting 35 minutes in. The lama, Zatul Rinpoche, gave the young Namgyal Wangdi the name Ngawang Tenzin Norbu — later known as Tenzing Norgay.