Beyond towering peaks, the Everest and Manaslu regions maintain the cultural traditions of the Sherpa people and Tibetan inhabitants. People can experience both tourism and traditional life at Everest while witnessing the protected Tibetan culture on Manaslu.
Here is a description of each community’s settlements and temples to show you the unique Himalayan culture that lives on in these regions.
| Aspect | Everest Base Camp (Sherpa Culture) | Manaslu Region (Tibetan Culture) |
| Ethnic Group | Sherpa, Tibetan origin | Tibetan, Magar, Gurung, Nubri |
| Primary Religion | Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma & Kagyu sects) | Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma & Bon traditions) |
| Major Villages | Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Pangboche, Dingboche | Lho, Sama Gaun, Samdo, Bimthang |
| Famous Monasteries | Tengboche Monastery, Pangboche Monastery | Ribung Monastery (Lho), Pungyen Gompa (Sama Gaun) |
| Economic Activities | Tourism, mountaineering, trade, yak herding | Subsistence farming, yak herding, limited trade |
| Cultural Festivals | Mani Rimdu (masked dance festival), Dumji Festival | Lhosar (Tibetan New Year) |
| Traditional Dress | Chuba (long woolen robe), colorful aprons (women) | Chuba, woven woolen garments, fur-lined boots |
| Language | Sherpa language (Tibetan dialect) | Tibetan dialects, Gurung language |
| Tourism Impact | More commercialized, well-developed infrastructure | Less commercialized, preserved traditional way of life |
| Level of Cultural Preservation | Influenced by tourism but maintains Buddhist traditions | Deeply preserved due to restricted permits and isolation |
Traditional Villages and Daily Life
Tourism brings modernization to Sherpa villages in Everest but Manaslu’s settlements stay linked to their traditional ways. At 3,440 meters Namche Bazaar stands out as the largest Sherpa town with shops, guesthouses, and cafes designed for mountain trekkers. Along the trail, Tengboche and Pangboche have preserved their heritage even if tourists often visit them.
The quick pace of development does not exist at Lho (3180 meters) and Sama Gaun (3530 meters) in Manaslu as these villages maintain their old ways. The wooden houses of Sama Gaun and Lho’s Ribung Monastery preserve traditional religions and farming ways that continue unchanged. Samdo Village at 3,875 meters maintains a historic Tibetan tradition of salt trade.
Everest’s villages combine old ways of life with contemporary development but Manaslu lets travelers witness Tibetan villages untouched by tourism.
Monasteries and Buddhist Practices
Both regions follow Tibetan Buddhism, but Everest’s monasteries are massive and well-known, whereas Manaslu’s both remain small and intimate. Everest of course includes the Tengboche Monastery (3,867m), a spiritual and cultural center home to the phenomenally famous Mani Rimdu festival, featuring Buddhist teaching through masked dances.
Monks, locals, and trekkers are attracted to these cultural spots. Khumbu’s oldest monastery is Pangboche Monastery, which contains ancient relics including the supposedly yeti scalp.
Deeply spiritual yet smaller, Manaslu’s monasteries are one of the major visiting spots in Nepal. The Buddhist learning centers are Ribung Monastery in Lho, and Pungyen Gompa in Sama Gaun, a remote retreat for meditation.
These monasteries don’t receive many visitors, so the experience is much more exciting and intimate with Buddhist traditions.
Monasteries here provide spectacular festivals like Lhosar, Manghe Sankranti, and Holi. Manaslu provides solitude and deeper spiritual engagement.
Economic Life
Trekking tourism is something Everest has embraced fully and reshaped the Sherpa economy. Since the first Everest expedition, Sherpas have become elite mountaineering guides, lodge owners, and shopkeepers. They have modern lodges, bakeries, and even trekking businesses, and have strongly boosted incomes. The backbone of their economy once was agriculture and yak herding, but now this is the second string.
In contrast, tourism is not the only thing that Manaslu runs on. Its traditional economy, based on barley and potato farming, yak herding, and Tibetan style salt trade, has been preserved through strict trekking permits. Villages like Sama Gaun and Samdo weave yak wool, trade with Tibet, and subsist on summer agriculture.
While modern trekking infrastructure thrives on Everest, Manaslu subsists on an ancient Himalayan economy long predating tourism.
Cultural Festivals
While cultural festivals namely the Tibetan Buddhist festivals are celebrated on both, the Everest region offers more open and larger festivals in comparison to Manaslu’s smaller and local events.
Everest’s famous festival is in Tengboche Monastery, Mani Rimdu festival, where masked dances, fire rituals, and public blessings occur. Also, families of Sherpa come together in feasting and communal dances during the Dumji Festival.
Lhosar (Tibetan New Year) is the biggest celebration in Manaslu’s Pungyen Monastery, marked by masked dances, temple rituals, and feasts. Lhosar, unlike Mani Rimdu, is an intimate affair mostly with locals. Besides, the Magar community major festival Maghe Sankranti, Holi, Dashain, and Tihar, which are celebrated in most of the monasteries, the Manaslu region, celebrates it in a lively manner.
Festivals on Everest are grand and theatrical, drawing pilgrims and tourists, however, those of Manaslu stay deeply rooted in the people’s daily lives.
Language, Clothing, and Daily Traditions
Everest Sherpas speak a Tibetan dialect but have to use Nepali and English for tourism. Even though their clothing has modernized, traditional chubas (long woolen robes) and colorful aprons are worn for festivals. In their daily life, they manage lodges, guide visiting trekkers, and protect the religion.
The main dialect is Tibet in Manaslu, while Nepali is rarely spoken at all. Common clothes such as chubas and fur lined boots, as the culture is a little less influenced by Western trekking fashion. Prayer, seasonal trade with Tibet, and agriculture are daily routines in Manaslu that have changed little in centuries.
The Sherpas of Everest have modified their traditions for a modern economy, whereas Manaslu’s communities continue their traditions in the rhythms of an ancient Himalayan lifestyle.
Impact of Tourism
The evolution of Everest’s cultural and economic life has been brought along with transformation in its popularity. Luxury lodges, cafes, and mountaineering businesses have improved livelihoods, but at the expense of diluting tradition. Traditionally, young Sherpas seek to work in this expanding tourism sector, even at the cost of traditional trades, storytelling, music, or crafts.
Since Manaslu Circuit Trek is protected by restricted trekking policies, it retains its Tibetan character. But some teahouses do, and commercial tourism is never very far away, leaving its villages with their religious rituals and social customs, and their self sufficient way of life still intact.
With Everest trek is convenient and accessible, while Manaslu offers raw pure feel of Himalayan tradition untouched by mass tourism.
Final Choice
Everest has well-supported treks together with Sherpa culture mixed with the modernization. Trekking-developed area like Namche Bazaar and Tengboche, allows trekkers to experience Sherpa traditions.
The monasteries are open, the festivals lively, and the lifestyle is driven by tourism, so it’s perfect for a structured and culturally rich trek. Additionally, for astonishing views of Everest and unique sky views, you can take our Everest Base Camp Helicopter Tour.
Yet in sharp contrast with Manaslu, the true Tibetan experience can be found walking through villages that have remained untouched by commercial tourism. Remote monasteries such as Pungyen Gompa, centuries-old trade routes, and traditional Himalayan life throw a glimpse at how things used to be in the hills before they all disappeared.
Its austere environment, tight rules, and agricultural economy make it perfect for trekkers looking for cultural authenticity or solitude.
For those who would like a combination of tradition and comfort can choose Everest base camp trek, Manaslu is the trek for anyone who wants to step into a world where remote life goes on, and where the Himalayas are as they were centuries ago. It’s a chance to enter the monasteries of Manaslu or stroll among the people of the Everest crowded trails, and both journeys will deliver a deep, authentic connection to the locals who live here.
