An excellent teahouse trip is the Everest Base Camp Tek. Teahouses and trekking in the Nepalese Himalayas have come to be associated with the Everest Base Camp trip. On the other hand, people who are unfamiliar with the term “teahouses” typically think of them as little homes that only sell tea.
On Nepalese trekking routes, teahouses are defined quite differently. Here, teahouses—which resemble motels interspersed with hiking landmarks—are excellent for relieving sore muscles and refueling.
For those who are unfamiliar with the word, tea houses are tiny bed & breakfasts that are dotted along the hiking trails throughout the Kumbu area, rather than being large establishments that exclusively serve tea.
These days, teahouses are the greatest option for travelers to stay while trekking in the Everest region. They provide the simplest, most convenient, most economical, pay as you go method of walking at some of the world’s highest altitudes.
Finding the teahouses is not too tough. The majority of them are easily recognized by the big placards that say things like “we have electricity,” “tea and coffee,” and “hot showers here” outside their doors.
Trekkers need a good area to rest and eat after walking for five to seven hours every day. For all of these, enter a tea shop, make yourself at home, and unwind. Then, in the evening, head to the common room, choose whatever to eat from the menu, and enjoy it in the cozy setting. That is to say, the locals heat the region by burning cow or yak manure in a special oven.
In the Khumbu region, a standard teahouse provides all the necessities for a modest and comfortable trekking experience in the Nepalese Himalayas. When staying at a specific teahouse, you can anticipate two single beds, a cooked dinner, tea and coffee, the possibility of a hot shower, and some electricity.
Thus, we heartily endorse teahouse trekking since it introduces you to the ever-smiling, courteous, accommodating, and friendly locals. It also gives you the chance to meet other trekkers and gives you a glimpse into a typical Nepal that you would not see if you choose to camp alone.
What actually is a “teahouse trekking”?
Teahouse trekking involves hiking throughout the day and unwinding in a tiny lodge at night, as was previously indicated. This involves just moving from teahouse to teahouse on your walk to take care of your lodging and food needs.
Originally, it served primarily as a location to provide hikers with inexpensive, sometimes even free, lodging, local food, and basic drinks like tea. But, things have evolved with time, and this hiking style now has a different connotation.
These days, teahouses are primarily modest motels that offer accommodation and board for a low fee along the trekking routes. Home-cooked cuisine is offered at nearly all of these family-run establishments, offering a wonderful window into the everyday lives of the people who live in distant Nepal.
The good news is that most teahouses in the Langtang, Manaslu, Everest, and Annapurna regions are well run. In fact, a few of them even have western-style amenities like flush bathrooms, hot showers, and menu options including soft and hard drinks.
the property is owned by a family. The most popular and advised dish is Dal Bhat, which is an easily available and healthful combination of rice lentils, veggies, curry, pickle, and other ingredients.
When it comes to lodging in a teahouse, you will primarily have a compact, tidy room with basic amenities when trekking in Everest Base Camp. Thus, especially while traveling to higher altitudes, do not expect opulent accommodations during your trip. At lower elevations, however, there are upscale lodges and dining establishments in places like Lukla, Phakding, Monjo, Namche Bazaar, and Khumjung.
The type of room you select will determine the cost of the stay. Whether you select a private, shared, attached, or shared bathroom, among other options, will affect the cost. Ascending the ladder results in rooms with nearly identical facilities and comparable prices.
Essentially, the rooms consist of two wooden beds, a big blanket, a mattress, and a cushion. The majority of teahouses in the lower elevations have associated restrooms. But up in the highlands, they become common ones. It is therefore advised that you bring your own sleeping bag. The walls between the rooms are really thin, so you can hear people walking about or even talking to them other.
Everest Base Camp Trek Teahouse: Toilets, Showers, and Communal Areas
The only thing to keep in mind is that different teahouses offer different amenities. As a result, variations in quality are typically noticeable, particularly while hiking from lower to higher elevations. Furthermore, the regularity of teahouses varies based on how well-liked the walk is.
Since the Everest Base Camp Trek route draws over 100,000 hikers each year, there are several teahouses along its paths, the majority of which are trustworthy.
The majority of tea houses will provide hot water showers, charging stations, flush toilets, and bigger rooms at lower altitudes. The toilets will eventually become long drops and require manual flushing with a bucket as you get further up.
In altitudes where most tea shops will provide a pot of warm water cooked by a fire for washing, the unavailability of hot water also increases. The dining room is usually the common area in tea shops. A huge furnace that burns yak dung in the middle of the room heats the whole space. Trekkers can interact socially with other climbers in the meantime. Or to savor the warmth that the stove produces.
In altitudes where most tea shops will provide a pot of warm water cooked by a fire for washing, the unavailability of hot water also increases. The dining room is usually the common area in tea shops. A huge furnace that burns yak dung in the middle of the room heats the whole space. Trekkers can interact socially with other climbers in the meantime. Or to savor the warmth that the stove produces.
Everest Base Camp Trek Teahouse: Rooms, Electricity, and Wi-Fi
Twin sharing rooms, which consist of two single beds separated by a tiny bedside table, are available in almost all tea shops. Nevertheless, it is nearly impossible to find a single room during the busiest trekking seasons due to the enormous volume of hikers, particularly above Namche Bazaar.
There will be a bed, pillow, sheets, thick quilt, or blanket on each bed, but for hygienic reasons, we always recommend using your sleeping bag or a pillow liner.
Since the nights in the highlands are bitterly cold, especially at higher elevations (Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche, and Gorekshep), a sleeping bag is also a vital item. Using earplugs will be wise because most of the walls are weak and poorly insulated.
Electricity is available in almost every teahouse for internal illumination and gadget charging. Some of them only have charging stations in the common areas, and those are usually in high demand (especially in the bigger tea houses), so you have to pay a little fee (US$ 2-5) each hour to use them.
A few tea shops charge for Wi-Fi connections and have internet access. All tea establishments are not connected, though, and these are usually erratic. As a result, we advise getting a data pack for your hike and a 3/4G SIM (subscriber identity module) card to utilize for internet access. All around the region, mobile service is reliable and strong, and the costs are reasonable.
Everest Base Camp Trek Teahouse: Food
You don’t have to bother about taking hiking food or ordinary meals when using the teahouse while trekking Everest or any other prominent region. Rather, the trail’s scattered teahouses provide a variety of hot, freshly prepared meals that are crafted with love by the proprietors! There aren’t many options, though, because the meals are essentially variations of one another with slightly altered ingredients.
Nearly all of the components must be transported by yaks or porters up the mountain from Lukla, Salleri, or Phaplu. Grains, rice, and cereal goods are typically the main ingredients in meals. The main ingredients of any meal are daal bhat, bread, porridge, beans, and momo dumplings. These are served with soup, pickles, vegetables, or even lentils in some cases.
If you stick to the typical rice and vegetable dishes, grab some local bread (also known as Tibetan bread), vegetable soups, or eggs in the morning, you should be well-nourished and safe to take on any passes or peaks that day.
You should avoid the meat meals as much as possible because they may not be fresh and safe to eat. The Sherpas are forbidden from killing in the mountains due to their religious beliefs, so all of the meat is transported up to the teahouses on foot—sometimes over the course of many days!
Teahouses in Different Places in Everest Base Camp Trek Route
Permit me to go over the accommodations for the Everest Base Camp journey based on where you will be staying. Many itineraries are available for visiting Everest Base Camp, including as those that go from Phaplu to Lukla, via Gokyo Lake, and so on. The following lodging options, however, are based on the typical 14-day itinerary for the journey to Everest Base Camp.
Lukla’s Tea Houses
After traveling by air for thirty-five minutes from Kathmandu, you arrive in Lukla. On their final day of trekking, many hikers and mountaineers arrive in Lukla, which is regarded as the entry point to the Everest region. On the first day, however, trekkers typically do not stay in Lukla; instead, they travel to the settlement of Phakding, where they spend the night.
But they all spend their final day in Lukla, where there are a variety of lodging options, from luxurious lodges to inexpensive teahouses. The teahouse in Lukla charges between $5 and $250 per night for a room. Your choices determine how much the food will cost.
In Lukla, the most well-liked lodges and teahouses include;
Buddha lodge
- Hotel Sunny Garden
- The Northface Resort
- Mera Lodge
- Khumbu Resort
- The Nest
- Yeti Mountain Home
Teahouse in Phakding
On your first day of trekking, your daily destination is Phakding. It takes about 3–4 hours, depending on your pace, to walk from Lukla to Phakding after the flight. When you reach there, there are several places to stay, ranging from inexpensive teahouses to opulent lodges.
The costs vary depending on the type of lodging selected. The Phakding teahouse charges between $5 and $250 per night for a room. Your choices determine how much the food will cost. Here, too, the moderate rooms are kept in good condition. Choose luxury lodging instead if you’d prefer a room with an attached bathroom, well-furnished rooms, and so forth.
In Phakding, the most well-liked lodges and teahouses include;
Hotel Beer Garden
- Yeti Mountain Home
- Sherpa Guide Lodge
- Hotel Snowland
- Hotel Mountain
- Kalapatthar Lodge
- Hotel Kongde View
Teahouses at Namche Bazaar
Your Everest Base Camp Trek daily destination is Namche Bazaar, where you will spend two nights after arriving in Phakding; an additional night is typically spent for acclimatization. Presumably the biggest Sherpa town in the whole Khumbu area, Namche has excellent lodges, inexpensive teahouses, markets, eateries, cafes, museums, and a number of other religious shrines.
The world’s highest raised hotel, Everest View Hotel, is situated close to Namche Bazaar. Trekkers can select this opulent lodging if they want to see Mt. Everest from their window.
The cost of a room at Namche Bazar’s teahouse varies from $5 to $250 a night. It might cost up to $350 per night for a room at The Everest View Hotel, a five-star establishment. The price of the food is as The most popular lodges/teahouses in Namche Bazaar are;
- The Nest
- International Foot Rest Lodge
- Hotel Green Tara
- Hotel Camp de’ Base
- Namche Guest House
- Hotel Kongde
- Hotel Kamal
- Hotel Hilton
- Yeti Mountain Home
- Hotel Namche
- Hotel Sherpaland
- Hotel Tibet Khumbu Resort
Teahouses at Tengboche
One of the most well-known monasteries in the Khumbu area, Tengboche, is situated between the unparalleled backdrop of Mt. Ama Dablam and the holy Khumbila. After Namche Bazaar, Tengboche is the most popular nighttime stop over the hill crossways Imja Khola.
You can participate in the monastery’s morning prayers while staying in one of Tengboche’s neighborhood lodges. Additionally, you can be positive that hearing Buddhists hum in the morning will enthrall you with fresh vibrations and tranquil sensations.
In Tengboche, a room in the teahouse costs between $5 and $7 per night. The rooms in Debuche start at $30 per night if you’re staying there. Your choices determine how much the food will cost.
In Tengboche, you’ll receive modest to basic service. For instance, the teahouses, unlike those in Namche, Phakding, and Lukla, include clean, comfortable rooms with attached bathrooms. As a result, Tengboche’s tea houses are often of the middling variety with modest amenities.
The most popular lodges/teahouses in Tengboche are;
Hotel Himalayan
Hotel Tashi Delek
Tengboche Guest House
There are now only a few teahouses in Dingboche Trekkers, which are about 4400 meters above sea level. These days, it is really difficult to find single rooms. There are still some teahouses with restrooms connected, though. These days, nearly every teahouse provides a comparable level of basic service. The Dingboche teahouse charges between $5 and $30 per night for a room. Your choices determine how much the food will cost.
In Dingboche, the most well-liked lodges and teahouses are;
Hotel Good Luck
- Hotel Summit
- Hotel Yak
- Hotel Peak 38
- Hotel Valley View
The food costs according to your choices
The tea rooms in Lobuche
The number of teahouses available for accommodation during the Everest Base Camp trek decreases with altitude. Aim for the basics in the teahouses. These days, the teahouses have community areas with a dining hall and fireplace, a small bathroom, a squat toilet, common charging ports, etc. There are now two beds in a room, each containing a blanket, pillow, mattress, and bedsheet. The teahouse in Lobuche charges between $7 and $60 each room. Your choices determine how much the food will cost.
In Lobuche, the most well-liked lodges and teahouses are;
Hotel Mother Earth
- Hotel Peak xv
- New EBC Guest House
- Oxygen Home
- Hotel Above The Cloud
- Himalayan Eco Lodge
- Hotel 8000 Inn
The tea shops in Gorekshep
The final location to stay while trekking to Everest Base Camp is Gorekshep. There aren’t many teahouses in this location, which is 5180 meters above sea level. Nevertheless, the teahouses are a little busy as a result of all the tourists who stay here while visiting Everest Base Camp.
In Gorakshep, the teahouses provide elementary rooms. There are fewer food options at lower elevations. Express gratitude to them for working so hard to get you food and lodging at such high altitudes. The Gorekshep teahouse charges between $7 and $50 each room. Your choices determine how much the food will cost.
In Gorekshep, the most well-liked lodges and teahouses are;
- Everest Inn
- Yeti Resort
- Snowland Highest Inn
- Buddha Lodge
- Himalayan Lodge
It should be noted that the less expensive rooms are merely the standard types, with most of them sharing a bathroom. The amenities rise in tandem with the price. The pricier rooms come equipped with electric heated blankets, a hot shower, and a private bathroom, for the most part. Select any room based on your spending limit and areas of interest.
Everest Base Camp Trek Teahouse: Useful Tips
It is recommended to trek with tour operators as they can reserve your accommodations in advance and have firsthand knowledge of the best tea houses. As a result, you won’t have to worry about finding lodging or food, two necessities for any hike.
Get to the location as early as possible to reserve the available rooms if you choose not to hire a porter and guide.
Anticipate minimal facilities at the teahouses; the majority of the rooms are shared.
Bring your own sleeping bag with you to protect yourself from the harsh weather at higher elevations.
Last Word
The Everest Base Camp trip is a fantastic teahouse walk that provides you with a range of lodging options based on location and altitude. There are opulent inexpensive hotels and teahouses in Kathmandu and at lower elevations such as Lukla, Phakding, Monjo, Namche Bazaar, and even up to Khumjung.
In the higher reaches of the hike, there are teahouses with modest amenities at Tengboche, Dingboche, Pheriche, Lobuche, and Gorekshep. But the rooms are clean and a great place to stay the night before heading off on another exciting excursion.
