Teahouses on Everest Base Camp trek are more than just a place to rest, they’re a vital part of the trekking experience in the Himalayas. These teahouses offer food, shelter, and warm hospitality to trekkers making the challenging journey to the base of the world’s highest mountain. In this blog, we explore what teahouses are, what facilities they offer, how much they cost, and what to expect at each major stop along the Everest Base Camp route. Whether you are planning your first trek or returning for another adventure, understanding the teahouse system will help you prepare better for the journey ahead.
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What are Everest Base Camp Tea Houses?
The Everest Base Camp trek stands as one of the world’s most spectacular trekking destinations, offering breathtaking landscapes, challenging trails, and unforgettable experiences. But where do you stay during this adventure?
Due to the challenging topography of the Everest region, building luxury hotels at higher elevations is nearly impossible. Instead, tea houses provide the primary accommodation option throughout the trek.
Tea houses originally began as simple establishments offering basic meals and overnight shelter for trekkers. Over time, they’ve evolved into more comfortable lodges and small hotels while maintaining their traditional charm and name.
These accommodations have gained tremendous popularity among trekkers for several reasons:
- Located at strategic points along the entire trail
- Provide essential services at extreme elevations (up to 5,364m)
- Offer opportunities to meet fellow trekkers
- Support local communities
Tea Houses Along the EBC Route:
Tea houses are the only options for accommodations while trekking in EBC because there are no any luxury hotels or motels due to the geographical structure.
However, despite their modest nature, Tea houses have gained tremendous popularity among trekkers in Nepal’s mountain regions in recent years.
Now, what makes these tea houses special is their range of services – from luxury options to more moderate accommodations. When you’re trekking at the breathtaking elevation of EBC (5,364m), these tea houses provide essential rest and recovery spaces that make your journey possible.
Throughout the entire route from Lukla (2,800m) to Gorakshep (5,180m), tea houses are your primary accommodation option. However, the quality and amenities vary significantly depending on location:
- Lower elevations (Lukla to Namche Bazar): Here you’ll find luxury tea houses with superior amenities
- Higher elevations (Namche Bazar to Gorakshep): These locations feature more moderate accommodations with basic but comfortable services
What to Expect in a Typical Teahouse
Teahouses on Everest Base Camp trek are simple yet cozy lodges designed to provide trekkers with basic comfort and shelter. A standard room in a teahouse usually has two single beds with foam mattresses, pillows, and blankets. While the bedding helps with warmth, it’s still recommended to carry your own sleeping bag, especially at higher altitudes. Rooms are not heated, and walls are often thin, so warm clothing is essential.
Toilets are commonly shared and located either inside or outside the main building. In lower regions, you may find Western-style flush toilets, but at higher altitudes, squat toilets or basic pit toilets are more common.
Each teahouse has a central dining area that serves as a common space for meals and relaxation. These areas are usually heated in the evening with a stove (often yak-dung fueled) to keep trekkers warm.
Electricity is generally available, but charging your devices usually comes at an extra cost. Wi-Fi is also offered in many teahouses, though it tends to be slow and unreliable as you go higher. It’s best to download important things in advance and enjoy being mostly offline in the peaceful Himalayas.
Food and Drink Options
Teahouses along the Everest Base Camp trail serve a variety of meals that cater to both local tastes and international preferences. At lower altitudes like Lukla and Namche Bazaar, menus are quite diverse. You’ll find everything from traditional Nepali dal bhat (lentil soup with rice and vegetables) to pasta, fried rice, spring rolls, and even pancakes and eggs for breakfast.
As you climb higher, the menu becomes simpler, but staple items like dal bhat, Tibetan bread, vegetable soups, garlic soup (believed to help with altitude sickness), and momos (dumplings) remain widely available. Dal bhat is especially popular because it’s filling, nutritious, and comes with unlimited refills of rice and lentils in most teahouses.
Drinks include black tea, milk tea, ginger lemon honey tea, hot chocolate, and sometimes instant coffee. Bottled water, boiled water, and water purification tablets are options for safe drinking.
Food prices increase with altitude due to transportation challenges. For example, a plate of dal bhat may cost NPR 500–700 in Namche Bazaar but go up to NPR 800–1000 in Gorak Shep. Likewise, a cup of tea can cost NPR 100 in lower villages and NPR 300 or more at higher points.
Best tips while staying at the Tea House during Everest Base Camp
Camp trek:
When staying at tea houses or any place during the Everest Base Camp trek, there are numerous things you should know.
Like, if you have any kinds of food allergies, sensitivities, then provide all the details to your guide. Why? because the guide will bring the meals according to your desires at the right time, and he will notify the kitchen in advance to avoid any food allergies. Also, this is one of the main reasons for taking a “Nepali Guide & Porter” with you.
Similarly, most of the tea houses located in high elevations of 40,00m upward have a latrine or a wooden cabin with a pit, so no attached bathrooms. Also, those pits may be located a long way from the tea houses. Bring lots of toilet paper with you.
Another tip is that you should not feel awkward about anything during the trek. Why? because you are in the mountains, and adventuring where there are no cities or shops. You go with nature and do naturally.
However, what you can do is maintain your hygiene while staying in the tea houses by using sanitizers and toilet paper.
Things about Camping in Everest Base Camp:
Well, camping in EBC is the only alternative for staying in Everest Base Camp, yet it is not possible if you are just trekking to Everest Base Camp.
Besides Everest Base Camp, you can always find Tea houses. Beyond Base Camp, only the expedition team can camp at Base Camp.
Tea Houses Pristine Nepal Treks Provide during the EBC Trek:
Now, let’s describe the accommodations in EBC according to the places you will stay in if you come with us. Whereas, there are different itineraries for Everest Base Camp that you can choose from, like luxury, deluxe, or standard. But the following accommodation plans are based on 14-day itinerary for the Everest Base Camp trek, which is the most selling package from us:
Lukla Tea House: Hotel Nest/Hotel Ganesh Himal:
You will reach Lukla on the 3rd day after you arrive in Nepal. It is also known as the gateway for an expedition to Mt. Everest as well as trekking in Everest Base Camp. To reach Lukla, it will take a minimum of a 25- 30 minute flight from Kathmandu.
Now, after your arrival in Lukla, you have to trek to Phakding for around 3 hours. In Phakding, we put our guests at the Pine Forest Hotel.
If you want to stay in other tea houses, do remember that the prices differ according to the luxury rooms and the moderate rooms available here. Moderate rooms are also well maintained here, i.e., you can get a room with attached bathrooms, well-furnished rooms, and so on.
Likewise, both the luxury and moderate types of tea houses here are excellent. You can get a large variety of food choices in Lukla.
Accommodation Price in Lukla: Minimum $5 to $175
Namche Bazar Tea House: Camp De Base hotel
Namche Bazar is like the main city of the Sherpas in the Khumbu region. This place is well known for its high-quality tea houses, markets, restaurants, cafes, and various budget places.
Moreover, the best 5-star Everest View Hotel is also located in Namche Bazar. Everest View Hotel is famous for its astounding close-up view of MT. Everest and its luxury services. You can also go to the Everest View Hotel by helicopter.
Now, in Namche Bazar, we put our guests in Camp De Base Tea House. However, if you want to change your hotel, you can inform us before the trek.
Accommodation Price in Namche Bazar: $5 to $175
Tengboche Tea House: Tengboche Guest House
Tengboche is well known for its oldest monasteries, established in the Khumbu region. While staying in the Tengboche Guesthouse, you can attend the morning prayers in the monastery. Also, believe me, listening to the chanting of Buddhists in the morning will enchant you with new vibes and peaceful thoughts.
Similarly, the Tengboche tea house offers basic foods and moderate services. This place also has well-maintained rooms, but not as rooms like Namche Bazar. You may find some rooms with attached bathrooms also. So, basically, the tea houses of Tengboche are a moderate type with basic services.
Dingboche Tea Houses: Stupa Inn Tea House
Dingboche lies at an altitude of 4,400m, where there is a limited number of tea houses. At the time of peak season, finding rooms can be hard in this place.
However, at some tea houses, you can find some rooms with attached rooms and essential furniture. Similarly, all the tea houses in this area provide basic types of services.
Now, with Pristine Nepal Treks, we have already booked your stay at Stupa Inn Tea house, which has better rooms and no complaints till now.
Lobuche Tea Houses: Alpine Home Tea House
The more you climb upward, the more you may discover the limited number of tea houses to stay during the Everest Base Camp trek. Moreover, Lobuche is at an elevation of 4,910m, where you will get basic sorts of tea houses only. That is the reason why you can anticipate fundamental sorts of services here.
The rooms in this area are structured very simply, and you may not find attached bathrooms here. Also, the Lobuche tea house will provide you with a clean bed only. If lucky, you may get the woolen blanket when sleeping.
Now, in Lobuche, we put our guests at Alpine Home Tea House.
Gorak Shep Tea Houses: Himalaya Tea House
Gorak Shep is the last destination where you will stay before going to Everest Base Camp. This place is at an elevation of 5,180m, where you will see only four tea houses.
When trekking to Everest Base Camp, all travelers will stay in this area, so it will be really crowded. However, at the end of the Autumn season, you can find rooms easily in this place. Or, you have to hurry to book the room on time.
The tea house in Gorak Shep provides very simple rooms. Foods in this area are also very simple. So, don’t forget the tips I mentioned to you at the top.
We put our guests at the Himaya Tea House.
Another Final tip for Tea House Stay:
Finally, the last tip while staying at the Everest Base Camp is to talk with your tour operator beforehand.
Yes, you may not find it an essential part but it’s very important to discuss the accommodation with your tour operator.
Why?
Everest Base Camp is the place where you can’t trek without taking a guide with you. And tour operator is responsible for providing you with the best guide. And the guide takes the whole responsibility to provide you with rooms during the trek.
If you want a decent room and don’t want to spend your night in the dining hall then the guide is an important individual.
Therefore, before going to Everest Base Camp, do some research about the guide and ask various questions to the tour operator. Ask for the present weather in Everest Base Camp and flight details.
At last, don’t think about “Where to stay at Everest Base Camp?”, instead ask yourself “How can you stay at Everest Base Camp tea houses?”. Likewise, feel free to do an inquiry with Pristine Nepal Treks & Expedition for a better experience.
