Here, we are going to be explaining the lodges/tea houses in Everest Base Camp trails depending on the guidelines and information based on News, Guides, Trekkers, and Sherpas. It’s very hard to run the business at high altitudes so there are no lodges/tea houses that are associated with businessmen/companies around Kathmandu or any other places. All most every Lodges/Tea house here is run by local people and Sherpa. Thus, expecting very good services can make you disappointed but if you are expecting good hospitality you will be surprised to see how friendly and caring these Sherpa are in the Himalayas.
Not having good services does not necessarily mean that they don’t have hygienic food or enough food. Every Lodges/Tea House here provides you with the most hygienic foods but all you need to care about is hydrating yourself. You need to check if you can consume water provided by these lodges/tea houses or if you need to consume mineral water. [Note: Mineral water costs you extra].
Lodges and Tea houses provide hygienic water, but you may not be used to drinking water from natural sources it may arise side effects but if you properly check and be careful while hydrating yourself there’s no risk of any side effects. You may find lodges and tea houses built traditionally. Normally these tea houses are built by local people by using local materials available around. You would be disappointed if you are wanting to do your lodging in fancy lodges.
Now, here is everything you need to know about the tea houses and lodges you are going to stay in while doing the Everest Base Camp trek. We have described their services, foods and beverage, and hospitality making it easier for you to what kind of expectations you can keep for your lodging while trekking to Everest Base Camp.
How are the rooms?
Mostly you will find twin-basis accommodation along the trails. There is a single room, but they as well have twin beds with some other furniture like a small table or a chair. The size of the room, quality, cleanliness, and furnishing mostly differ in various tea houses and lodges.
If you are planning your trip during peak season, then be prepared for sharing your room with other trekkers. Almost every tea house is packed with trekkers and getting a single room is almost impossible. But if want a single room you should book your trip during seasons when there are fewer trekkers around trails. You can not even get a room sometimes if you are not booked during peak seasons and you may be forced to sleep in dormitory-style rooms.
Rooms here are not facilitated with any kind of heating services/things. There is a lack of electricity and fuel for conducting and using any heating things and services. So, it is most to carry a sleeping bag beforehand.
The room is securedwith a padlock as a security concern. But if you are more concerned about your security then it's recommended to bring a padlock by yourself it will help you feel more secure. It’s secured while there are low rates of trekkers but during peak season it may not be available so it's better to carry it by yourself.
Foods and beverages in Tea houses/Lodges
You will be served all meals of the day at the tea house while you are trekking Everest Base Camp Trail. Not that you will be served all meals at the same tea houses. You will be served dinner and breakfast at the same tea house where you stayed the night while for lunch your guide will find the appropriate tea house while hiking towards the next destination.
You can find almost all western foods, but the recipe may be different. It's suggested to stick with traditional foods at tea houses. These traditional foods are freshly made and use traditional recipes and ingredients while for western foods most of the ingredients are delivered and may not be as fresh. The food is hygienic and tastes good.
If you are a meat lover, try to minimize your consumption of meat items as much as possible. Meats like chicken and mutton are mostly delivered from Kathmandu and other major cities of Nepal. You can check out the Everest Base Camp Trek Food Guide blog for further information about foods provided at Everest Base Camp.
Toilets on Tea houses/Lodges
In tea houses located at high altitudes, you will find basic toilets and bathrooms with minimal services to them. Most toilets at high altitudes are squat but at low altitudes, you will be able to find toilets and bathrooms designed in western styles.
You will also find some toilets like a hut with some holes dug for littering. And the most important thing is you need to carry toilet paper by yourself. Most of the tea houses will not be able to provide you with toilet paper so it's better to carry your own.
You need to be extra careful and should always be careful about being hygienic. You can carry hand sanitizer and toilet papers of your own this way you can assure yourself you are not getting infected or anything. Only the toilets and bathrooms at very high-altitude tea houses have these small problems but you can get well-facilitated toilets and bathrooms until you reach a very high altitude.
Others
- Tea houses/Lodges at high altitudes do not have any bathrooms but you can still take shower in Toilets. But it is impossible to take a bath at a high altitude. Here you can get cold water for free whereas you must pay extra dollars for a hot shower. The cost of hot water ranges from $1-$3 depending on the trekking altitude.
- Another important thing you need to know is tea houses offer charging facilities for your devices, but they cost you extra. You need to pay $2-$3 per hour for charging your devices. Some teahouses may provide plugs in your room you can charge from those plugs freely but if there are not you need to pay to charge your device. During Peak seasons charging costs may rise or you may not be able to get a charging port at all.
- If you want to be connected while on the trail, then you can purchase a prepaid Data SIM Card. Ncell offers high-speed 3G internet services for the Everest region. SIM cards are cheap and available in many stores in Kathmandu. Besides this, the teahouses on the EBC trail also provide internet facilities for a surcharge of around $3-$5 per hour.
Now, we have described everything we have known and gathered information about tea houses and lodges on the Everest Base Camp trail. If you want to know more about the itinerary and map you can visit Everest Base Camp Trek Detailed Itinerary and Everest Base Camp Trek Map.
