Top 10 Alpine Huts (Teahouses) on Nepal's Everest Base Camp Trek
The Everest Base Camp trek in Nepal's Khumbu region draws more high-altitude trekkers than any route on Earth. The route from Lukla airport to Everest Base Camp (5364 m) at the foot of the Khumbu Icefall is 65 kilometres each way and passes through terrain that rises from 2860 m at Lukla to the glacier terminus below the world's highest mountain. The "huts" on this route are teahouses — locally owned lodges offering dormitory or private rooms and full meals. They range from basic to, at the lower elevations, surprisingly well- appointed. The acclimatisation profile built into the standard 12–14 day itinerary is what makes the route feasible for trekkers without climbing experience.
1. Namche Bazaar, 3440 m — Solukhumbu District
The hub of the Khumbu region, Namche Bazaar is the largest settlement on the trek (approximately 1,500 permanent residents) and the standard first acclimatisation stop after the Lukla flight. The town sits in a natural horseshoe amphitheatre above the Bhote Koshi and Dudh Koshi river confluence. Teahouses here range from basic to full hotel standard, with Wi-Fi, espresso bars, and hot showers available. The acclimatisation day here (a rest day or a walk to the Everest View Hotel at 3880 m) is mandatory for proper altitude adjustment before proceeding higher.
2. Tengboche, 3860 m — Solukhumbu
The monastery of Tengboche is one of the most photographed locations in Nepal: the main gompa building, rebuilt after a 1989 fire, sits on a promontory above the valley with Ama Dablam (6812 m), Thamserku, and Everest itself visible on clear mornings. The teahouses at Tengboche — including the Sagarmatha Lodge and several others — provide overnight accommodation at 3860 m. This elevation requires one or two nights to acclimatise before proceeding. The Mani Rimdu festival in November draws substantial crowds.
3. Dingboche, 4360 m — Solukhumbu, Imja valley
The village of Dingboche in the Imja valley is the standard second acclimatisation stop. The teahouses here are the last point where the landscape has any vegetation; above Dingboche the terrain becomes rocky moraine and glacier ice. The Pillichon Hut (2760 m in another context) marks the lower valley; the Dingboche teahouses at 4360 m include several well-established lodges. The acclimatisation day walk to Nangkartshang Peak (5083 m) is one of the finest on the route.
4. Lobuche, 4940 m — Khumbu Glacier moraine
Lobuche teahouses (several competing establishments at 4940 m) are the last fully serviced overnight stop before Gorak Shep. At this elevation, AMS symptoms are common and appetite drops significantly. The teahouses provide limited menu options — dal bhat (rice and lentils), noodle soup, eggs — powered by yak-dung stoves. The nights are cold (below -15°C in October–November) and sleeping quality is generally poor due to altitude. The Korchon hut and Lobuche Peak base camp are nearby.
5. Gorak Shep, 5164 m — Khumbu Glacier
The last teahouse settlement before Base Camp, Gorak Shep (5164 m) is the most basic and most dramatically situated cluster of lodges on the route. Two or three teahouses with limited facilities, kerosene-heated dining rooms, and dormitory sleeping at an elevation where almost every guest has AMS symptoms. From Gorak Shep, the day walk to Everest Base Camp (5364 m) takes 3 hours return; the walk to Kala Patthar viewpoint (5644 m) provides the most celebrated panorama on the entire route. Overnight at Gorak Shep is recommended over descending immediately from Base Camp.
6. Pheriche, 4371 m — Khumbu valley
An alternative acclimatisation stop to Dingboche, at a similar elevation (4371 m) but in the main Khumbu valley rather than the Imja side valley. Pheriche has a Himalayan Rescue Association aid post that provides medical consultations for altitude illness — the most significant medical resource on the trekking route. Teahouses include the Arun Lodge and others.
7. Pangboche, 3985 m — Solukhumbu
The village of Pangboche at 3985 m is the highest permanently inhabited village in the Khumbu region (Dingboche is seasonally occupied). The gompa here is claimed to be the oldest in the Khumbu; the surrounding terrain includes the approach to Ama Dablam Base Camp. Teahouses include the Pumori Lodge and smaller establishments.
8. Khumjung, 3790 m — above Namche
Above Namche on the acclimatisation day walk, Khumjung village (3790 m) hosts the Hillary School (built with Sir Edmund Hillary's support from 1961) and the Khumjung monastery — where a supposed yeti scalp is kept. The teahouses here are quiet and less visited than Namche.
9. Phortse, 3810 m — Solukhumbu
A quiet alternative to the main trekking highway, Phortse at 3810 m is a traditional Sherpa village above the confluence of the Imja and Dudh Koshi valleys with good views of Ama Dablam. Used by parties taking the Mong La variant or the route toward Gokyo.
10. Chhukung, 4730 m — Imja valley
In the upper Imja valley above Dingboche at 4730 m, Chhukung is the base for the Island Peak (6189 m) climbing route and the Chhukung Ri viewpoint (5550 m). The teahouses here are basic but provide the launching point for one of the most popular 6000 m trekking peaks in Nepal.
TIMS card and ACAP/Sagarmatha permit
All trekkers in the Khumbu region require a TIMS (Trekkers' Information Management System) card and a Sagarmatha National Park entry permit. The TIMS card (approximately NPR 2,000 for independent trekkers, NPR 1,000 for guided groups) is issued by the Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN) and Nepal Tourism Board offices in Kathmandu and Pokhara.
The Sagarmatha National Park permit (approximately NPR 3,000 for non-SAARC nationals) is obtained at the park entrance at Monjo (2835 m). Permits can also be arranged through trekking agencies in Kathmandu. The national park fee funds conservation activities in the park, including the Sagarmatha Pollution Control Committee (SPCC) which coordinates waste management across the trekking network.
Teahouse standards in the Khumbu
The Khumbu teahouse network has transformed since the 1970s when lodging was genuinely basic. Today, the major teahouses in Namche, Tengboche, Dingboche, and Lobuche offer heated dining rooms, private rooms (at higher cost), hot showers (expensive — USD 5–10 per shower above 4000 m), wifi (satellite-connected; slow and expensive), and meals that go well beyond the traditional dal bhat. The quality decreases with altitude — the teahouses at Gorak Shep (5170 m) are functional but not comfortable in the way that Namche's lodges are comfortable.
The price gradient with altitude is predictable: a bed that costs NPR 500–700 in Namche costs NPR 1500–2500 at Lobuche and NPR 2500–4000 at Gorak Shep. The teahouses recover the additional cost of helicopter-delivered supplies and generator fuel through their room and meal prices.
The Gokyo Lakes route — an alternative to the direct Namche-Tengboche-EBC line — passes through the Gokyo valley to the Gokyo Ri viewpoint (5360 m) before crossing the Cho La pass (5420 m) to join the EBC route at Lobuche. The Gokyo lodges are smaller and less crowded than the EBC corridor; the views from Gokyo Ri toward Everest, Lhotse, and the Ngozumpa Glacier (the largest glacier in Nepal) are comparable to any viewpoint on the classic route.
Explore on the map
Teahouses and base-camp huts on the Everest Base Camp trek are plotted on the Open the map — use it to plan your acclimatisation schedule and overnight sequence.