Tea houses on Everest Base Camp Trek: What is a tea house?
Tea houses on Everest Base Camp Trek: What is a tea house?
The tea house is a typical wooden and stone made hut or building with a kitchen, dining hall, bedrooms, and bathroom. The tea houses on Everest Base Camp Trek are basically the local lodges mostly owned and managed by the local Sherpa to serve all the basic needs of the trekkers. Tea house may sound a typical house that serves tea/coffee. But, the tea houses on Everest Base Camp Trek serve food, accommodation, and other amenities to the trekkers trekking in the Himalayas. The concept of Tea houses in the Everest Region began when the trekkers started to flourish in the Everest Base Camp Trekking Trails. Before that, trekking was expensive and a bit difficult as it used to be a Camping trek. At that time, the trekkers had to carry large tents and necessary items for accommodation as well as for food. It was also compulsory to hire guides-porters who would carry the tents or bags and would cook food for them. So, the tea house is an alternative to Camping Trek. Time has been changed, and now, the introduction of tea houses in the Everest Region trail has made the trek simple, economical, and convenient.
Tea houses on Everest Base Camp Trek facilities:
Not all tea houses are the same. The quality, facilities, and services may depend on which elevation they are situated at. You can get many facilities in the tea houses of the lower elevation than in the higher region tea houses. In the past, there were no facilities for food and lodging at tea houses. They just used to be a place for rest and tea breaks during EBC trek. The tea houses these days serve good facilities of food and lodging at the economic cost. Now, the tea houses have become an integral part of Everest Base Camp trek. With the popularity of the tea house trek, some new tea houses are built with advance facilities and modern architectural design to offer extraordinary facilities. Everest Hotel View, the world's highest elevated hotel, is the perfect example of it. There are some other tea houses at Lukla and Namche which provide the standard facility of accommodation and international cuisine, beverages, and many other amenities. In the higher region tea houses also, there are good facilities for hygienic food and comfortable accommodation.
Rooms:
Don't' expect luxury rooms in EBC Trails like 5-star hotels in Kathmandu. Almost all tea houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek offer twin-rooms accommodation services. There is also a possibility of getting a single room in some tea houses during off-trekking seasons. But, you need to share the room with other fellow trekkers during peak seasons. And there is no option left due to unlimited trekkers yet limited rooms in the tea houses. Sometimes, you need to share the dorm at Lobuche and Gorakshep during peak seasons. Be well prepared for it if you are trekking in peak seasons. There will be two beds on each side of the room which are separated by a wooden tea table in between. In the bedroom, there will be facilities of a pillow, bed-sheet, coverlet or duvet. But, despite being cold in the Everest region, the rooms don't have the facility of the heater. So, if you think you need some extra duvet, then you can also get a blanket on request. Don't hesitate for any kind of facility; they are always ready to offer you the best service. If you are worried about the cleanliness then you also bring your own sleeping bag, pillow cover, and bedsheet. Besides, the rooms of the tea houses are attached to each other and the walls are so thin. Therefore, most of the trekkers feel disturbance due to noise or snoring from another room. During the peak seasons, there will be too much difficult to get sound sleep. So, we suggest the trekkers bring the ear-plugs for sound sleep in the tea houses.
Food:
Tea houses on Everest Base Camp Trek Trails offer various options of hygienic and nutritious cuisine. You don't have to worry about regular meals. They serve you homemade, hot and fresh meals. Normally, the tea houses serve typical Nepali food Dal, bhat, and tarkari along with other food like momo, noodles, potato, soup, pizza, meat, etc. The tea houses at Lukla and Namche include many national and international 5-star hotels' menu too. Lukla and Namche are the tourist hubs in this region; so, you can enjoy varieties of food, beverages, and meat items. But after Namche, experts recommend not to consume meat items. Always eat the local, homemade, and fresh food rather than western food while you are on Everest Base Camp Trek. For the detail information about the food menus and cost check here.
Toilets:
There are many tea houses on Everest Base Camp Trekking Trails and almost everyone has good facilities for toilets and bathrooms. In the lower elevation, you can find modern flush toilets But, as you incline higher, the tea houses have the typical toilets with a manual flush. Some tea houses even have traditional squat toilets in the outer area and you have to walk outside in the middle of the night. The toilets in some tea houses don't have toilet-papers and hot-water to wipe out too. So, always keep toiletries while you are in longer days trek and don't forget to dump it safely in the dustbin.
Shower:
Hygiene is a prime concern while doing long days trek. Basically, the trekkers need to walk for 7-8 hours per day in day broad light to reach the destinated tea houses. After the tiresome trek, it will be cherry on the cake to soak the body in hot water and get refreshed in a relaxed way. The cold shower is easily available and is free in the Everest Region. For the hot shower facility, most of the tea houses have installed gas geysers or solar geysers. In some of the tea houses, you will get the facility of hot bucket water too. And for the hot shower, you need to pay some extra money to the owner.
Electricity:
Except at Lukla and Namche, there is no facility of hydro-electricity in the tea houses. However, the tea houses on the Everest Base Camp Trekking trails have managed solar facilities for lighting and charging. The rooms don't have a power socket, television, or any other facilities. There will be a common area with the power socket for charging your gadgets like cameras, mobiles, or tablets. But, the charging opportunity will be limited during the peak seasons. Also, you need to pay the extra fee to charge your gadgets. Better, you can carry your own power bank and portable solar charger with you.
WIFI connectivity:
Most of the tea houses on Everest Base Camp Trek have Internet access as it is very much necessary for all humans. But, to get a Wi-Fi hot-spot, you need to pay some extra charges. The internet service at Lukla and Namche bazaar is surprisingly strong; whereas in the higher altitude, the wifi connectivity will be weak and you might regret paying the fee of internet. Most of the trekkers share the same connection which makes the internet unreliable. If you want your personal hotspot then you can purchase the N-cell 3G-4G sim card for high-speed data.
Hospitality:
The people in the Everest Region are humble, loyal, friendly, and ever-smiling. They treat guests as God and will never leave a single excuse in your service. In the tea houses, the owners or the managers including staff take good care of you. If possible, they will offer anything you desire. The people of this region are pure and innocent; they just know their day-to-day life and nothing much. In Everest Base Camp Trek, you will get an opportunity to explore the culture, lifestyle, behavior, and beauty. More than that, you will learn life and struggle despite poverty and the traditional lifestyle during your trek.
Everest Tea house on Everest Base Camp Trek: Cost
The food on the Everest Region is carried on the aircraft up to Lukla then carried on the back of the yaks, mules, or men. So, the cost of the tea houses depends on the elevation. The tea houses at the lower elevation are comparatively cheaper than the tea houses at the higher elevation. It doesn’t mean there is fluctuation in the price of the food or accommodation; there is uniformity in cost in the tea houses of a particular destination. The trekkers who have booked the package with the company need not worry about the price of the tea houses. The trekking companies will provide all the facilities of food, accommodation, and some extra facilities. You just need to pay for Wi-fi, shower and charging if you use it. Whereas, the individual trekkers need to pay all the charge by self. But don’t worry, you won’t be charged higher than the menu’s price. The cost is equal for all. But make sure you check the price of the food before eating
The Final Saying:
The Everest Base Camp Trek is the most popular, adventurous, and exciting Trek for the keen trekkers. But in the past, trekking in the Himalayas was out of imagination to many trekkers due to its expensive cost on Camping Trek. The trekkers association of the Everest Region then took initiative to open the tea houses to serve food, shelter, and other amenities to the trekkers. Then, tea houses on Everest Base Camp Trek have made the trek convenient, easy, and reliable. With the introduction of the tea houses in the Everest Region, it has become easier to get fresh-hot food, cozy accommodation, and other facilities. The tea houses on the Everest Base Camp Trek have become advanced and provide quality food, accommodation, and services. At Lukla and Namche, you will find all the amenities at the tea houses. The trekkers on EBC Trek don’t need to worry about food, shelter, and safety at the tea houses. But, it will be difficult for the individual trekkers to get rooms in peak season. During that time, you need to share the dorms with fellow trekkers. Otherwise, tea house trekking to EBC is an everlasting experience.
