Namche Bazaar
Namche Bazaar is the most beautiful Sherpa town on the Everest base camp trekking trail. It exists at the bottom of Syangboche hill. There are hundreds of colorful buildings for Namche Bazaar lodges, shops, bars, and cafes. It is located at 3,440m of elevation above sea level.
The EBC trekkers spend two nights here on the way up to the base camp because of altitude practice. And also, stay one more night after the base camp and Kalapatthar visits. This beautiful Sherpa town has numerous luxury lodges, comfortable lodges, and many standard guesthouses.
There are numerous coffee shops and bakeries to spend time on a free day during an acclimatization rest day in this beautiful Sherpa village. The people from other villages come to this town for their daily usage, shopping at a weekly market on Friday and Saturday.
The national park headquarters is on the top of Namche Bazaar, which offers stunning views of Kusum Kangaroo, Thamserku, Khangteka, Amadablam, peak 38, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Everest. It also provides attractive views of landscapes, valleys, and green forests from this army base.
How to Visit Namche Bazaar
An adventurous short scenic flight takes you to Lukla from Kathmandu and trek to Phakding on the first day. You can reach Namche Bazar on the second day with about 7 hours of walking from Phakding. You will walk through Toktok, Banker, Monjo, and Jorsalle. Most of the trail gradually ascends, but it is steep climbing on the last part for around 3 hours to reach Namche.
When to Go to Namche Bazaar
You can go to Namche bazaar anytime, but it looks empty during winter and summer. Most of the shops stay closed during these times because of the off-season. Although, the place stays open all the time during the year. September to December and March to May are the best times to visit Namche Bazaar. It will be freezing temperatures in January and February in Namche, and monsoon rains disturb to walk to there in the summer.
You can also trek from Jiri or Salleri after a drive to these places from Kathmandu. It takes about a week to reach Namche Bazaar from these places. The fastest way is to fly in a helicopter there. The helicopter lands at the Everest view hotel during the Everest base camp helicopter tour so that you can see Namche Bazaar from close during this flight tour.
Lodges in Namche Bazaar
There are lots of lodges to stay in in Namche Bazaar. Yeti mountain resort is a comfortable lodge at the top of the town. It is one of the most expensive lodges in the city. You can also get some luxurious accommodation in Namche Bazaar. Hotel Namche and Zamling are mid-range priced lodges for Namche visitors. You can get attached bathroom accommodation for 15 to 20 USD in Namche. Comfort Inn, hotel yak, hotel the nest at Namche, Gren Tara, Namche Inn, and some other lodges have attached bathroom accommodations in Namche Bazaar. Likewise, the International footrest and a few others are budget lodges in the town. The international footrest has its terrace, from where you can see the Bazaar while you are for lunch and coffee.
