Food and Accommodation in Everest Base Camp Trek

Published: 05 Mar 2023   |   Last updated: 05 Mar 2023

The Food and Accommodation in Everest Base Camp Trek depend on the service you want. Everest Base Camp trek can be completed in a wide range of options. Most people prefer lodges with the best food in the cleanest environment. “What to eat while trekking to the Everest Base Camp in Nepal?” has been one of the important questions to the trekker choosing the high altitude treks in Nepal. 

 

Everest Base Camp Trek is one of the tea house treks. Food and Accommodation in Everest Base Camp Trek are one of the main reasons for the trek being convenient trek. Tea house treks are the kind of treks in which the guests stay at the guesthouses designed for shelter during hiking or trekking. Luckily, you get to order dishes and get served in the tea houses. The tea house is something more than what its name suggests. You can stop over for the night, have breakfast or a meal, and perhaps use other available services in the teahouse. Food on the Everest Base Camp Trek is more or less the same at most of the teahouses.
 

The mode of accommodation has reformed gradually from tea houses to lodges and hotels over some time. Yet, the lodges or hotels in the higher regions are still referred to as ‘Teahouses’. The cost of the food on the Everest Base Camp Trek differs from the altitude of the teahouse. Mostly the higher the elevation, the higher the price. Staying in the teahouses is very convenient as you won't have to carry camping or cooking gear just trekking from teahouse to teahouse. 

 

Food and Accommodation in Everest Base Camp Trek

Teahouse facilities at Lukla

Lukla is the first stop where your airplane will drop you off to begin the trek. You might also spend your nights in Lukla. You might spend the last night of the trek in Lukla after your Everest Base Camp Trek is completed. Lukla is known as the gateway to the Everest Region. The accommodation facilities in the tea houses of Lukla are la are standard, comfortable, and clean. You’ll get the best available lodge services at the time of your arrival. During your stay in the teahouses, food will be served to you from your menu choice. Please note that you will be served anything except alcoholic beverages that you wish to try as alcohol is prohibited during the trek. Some of the famed teahouses at Lukla are Hotel Sunny Garden, The Nest, Khumbu Resort, and Buddha Lodge.

Teahouse facilities at Phakding, Namche Bazaar, and Dingboche

Overall there are lots of teahouses in the Everest Region. With the higher altitude you climb, you might find less availability of the services and more cost to stay and eat at the tea house. Despite the high cost and moderate services, you’ll find the teahouses are much better than the camping and tents. The temperature gets cold around the places. Staying in a teahouse is a great opportunity to get a warm and cozy place to stay. The teahouses offer you a warm blanket. Hot food and soups are also easily available. 

How did the trend of teahouses begin in the Everest Region?

The tale of how teahouses got their start takes place in 1953. In truth, there were no tea houses or shops when Edmund Hillary conducted his first trip to Mount Everest. In reality, there were logistics teams for camping and kitchens on every expedition and trekking in the Everest region.

 

Due to this, the nearby villagers were encouraged to start tea shops at the beginning of the 1990s. Basic items like hot beverages, the Nepalese dish Dal Bhat, fries, and crisps were sold at these tea shops. Fortunately, the villagers understood how tourism could boost their local economy. The Indigenous began enhancing their products in the late 1990s. The food, services, and accommodations were upgraded for friendly hospitality in the Himalayas.


Now, even in the most distant regions of Nepal, you can get your favorite coffee from mocha to latte, and food whether it's pizza, hamburgers, or steak. Along the route, you may find the majority of European, American, Tibetan, and Nepalese food. However, your options for nourishment become more constrained as you ascend higher. Surprisingly, while on your Himalayan journey, you can spend nights in opulent hotels.

 

What do teahouses offer?

We get the idea that teahouses are the places providing food to eat and places to sleep. It is a place to relax and rest. The availability of teahouses also helps to make your bag a little less weight as the burden of camping gear is not need to be carried. 


On most of the days of trekking to the Everest Base Camp, you’ll be walking for around 5-7 hours a day and spend the remaining time in the tea houses. With the increase in altitude, the amenities in the teahouses change from standard to more basic. The teahouse treks are treks in the prominent areas of Nepal and will allow you to explore and experience the real beauty of the Himalayas of Nepal

 

Teahouse Trekking

Teahouse trek is trekking or hiking during the daytime and sleeping at the teahouse afterward. A teahouse is mostly a lodge or a small hotel where you can spend the night. It has been one of the most popular styles of trekking in Nepal lately. You’ll go from one teahouse to another for food and accommodation in the tea house treks. In the past time, teahouses used to be the places where people stopped for tea or local food. But with the gradual change of time, the concept of tea houses has changed. It is known for its food, accommodation, and services. 

Cost of Tea houses 

Mostly the cost of Accommodation en route to Everest Base Camp is cheap in most tea houses. It might cost you around $47- $50 on average for a single night of accommodation only. The price might change as the altitude changes. You’ll be provided with the facilities with the amount you paid. The services in the teahouses are satisfying.

How is the food in teahouses?

Most of the tea houses have a similar menu. Food in the Everest Base Camp and its tea houses is mostly rated as good. The food is neither too expensive nor too cheap. Taking in mind the fact that porters and yaks have to carry the food up, the price we need to pay for food is worth the amount. Varieties of food are available in the tea houses like Thukpa(noodle soup), Momos (dumplings), Sherpa stew, a variety of Soups, Macaroni, Spaghetti, Potato, Pizza, Sandwiches, Yak steak, Rice, Burger with chips, Spring Rolls. Besides, several options for breakfast are also available like Tibetan bread, Chapatti, Toast with jam or honey, French toast, Pancakes, Porridge with milk, and Boiled/ fried egg.

 

How much does the food on the Everest Base Camp Trek costs?

The food costs around $25 a day on average for 3 good meals per day, which can be calculated as about $8 per meal, which is enough for a day. Most of the visitors spend around USD 228 in total on food on an 11-12 day trek which is an average of $21 per day. The price for lunch costs more than the price for breakfast and dinner. Though the prices of food vary on the Everest Base Camp trail, the price generally gets more expensive with an increase in altitude. Since the porters have to carry everything up the mountain, the price gets higher as you go up. The food prices on EBC are quite similar to those on the other popular trekking routes as the Annapurna Base Camp trek.
 

Food on Everest Base Camp Trek

Teahouse Breakfast

Varieties of breakfast are found in the Everest Region. Though all kinds of breakfast may not be available at the top of the higher elevations, the kinds of breakfast with their respective costs are listed as:
 

Breakfast Price
Omlet and Toast $4
Tea/Milk $1
Porridge/Pancakes $4.30
Coffee $1.50

 

EBC Teahouse meals

Mostly lunch or the meal available in the Everest Base Camp Trek is the ‘Dal Bhat’. It is the national dish of Nepal. Nepalese people have a big importance food. Dal is the lentil soup where as Bhat is the steamed rice. The lentils are served with rice and vegetables. You’ll get a mixture of spices, pickles, and greens on your plate. The food is the best option for you to get energized. 

 

Meals Price
Dal-Bhat (National Dish) $5.50
Snacks $2-$10 on average

 

Note: The Price of Dal Bhat increases as we climbed higher up the mountain:

  • Namche Bazaar (3440m) - Avg. NRP 700
  • Lobuche (4930m) - Avg. NRP 850
  • Gorakshep (5180m) - Avg. NRP 850

The only snacks available in this region are Snickers bars. It is better to carry the bars from the lower region as the price is too high in this region. If you are in the right weather, you can also buy a couple of apples on the way.

Some Interesting Dishes in the Everest Base Camp Trek

You’ll have a wide selection of food on the menu. Some of the items you can get familiar with are

  1. Sherpa Stew (Syakpa): It is a traditional Sherpa food made from handmade noodles, meat from sheep or yak, potato, radishes, carrot, spinach, onions, and other spices.
  2. Tibetan Bread: It is a flatbread, fried in oil, tasty, and with filling.
  3. Momos: It is simply dumplings. You can go for vegetables or cheese and potato. The green sauce is quite good with it!
  4. Spring rolls: A big deep-fried pie.
  5. Mars Roll: It is A Mars Bar wrapped in dough and deep fried. It can also be said as a spring roll with a Mars Bar inside. 
  6. Pizza: A different flatbread with tomato sauce and yak cheese

Water during the Everest Base Camp trek

The price of everything increases with the increase in altitude. The price of water starts at NPR100 ($1) FOR 1.5L. This price slowly increases and reaches NPR 400 ($4) when you reach Gorakshep. You can save the water in your bottles. There are lots of water resources on the way to the Everest Base Camp, but the water may not be potable all around. Using a Lifestraw, you can refill and drink on the way. This helps to decrease the rubbish and plastics in the mountain. Taking some purification tablets with you is very helpful to drink pure and safe drinking water while trekking.

 

Can we drink alcohol on the Everest Base Camp Trek?

You are not recommended to drink on the Everest Base Camp Trek. As the fact that Alcohol dehydrates the body, it can increase the chances of getting alcohol sickness. But, Alcohol is easily available at some tea houses, but it is too costly.

Conclusion

While trekking to the Everest Base Camp, you must be aware that most teahouses or small lodges will offer all the essential amenities for a comfortable trekking journey. The teahouses in the Everest region will offer you everything from a single bed and hot meals to hot showers and some other basic services. A teahouse is more than just a place to enjoy tea, eat, and sleep, it's also a fantastic way to learn about the culture of the region. Despite this, a trip to an Everest teahouse is a wonderful way to experience and discover the best of the Nepal Himalayas. Don't skip seeing Nepal from a different perspective. When they trek up the Everest paths, the majority of guests never get to see the other side. Check our packages for Everest Base Camp with Nepal Vision Treks

FAQs

  1. What meals are provided throughout the trip to Everest Base Camp?

The fact that you won't have to make any sacrifices when it comes to eating on your Everest Base Camp Trek is encouraging. From the classic Nepali Dal Bhat, soups, snacks, momos, and fried rice to Chinese and continental dishes like noodles, spaghetti, spring rolls, and steak, there are many selections throughout the trek.
 

  1. What is the price of food at Everest Base Camp?

For three filling meals each day it's around $8 each meal. USD 25 per day should be sufficient for the Everest Base Camp trip.
 

  1. How much time do visitors spend at Everest Base Camp?

Climbers often stay at Everest Base Camp, which is higher than practically every peak in Europe. To acclimatize, they travel up and down the mountain several times.
 

  1. What are the ways to the Everest Base Camp are there?

The North Base Camp in Tibet and the South Base Camp in Nepal are the true Everest hiking base camps. The terminus of this fabled walk is the Nepalese camp in the Khumbu region, which is commonly referred to as Everest Base Camp.
 

  1. Does the Everest Base Camp have residents?

Three to four locals live in base camp for every foreign climber, whether they are climbing sherpas working on the mountain itself or base camp employees, such as cooks, dishwashers, servers, and team managers who all take care of the guided climbers.
 

  1. What is the Everest Base Camp known for?

Hiking routes

Everest Base Camp offers breathtaking views of the mesmerizing mountains. You can see the amazing view of the mountains like the Annapurna Base Camp journey, the Annapurna Circuit, and the Ghorepani Poonhill climb, besides the Mount Everest, Hence, the Everest Base Camp trek is one of the most well-known hiking routes in the world.

 

  1. What follows the base camp?

Climbers must cross the Khumbu Icefall to get to Base Camp. Ropes and ladders are their only means of passage in this location. This area is exceedingly risky even with all the safety measures. Many climbers and Sherpas have perished there because of shifting ice, deep crevasses, falling ice, and avalanches.

 

  1. Are there any prerequisites for Everest Base Camp?

At least 12 weeks before your trek dates, you should begin your Everest Base Camp training. Build up to a few strenuous hikes by starting with at least one long walk once every week. That is to say, you should be able to hike for five to six hours straight with little rest. 

 

  1. What function does base camp serve?

Base Camp serves as a primary camp that offers food, housing, and communications to those taking part in a variety of activities, such as exploring, conducting reconnaissance, hunting, or climbing mountains.
 

  1. Is it possible to sleep at the Everest Base Camp?

OR

         Do I have access to the Everest Base Camp overnight? 

We don't spend the night at base camp during our Everest Base Camp trek. Instead, you choose to stay in Gorak Shep and take a day trip to base camp. Base camp residents must get pricey special licenses to stay overnight.