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Voykit pocket guide · Nepal
Namche Bazaar
नाम्चे बजार
Stay two nights at 3,440 m to acclimatise, not one: the second night is the cheap insurance that keeps the rest of the trek alive.
Namche Bazaar is the Sherpa capital of the Khumbu and the first place on the Everest trail above the altitude-sickness threshold. Trekkers sleep here two nights by convention: one to arrive, one to climb high and come back down. It has bakeries, a Saturday market, three small museums, money changers and the best-stocked shops before Base Camp. Everything moves on foot.
- Country
- Nepal
- Local name
- नाम्चे बजार
- Best months
- Mid-Sep–mid-Nov, Mar–May
- Avoid
- Jun–Sep (monsoon mist, many lodges and bakeries shut), Jan–Feb (cold, quiet)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- NPR
- Money
- NPR in small notes (100s and 500s) for taxis, tea shops and entry tickets.
- Daily spend
- Budget Rs 3,000–5,000 excl. bed · Mid Rs 5,000–8,000 excl. bed · High Rs 8,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Nepal Telecom (NTC) and Ncell sell tourist SIMs at Kathmandu airport and in town with passport and a photo.
- Emergency
- Police 100 · Ambulance 102 · Tourist police 1144
- Plugs
- Types C, D, M · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round-pin sockets; a universal adapter covers them. Treks charge for device charging.
- Tipping
- Trekking guide: About 10–15% of the guide's total fee, at the end.; Porter: US$5–10 a day, at the end, in person.; Restaurant: Round up if 10% service is added; 5–10% if not.; Driver day: Rs 500–1,000.; Hotel staff: Rs 100–200.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Use filtered refill stations (Rs 50–100 a litre) or purification tablets; buying plastic bottles on treks leaves rubbish in the mountains.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels; squat toilets with a water jug elsewhere. Carry tissue; on treks toilets are outside and freeze in winter.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Dal bhat or thukpa in a lodge | Rs 500–900 |
| Coffee or cappuccino in a bakery | Rs 300–500 |
| Apple pie or pastry | Rs 300–600 |
| Can of beer | Rs 700–1,200 |
| Nak (yak) cheese, 100 g | About Rs 100 |
| 1.5 L bottled water | Rs 200–400 |
| Wi-Fi or charging, per device | Rs 300–500 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LUA · Lukla (Tenzing-Hillary)
- Flights from Kathmandu or Ramechhap; weather-dependent, then a 2-day walk to Namche. Helicopter charters from Lukla or Kathmandu also land here (check).
Typical fares
- Lukla → Namche
- 2 walking days with a night at Monju or Phakding (check)
- Helicopter charter, Lukla or Kathmandu → Namche
- expensive; arrange through a licensed operator (check)
- Room, shared bathroom → en-suite twin
- about Rs 400–2,500 (check)
Get around
On foot only. The village is a horseshoe of stone stairs; the climb from the river below takes 3–4 h with a pack. Allow 10–20 min between the lower crossroads and the upper village.
See and do
Known for
- Acclimatisation stop on the Everest trail
- Saturday market and yak parking
- Sherpa museums and monastery
- Bakeries at 3,440 m
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Khumjung | Walk up past the park visitor centre and the airstrip at Syangboche | About 1 h each way |
| Tengboche | Descend to the Dudh Koshi, cross, then climb to the monastery | 5–6 h each way |
| Monju | Descend the Namche hill to the park gate | About 1.5–2 h down |
| Thame | Leave by the trail in front of Namche Monastery | About 3 h each way |
Sleep
- Main street and crossroads
- Shops, bakeries, money changer and most lodges within 5 minutes of the trail; noisiest and busiest.
- Upper village, Tengboche-trail side
- Park visitor centre and Sherpa Life museum; quieter, 5–10 min uphill from the crossroads.
- Left slopes off the Thame trail
- Monastery side; newer lodges, more sun, a short climb back to the main path.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Greetings | नमस्तेnamaste |
| Thank you | धन्यवादdhanyabad |
| How much is it? | कति पर्छ?kati parcha |
| I have a headache | मेरो टाउको दुख्छmero tauko dukcha |
| Where is the clinic? | क्लिनिक कहाँ छ?clinic kaha chha |
| Please go slowly | बिस्तारै जानुहोस्bistarai jaanuhos |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Namaste with palms together; a handshake between men in business; avoid: Hugging or kissing in public
- Temples and stupas: Walk clockwise, spin prayer wheels clockwise, shoes off at shrines; avoid: Touching offerings; entering Hindu-only areas
- Food: Right hand, accept refills gracefully; avoid: Sharing food you have bitten; stepping over food
- Feet and heads: Keep feet flat and away from people and altars; avoid: Touching anyone's head
- Photos: Ask first; offer to show the picture; avoid: Photographing cremations or rituals without permission
- On the trail: Pass mani walls and chortens on the left (keeping them on your right); give way to yaks on the mountain side; avoid: Standing on the drop side when animals pass
Scams and watch-outs
- Altitude: headache, nausea or breathlessness at rest means stop, rest and descend if it worsens. Do not sleep higher while symptoms persist.
- Cash: Namche and Lukla are the last reliable money changers; rates are worse than Kathmandu. Carry enough rupees for the rest of the trek.
- Wi-Fi and phone charging are charged per device in most lodges; buy an Ncell SIM if you need regular data.
- Rooms are cheap only if you eat in the lodge: ask about the meal rule before you take the key.
- Yaks have right of way on the trail and in the market area; step to the inside and stay clear.
Namche is a safe, walkable village; the real risk is altitude, not crime. Ascend slowly, sleep two nights, keep cash and a headlamp, and treat any worsening headache at rest as a signal to stop.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Namche Bazaar yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Acclimatisation stop on the Everest trail
- Saturday market and yak parking
- Sherpa museums and monastery
- Bakeries at 3,440 m
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Nepal Tourism Board: www.welcomenepal.com/
- Sagarmatha National Park (DNPWC): dnpwc.gov.np/
- Wikivoyage: Namche Bazaar, revision 5328472 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5328472
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Namche Bazaarनाम्चे बजार
म यो लजमा बस्छु
I am staying at this lodge
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No embassies in Namche; most are in Kathmandu. The US, UK, Australian, Canadian and Indian missions are all in Kathmandu (check addresses).
Carry this card with your lodge name written in Nepali; there is no street addressing in the Khumbu.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/namche-bazaar). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.