“Teahouse trekking” is how most routes in Nepal are done, staying in family-run lodges along the trail rather than camping. If you haven’t done one before, here’s what it’s actually like day to day, based on how our own treks are run.
Accommodation
Expect a simple twin-share room, usually two single beds, often with thin walls and basic furnishings. On the Everest Base Camp Trek, private bathrooms and hot showers are only guaranteed in Phakding, Namche and Lukla; higher up, shared facilities are the norm and a hot shower becomes a paid extra. Rooms get simpler and colder the higher you climb, which is part of why the trek is graded on difficulty, not just distance.
Food
Full board is included on every trek we run: breakfast, lunch and dinner, with tea or coffee served alongside meals and fresh fruit most evenings after dinner. Dal bhat, the Nepali staple of rice, lentils and vegetables, is the reliable, usually unlimited option at altitude, and most lodges also run a basic international menu. Alcoholic drinks, bottled water, cold drinks and desserts bought along the way are not included.
Wifi and charging
Usually available in the bigger villages, usually paid, and usually slow. Assume it stops being reliable somewhere above Dingboche on the Everest routes, and carry a power bank rather than counting on charging your phone or camera every night.
Cash
ATMs in Namche Bazaar are unreliable, and there are none at all further up the Everest valley. Bring enough Nepali rupees in cash for drinks, charging, hot showers outside the included towns, and tips, withdrawn or exchanged in Kathmandu before you fly, not assumed along the way.
Your porter and your pack
One porter is shared between every two trekkers, carrying up to 25 kg between them, so roughly 12 to 13 kg of your gear per person. You carry a day pack yourself, water, a layer, snacks and a camera, while anything you don’t need on the trail stays in Kathmandu.
Your guide
A government-licensed, English-speaking guide travels with every group, checking in daily and carrying the first aid kit and oximeter. For groups over four, an assistant guide joins as well. You’ll have their name and licence number before you travel, something our licences and registration page explains in more detail.
What varies by route
Lower, shorter routes like Annapurna Base Camp have a wider choice of lodges and slightly better facilities than the high Everest valley, simply because they sit at lower altitude with easier road access for supplies. If you want the full picture on what each specific trek includes and what it costs, our Everest Base Camp cost breakdown and the Annapurna Base Camp Trek page both lay it out in full, or ask us what to expect on a specific route.