Everest Teahouses: Rooms, Showers, Wifi, Charging and Daily Costs

An Everest teahouse is a simple family lodge with a small private room, a heated dining room and shared or basic toilets higher up. Beds cost about USD 5 to 10 a night, and meals USD 30 to 45 a day above Namche. Extras are paid per use: about NPR 1,000 for a 24-hour wifi card, NPR 400 for a hot shower and NPR 300 for a charge. Expect the rooms to be cold at night.

What is staying in a teahouse on the Everest trail like?

Teahouses are the lodges that make the Everest Base Camp trek possible without tents. You sleep in a bedroom, eat in a shared dining room, and walk on with a light pack the next morning. The standard falls and the prices rise as you climb, for a simple reason: goods are flown to Lukla and then carried up the trail.

The detail below draws on a 2025 first-hand report in Advnture, local news reports and the costs we use for planning. There is no official price list, so treat every price as a guide, and carry extra cash.

What is in the room?

Expect a small private room with a mattress, a pillow, a warm duvet and a door that locks. Rooms have no heating. The Advnture writer found only a paraffin stove in the common area, and used both a sleeping bag and the duvet most nights.

• Bathrooms. A surprising number of lower rooms have their own bathroom. Closer to Base Camp, shared toilets are more likely, and some have a bucket instead of a flush.
• Toilet paper. Bring your own, and carry soap or hand gel too.
• Sockets. Most bedrooms have a light but no socket, according to Advnture.
• Heating. Firewood collection is prohibited in Sagarmatha National Park.

Namche is the exception on comfort. Local hydropower and piped water, set up in the 1990s, allowed its hotels to sell rooms with attached bathrooms and hot showers at higher prices. Do not expect the same standard above that.

How much does each extra cost?

These are the prices one journalist paid or was quoted on the trail in 2025. We converted them at the writer's rate.

Extra	Reported price	About in USD	Good to know
Wifi card, 24 hours	NPR 1,000	7	Usually free below Namche, paid above
Hot shower	NPR 400	3	Often a solar trickle, worst on cloudy days
Device charge	About NPR 300	2	Ask if it is per device
Laundry	A few hundred NPR	2 to 3	Wool may shrink
Toilet stop on the trail	NPR 50 if you buy nothing	Under 1	Often a donation jar

Sources differ on these prices. Our own Everest Base Camp cost guide puts extras at USD 2 to 5 each, so the reported wifi card is above that range. Agency blogs quote even wider figures. Expect prices to rise as you go higher, and ask before you use anything.

How good is the wifi and phone signal?

Wifi is widespread, but do not rely on it. Advnture found it plentiful all the way to Base Camp and good enough for messages and short video uploads, but it warned that the internet can go down during storms. The paid card also worked at the next lodge, as both were on one network.

Mobile data is less certain. In 2022, the Kathmandu Post reported Ncell offering 2G and 3G in Lukla, Phakding, Namche, Tengboche and Gorak Shep, with plans for more 4G towers. We could not confirm how far those plans went, so test your SIM in Kathmandu and do not depend on it. For emergencies, your group should have another way to call for help, such as a satellite messenger.

How do you keep devices charged?

Paying per charge adds up fast if you carry a phone, watch and camera. Bring one or two power banks, top them up when you can, and turn your phone to flight mode while you walk. Cold drains batteries, so keep your phone and power bank in your sleeping bag at night.

Power in the upper Khumbu has its limits. The August 2024 Thame flood destroyed the local power project's powerhouse, which shows how exposed that supply can be. We could not confirm the repair status, so do not assume a socket will be free or working. Our Nepal trekking packing list includes what to carry.

What should you budget per day?

That depends on how you book. On our Everest Base Camp trek, beds and trail meals are already in the price, so you pay only for extras and snacks. If you pay your own way, the numbers look like this.

Item	Below Namche	Above Namche
Bed	USD 5 to 10	USD 5 to 10
Three meals	Less than higher up	USD 30 to 45
Wifi, shower and one charge	Often free wifi, so USD 5	About USD 12
Snacks and hot drinks	USD 3 to 5	USD 5 to 10
Rough daily total	USD 30 to 50	USD 50 to 75

The snack line and the lower-trail totals are our rough estimates, not reported prices. Advnture also notes that chocolate and other packaged snacks are sold everywhere at a high price, and sometimes well past their date.

Bring cash in rupees. Namche has ATMs, but they can run out, so you may need to try several.

What should you eat and drink?

Most menus offer dal bhat, noodle soup, pasta, potatoes and pizza. Dal bhat is a sound choice because you can usually get refills. Advnture's group was told to avoid meat above the first villages, milk made from powder and unpurified water, and fried food. That is a sensible rule to follow.

Plan for water. Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality announced a ban on plastic bottles and thin plastic bags from January 2020. We could not confirm how strictly it is enforced today, but you should still carry a bottle and a filter or purifying tablets, or buy boiled water from your lodge. Then treat it before you drink.

Can you find a bed in peak season?

Usually, but do not count on a choice of rooms. About 12,003 people entered the national park in one month in spring 2025. When bad weather closes Lukla, the crunch gets worse. In late October 2025, Lukla and Surke ran short of rooms, and some travellers slept in teashops, though hotels were reported to be charging normal rates. Namche hotels alone could hold about 3,500 people, so the shortage was where people were waiting for transport.

Some lodges may close in the off-season, especially in high villages, so ask before you plan a winter or monsoon trip. Our Lukla flight guide explains what happens during delays. Want to know what is included on your dates? Ask our team before you book.

Frequently asked questions

Do Everest teahouses have hot showers?

Many do, usually for a fee of around NPR 400 in 2025. Water is often solar-heated, so showers can be weak or cold on cloudy days and in the morning. Many trekkers rely on wet wipes for most of the trek.

Do you need a sleeping bag in Everest teahouses?

Yes. Rooms are not heated and it is cold at night, even with the lodge's duvet. Take a warm bag, especially from November to March.

Is there wifi at Everest Base Camp?

Wifi reaches the upper lodges, but above Namche you will probably pay for a card. Expect weak service in storms. Do not plan to work online.

Can I book Everest teahouses in advance?

Guides normally arrange rooms as they go or book ahead by phone. In peak weeks, booking matters more, especially in smaller villages near the top of the route.