Rooms, food, showers, Wi-Fi and the daily rhythm of life in Nepal's family-run mountain lodges.
Table of contents
Teahouse trekking is what makes Nepal unique: instead of camping, you walk from village to village and sleep in family-run lodges. It is simpler than a hotel and far more comfortable than a tent.
Rooms
Expect a twin room with two beds, mattresses, pillows and a blanket. In Lukla, Namche and lower villages, many lodges offer attached bathrooms. Higher up, toilets are shared and rooms are unheated, so your sleeping bag does the work.
Food
Every teahouse has a menu: dal bhat (rice, lentils and curry with free refills), momos, noodle soups, pasta, porridge and pancakes. Your guide will steer you to freshly cooked dishes; vegetarian food is the safest choice at altitude.
The dining room
The heart of the lodge is the dining room, warmed in the evening by a stove burning yak dung or wood. It's where trekkers swap stories, play cards and plan the next day.
Showers, power and Wi-Fi
Hot showers, device charging and Wi-Fi are usually available for a few hundred rupees each. Reliability drops as you climb, so carry a power bank.
A typical day
Breakfast around 7, walking by 8, lunch at a teahouse on the trail, and arrival at the night's lodge mid-afternoon. Evenings are early: most people are asleep by 9.