Namche Bazaar Travel Guide
Namche Bazaar is the gateway to Everest Region and a famous stop-over point among trekkers. It is situated at an altitude of 3440m (11,286 ft). Namche Bazaar is famous among trekkers and climbers, especially for altitude acclimatization.
You will experience the amazing view of mountains like Mount Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse, and many other mountain peaks along with stunning beauty surrounded by dramatic mountains and deep valleys.
Major Attraction of Namche
- Entry to UNESCO world heritage site (Sagarmatha National Park).
- Exceptional views of mountains like Mount Everest, Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse, and many more.
- Sherpa community along with their culture, tradition, and ancient heritage of Sherpa people.
- Highest Suspension bridges over Dudh Koshi with a prayer flag and prayer stone with a Buddhist chant.
- Culturally rich villages such as Phakding, Chheplung, Benkar, and many more.
- Khumjung Monastery in Sherpa Village.
Get In
There are several ways to get to Namche Bazaar, one of the popular is trekking, and the old one is taking a regular flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. From Lukla, you can trek to Namche which is 13.5 Km and takes 2 - 3 days to reach. The quickest way to reach Namche Bazaar is by helicopter charter which takes around 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Things to do in Namche
Namche Bazaar is the popular stopover point for the trekking route to Everest base camp trek, Gokyo trek, and Everest three passes trek. It is commonplace for visitors to acclimatize before ascending to a higher altitude. While staying at Namche there is a number of things to see around the town. Some of them are mentioned below:
Short hike
If you are staying for a few days at Namche and have the energy to do a whole day hike then you can go to Thame (12,532ft).
It is a beautiful village that has a monastery perched high on the cliff. As Thame is off the Everest Base Camp trail, it doesn’t have many visitors.
Apart from Theme, you can also head high above Namche on an hour's climb to Everest View Hotel. If your motive is to view the sunset, you will experience it over Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Nuptse, and Everest
Weekly Morning Market
Every Saturday, they hold a bazaar where you will get a chance to see many local products brought by the local people.
People from surrounding areas bring their produce to sell, as they have done for centuries.
It's a significant lifeline for the local people, as it's the only way they can stock up on goods that they don't produce themselves. It's a great cultural experience and an opportunity to watch people and their lifestyles. Make sure to be there in the morning, as it's mostly finished by noon.
Explore the Oldest house in town
The path leading away from town is Khangba Ngingba, which has the oldest Sherpa house in Namche Bazaar. The two-story stone house is about over 150 years old and stands out in the middle of the tin-roofed trekking lodges all over the rest of town.
Even though it looks like a museum, the house owner still lives there and is happy to show visitors around the house. The home is so well-kept and is filled with brass cooking vessels, a beautiful temple room, Tibetan- style carpet and furniture, a room full of colorful Buddhist paintings.
Sherpa's History and culture
There are mainly places to learn about the Sherpa Culture. They are the Nauche Gonda Visitor Center and Sherpa Culture Museum. 'Nauche' is the Sherpa name for Namche, whereas ‘gonda’ means temple. This temple is just up the hill from Khangba Ngingba.
Gonda is painted in beautiful bright colors, with great views across Namche Bazaar. The temple-turned-visitor center provides some interesting history of the town and the Sherpa people, who came to the Khumbu region years ago, from Tibet.
Whereas, Sherpa Cultural Museum was established by Sir Edmund Hillary himself in 1994. The Hall of Fame represents Sherpa’ who have achieved outstanding mountaineering feats in the Himalayas. The model of this Sherpa home shows how these people traditionally lived.
It's a small museum, but visitors love how it helps them understand the Sherpa people beyond their image as trekking guides and porters.
Visit other places and shops
Apart from Mountain View, museums, markets, and many more, the Healing Center, Namche Library, and Namche Monastery equally attract people to Namche Bazaar.
Likewise, the main street is lined with Tibetan-run handicraft stalls, shops, store pubs, and many more. You can get many handicrafts, local products, mountain gear, and many other essentials at reasonable prices as well.
Alternative trip to Namche
Even though it’s a Namche Bazzar Trek, if anyone doesn’t want to go for the long hike or has limited time then they can go for an alternative trip.
Either way, Namche to Kathmandu and vice versa, If you do not prefer hiking then you can book a Namche Bazzar Helicopter Service and complete this two-day trek within an hour. This tour saves your time and a lot of physical exertion, while still allowing some of the most beautiful mountain scenery in Nepal.
