Lodges

Depends on the altitude.

Below 4,000m (Lukla to Tengboche on the EBC trail, Besisahar to Manang on Annapurna, most of Mardi Himal and Langtang): the lodges we use on The Journey and The Transformation have attached bathrooms, heated dining rooms, varied menus, and hot showers. Rooms are basic but private a bed with thick blankets, a small window, a shared corridor to the bathroom. The Trail tier uses clean teahouses without the attached-bathroom upgrade. Hygiene is non-negotiable on every tier.

Above 4,000m (Dingboche, Lobuche, Gorak Shep, Thorong High Camp, Larkya La Dharamsala, Kyanjin Gompa): the infrastructure changes. There are no upgraded lodges at 5,000 meters. Rooms are plywood-walled, unheated, with shared bathrooms often outside the main building. Dinner happens in a central dining room heated by a yak-dung stove. Hot water is limited. Wi-Fi works sometimes. Charging your phone costs money. Your sleeping bag is your warm room.

This is where Contextual Comfort matters. At 5,000m no one can build a heated en-suite lodge into the moraine the infrastructure does not exist. What we provide is a professionally cleaned -20°C sleeping bag with a silk liner on every tier, a guide who brings you hot ginger tea in your sleeping bag in the morning, twice-daily SpO2 monitoring, and the knowledge that if you are struggling, the guide has the authority to descend.

If a competitor's website promises you a heated en-suite bathroom at Gorak Shep, they are either lying or describing the view from Kathmandu.

Below 4,000m, usually yes at most lodges, a hot shower costs roughly $2–$5 (cash, at the lodge) and works on gas or solar heating. Sometimes the system is down or the queue is long; the guide will tell you in advance which stops have reliable hot water.

Above 4,000m, hot showers are not guaranteed. Water freezes at night. Gas heating is scarce. Solar panels deliver less power at altitude. At Gorak Shep, Lobuche, and similar high-altitude stops, assume cold water or a "hot bucket" rather than a shower. Many trekkers choose not to shower for the 2–3 days at the highest altitudes the body conserves heat better without the water-loss and temperature shock. The guide can advise.

If daily hot showers are non-negotiable for you, the honest answer is that an Everest Base Camp or Manaslu trek is probably not the right trip. Mardi Himal, Upper Mustang, and the lower sections of any of our treks are better suited to a daily-shower expectation.

Dal bhat is the trekking staple for a reason it is safe, freshly made, boiled, and sustaining. A typical plate includes rice, lentil soup, vegetable curry, pickles, and often a small portion of meat or an egg. Dal bhat is also "free refills" at most lodges: you can ask for more rice or more lentils at no extra cost.

Beyond dal bhat, most lodges offer porridge, eggs, Tibetan bread, pancakes for breakfast; momos, fried rice, fried noodles for lunch; soup, pasta, pizza at lower altitudes for dinner.

Dietary requirements: we communicate vegetarian, vegan, and culturally specific dietary requirements to lodges in advance. Vegetarian is straightforward. Vegan is manageable below 4,000m but harder at altitude. Gluten-free is difficult most lodge kitchens do not have a gluten-free grain supply, so we plan menus around rice-based meals for gluten-free trekkers.

Our guide inspects every lodge kitchen at every lunch stop and overnight lodge if the kitchen fails the hygiene check, we move. Food safety at altitude is not optional. Above 3,000m, we generally advise trekkers to eat vegetarian cold storage for meat is unreliable.

In Manang, Braga, and Chame you can expect twin-share rooms, and on The Journey and The Transformation we book attached bathrooms and better rooms where the valley allows. Solo travellers paying the single supplement get a private room, but attached-bath single rooms are not guaranteed at every stop - particularly at Braga. Hot showers and device charging are included on every tier, though at the most basic guesthouses these can be shared facilities.

The one honestly simple stop is Shree Kharka at 4050 m, on The Transformation. It is a high mountain settlement with shared facilities, warm bedding, and hot drinks on demand - chosen for the view and the altitude profile, not for comfort. We would rather tell you that now than have you find out on arrival.

Teahouses, and they change with altitude. From Lukla to Namche you can have a room with an attached bathroom and a warm dining room. Above Dingboche, everyone stays in basic teahouses with shared facilities and limited heating, because that is all that exists that high. Hot showers, Wi-Fi and charging are paid extras above Namche. We are honest about this rather than promising comfort that the mountain cannot provide.

This is a teahouse trek, not a lodge trek. Rooms are simple and twin-share, more basic the higher you go. Hot showers, device charging and Wi-Fi cost a few dollars each, run on solar or limited supply, and are unreliable above Langtang Village. Bring a power bank and modest expectations for comfort.

Honestly, it depends on the night. Below 2,500 metres (Machha Khola, Jagat) yes, all three, reliably, paid per use at standard teahouses. At Namrung, Lho, and Samagaun (2,600 to 3,500 metres) yes, where infrastructure permits, included in The Journey and Transformation tiers at upgraded lodges; pay per use on The Trail at standard teahouses. At Samdo (3,860 metres) Wi-Fi often works, hot showers usually do not exist, charging is limited to the kitchen's solar setup with a small fee. At Dharamsala high camp (4,460 metres) none of the above. Every grain of rice and every litre of fuel at Dharamsala is hauled in by mule train, and the infrastructure is built for survival, not comfort. We tell you this on the booking page rather than in the fine print because clients who arrive at Dharamsala expecting hot showers feel cheated, and clients who arrive expecting a stone shelter sleep better. The same logic applies to Wi-Fi: assume nothing above 3,800 metres, be pleasantly surprised if something works.

Mixed, and we are honest about it. In Braga and Manang there is genuinely good lodging, with decent rooms and, where available, hot showers. Those are the comfortable nights. Above Yak Kharka, and especially at the high camp below the pass, the teahouses are basic and cold for everyone, with shared facilities and simple rooms.

No tier or price changes the high camps; they are basic for everyone because of where they are. A warm sleeping bag matters up there. After the pass, comfort returns as you descend into Mustang and on to Pokhara.