Teahouses in Nepal: What Accommodation is Like on Treks!

The teahouses also have dining halls where they serve all meals. There is also a fireplace in the dining hall that they put on in the evenings, so everyone can warm up.

The teahouses usually have electricity but only in the dining hall, so that is where you can charge your phone or connect to wifi. In lower altitudes, you may find rooms that have plugs but it is rare.

The toilets and showers are usually outside, and it’s squat toilet. However, some teahouses have attached toilets, which can feel like luxury when you are in remote places.

What is a Teahouse in Nepal?

If you are planning a trek in Nepal, you may have heard about teahouses. A teahouse is like a guesthouse along the trekking routes, and they are basic accommodation where you also get your meals.

The teahouses usually have a main building with the rooms, a dining hall, and then outside there is a separate toilet and shower. Sometimes the toilet and showers are in the main building, and if you are lucky, you may even have an attached toilet.

Tea houses originate from a long time ago, before tourism/trekking became popular in Nepal.

The trekking routes of today go through villages where people have always lived. Before tourism started and trekking become popular, the mountain trails were simply used by Nepali people who were walking home to their village.

As getting home to their village could take days, people had to take breaks along the way. People started to offer tea for other people walking home to their village, and in exchange for tea and food, they could also sleep in the house for the night.

Thus, this is how tea houses came to be and developed into the “guesthouse type” of tea house we know today.

What is Teahouse Trekking in Nepal?

“Teahouse trekking” just means general trekking in Nepal as teahouses are the only available accommodation on almost all trekking routes.

If you go on a less-touristy trekking route, you may find 1 or 2 villages where the accommodation is more like a homestay, but generally most trekking routes have teahouses for accommodation.

How to Book Teahouses in Nepal

Usually, you don’t have to pre-book teahouses in Nepal. Most of the time, you can just book a room once you arrive in the village.

If you are trekking with a guide, then your guide will make the bookings, and you don’t have to worry about booking accommodation.

In case you are trekking solo, you can just trek and once you get to a village where you want to stay for the night, then you can book a room in one of the teahouses.

Teahouses on Treks in High Season

The trekking routes are the busiest in high season (Spring, Autumn) and during this time, it can be a bit more difficult to book a room in a teahouse. Nevertheless, there is some type of accommodation for all trekkers available even if teahouses are full.

If you are trekking solo in high season, it is worth asking along the way if you should book accommodation ahead for the next destination/village (especially if you want to have a nicer room, e.g. one with attached toilet).

On one of my treks to Langtang during high season, I had difficulties finding accommodation due to the high number of trekkers, but managed to get one in the end.

If it happens to you, just keep going from one teahouse to the next, until you find a room that’s available. Some teahouses also have tents, or the option to sleep in the dining hall, but that’s the last resort.

Just don’t worry, even if you trek solo in high season, there is some type of accommodation. Maybe not the best (like room with attached toilet), but there is always a place to sleep.

What to Expect When Staying in a Teahouse in Nepal

Nepalese tea houses are basic accommodation, but they have the most necessary facilities to get you through a trek in Nepal.

Rooms in Teahouses

The rooms in the teahouses are usually twin rooms. If you are trekking in a group, you can share the room with a friend, or if you are trekking solo then you can stay in a room by yourself.

A room in a teahouse is basic, and it usually has 2 simple beds and a table where you can put your stuff and bag.

Some of the teahouses on popular trekking routes may have attached toilet or even plugs for charging phones. However, in most cases the toilers are outside, and the plugs are only available in the dining hall.

Food in Teahouses

It is a custom (well, an “unwritten rule”) that you should have all your meals in the teahouse you are staying in. The prices for the teahouses is cheap for a night, so the way owners make a profit is by serving food to guests.

Sometimes, especially in off-season, you may even be able to get free accommodation in teahouses in exchange for having all meals in the same teahouse.

Teahouses usually have Nepali and international dishes. It is the best to go for Nepali dishes, like dal bhat, as it gives the most energy while trekking. Dal bhat is like the national dish in Nepal and it is a dish that should be fresh and tasty in all teahouses.

You can also get international dishes, like pasta or pizza, but they are more like the local version of international dishes. Anyway, we all get tired of dal bhat at one point, so going for different dishes is great but just don’t expect to be served an Italian woodfire pizza because there are no facilities to make it.

Toilets and Showers in Teahouses

The toilets and showers are usually located outside the main building. Sometimes they are in the same building as the rooms, but it can differ from one tea house to the next.

The toilets are mostly squat toilets, and it is very rare to find rooms with western style toilets.

In some villages, you may also be able to find a teahouse where the toilets are attached to the rooms, which honestly feels like luxury – even if it’s a squat toilet.

The showers are also usually either located inside or outside the main building. In many places you have to pay for hot shower. So what happens is, is that the showers are locked and if you ask the tea house owners that you’d like to have a shower, then they unlock the shower for you.

Once you get to high altitude, it is better to not take showers anymore. It’s cold and you can get sick easily if you take a shower.

Amenities in Teahouses

The accommodation in tea houses in Nepal is basic but it has the most necessary facilities to get you through a trek.

Life at a teahouse centers around the dining hall where you have your meals, and there is also electricity, wifi, and the place where you can charge your phone.

• Electricity and plugs: mostly available in the dining hall/common room. In some lower altitude or popular treks, there may be a plug in your room but it’s rare. On most trekking routes, you have to pay for charging electronics (phone, power bank)
• Wifi: there is wifi in most teahouses, but you have to pay for it. Wifi in teahouses costs around Rs. 300-500 (USD 2-3.5)
• Toilet paper: it is good if you start your trek with 1 roll of toilet paper with you and then if you need more, you can buy one at the teahouse.
• Hot water (for drinking): Having hot drinking water is great, especially in high altitudes but they also charge for it. In non-touristy trekking routes you can get hot water for free, but on other routes you have to pay for it.

Prices in a Teahouse

The prices tend to be more expensive on popular trekking routes (EBC, ABC, Langtang), while prices are lower on less popular trekking routes (Pikey Peak, Panchase).

The prices for accommodation is usually the same on all trekking routes, between Rs. 500-1,000 (USD 3.5-7). The ones for Rs. 1,000 (USD 7) are usually the ones that have attached toilets.

Generally the prices in a Nepalese tea house are:

• Teahouse Room Cost: Rs. 500-1,000 (USD 3.5-7) per twin room. If you are trekking with a friend, you can split this cost.
• Food Costs: Rs. 500-1,000 per meal (If you plan to drink beer, budget an extra Rs. 900 (USD 6.5) per can). The prices usually start lower and then the higher up you trek, the higher the prices are.
• Wifi: Rs. 300-500 (USD 2-3.5)
• Charging phone: Rs. 300-500 (USD 2-3.5) but prices can vary
• Hot water (for drinking): aroundRs. 300 (USD 2), but can vary
• Shower: around Rs. 500 (USD 3.5)
• Toilet paper: Rs. 200/roll

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