Phakding, Nepal: The First Stop on the Everest Base Camp Trek

Phakding Village Information

Altitude

Phakding is at 2,610 m (8,563 ft) altitude.

Best Time to Visit

Phakding can only be reached by trekking, so the best time to visit is when the weather is good for trekking. The weather is best for Everest Base Camp Trek in autumn, spring, and potentially early winter (before it starts to snow).

It is not recommended to trek to there (EBC) during monsoon (June-September) because when it rains a lot, the trekking route becomes more dangerous (landslides). In winter, it can also snow a lot, which can also make navigating the trekking route more difficult, so is you visit in January-February, it’s better to go with a guide.

Permits

You don’t need permits to enter Phakding village, but if you continue onwards to EBC, then later on the trek, you’ll have to get the permits in Monjo (after you pass Phakding).

The classic trekking route follows Lukla to Phakding on Day 1, then Phakding to Namche Bazaar (via Monjo) on Day 2, so you’d only have to get the permits on Day 2.

The permits are the Sagarmatha National Park permit and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Municipality permit, and each costs Rs. 3,000 (USD 22). If you are not planning on going further up, then you don’t need to get the permits.

Cell Service

Cell service and wifi is available in the village. Phakding is at a lower elevation in the Everest Region, and there is good electricity and cell service. In most teahouses, you can charge your phone and use the wifi for free.

Location

Phakding is located in the Everest Region, and it is one of the first few villages on the EBC trek. People usually start the trek by flying into Lukla, then trek to Phakding. Phakding is around 7.4 km (4.5 miles) from Lukla, and you can walk there in three hours.

I met trekkers who flew to Lukla in the morning, walked to Phakding by lunch time and still had the energy to continue trekking to the next village. However, I recommend staying in Phakding for the night to help with acclimatization. Even if you have the energy to continue walking, if you don’t watch out for acclimatization, you could have altitude sickness later on.

After the night in Phakding, you continue the next day to Namche Bazaar. Namche is 10.4 km (6.5 miles), and it takes around 5-6 hours of walk. I found the second half of this day rough because you walk uphill continuously for hours.

Things to Do in Phakding

Phakding is mostly just teahouses, and it’s a place to stop to rest. After I got there, I just wanted to take a shower, recover and rest, so I didn’t explore the village much. If the weather is good, the village is sunny, and it’s a good time to take a shower until it’s sunny outside. After the sun goes down later in the afternoon, it becomes cold.

There are bakeries and even an Irish bar in the village. There are also lots of trekking shops, so if there are any last minute trekking items you need, you can still get them here. After Phakding, the next stop is Namche, where there are even more shops in case you have to buy something.

Teahouses

When I trekked Everest Base Camp, I was a bit surprised by the teahouses. On the EBC trek, the teahouses are much bigger then the ones on other trekking routes in Nepal (e.g. Annapurna Base Camp, Mardi Himal or Langtang). I also found that many of the teahouses in Phakding were built in the last ten years, and looked newer to me.

I talked with my teahouse owner and she told me that many of the teahouses were destroyed in the 2015 Earthquakes, and were then rebuilt. That’s why they are newer buildings.

Most of the buildings are newer, but the teahouse set up is the same like everywhere else. Most of the rooms are basic twin rooms with two beds and a small table. Some rooms also have private toilets. There is electricity in the rooms, so it’s easy to charge your phone/power bank.

For a high-quality lodge in Phakding, the best one is by the Mountain Lodges of Nepal. They run luxury teahouse accommodation in selected villages on trekking routes in Nepal, and they also have a lodge in Phakding. It’s the best hotel in the village if you are looking for high-quality accommodation.

Where I stayed

I stayed at the Namaste Lodge and Restaurant, and it’s also one of the more modern teahouses in the village. The owner told me that it’s one of the oldest teahouses in Phakding, but it had to be rebuilt after the 2015 Earthquake.

I stayed in a twin room with shared toilets. It was only at the beginning of my trek, so I still had energy to use the shared toilets. There were only a few other guests at the teahouse who booked rooms with a private toilet, so basically, it was only me who was using the shared toilets.

Electricity

Phakding is at a lower altitude on the EBC trek, and at this elevation, electricity is available without any major issues. There were plugs in my room and I could charge my phone for free. (Higher up on the trek, there is no electricity in the rooms, and you have to pay extra to charge your phone/power bank).

Wifi

As electricity is available in Phakding, wifi is also available for free in most of the teahouses. Wifi on the EBC trek is available for free in most villages in lower altitude, e.g. in Lukla, Phakding, Namche Bazaar, and Tengboche.

In addition to wifi, mobile network connection also works in Phakding. It’s better to get a Nepal Telecom SIM for the trek. NCell is another popular network provider in Nepal, but it has a more limited coverage in the mountains.

I had NCell with me, and it still worked in lower altitudes, but it was often spotty. I met other trekkers who had a SIM by Nepal Telecom, and their network connection was better.

Food

There is an unwritten rule that you have to have your meals at the teahouse where you are staying for the night. The teahouses have pretty much the same menu all throughout the trek, a mix of Nepali and international dishes.

The menu includes popular Nepali dishes like dal bhat, momo, chowmein, and international dishes like pizza, burger, and pasta. I didn’t feel like having Nepali food in Phakding, so I went for a pizza for dinner. The teahouse looked really modern, so I thought this might be the last time I can have a nice pizza before going higher up on the trekking route.

Shower and Toilets

The teahouses have rooms with private or shared toilets. The rooms with the private toilet tends to be a bit more expensive, but it’s nice to have your own private toilet. I went for a room with a shared toilet as I was on a budget, and I planned to book a room with a private toilet later on during the trek in case I got a stomach bug and preferred to have a private toilet.

The showers are generally always shared. In each teahouse, there is usually one shower that people can use. You have to pay extra to use the shower. It’s usually locked, and the teahouse staff unlocks it for you if you want to take a shower.

Should I Book Ahead?

There are lots of teahouses in Phakding, so in my opinion, there is no need to book it ahead. The teahouses are also big, each having 2-3 floors with lots of rooms, so it’s unlikely that you’d be unable to find a room.

I heard lots of stories that you should pre-book the room before your trek, but there are so many teahouses that you can just turn up and book it on the spot. I was trekking independently, so it was a relief when I realized there are so many options for teahouses that you can easily find a place.

If you are trekking with a guide or booked through a trekking agency, they’ll book the teahouse in advance. They have local contacts and places where they usually stay at and they pre-book the teahouses to guarantee accommodation. Still, if you are trekking solo, you’ll be able to book the teahouses on the spot.

Planning your Everest Base Camp trek? If you’d rather not worry about booking teahouses, arranging permits, or organizing transport, I co-organize small-group Everest Base Camp treks with a trusted local Nepali trekking agency. We keep the logistics simple so you can focus on enjoying the trek. ➡️ You can find more info about our Everest Base Camp trek here.

Prices

I paid the following prices in Phakding: 

• Room: Rs. 500 (USD 3) per night for a twin room for a single person with a shared toilet
• Food: Pizza for Rs. 800 (USD 5), an omelette with toast for Rs. 650 (USD 4), a cup of tea for Rs. 100.
• Bottled water: Rs. 100 per bottle
• Charging/Wifi: free. Some of the teahouses might charge for wifi, but generally, it’s free.
• Shower: Rs. 300 (USD 2)