Food on the Everest Base Camp Trek

Did you know Everest is among the world’s most popular trekking routes? Thousands of trekkers aim for this adventurous journey to the mountains. The solitude walk to the Himalayan ranges of Nepal is peaceful. However, the Everest base camp trek is not just about the mountains. It’s mainly about the yummy Nepalese cuisine, unique culture, diverse wildlife, and many other wonders. This article writes about the available foods on the Everest base camp trek. Read to last for Everest Food and Beverages.

Since Everest base camp is about 12 days of walking on a completely isolated land in the Khumbu region, you must be prepared for all situations. And since good food means a good mood, knowing what you should eat during this trek can be helpful.

Also, lousy food during the trek makes you sick and hampers your overall experience. Your choice of food keeps you energized throughout the day. So, read this article to the end and find everything you need about Food at Everest Base Camp.

Breakfast During the Everest Base Camp Trek

Breakfast is not very important for Nepalese. They mostly have a cup of tea for breakfast and quickly have lunch. However, there’s a good breakfast choice for the tourists along the trail. We recommend a large intake of warm fluid for breakfast at Everest Base Camp. Tea and coffee are served to the guests, along with other solid food.

• Oatmeal: Oatmeals served with milk and fruit are a perfect option.
• Bread: Also you can get bread or toast with jam, honey, and butter.
• Chapatti: You can also have Chapatti Roti, which goes quite well in omelettes.
• Chocolate, plain, and many other pancakes are served with vegetable curry and fresh juice.
• Omelette: Boiled, fried, and scrambled eggs are served in the guest house.
• Paratha: This Everest Indian food is delicious.
• Potato: Boiled, mashed, and fried potato.

What you will get in lunch at Everest Base Camp Trek

Lunch is the carb-rich food that energises you all day for the walk. Whole grain is recommended during the trek, and lunch is served between noon and 1:00 pm at the hotel at Everest along the way. Here’s the list of lunch foods at Everest Base Camp.

• Rice Meals: Along with veg and non-veg Nepalese Dal Bhat, there’s an option for rice with curry and fried rice.
• Noodles: Fried and soupy noodles are available.
• Momo (Dumplings): Nepalese Everest mo: Mo is a trendy local food with different flavours, i.e., steam, veggie, potato, etc.
• Pasta and Macaroni: All kinds of plain and flavoured pasta and macaroni are excellent options for dinner.
• Pizza: Chicken/ Mushroom/ Mix.
• Sandwiches: Cheese/egg/ tomato/ tuna sandwich.
• Spaghetti: The menu has many other options, but these are the most popular ones.
• Burger: Everest burger is also a good choice for the trek.

Read Everest Base Camp Trek Cost.

Dinner During Everest Base Camp Trekking

During the Everest base camp trekking, the Mount Everest restaurant is served at your tea house between 7:30 pm and 8:00 pm. Dinner is provided per the menu available in the lodge and includes items similar to those in the menu. Desserts like apple pudding, rice pudding, chocolates, and ice cream are available during the Everest Base Camp trek.

Best food and beverages in Everest Trek

Without the slightest doubt, the traditional Nepalese Dal, Bhat, and Tarkari are the Best Food in the Everest base camp. The plate has a combination of boiled rice and lentil soup. Then, there are different mixed vegetables and spicy tomatoes. You might also get curd or papad with this buffet set.

Local Food on Everest Base Camp Trek

As we have mentioned, there’s an excellent option for international cuisine on Everest Base Camp Trek. However, we suggest you try the local Everest food, which isn’t found elsewhere. Tsampa, Riki Kur (potato pancakes), and Tibetan Bread for breakfast are fulfilling.

Veg Shakpa (Sherpa Stew), Veg Thukpa (noodle soup), Tmomo, and Rildhuk (soup with potato lumps) are great for lunch and dinner. However, these local products are not available on the menu. You can make a special request to the chef; many even learn to make some Food in Everest base camp.

Related article: Permit For Everest Trek

Water In Everest Base Camp Trekking

Keeping yourself hydrated during the Everest base camp trek is very important; one must drink 3 to 4 litres of water daily. Bottled water is readily available throughout the trekking trail in Mount Everest restaurant, and you shouldn’t worry about the water. However, buying four water bottles per person (each bottle costs $2 to $3) adds a hefty sum to your Everest base camp trek cost.

Thus, we recommend carrying your water bottle and refilling it at hotels with natural taps. Although the water from the Natural taps of the forest looks relatively clean, it makes you sick quickly. Thus, you must purify the water before direct consumption.

Purification: Many purification tablets are available at a very cheap rate. For regular trekkers, we recommend buying Steripen Ultra, which treats 1 litre of water in 90 seconds to make it germ-free. Some travellers also use other techniques, such as Lifestraw and Water-to-go,

Vegan Diet Everest Base Camp Trek Food

Rest assured, a vegan will survive well during the Everest base camp trek. There are only a few vegan restaurants in Kathmandu, Lukla, and Namche Bazaar. Beyond that, there might be no vegan restaurant on Mount Everest. However, the tea houses themselves serve a special diet for the vegan. You can request to replace regular animal products with a plant-based diet, and they will make the changes.

The menu includes Chapati, Oat porridge, and fried or mashed potatoes for breakfast. For lunch and dinner, there’s Nepalese Dal Bhat. Other good options for nutrition are soups, fried rice, veg noodles, potatoes, momos, pasta with tomato sauce, etc. Also, there are Tsampa, Tibetan Bread, Shakpa, Thukpa, etc. Everest Indian Food has a lot of vegan options.

Valuable Tips: Vegans are advised to bring snacks from their home country as they might not find the proper choice. Also, make sure that you inform the staff that you are vegan and request not to add any animal-based products. The Himalayan master’s guide will assist you with this hassle.

Also read: Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return

Bringing Your Food and Beverages to Everest Trek

Theoretically, there’s no need at all. Since Everest base camp is a very developed trekking trail, the tea house has almost everything you need. You can buy snacks, drinks, chocolate, etc on the trail. However, the Everest base camp food is prohibitive at higher altitudes.

The price of almost all food products is 2-4 times higher than that of Kathmandu. Right from Lukla, the cost starts to go up. So, it’s wise of you to pack non-perishable snacks from your home country or Lukla. If you prefer products of a specific brand, get them from your home (even Kathmandu doesn’t have brands of all kinds).

Moreover, if you are living on a restricted diet or facing any health issues, you can bring your food. Or you can ask the Mount Everest restaurant owner what you need to eat. They might even allow you to cook your meal for some additional charge. If you can communicate well, convincing the chef is not very hard. Nepalese are known for their rich hospitality.

• Chocolate bars
• Canned Juice
• Energy drinks
• Instant oats
• Instant Coffee
• Noodles
• Cookies
• Chips and other snacks

Drinks beverages In Everest

Tea and coffee are served in all Everest tea houses and hotels along the way. Up to Dingboche, there’s a coffee machine that makes Cappuccino, Americano, and Cafe Latte. Beyond that, you will get simple milk coffee in Mt Everest restaurant.

During the Everest base camp luxury trek, hot drinks like lemon, garlic honey, hot juice, and hot chocolate are highly recommended. These drinks keep you warm and energetic. In the daytime, you can have cold drinks and cold coffee.

Alcoholic beverages in Everest are not recommended. However, once you complete the trek, you can celebrate the victory. Namche Bazaar and Lukla have many bars and pubs for the celebration. Even after that, you can have drinks in the tea houses. You can get Beer and rum, Vodka, and Whiskey.

Moreover, while trekking in Khumbu, we recommend having the local Chaang with a sweet rice beer. You can also try local raksi. These local drinks are incredibly cheap and robust but not very healthy. The choice is yours.

Food For Altitude Sickness

As food in the Everest base camp determines your health during the trek, choosing the right kinds of food helps you overcome the risk of altitude sickness. This means you should have food high in carbs and fluids in one of the Mt Everest restaurants. Here’s what your diet should focus on

• Food rich in carbohydrates uses less oxygen for metabolism and reduces fatigue. This is why people have energy bars, sports drinks, dry fruits, and nuts. Everest Indian Food with low fat is also good at carbs.
• Liquid Food: As people quickly get dehydrated at higher altitudes, you must have 4l of fluid daily. Along with water, soup, juice, and tea, it is also a good choice.
• Garlic soup: It has salt and warm water for acclimatization.
• Beetroot/ Nitrate rich food: These foods have been shown to help with acclimatization and are a critical Mount Everest Cuisine

Food To Avoid

• Alcohol: Obviously, alcohol is the biggest reason for dehydration; the food with the highest risk of altitude sickness
• Caffeine: Too much caffeine isn’t doing any good to your body
• Meat: It is better not to have meat above Namche even though there are a lot of meat options in Mount Everest Cuisine

How Much Does It Cost To Budget For Everest Base Camp?

Food covers the Everest base camp trek costs for many independent trekkers. However, since all three meals of the day are covered in the Everest trek package by Himalayan masters, you are on the safe side. The food cost in Lukla is already 2-3 times higher than Kathmandu’s. And as you start gaining altitudes, the cost keeps on increasing.

The cost of breakfast ranges from $5 to $9. Tea and coffee cost between $1.5 to $3 per cup. Similarly, lunch and dinner come somewhere between $6 to $9. Dessert is about $7, and soup is about $4. A beer bottle (650ml) costs about $8, and Vodka (quarter) costs about $7.

Yes, we get that the cost of food is relatively high, but since every item has to be transported from Kathmandu, the price is reasonable. The food in the Everest base camp is usually taken to Lukla on a flight and carried to the respective location by the mule or the porter. At the same altitude, the menu is similar in all hotels on Everest routes as the trekking committee has set the standard price.

Summing up, Everest base camp food costs range from $30 to $50 per day, depending on how you eat. This is higher than other trekking regions like Annapurna, Langtang, and Manaslu circuit trek. If you opt for Nepal’s less popular trekking routes, the cost will be a bit low. Here’s the menu of different places along the Everest base camp trek. If you want to explore Everest in one day, the Everest base camp helicopter tour is the best option. If you do the Everest heli tour, you can try breakfast and lunch in the Everest View Hotel.

Know more about the Manaslu Trek cost

Food At Various Places along the Everest Base Camp Trek

Food In Kathmandu

Kathmandu is the starting and ending point of our Everest base camp and gokyo lake trek.  Three Passes Trek has many luxurious five-star hotels in Thamel and many budget hotels serving fantastic food. The food cost in Kathmandu is usually not included in the trek package, and you can have anything you wish, whenever you want.

Food in a budget restaurant in Kathmandu is cheap, i.e. about $3 to $5 for the full course meal. Also, there are unlimited Nepalese and international cuisine options, depending on where you eat.

Food in Lukla

Lukla is your very first stop during the Everest base camp trek. Lukla has excellent hotels, and the guest house has the finest servings of Nepalese and Western cuisine. Lukla Air flies the food, which is relatively cheap here compared to the base camp. Lukla has some great Mount Everest restaurants.

Know more about food in the Kanchenjunga trek 

Food in Phakding

Your first night stop during the trek is Phakding. The village also has luxury hotels and a perfect option for food.

Food in Namche Bazzar

Namche Bazaar is the largest settlement in the area, where you stay for two nights (one for acclimatization). Namche has luxury hotels, unbelievable restaurants, pubs, bars, cafes, and a bakery. You never have out-of-quality Food and drinks in Namche. It’s also a great place to try Yak cheese and local wine.

Food in Tengboche

From Tengboche, the tea house became quite essential, and the food prices increased—also, the optiobecomesnal cuisine on the Everest Food increased considerably.

Food in Dingboche

Dingboche is also a significant settlement where Himalayan master trekkers stop for acclimatization. Here, you can get some food facilities that include “dal Bhat”. Other terrific options are on the menu, but the price is high.

Food in Lobuche

The tea houses in Lobuche prepare some great food, but most items are carried from the lower region and might not be well-refrigerated.

Food in Gorakshep

Gorakshep, the final human settlement before the Everest base camp, has only a few basic accommodations. Since it’s also the highest point, the option for food is quite essential. Although there’s some international cuisine on the menu, we suggest going for Nepalese Food, i.e. Dal Bhat. A heated kitchen and warm food on such a remote mountain are already a blessing; don’t expect more.

Also read: Everest Base Camp Trek weather

Everest Base Camp Food Cost For Nepalese

Nepalese’s high cost is $8 for Dal Bhat and $9 for a hashed brown potato. However, the price for foreign peoples and Nepalese is the same and can sometimes be unaffordable. You can try bargaining with the tea house owner for some discount and ask them to waive your room charges. With good negotiating skills, you can get some impressive discounts. However, be prepared to pay above Npr 2,000 per day for food only.

Related article: Everest Base camp trek cost

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Is meat available along the trek?

Yes, various meat items are available throughout the trek. There’s an option for the meat item for all food available, from pizza to soup. However, since chickens or goats are not raised at such heights, all meat items are brought from the lower altitude, which might take a few days. Also, it might not be adequately refrigerated; thus, it is not a good option for Everest Food and beverages.

2. Is the Food served fresh?

Up to Namche, the food in the Everest base camp is usually fresh. In the lower region, people grow vegetables and cereals on their farms, thus serving very fresh food. However, the arid landscape doesn’t allow farmers to grow vegetables once they move to a higher altitude. So, they carry everything, including potatoes, cereals, and vegetables. This makes all food served at a higher altitude of Everest base camp a few days old. However, that’s not very long, and the food usually remains fresh.

3. At what time is the meal served?

Breakfast is often served between 7 to 9 am. Since it’s advised to start the trek early in the morning, breakfast is served quite early. We enjoy lunch during the trek between 11 to 1 pm. The time depends on when you reach the destination. The dinner is mostly between 7 and 8 pm.

4. Can I learn to cook some Nepalese cuisine during the trek?

Well, no restaurant specializes in teaching you to make this food. However, you can join the chef in the Kitchen and watch them cook Nepalese Food. Learning to make Nepalese cuisine is not a big deal as long as you can communicate well.

5. Is eating where you stay on the Everest base camp trek compulsory?

As per the trekker’s policy, you must eat Everest Food and beverages where you decide to stay. If you skip dinner and breakfast at the tea house, they will charge you around USD 15-20 for the room. The same room would cost $5 if you had the food inside the hotel. You can have lunch anywhere between the trails.

6. How is the food in the tea house?

The local cook or tea house owner themselves prepare the food. Beyond Namche, there will not be any trained chef in the Kitchen. The local chef is experienced in making delicious Nepalese cuisine, but the taste of international food might not be as expected.

Also read: Everest Base Camp Trek Permits

Conclusions

The Food in Everest Base Camp Trek adds fun to your pleasing journey. The yummy Nepalese Food prepared from different Himalayan herbs will leave you quite impressed, and you will miss this food in the future. Just make sure you try every new food item on the menu, and in this trial, you can enjoy your food with an Everest view.

Want Himalayan masters to plan your Everest base camp trek? Fill out our booking form here, and we will be more than happy to receive you.