Top 12 Concerns about Tent Guesthouse at Everest Base Camp

Mount Qomolangma, the highest mountain in the world, has attracted millions of tourists at home and abroad. To capture the starry night and stunning sunrise over Mt Everest, the tent hotels have become the best choice for visitors to stay overnight. In this post, I'll solve your top concerns about Everest tent guesthouse, including its operation time, living condition, toilets, electricity, oxygen supplies, foods and drinks, etc.

1. Are those tent hotels at Everest Base Camp available all year round? If not, where shall I stay overnight?

No, these tent hotels are usually open to tourists from early April to late October. When Tibet winter comes, those seasonal tents would be torn down. Therefore, if you plan to visit Mount Everest from November to next March, you'd better stay overnight at Rongbuk Monastery Guesthouse. This guesthouse is located 8 km away from EBC and has no heat. 4 or 5 people would share a room together but it's clean.

Spending a happy night at Everest Base Camp guesthouse

2. How about the living condition inside the tent guesthouses?

The living environment at EBC is very simple. The guesthouse is a rectangular, single-room tent covered with yak hair. Each tent has 10 beds with a yak-dung stove burning inside. In front of the beds are wood desks for putting dishes, cups and your personal belongings. That's to say, in Everest Base Camp guesthouse, you have to share a wide bed with others. The price is about 30 yuan for each person.

The inner view of humble tent hotel at Everest Base Camp

3. Shall I prepare sleeping bag and tent for Everest Base Camp tour?

Actually, you don't need to bring sleeping bag and tent to Everest Base Camp. Those tents run by locals can offer you a clean and comfortable shelter. The quilts are good enough to keep you warm at night. If you still have some concerns, you can ask our trip advisor to arrange a sleeping bag for you. It only costs you ten dollar for the cleanness.

4. Can I drink hot water or have cozy bath in tents at Everest Base Camp?

The tent host would provide hot water for you but shower is not possible. And you can also try some butter tea or sweet tea in Everest Base Camp tent hotels. Of course, you need to pay for that.

5. What can I eat at Everest Base Camp?

There are not so many dishes for you to choose from. Tent restaurant at Everest Base Camp is very humble and in fact it's only the small kitchen of a tent. It's common to eat instant noodles, fried rice, sweet tea, eggs, porridge, butter tea, etc. The food is not so tasty but very expensive. For example, one portion of instant noodles would cost you 15 yuan. Thus, I advise you to bring some chocolate, bread, pilot biscuits and other high-caloric snacks for Tibet trekking.

The host is cooking dinner for our clients at the simple tent kitchen.

6. How about the toilets in Everest Base Camp?

What I want to remind you is that the toilet is not in the tent but outside! The sanitary condition is really dreadful. In this iron toilet, you'll see feces littered all over the floor. And you still need to pay one yuan for usage. Do remember to bring your own toilet paper. See more about Toilets in Tibet.

You'd better have mental preparation for the dreadful toilet at Everest Base Camp.

7. Shall I take portable oxygen bottles to Everest Base Camp?

It's easy to purchase oxygen bottles in Lhasa and Shigatse. And you can even buy them at the tent guest houses but the price would be much higher. Meanwhile, our tour guide will also prepare oxygen supply bottles throughout Everest Base Camp tour. So take it easy.

8. What should I do if altitude sickness happened to me? Is a doctor or hospital available at Everest Base Camp?

Till now, there is no doctor and hospital in Everest Base Camp. If you suffer from altitude sickness or any other uncomfortableness, please let our tour guide know. They'll help you leave there as soon as possible and get to the nearest hospital for timely treatment.

9. How about the electricity in EBC tents？How can I recharge my phone, camera and other electronic devices at EBC?

At Everest Base Camp, Tibetans have their own power generator for lighting. But lights would go out at midnight. Thus a flashlight is necessary for night use. And the voltage is very low at EBC. I suggest you to charge your phone, camera and other electrical equipment in Shigatse before trekking EBC. Normally, the battery would run out faster in cold condition. You'd better prepare at least two backup batteries.

10. How about the telephone signal inside the Everest tents? Can I access to wifi in the guest house?

The signal is fine in Everest area. Some tents have wifi service while some don't. Please confirm with our travel consultant before Tibet tour starts.

11. Is the Everest post office far away from tent hotels? When can we receive the postcards sent from the world's highest post office?

The post office just sits next to Everest tent guesthouses. Due to the harsh climate at Everest Area, the post office is only available from April to October. The opening time lasts from 11 am to 16 pm. Since the transportation condition is poor, it is hard to say when you’ll receive them. One kind reminder here, those post cards can be only delivered in mainland China.

12.Can I really see the starry sky at Everest Base Camp?

The answer is YES. Thanks to the high altitude, pure air and no light pollution, Everest Base Camp has become one of the ideal places in Tibet to appreciate the Milky Way. But whether you can capture the best views of the starry night or not totally depends on the following factors, namely, the season, the weather, the shooting spot and your body state. See more at Stargazing at Everest Base Camp

As we all know, Everest area is one of the most primitive nature reserves in China. The accommodation and facility in Everest Base Camp is really limited, so please don't compare it with hotels in Tibet. Any questions, please send us an email at inquiry@tibettravel.org and Tibet Vista will try best to help you out.