Namche is the gateway to the higher altitudes of the Himalaya, and is usually used for an acclimatization day by travellers. It has many lodges, stores, three museums, a stupa, a monastery, and – as one of the few places in the Sagarmatha region – also internet cafes. Namche Bazaar also has the last money changing facilities on the way to EBC, but at a much lower exchange rate than in Kathmandu.

A weekly Sherpa market is held in the centre every Saturday. Namche is also a good place to get Tibetan handicraft souvenirs – many products are made locally or carried over from Tibet and not all of them are available in Kathmandu. During off-season from June to September many places in Namche close, for example many of the lodges and bakeries.

Tourist revenues brought wealth to Namche, and it now is the wealthiest district in Nepal. Despite its popularity with trekkers, Namche has remained a small village. In winter, due to the altitude, it gets quite cold in Namche, summers too are cool, but also wet.

Header image taken from Flickr CC, courtesy of pragmatopian.