Namche Bazaar
Namche Bazaar is a town that lies in the north-eastern part of Nepal. It is located in the Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality in the Solukhumbu District of Province No. 1 in Nepal. The town sits perched 34,400 meters above sea level on the slope of an arch-shaped mountain. Besides being the administrative centre of the Khumbu region, it is also the staging point for expeditions to Mount Everest and other Himalayan peaks of that area. Climbers and trekkers use Namche Bazaar as the ideal spot to prepare and acclimatise for their expeditions and also find suitable guides.
Most Sherpas who are in the tourism business and who serve as trekkers are from the Namche area. Namche Bazaar’s visitor centre is usually abuzz with tourists and climbers seeking material about the lifestyle and culture of the Sherpas, as well as information on various climbs in that area.
Namche Bazaar is also a busy market town that sells an array of interesting local items ranging from Tibetan artefacts and souvenirs from cottage industries, to climbing and trekking equipment. In the past the town was where people from nearby regions congregated to barter agricultural produce for the town’s famous yak cheese and butter, and it remains the main trading center and hub for the Khumbu region. On Saturdays the town runs an open market where you can find agricultural produce to woollen clothes, trekking gear, butter, cheese, electronic devices and more.
On a hill overlooking Namche Bazaar is Syangboche Airport that sits at an altitude of 3,780 meter. It is no longer used for passenger flights and today only Russian helicopters carrying cargo occasionally use it. The nearest open airport is Tenzing–Hillary Airport, which is located 13km south of the town.
Climate
At its altitude Namche Bazaar usually experiences cool weather. In summer the temperature during the day is about 16 degrees Celcius and around 8 degrees Celcius during the night. Namche has both cool, wet summers, and chilly, dry winters. From December to February, the temperature during the daytime ranges from 5 to 8 degree Celcius but falls to between -6 to -8 degree Celcius at night. The most ideal time to visit Namche Bazaar is from mid-September to mid-November when it is still not too cold and the air is at its most pristine. Around this time is when visitors get to enjoy the clearest views of the mountainous landscape.
Population
During the Nepali census in 2001, the recorded population of the area was 1,647 people with 397 individual households.
How to get there
Take a 30-minute flight from Kathmandu to Lukla. Then from Lukla, one can either choose to trek by foot to Namche Bazaar which will take about 2 days or one can hire a helicopter that can cost up to about USD1250 for 5 persons.
Yeti Airlines – Flights cost USD 168 (RM690)
Permits needed:
- Sagarmatha park permit – NPR 3,000 (RM110)
- Local tax – NPR 2000 (RM71)
- Can pay both at the Tourist Service Centre – Kathmandu
What to do there
Places to visit:
- Sagarmatha National Park Visitor’s Center
Located at the top end of the village off the Tengboche trail (right side of village when looking up). The center offers information on the wildlife of the area and has some interesting photographs to see.
- Museum of Sherpa Life
Located above the village off the Tengboche trail. The museum serves as an introduction to Sherpa culture and the fauna and flora of the region.
- Museum of local medicinal plants and Tibetan herbal medicine at the Healing Centre
It offers educational information into the world of Tibetan medicine through posters and artifacts. It also has a small gift shop, the profit from which helps maintain the clinic upstairs.
- Namche Library
This small library has a good selection of English books, though they cannot be taken off the premises.
- Namche Monastery
Located off the Thame trail (left side of village when looking up). It is a small monastery that belongs to the Sherpas who are Tibetan Buddhists. It has a pleasant courtyard and some ancient frescoes can also be found on the walls of the main prayer hall.
- Dumjee Festival
Namche Bazaar holds an annual Buddhist festival called Dumjee, which has been a major attraction for tourists in recent years. It is also celebrated in other Sherpa villages but celebrations in Namche are unique because of the presence of a variety of people.
Source: https://wikitravel.org/en/Namche_Bazaar
Or view the video on the server at:
https://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/NamcheBazaar.mp4
Amazing Pictures of Namche Bazaar
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Namche Bazaar a traditional Sherpa village is a beautifully crafted Himalayan town which is nestled along the crescent shaped hill slopes. It is truly a place worth visiting by many trekkers who are on the verge of making their journey deep into the gorgeous Khumbu region. It is also the staging point for expeditions to Everest and other Himalayan peaks in the area. Namche Bazaar is one of the main stops on the trail up to Everest Base Camp for trekkers from all over the world. Here trekkers or visitors will get to enjoy the clearest views of the beautiful mountainous landscape of Himalaya. A beautiful place with natural surroundings will be good to visit. Wish to some day.
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing.
Thank you, Rinpoche and the blog team for sharing with us this amazing town in Nepal. It is such a beautiful town with its ancient culture and its spiritual atmosphere. Places like this are beautiful because it is away from the city where materialism is at its peak. This town is also full of shops for spiritual shopping
Places like these are very conducive for spiritual practice and on top of that, the scenery is stunning. It’s location made it a good place for mountaineers to take a break from their quest to conquer Mount Everest and get used to the climate. This will be a good place to go to have a spiritual holiday!
Thank you for the nice and wonderful sharing.Namche Bazaar is the ideal spot for climbers and trekkers to prepare for their expeditions and also for find suitable guides.
Most of the tourist guide and Sherpa are from the Namche area .Furthermore there are a lot of places to visit in this town.This sharing is really will b helpful for the visitor and tourist who plan to go Namche Bazaar.
Wow…..Namche Bazaar is the staging point for expeditions to Everest and other Himalayan peaks in the area. It is also is a prosperous market town selling everything from Tibetan artefacts to trekking and climbing equipment for tourist. Its also famous for its homemade yak cheese and butter. As it is situated on the slope of an arch-shaped mountain, one could see the beauty of glorious mountain peaks throughout the valley, day and night.
This relatively small town is a gateway to the Himalayas of Mount Everest for many …….as a bustling tourist zone as well. Namche Bazaar is renowned for being the first acclimatization spot on the way to Everest region trekking. Would like to visit this beautiful place someday.
Thank you Rinpoche for this wonderful sharing.
This is a beautiful place and Namche Bazaar to shop for souvenirs. I love street market shopping like these…where people can also go for sight seeing. Beautiful mountains and fresh air. A very blessed place to visit. Wish to visit this lovely place one day?. Thank you very much Rinpoche and blog team for sharing this beautiful and blessed place.?????
Discovered many things about Nepal, its holds some impressive world rear and one of the most beautiful place in the world. The naturally blessed Nepal has many interesting places, fascinating views and exotic scenery. Being a gateway to Mount Everest and a best destination spotted by the mount climbers and trekkers was Namche Bazaar.
With a very little population here it’s also a popular trading hub for Khumbu region. Most of the stalls rn by the Tibetan sells homemade products, hand craft and souvenirs. The main street into the village is lined with Tibetan run handicraft stalls and stores. Travelling to Namche Bazaar is not been easy but it has wonderful places to see and view because of its climate.
Some interesting places to be visited was guided and the amazing pictures of Namche Bazaar was a good view.
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