Located at an altitude of 3440m, Namche Bazar is the gateway to the Himalayan range of the Mt. Everest region. The town is placed on a crescent-shaped mountain slope that offers stunning views of the mountains across the village. This stunning beautiful town lies in the Solukhumbu district in Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality. The city is surrounded by Kongde Ri in the west and Thamserku in the east.
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It has become a major tourist hub and trading hub at the foot of the Himalayas or Khumbu region. Many tourists who are not familiar with this high altitude spend 3-4 days getting used to the altitude i.e acclimatization. It has developed itself in a small, colorful market town selling everything from Tibetan artifacts to trekking and climbing equipment. Along with the usual collection of hotels, restaurants and equipment stores, one can even find a regular pub, cyber cafe and a place to play pool.
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Acclimatization Point; The first town which is on the Khumbu trek that is above altitude sickness threshold.
Visiting nearby Sherpa villages like Thame, Khunde and Khumjung.
Museum of Sherpa Life and Local Medicinal Plants and Tibetan Herbal Medicine.
Famous homemade yak cheese and butter.
Last-minute shopping place for the items needed for the trek.
Namche Library.
Namche Monastery; A small monastery in the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Sagarmatha National Park Visitors Center; Offers information on the wildlife of the area. There are some interesting photographs.
Sherwi Khangba Center; meaning Sherpa House. It is dedicated to preserving the Himalayan Sherpa Culture.
Visit Saturday Market of Namche.
Hike up to the first Everest Viewpoint.
The nearest airport to Namche Bazar is the Tenzing-Hillary Airport or commonly known as Lukla Airport. There are regular flights between Kathmandu and Lukla. The flight is short and can take about 25-30 minutes, overseeing the beautiful and majestic mountain range. However, rain commonly occurs in Lukla while the sun is shining brightly in Kathmandu. High winds, cloud and fog may cover the runway, and minimizing the visibility which often means flights can be delayed or the airport closed. Yeti Airlines, Tara Airlines and Nepal Airlines are some of the airlines which offer their service to fly to Lukla. The airport is located 13km south of the town.
However, another airport, Syangboche Airport is also located on the hill overlooking Namche. But the airport isn't used for passenger flights only for helicopters. Roadways have not been developed to reach the town. So, the airways are the only viable option. But, there is a trekking route that can take from 10-13 days to reach Namche Bazar.
The best time to visit the area is from March to May and mid-September to mid-November when it is still not too cold and the air is at its most pristine, affording crystal clear views of the mountain scenery.
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