If you haven’t yet made it to Nepal for a trekking vacation, you may not be familiar with Lodge Trekking. This is by far the most popular style of trekking in the Everest, Annapurna and Langtang regions and allows hikers to walk from lodge to lodge without camping in tents. Nowadays, lodges are essentially mini-hotels in the local villages offering private bedrooms, large dining spaces, private or shared bathrooms and a wide variety of hot cooked meals.
On routes, such as the Everest Base Camp Trek, you’ll have some exceptionally nice lodges to choose from and many boast en suite, Western-style bathrooms, hot showers, bars and even heated bedrooms. The more basic lodges still offer comfortable bedding, shared bathroom facilities, in-house cooks with menu ordering and a large heated common dining area.
Lodges offer menu dining and offer a wide variety of hot cooked meals from pizza to the traditional favorite dhal bhat (rice and lentils). Lodges can cater to vegetarians and those requiring a gluten-free diet.
Lodges in the Everest and Annapurna regions have cold showers available and many also offer hot water showers for an extra few dollars. Electricity is typically available in the main dining areas and in bedrooms. Most lodges do turn off the electricity during the evening hours between 10pm and 5am.
Most lodge rooms provide two small cots that have a mattress, pillows, sheets and blankets. The “fancier” lodges will provide electric space heaters or hot water bladders to heat your blankets. The rooms most always include a light, small table or desk and have a window.
A lodge trek is a great way to socialize after a day on the trails, enjoy the friendly spirit of the Nepalese people and offer a reasonably comfortable and healthy way to trek amongst the world’s highest peaks.