Laundry and Hot Shower in Everest Base Camp Trek

1.0.Laundry and Hot Shower in Everest Base Camp Trek

Laundry and Hot Shower are basic but some of the most precious facilities in Everest Base Camp Trek. It seems almost impossible to accomplish your Everest Base Camp Trek without good facilities of laundry and shower on the trail. Most importantly, trekkers will have the laundry and hot shower at local lodges and they have to adjust with it and should be ready to share the facilities with other trekkers on the trail. There will be a very basic facility of laundry and hot shower at local lodges run by the local people and the shower cabin will be common to all the trekkers who are staying in the same lodge.

The laundry facility in Everest Base Camp Trek is offered by local lodges/teahouse. They have got local tap water or they will offer you doing it in the bathroom. Mostly, you require washing your socks and under garments during your trip to Everest Base Camp and back to Lukla. You require washing your under garments daily as you sweat a lot during the walk. You normally have to walk for at least 6 hours a day and basically your undergarments may get contaminated with excessive sweat and you must change them regularly while reaching at lodge where you are staying for overnight. You also require changing and washing your outer garments like t-shirts, shorts, trousers, hat, cap and other garments as well in order to maintain your health and hygiene during your Everest Base Camp Trek. 

1.1. How is laundry facility in Everest Base Camp Trek? 

The laundry facility (not payable- self) is provided by the local lodges/ teahouses on the Everest Base Camp Trekking Trail. You will get number of teahouse for your accommodation where you wash your clothes. Normally, you wash your clothes in the evening after you get to the lodge where you stay overnight. After you get the lodge in the evening, you change your clothes which are full of sweat and wash them with the tap water or in the washroom of as provided by local teahouse. Also, you can ask help for how and where can you do laundry with your trek leader. 

The water you use for your laundry will be cold in Everest Base Camp Trek. You may not be able to wash all the clothes which are full of sweat on the trail. What you can do is: you can wash only the necessary garments especially the undergarments in your Everest Base Camp Trek. Rest of the clothes, you can wash when you get back to Kathmandu in a convenient way. 

But, you will get payable laundry facility in Namche Bazaar in your Everest Base Camp Trek. The Namche bazaar is modern now and expanded with all required faculties for the trekkers like luxury hotels, restaurants, ATMs, banks, money exchanges and trekking equipment shops. If you are thinking of doing payable laundry in Everest Base Camp, it is possible in Namche Bazaar. 

No laundry or washing soaps and power are availed by the local teahouse; you must carry your own for washing your clothes on the Everest Base Camp Trekking Trail. You’d better carry a little pack of washing power and washing soap for the laundry. It will help you a lot in washing your sweaty clothes when you are tired and full of sweat in the mountain. 

You will be provided tap water and a bucket (if necessary) for your laundry in Everest Base Camp Trek. You can wash them with your own laundry soap and washing powder. Don’t expect hot or warm water for washing your clothes in Everest Base Camp Trek. You have to bear the chilling cold water for the laundry. Therefore, you’d better carry enough spare pairs of shocks and under garments for your Everest Base Camp Trek. Washing clothes every day is tiring and extra burden for you and you can simply carry sufficient pairs of socks and garments for your trip to EBC. 

After you finish your laundry, you can dry them up in your bedroom by hanging them in a safe place where the wind won’t blow them off.  You can see either rope or wire for drying up your clothes at the local lodges. If you arrive the lodge earlier, you can put them outside in the sun and if you arrive late at the lodge, you can directly take the washed clothes to your bedroom and manage them somewhere by handing. The wind will dry your clothes up next day. 

The best way to dry up your washed clothes is putting them around the heating system which is put at the center of the dining hall at the local lodge. The heating system will provide the warmth to all the people who are there in the dining during the dinner time an you can carry your socks and other garments with you and put them nearby the fireplace, the heating system in the dining. 

Even, if the heating system of the dining hall doesn’t work, you can carry them with you just hanging them somewhere on the outer layer of your backpack during the daytime while you are walking. The sun will hit you washed and wet clothes and get them dried quickly before you get to another lodge. 

1.2. How many pairs of socks should I carry for Everest Base Camp Trek? 

Carrying 6 pairs of socks will be the finest idea for your Everest Base Camp Trek. Why 6 pairs? May be the question right? It is because you have to walk at least 11 days in the mountain from Lukla to Lukla. So, your 5 pairs of socks will already be used for 11 days walking and you require one pair of fresh socks while returning back to Kathmandu. Isn’t a good idea? Yes, it is. If your socks are comfortable and fresh, you can walk freshly and in a relaxed mood in Everest Base amp Trek. 

You may claim that you can wash them and reuse in Everest Base Camp Trek. Yes, you can do that, but, it will be very burdensome to wash them frequently on the trail as your body is exhausted. If you are really looking for washing your socks on the trail, you must carry at least 4 pairs of socks. The washed and wet socks take at least 2 days to dry up completely. 

1.3. Can you wash clothes on Everest Base Camp Trek? 

Washing clothes on Everest Base Camp Trek is possible at local lodges/teahouse. You can wash your clothes in the late afternoon or in the evening after you get to the lodge for overnight stay. You don’t have time and opportunity to wash your clothes in the daytime as you have to walk at least 6 hours a day. You even cannot have time to wash your clothes in the lunch time in the afternoon. The only opportunity you have to wash your clothes in the late afternoon or in the evening. 

When you reach the lodge for overnight stay, you change your clothes which are full of sweat and can wash them in washroom/shower room or with tap water outside the lodge. The lodge owner or even your guide will instruct you this thing about where to wash your clothes on Everest Base Camp Trek. 

No local lodges provide you laundry soap and laundry power for washing your clothes. You must carry them on your own and save them for the entire trip till you come back to Lukla. 

You wash your clothes and dry them up by hanging them in your bedroom or you can carry them on the outer surface of your day backpack during the walk toward next destination. 

1.4. Do you need to pay for the laundry in Everest Base Camp Trek? 

The laundry ( self)  is free of cost in Everest Base Camp Trek. The local teahouse/ lodges don’t charge you money for washing clothes. You will use your own soap and washing powder and you can get water free of cost. Whatever and however you wash in local lodges in your Everest Base Camp Trek, it will be free of cost. 

1.5. Can I get payable laundry in Everest Base Camp Trek? 

Namche is the only place where you can get payable laundry facility in Everest Base Camp Trek. You will see several laundry facilities in Namche Bazaar. They charge you some money according to the size of the clothes you want to get washed. The cost of laundry in Everest Base Camp Trek in Namche Bazaar cost ranges between Rs. 200-500 per piece of cloth. Make sure that you are going to pay for your laundry at Namche otherwise; you can do on your own. 

1.6.How do you wash clothes on Everest Base Camp Trek?

 One has to wash his/her clothes on his/her own. Self laundry facility is possible all round the trek at local lodges with cold tap water. Only payable laundry facility is available at Namche Bazaar. You can find several laundry facilities at Namche where you can get someone to wash your clothes for you by paying some money. They will instantly wash your clothes within few hours. 

But, mostly, people wash their clothes by themselves at the local lodges either in the late afternoon or in the evening. They use their own laundry soap and laundry powder and wash the clothes and dry them up in their own way. 

2.0. How is hot shower facility in Everest Base Camp Trek? 

The hot shower facility in Everest Base Camp Trek will be provided by local lodges/local teahouse. You can get separate shower cabin on the Everest Base Camp Trek which will be only for the hot shower seekers. You are tired and sweaty on the trail after working at least 6 hours a day with steep ups and downs and you, of course, need relaxing hot shower in the evening before you go to the bed. 

You can enjoy hot shower in every lodge located on Everest Base Camp Trekking trail. As you ask, they will provide you immediately. But, for your hot shower, you require paying Rs. 300-700. The water heating system is supported either by electricity or cooking gas. You may get scared that the cooking gas is used to heat the water, yes, and it is safe enough to have hot shower. Normally, trekkers who are doing Everest Base Camp Trek take hot shower one in two days. But, it doesn’t mean that you cannot take hot shower daily on the trip. You can do it. It depends on you. 

Normally, the shower cabin will be common to all the trekkers who are staying at the same lodge. So, you must not take long time while taking shower as other people are waiting for the same thing. It’s not better to wash your clothes in the shower cabin or shower room and don’t stay longer inside the cabin because it may suffocate you inviting some sudden collapse inside the shower cabin. 

Before you go to take hot shower in the shower cabin, you must ask the instruction how to handle the water while taking shower with the lodge owner. Learn it and enjoy the shower. Otherwise, it may bring some accidents too. 

You can even have hot shower at Gorekh Shep (5100m), the last human settlement before you head for Everest Base Camp. It costs Rs. 700 per hot shower in Gorekhshep. 

2.1. Types of Shower in Everest Base Camp Trek

2.1.1.Solar- Heated Shower

The local lodges and teahouses, normally, have solar panels and the solar panels heat the water and even supports for lighting system in the lodges. Mostly, the lodges and the guesthouse in Everest Base Camp Trek offer Solar-Heated Shower to their clients who are doing different activities in the Everest region. The solar-heated Shower is easy and convenient to handle during the time of having shower. There no threat of electric shock and any kind of other accidents during the shower time. 

However, the solar power system is declined during the cloudy, rainy and snowy days in Everest Base Camp Trek. Moreover, during cold pre-winter and post winter days, the solar heater shower system may not work properly and you may not be able to enjoy the hot shower when needed. So, if you are making your Everest Base Camp Trek in pre-winter and post winter or in rainy, snowy and cloudy days, don’t expect to have solar-heated shower in your Everest Base Camp Trek. 

2.1.2.Gas -Heated Shower 

Many of the lodges and guesthouses offer gas-heated shower in your Everest Base Camp Trek. The gas cylinders are fetched by mules and these gas cylinders are used to cook foods, heating the rooms and even heating the water for shower. The gas-heated shower will be perfect as per your interest. Do want really hot or mild shower? You can enjoy as you wish with this Gas-Heated Shower. 

However, sometimes, if you cannot handle it properly, it may be dangerous too during the shower. For the safety, you must ask the instructions to handle the gas-heated shower with the lodge owner and your trekking leader before you enter into the shower cabin. Follow the instructions of lodge owner to handle gas-heated shower and enjoy shower safely. 

2.1.3. Bucket Shower 

You will see no bucket shower in your Everest Base Camp Trek. It would be there few years back but nowadays, the bucket shower has been replaced by either solar- heated shower or gas-heated shower. If you ask the people who travelled in Everest region few years back, they can tell you the interesting story about Bucket shower in their Everest Base Camp Trek. But, you cannot enjoy this kind of typical and the most classical shower system in your Everest Base amp Trek recently. Do not expect to have and enjoy bucket in your Everest Base Camp Trek. 

2.2. Shower Facilities along the Everest Base Camp Trek Route

Places         Shower Facility Available 

Lukla         Both Solar-Heated and Gas-Heated Shower ( No Bucket Shower)

Phakding Both Solar-Heated and Gas-Heated Shower( No Bucket Shower)

Namche Both Solar-Heated and Gas-Heated Shower( No Bucket Shower)

Tengboche Both Solar-Heated and Gas-Heated Shower( No Bucket Shower)

Dingboche Both Solar-Heated and Gas-Heated Shower( No Bucket Shower)

Lobuche   Both Solar-Heated and Gas-Heated Shower( No Bucket Shower)

Gorekhshep  Both Solar-Heated and Gas-Heated Shower( No Bucket Shower)

Pangboche Both Solar-Heated and Gas-Heated Shower( No Bucket Shower)

Periche         Both Solar-Heated and Gas-Heated Shower( No Bucket Shower)

 2.3. Can you take hot shower in Everest Base Camp Trek? 

It is possible to take hot shower in Everest Base Camp Trek. The hot shower facility is provided by local lodges and the teahouse and one requires paying extra money like Rs. 300-700 per shower. You can ask the local lodge owner or your guide before you take the shower on the trail. Also, it is suggested to fix the price of having shower beforehand. 

2.4. Does basecamp have showers?

The Everest Base Camp has no human settlements and has no lodges to provide you hot shower facility in your Everest Base Camp Trek. so, it is impossible to have shower at Everest Base Camp. You will have the opportunity to have the hot shower in Gorekhshep, the last human settlement where you can have local lodges/teahouses. 

You can also have the hot shower in Lukla, Namche, Dingboche and Lobuche before you reach Everest Base Camp. 

2.5. Can you shower while Climbing Everest?

It is not possible to have shower while climbing the main Everest sumit but you can get shower until you walk to Everest Base Camp. Even, you cannot shower at Everest Base Camp because the Everest Base Camp has no human settlements and lodges. Therefore it is not possible to have meals, shower and overnight stay there. 

But, you can get shower in Lukla, Phakding, Namche, Tengboche, Dingboche, Lobuche and Gorekhshep before you head for Everest Base Camp for climbing Everest.

2.6. Final words 

Both hot shower and laundry (self) facilities are available in Everest Base Camp Trek. These services are offered by local lodges and teahouses located on the trail. You don’t need to pay for self laundry that you do during the trek and you have to pay for the hot shower facility like Rs. 300-700. But, one can find payable laundry facility in Namche Bazaar. If you are not planning to wash your clothes on your own, you can find payable laundry options in Namche Bazaar. Carry enough pieces of personal garments if you want to avoid self laundry in your Everest Base Camp Trek.  One must carry at least 4 pairs of socks and underwear.