Hotels in Dingboche, Everest Region- A Complete Guide

High in the rugged valley surrounded by mountains, Dingboche is one of the most popular towns in the Everest Base Camp Trek. It makes a perfect acclimatization destination at an altitude of 4410 meters, where most people end up spending two nights. No wonder you’ll find several hotels in the region ready to offer you a range of services at a range of prices to make your experience pleasant in the mountains. So I’ve compiled this blog to help you plan your accommodation in Dingboche during your Everest Base Camp Trek.

What kind of accommodation will I find in Dingboche?

There’s no longer any need for trekkers to camp in the Everest Base Camp trail as there are numerous accommodation options available for different price ranges. You will generally find tea houses which have now been turned into comfortable lodges and hotels operated by the Sherpas. The hotels in Dingboche are pretty basic compared to Namche Bazaar. Besides, the services offered in most lodges are pretty similar, with similar menu rates and price ranges.

What are the rooms like in the hotels?

You’ll generally find two categories of rooms in hotels: Basic Room without attached toilets and Rooms with Attached Toilets.

Basic rooms

Basic Room in one of the hotels in Dingboche

Basic Rooms are the rooms without toilets attached in the rooms. Generally, such rooms have two single beds, a table, a dustbin, and a hanger if you’re lucky. You’ll also find a few places with three or four beds to accommodate groups accordingly. Lodges offer you comfortable beds and good blankets, so I don’t ever find the need to use a sleeping bag in Dingboche as you can always layer some clothes on.
Cost of such rooms= Ranges from USD 5 – USD 10 depending on the number of beds in the room.

Rooms with Attached Bathroom

Room with Attached toilet in Dingboche — Room with an Attached toilet in Dingboche

To make your experience better, several hotels also offer rooms with attached toilets and several amenities in Dingboche. These rooms generally have more facilities depending on the hotels, e.g., Electric Blankets, Towels, Slippers, Charging Ports, etc. However, due to the distinct factors like altitude and temperature, it is highly likely that some hotel rooms may have only toilets (either western style or squat toilets) and may or may not have hot showers options included.
Cost of rooms with attached toilets only = Starting USD 10- USD 15
Cost of rooms with attached toilet and hot showers= USD 25 – USD 50

Do I Need To Book A Hotel In Advance?

The Answer is YES. Generally, when you book hotels from companies or through guides, they choose and book hotels for you. Dingboche is a busy place, and if you reach a little late afternoon, it is highly likely you’ll spend a lot of your time wandering to find yourself a decent room as several hotels are pre-booked by agencies, guides and also online platforms. Especially during the peak trekking season, you might end up in dining halls. As Dingboche is an acclimatization spot where you will stay for two days, it is wise to arrange your accommodation beforehand.

HoneyGuide has the most extensive inventory of hotels in the Everest Region with hotels in every place where you can book rooms for yourself online by comparing the photos, prices, and reviews online. Lodges booked through HoneyGuide offer you the flexibility of +/- 2 days with prior information and also have an easy cancellation policy. Plus, you don’t have the burden to carry excessive cash in the trails.

What services can I expect in the Dingboche hotels?

Battery Charging

Battery Charging is more like a lodge amenity rather than specific to the rooms, with exception to Deluxe Rooms in some hotels. Some hotels charge you on an hourly basis, while some have rates for full battery charging. The cost might be higher according to power consumption. Hence, it is always best to carry a solar-powered power bank so you can save some bucks in the trails.
Cost: USD 4- USD 5 per hour for mobile charging

Hot Showers

After Namche Bazaar, Hot Showers are generally a luxury that you won’t even find as a complementary service except in Deluxe Rooms for apparent reasons. Hotels either have a Solar or a Geyser operated hot shower. There’s a time limit (15 minutes or so) and may charge you extra if you’re planning to get a nice long hot shower. Hotels don’t offer you extra towels, or soaps or such so bring your own.
Quick Tip: Take a lot of baby wipes to avoid showers at high altitudes or Keep it Dirty! 😉
Cost: USD 5- USD 7 per bath.
P.S. Cold Showers are free, but not advisable!

Cellular Network

Two network connections: NTC and Ncell work fine until Namche Bazaar. After that, Ncell works patchy up to Pangboche. After Pangboche, there’s no cellular connectivity. Thus in Dingboche, you will not find any mobile networks working. So lodges and even trekkers have to use Internet service provided by Everest Link while in Dingboche.
Conclusion: No cellular networks work in Dingboche.

Internet/ Wifi:

Although there’s no cell network, there’s an Internet service provided by ‘Everest Link’ that works fine in Dingboche (Not fantastic but mountain good!). So if you require an internet connection in Dingboche for messages and checking emails or giving quick updates to people in the other world, Everest Link is your only option. You can buy prepaid cards for volume-based internet in the lodges itself. The cost of data packages are as follows:
-600 MB, Price: Nrs. 600 ~ USD 6 [Lodge specific, only runs in the particular lodge]
– 10 GB, Validity: 30 days, Price: Nrs. 1999 ~ USD 18 [Not lodge specific, can use the date pack anywhere in the trail]
-20 GB, Validity: 30 days, Price: Nrs. 2999 ~ USD 25

Toilets

Some hotels have squat toilets while some have western-style toilets. Generally, you’ll find both in all the hotels and water is only available in the basin outside toilets, so you got to bring your toilet rolls during treks.
During winters and freezing temperatures, there is a high chance for the porcelain to explode as water freezes. Hence, due to high maintenance cost and practical reasons, it is evident that you’ll see less western-style toilets at higher altitudes.

Food and Beverages

Well, not just in Dingboche, but food throughout the Everest Region trek is something that you’ll not be disappointed with. You’ll be amazed to see the variety of food on the menu in every single hotel like soup, momos (dumplings), spaghetti, Dal-Bhat, noodles, etc.

The tentative price for one dish: Ranges from USD 4-USD 8
Set Breakfast: USD 6 -USD 10
Soup: USD 3-USD 5

You also have a wide choice of hot drinks from like hot juice, tea, coffee, etc. It is highly advisable to consume 3 to 4 liters of liquid in any form during treks, as staying hydrated is very important to stay away from altitude sickness. Some hotels like Hotel Country Side and Hotel Bright Star also have a bakery. And, some hotels these days have a coffee machine so you might be able to enjoy your hot cup of Cappuccino looking at the mountains. Such beverages made machines cost you higher.
Price Range: USD 1 -USD 4

The food and beverage prices and tentative offerings on the menu are pretty similar, with some minor changes and a few bucks price difference.

Other Amenities

The other amenities that you might find in some hotels are POS machines that accept Credit Cards, Laundry service, and Bakery.
In case of emergencies, lodges also may help you arrange horses, oxygen cylinders, and helicopter services.

5 Best Hotels in Dingboche:

So here are some of the recommendations based on my personal experience as well as reviews from multiple website and forums:

Hotel Bright Star

Hotel Bright Star has friendly staff, comfortable beds, and great food. I had the chance to stay in their sunny room with three beds, which was amazing. They also have rooms with attached toilets with a hot shower where you can enjoy electric blankets.
Additional services: A bakery, POS machine, and Laundry service.
See pictures and prices of Hotel Bright Star.