Introduction
Neighborhood in Solukhumbu District, Koshi Province, NepalNamche Bazaar
ནམ་ཆེ་ཁྲོམ་རनाम्चे बजारNeighborhoodNamche Bazaar with Kongde Ri peak in the background.Nickname: The Sherpa capitalNamche BazaarLocation in Province No. 1Show map of Koshi ProvinceNamche BazaarNamche Bazaar (Nepal)Show map of NepalCoordinates: 27°49′N 86°43′E / 27.817°N 86.717°E / 27.817; 86.717CountryNepalProvinceKoshi ProvinceDistrictSolukhumbu DistrictRural MunicipalityKhumbu PasanglhamuElevation3,440 m (11,290 ft)Population (2001) • Total1,647Time zoneUTC+5:45 (NST)Postal code56002Area code038
Namche Bazaar at Night
Namche Bazaar (also Namche Bazar, Nemche Bazaar or Namche Baza; Sherpa: ནམ་ཆེ་ཁྲོམ་ར, Nepali: नाम्चे बजार listenⓘ) is a town (formally Namche Village Development Committee) in the Ward number 5 of Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality in Solukhumbu District of Koshi Province in northeastern Nepal. It is located within the Khumbu area at 3,440 metres (11,286 ft) at its low point, populating the sides of a hill. Most Sherpa in the tourism business hail from the Namche area. Namche is also the main trading center and hub for the Lanjey region.
Per the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,647 people living in 397 individual households.
Geography
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Namche Bazaar is situated 137 km (85 miles) northeast of Kathmandu, 366 km (227 miles) north of the provincial capital of Biratnagar, and 13 km north of the nearest Tenzing–Hillary Airport in Lukla.
Immediately west of Namche is the Kongde Ri peak at 6,187 metres (20,299 ft) and to its east is the Thamserku peak at 6,623 metres (21,729 ft).
Transport
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On a hill overlooking Namche Bazaar is Syangboche Airport (3,750 m / 12,303 ft). It is no longer used for passenger flights, though Russian helicopters make occasional cargo flights. The nearest open airport is Tenzing–Hillary Airport, located 13 km south of the town.
Tourism
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Namche Bazaar is popular with trekkers in the Khumbu region, especially for altitude acclimatization, and is the gateway to the high Himalaya. The town has a number of lodgings, stores and internet cafés catering to the needs of visitors. There are German bakeries, little cafes and many restaurants. There is also an Irish pub, said to be the highest and most remote Irish pub in the world. A popular local meal is yak steak.
On Saturday mornings, a weekly market is held in the centre of the town. There may also be a daily Tibet market where clothing and cheap Chinese consumer goods tend to be the main articles for sale.
Namche has electricity from the nearby Thame-Namche hydropower plant (600 kW), opened in October 1995 near Thame.
