Namche Bazaar is a trekker's gateway to the world-famous Khumbu region. It sits at the start of the bucket-list-busting Mount Everest Base Camp Trek, which wiggles up through the valleys past monk-chanting monasteries and 8,000-meter-high peaks. Of course, there are also Namche Bazaar tour guides who offer oodles of other expeditions out to the glacial valleys and snow-leopard-trodden ridges of the surrounding Sagarmatha National Park.

The town itself cascades over a series of dusty slopes. Starting at 3,440 meters above sea level, altitude sickness can be a real worry. But that's precisely why so many adventurers choose to linger here so long – the wealth of local teahouses and short-distance walks make it a perfect place to acclimatise to the dizzying reaches of the Nepalese Himalayas.

To fill the days between walking, the intriguing Museum of Sherpa Life and the bustling Namche Market combine. The first has exhibits that unravel the tale of the hardened local people and their harsh home in the mountains. The second bursts into life on Saturday, a whirlwind of farmer's stalls and electronics touts who have only their bearded yaks for companions.