At the 2001 census, it had a population of 1,647 people living in 397 individual households.[1]
Geography
Immediately west of Namche is Kongde Ri at 6,187 metres (20,299 ft) and to the east is Thamserku at 6,623 metres (21,729 ft).
Transport
On a hill overlooking Namche Bazaar is the 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
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 and stores catering to the needs of visitors as well as a number of internet cafés. 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.[2] A popular local meal is yak steak.
On Saturday mornings, a weekly market is held in the centre of the village. 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.[3][4][5][6]
Climate
Namche has either a relatively cold dry-winter subtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classificationCwb) or an unusually mild dry-winter warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen climate classificationDwb), depending on if you use the 0 °C (32 °F) isotherm or the −3 °C (26.6 °F) isotherm. The city features pleasant, wet summers and chilly, dry winters mainly affected by its altitude and the summer monsoon season. The average precipitation is 1,110 millimetres or 44 inches, and the average temperature is 6.1 °C or 43.0 °F.
Climate data for Namche Bazaar, elevation 3,450 m (11,320 ft)