Review – Sherpa Lodge, Zhangmu

Sherpa appeared to be newly built when we arrived, in fact there were still plasters and builders all over the place. We got a 4 bed room on the top floor that was clean and bright and still smelled like fresh paint. Toilets were mostly squatties, although there was one western loo waiting to be connected to the water supply. Hot water is supposedly solar heated but the glaring sunshine when we arrived was seemingly not enough to supply a hot shower. The staff were a bit unhelpful and seemed to spend a lot of time debating every question we asked without actually answering them.

The best thing about Sherpa Lodge was the attached restaurant. Western food was surprisingly good quality and was exceptionally cheap – a welcome find after several days in the sticks.

Location was good – right at the bottom of the town, just before Chinese customs (although you’ll still need a taxi to get you to the border crossing several kilometres further down the mountain). We’d give Sherpa a much better rating if there was hot water and no builders: 5/10