The Everest Base Camp Trek is a 12-day guided trek from Lukla to Everest Base Camp (5,364m), priced from $1,039 to $1,379 per person. The trek passes through Namche Bazaar, Tengboche, and Dingboche, following the Khumbu Glacier moraine toward Base Camp. It also includes a sunrise hike to Kala Patthar (5,644m). It is a non-technical trek — no ropes or ice axes — but the combination of distance and altitude makes gradual acclimatisation essential.
Days start early and end by mid-afternoon, teahouse to teahouse. Ama Dablam and the Nuptse-Lhotse wall fill more of the sky the higher the trail climbs. Yak trains still carry gear along the upper sections, and every ridgeline is strung with prayer flags. It’s a long walk more than a hard climb — the terrain is straightforward; the altitude is what tests you.
Acclimatisation isn’t optional here: two full nights each in Namche and Dingboche, never compressed. Read our acclimatisation guide or compare routes in our EBC vs Gokyo Lakes guide. First big trek? Start with our beginner’s guide.
We’re a Kathmandu-based local trekking company, not a call centre. Every guide is licensed, and we handle flights, permits, and teahouse bookings ourselves. Check our cost breakdown or message us on WhatsApp with your travel month.
| Trip Details | Information |
|---|---|
| Trip Name | Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal |
| Duration | 11 Nights / 12 Days |
| Maximum Altitude | 5,644m — Kala Patthar |
| Major Highlights | Everest Base Camp (5,364m), Kala Patthar (5,644m), Namche Bazaar, Tengboche Monastery, Khumbu Glacier |
| Trek Difficulty | Moderate to Challenging — High Altitude Trek |
| Trek Start / End Point | Lukla |
| Best Season | Spring (March–May) and Autumn (September–November) |
| Low Season | Winter — fewer trekkers, colder temperatures, exceptional clarity |
| Not Recommended | Monsoon Season (June–August) |
| Accommodation | Teahouse Lodges |
| Meals Included | Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner |
| Trek Style | Guided High-Altitude Trekking |
| Region | Everest (Khumbu), Nepal |
Lukla → Phakding → Namche Bazaar → Tengboche → Debuche → Dingboche → Lobuche → Gorakshep → Everest Base Camp (5,364m) → Kala Patthar (5,644m) → Pheriche → Namche Bazaar → Lukla
The Everest Base Camp Trek takes you beyond the usual mountain viewpoint and into the heart of the Khumbu. The last three days before Base Camp run through a working mountain landscape — yak trains hauling supplies to expedition camps, Sherpa villages that still function as they have for generations, and the Khumbu Glacier itself grinding along beside the trail.
You’ll pass through Sagarmatha National Park, established in 1976 and inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, and stop at Tengboche Monastery — the most atmospheric monastery in the Khumbu, set on a ridge with Ama Dablam rising on one side and Everest on the other. Namche Bazaar gives you two acclimatisation nights in a town that still runs a Saturday market the old way, plus expedition outfitters and bakeries that feel oddly out of place at 3,440 metres, in a good way.
Choosing between EBC and the quieter Gokyo Lakes route? EBC puts you at the foot of the mountain itself and on the Khumbu Glacier moraine; Gokyo trades that for turquoise lakes and a wider Everest panorama from Gokyo Ri. Want to go higher than Base Camp itself? Read our comparison of Lobuche Peak vs Island Peak — both trekking peaks build directly on the EBC route’s acclimatisation, so adding one on doesn’t mean starting over.
We won’t sugarcoat the physical side. The highest overnight is Gorakshep at 5,160 metres, the full route runs about 130 kilometres, and you’re walking 5 to 7 hours a day for much of it. Six to eight weeks of real uphill fitness work before you fly out is the minimum, not a suggestion. The trekkers who struggle least on this route usually aren’t the fittest people in the group — they’re the ones who trained specifically for hills and stairs, and who stick to the guide’s pace instead of racing ahead. Our full beginner’s preparation guide covers exactly what an 8-week plan should look like.
Peak Season (Spring: March–May | Autumn: September–November): Lukla flights operate from Manthali Airport in Ramechhap during these busiest months, not Kathmandu. Expect an early-morning 4–5-hour overland drive from Kathmandu to Ramechhap before the short flight to Lukla.
Off-Peak Season (Winter: December–February | Monsoon: June–August): Lukla flights generally operate directly between Kathmandu and Lukla in these months, subject to airline schedules and weather.
The Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) runs this seasonal arrangement to reduce congestion at Tribhuvan International Airport during peak season. It applies to every airline flying scheduled Lukla routes, including Tara Air, Summit Air, and Sita Air. We include the Ramechhap transfer in every package for this reason.
Prefer to skip a flight leg entirely? A helicopter upgrade is available on request. A shared seat currently runs roughly $650–700 per person one way. Heli pricing moves with fuel costs and passenger numbers, so treat this as a current rate, not a locked-in figure. We can also arrange a return pickup from Gorakshep, Dingboche, or Namche instead of walking back to Lukla. See our full FAQ on Lukla flight alternatives for the breakdown.
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Altitude: 2,610m | Flight: 35 min | Trek: 3–4 hrs | Meals: Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Phakding
The flight into Lukla is short but it earns its reputation — a cliff-edge runway, mountains close on both sides, and thin air the moment the door opens. From there the trail drops through pine forest and small Sherpa settlements along the Dudh Koshi River to Phakding. We keep the walking light today on purpose. Your body just gained a lot of altitude very fast on that flight, and the afternoon rest matters more than the distance covered.
Altitude: 3,440m | Trek: 5–6 hrs | Ascent: +638m | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Namche Bazaar
Today’s the real climb. The trail crosses the Dudh Koshi on a string of suspension bridges, enters Sagarmatha National Park at Jorsale, and finishes with a steep push into Namche. Most people remember exactly where they caught their first look at Everest — a gap in the ridge just below town, gone again in a few steps. Namche itself is a horseshoe of teahouses, bakeries, and gear shops carved into the hillside, and you’ll spend two nights here.
Altitude: 3,440m overnight / 3,880m hike | Hike: 3–4 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Namche Bazaar
We hike up to the Everest View Hotel ridge in the morning — Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Thamserku all visible at once on a clear day — then come back down to Namche for the afternoon. This day isn’t optional padding. Your body needs 24 to 48 hours at this altitude before it’s ready to go higher safely. Use the afternoon for the national park museum, the Saturday market if the timing lines up, and a proper gear check with your guide.
Altitude: 3,820m | Trek: 5–6 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Debuche
The trail climbs out of Namche through rhododendron and juniper forest to Tengboche, the most atmospheric monastery in the whole Khumbu — Ama Dablam on one side, Everest on the other. Try to get there before noon, while the light’s still clean and before the afternoon cloud builds in. From Tengboche we drop through forest to Debuche for the night.
Altitude: 4,410m | Trek: 5–6 hrs | Ascent: +590m | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Dingboche
Past Pangboche the trees thin out and you’re properly into alpine terrain. The trail passes Ama Dablam Base Camp before opening into Dingboche, a wide valley with Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Island Peak all visible on the horizon. This is where the Khumbu starts to feel remote in a way it hasn’t yet. Eat a full dinner, drink 3 to 4 litres of water, and rest properly — tomorrow’s acclimatisation hike is one of the more important days on the whole trek.
Altitude: 5,000m hike / 4,410m overnight | Hike: 4–5 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Dingboche
We climb Nagarjun Hill to around 5,000 metres — your first time past that mark on this trek — for a panorama that’s hard to overstate: Ama Dablam, Lhotse, Makalu, Baruntse and Chamlang across the full horizon. Sleeping back down at 4,410m after touching 5,000m is the climb-high-sleep-low principle in action, and it’s the single most effective way to acclimatise. Your body uses tonight to adjust before tomorrow’s push toward Lobuche.
Altitude: 4,910m | Trek: 4–5 hrs | Ascent: +500m | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Lobuche
The trail climbs past the Thukla memorial cairns — stone monuments to climbers and Sherpas who didn’t make it back from the peaks around here. Past Thukla, the valley opens onto the Khumbu Glacier’s lateral moraine. Lobuche feels noticeably thinner-aired than anything so far. Headaches and a lost appetite are normal at this point — tell your guide about anything you’re feeling, drink more than you think you need, and get to bed early.
Altitude: 5,160m overnight / 5,364m at Base Camp | Total: 6–7 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Gorakshep
The glacier moraine trail reaches Gorakshep, the highest teahouse settlement in the world and the coldest night you’ll have on this trip. We leave daypacks there and walk about two hours to Everest Base Camp itself. It isn’t a viewpoint — it’s a working expedition base sitting directly beneath the Khumbu Icefall, the same obstacle that’s stood between climbers and the summit since the first attempts in 1953. What that actually feels like standing there is hard to put into words beforehand. We return to Gorakshep for the night.
Altitude: 5,644m high point / 4,240m overnight | Total: 6–7 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Pheriche
Alarm goes off at 4:30am. The climb up Kala Patthar happens in the dark and the cold, and then the sun comes up — Everest’s southwest face turning gold, Nuptse, Lhotse and Pumori filling the rest of the horizon. This is the best Everest sunrise view you’ll get without technical climbing, and it’s the highest point of the whole trek. After that, the team drops all the way down to Pheriche — a real altitude recovery, and you’ll feel your energy and breathing improve with every hundred metres you lose.
Altitude: 3,440m | Trek: 6–7 hrs | Descent: -802m | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Namche Bazaar
Back down through Tengboche and the rhododendron forest to Namche. Breathing gets noticeably easier below 4,000 metres and energy comes back fast. Namche’s hot showers, bakeries and reliable electricity feel well earned after the last few days. Use the evening to charge everything, eat properly, and tip your guide and porter in cash — they worked hard for it above Dingboche.
Altitude: 2,860m | Trek: 5–6 hrs | Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner | Stay: Teahouse, Lukla
The last trekking day crosses the Hillary Suspension Bridge and follows the lower Dudh Koshi valley back to Lukla. The trail feels completely different on the way down — full lung capacity, ten days of walking behind you. Confirm your morning flight time with your guide, keep your packing within carry-on limits, and get an early night.
Flight: 35 min | Meals: Breakfast
Short flight back to Kathmandu, and that’s the trek — Namche, Tengboche, the Khumbu Glacier, Base Camp itself, Kala Patthar at dawn. Twelve days, done.
Important: Always build 2 to 3 buffer days into your Kathmandu schedule after this flight. Lukla flights run on weather, not schedules, and delays are common enough that we plan for them. Never book an international connection for the same day or the day right after your return.
Each guide below goes deep on one part of the trip instead of skimming the whole thing again — pick whichever one answers the question you actually have right now.
Moderate to challenging. There’s no technical climbing, no rope work, no glacier crossing — this is pure trekking on maintained trails the whole way. The real difficulty is sustained altitude above 3,400 metres for most of the route, two nights above 5,000 metres, and long walking days at altitude. Six to eight weeks of real uphill training before you fly out makes a genuine difference in how the route feels. Full breakdown: Everest Base Camp Trek difficulty guide →
Yes. Round-trip Lukla flights and the round trip transfer are both included in our package price.
Two — the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit. Both are included in our package price; you won’t need to buy anything separately. Your guide carries and presents the paperwork at every checkpoint from Jorsale onward. All you need to bring is your original passport for identity checks along the way. Full details: Everest Base Camp Trek permits guide →
Our package runs from $1,039 per person for groups of 8–12, up to $1,379 for solo trekkers — covering Lukla flights, the Ramechhap transfer, all permits, all accommodation, all meals, and a licensed guide. Once you add international flights, the $50 Nepal visa, travel insurance, and any gear rental, most trekkers land somewhere between $1,469 and $3,649 total, depending on where they fly from and whether they already own trekking gear. Full breakdown: Everest Base Camp Trek cost guide →
October, hands down — the monsoon’s cleared out completely and the weather’s the most stable of the year. April’s the best spring pick, with strong views before the pre-monsoon haze sets in and rhododendrons blooming on the lower trail. Skip June through August — the monsoon cuts visibility badly and turns the trail slippery. Month-by-month detail: Best time for Everest Base Camp Trek →
Kala Patthar at 5,644 metres, reached before sunrise on Day 9. The highest overnight is Gorakshep at 5,164 metres on Day 8 — bring a sleeping bag rated to at least -15°C for that one. Base Camp itself sits at 5,364 metres and is a day trip from Gorakshep. Two nights above 5,000 metres make this the most demanding stretch of the whole trek, altitude-wise. Full altitude profile: Everest Base Camp elevation guide →
No — unlike Annapurna, Manaslu, and most other trekking regions, the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality has not adopted Nepal’s April 2023 guide-mandatory rule, and solo trekking to Everest Base Camp remains legally possible without one. We include a licensed, English-speaking guide as standard on every EBC departure regardless — for altitude safety, navigation, permit handling, and teahouse bookings across all 12 days — but it isn’t a legal requirement here the way it is on the Annapurna route.
Three things matter most: trekking boots broken in over 8 weeks at home, a sleeping bag rated to -15°C, and a down jacket. All three can be rented in Kathmandu’s Thamel district if you’d rather not travel with them. No technical climbing gear is needed anywhere on this route. Simple rule: buy and break in your boots before you leave home, rent the bulky cold-weather gear once you’re in Kathmandu. Full checklist: Everest Base Camp packing list →
Stick to the acclimatisation schedule — the two nights each at Namche and Dingboche aren’t optional rest stops, they’re doing real work. Drink 3 to 4 litres of water a day from Namche onward, walk at a pace you can talk through, and tell your guide about every headache the moment it starts. Trekkers who follow this and don’t try to outpace the guide handle altitude well on this route, consistently. Full guide: Altitude sickness on EBC Trek →
Yes, and the EBC route is specifically what makes it practical — your acclimatisation is already built by the time you’d start a summit push. Lobuche Peak Climbing (6,119m) adds 4 days from Gorakshep. Island Peak Climbing adds 5 days via the Chhukung Valley from Dingboche. Combining either with EBC in one Lukla-to-Lukla trip is one of the most efficient ways to get above 6,000 metres in Nepal.
Yes, we require proof of insurance before confirming any booking. It needs to explicitly cover trekking at this trek’s highest point, Kala Patthar (5,644m), and helicopter evacuation from the Khumbu. A policy capped at 5,000m or 5,500m will not cover you at Kala Patthar — most trekkers buy the next round band up, typically 6,000m, to clear it with margin. Confirm the altitude limit with your insurer in writing before you buy. We can point you toward policy providers that actually cover this route if you need a recommendation.
Yes, for beginners who’ve actually prepared. This is the most-walked high-altitude route in the world for a reason — no technical sections, a well-run teahouse network the whole way, and an acclimatisation structure that’s built into every itinerary rather than bolted on. Thousands of first-time trekkers finish it successfully every season. What matters far more than prior trekking experience is 6 to 8 weeks of specific uphill fitness work before you fly out. Full guide: Everest Base Camp Trek for beginners →
Helicopter. A shared seat currently runs roughly $650–700 per person one way — heli pricing moves with fuel costs and passenger numbers, so treat this as a current rate, not a locked-in figure. For the return leg, we can arrange a pickup from Gorakshep, Dingboche, or Namche depending on how much of the descent you want to walk. And if anyone on the trek feels unwell at any point, evacuation is available immediately — your insurance covers it, and the helicopter flies straight to a hospital in Kathmandu. Talk to us before you book and we’ll build the right option into your itinerary.
Yes. We provide a complimentary roundtrip transfer to and from Tribhuvan International Airport for every Everest Base Camp Trek booking — pickup from the airport straight to your hotel in Thamel on arrival, and drop-off back to the airport on your departure day. This applies regardless of when you book relative to your arrival in Nepal.
The journey follows the B.P. Highway, travelling from Kathmandu through Bhaktapur, Sanga and Dhulikhel before continuing toward Manthali in Ramechhap. The road includes winding sections and sharp curves, so experienced drivers are important, particularly for the overnight journey.
During periods when the seasonal flight arrangement is in effect, scheduled Lukla flights may operate from Manthali Airport in Ramechhap rather than Kathmandu. This arrangement helps manage congestion at Tribhuvan International Airport during busy trekking periods.
Yes. You can travel to Manthali the afternoon before your flight and stay overnight instead of taking the midnight transfer from Kathmandu. However, most trekkers choose the overnight transfer because it allows them to remain in Kathmandu the previous day.
Flights to Lukla are highly dependent on weather and operating conditions. If your flight is delayed or cancelled, the next step depends on the airline’s schedule and available alternatives. Your trekking agency can help arrange the next available flight or discuss helicopter options when available.
