A complete guide to the Everest Base Camp trek, built around the questions trekkers ask most: how long it takes, how hard it is, Lukla flights and the seasonal Ramechhap (Manthali) departure, acclimatisation, permits, training, the best months and what it costs.
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The Everest Base Camp trek follows the Dudh Kosi and Khumbu valleys from Lukla through the Sherpa villages of Namche Bazaar, Tengboche and Dingboche to the foot of the Khumbu Icefall at 5,364 m, with a dawn climb of Kala Patthar (5,545 m) for the closest trekking view of Everest. Allow about 15 days from Kathmandu. It is non-technical but challenging, and the altitude, not the distance, is what makes it hard.
Our Everest Base Camp Trek takes 15 days from arrival in Kathmandu to departure, with eleven days on the trail, acclimatisation days at Namche Bazaar and Dingboche, and a spare day for Lukla flight delays.
This guide answers the questions trekkers ask us most before they commit: the itinerary, the flights, altitude, fitness, permits, seasons and cost.
It is a teahouse trek through Sherpa villages inside Sagarmatha National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, climbing from pine forest at Lukla to the moraine of the Khumbu Glacier. Days follow a rhythm of breakfast, five to seven hours on a well-made trail shared with porters and yaks, and evenings around a stove in the lodge dining room.
You start along the Dudh Kosi, climb steeply to Namche Bazaar, then follow a balcony trail with Ama Dablam ahead to Tengboche Monastery, the largest in the Khumbu. Above Pangboche the trees give way to juniper, and by Dingboche you are among stone-walled barley fields at 4,410 m. The last three days are on moraine beside the Khumbu Glacier, with Nuptse, Pumori and Lhotse close around you.
Not really. The Nuptse ridge hides the summit from base camp itself. The classic view of Everest is from Kala Patthar, which we climb at dawn the morning after base camp. You also see Everest at a distance from the Everest View Hotel above Namche and from Tengboche. Base camp is a rocky glacier site, filled with expedition tents only in spring.
Our trip is 15 days from Kathmandu: one day to arrive, eleven days on the trail including acclimatisation days at Namche Bazaar and Dingboche, a flight back, a contingency day for weather and a departure day. About eight days go up and three come down, because you lose height far faster than you can safely gain it.
Day | Route | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
1 | Arrive in Kathmandu, briefing | Kathmandu, 1,400 m |
2 | Fly to Lukla (2,860 m), trek to Phakding | Phakding, 2,610 m |
3 | Trek to Namche Bazaar | Namche, 3,440 m |
4 | Acclimatisation day: hike to the Everest View Hotel (3,880 m) | Namche, 3,440 m |
We meet you at Tribhuvan International Airport and drive you to your hotel. In the afternoon your guide runs a briefing, checks your gear and confirms whether your Lukla flight leaves from Kathmandu or from Ramechhap, which sets the pick-up time for the next morning.
On our itinerary you walk about 117 km from Lukla to base camp, Kala Patthar and back, including the two acclimatisation hikes. Distance is not the hard part: most days are 8 to 14 km. The longest are the descents, with 14.5 km from Pheriche to Namche and 18 km from Namche to Lukla.
In the main spring and autumn seasons, roughly late March to May and late September to November, scheduled Lukla flights leave from Ramechhap Airport in Manthali, a four to five hour drive from Kathmandu. At other times they usually leave from Kathmandu. The aviation authority moved peak-season flights to ease congestion at Tribhuvan International Airport.
From Ramechhap (Manthali) | From Kathmandu | |
|---|---|---|
When | Main spring and autumn seasons | Outside the peak windows |
Drive from Kathmandu | About 132 km, four to five hours | None |
Hotel pick-up | About 1 to 2 am | Early morning |
Flight time | About 20 minutes | About 35 to 40 minutes |
For autumn 2026, Manthali–Lukla flights stepped up at the end of September as the season began. We confirm which airport applies a few days before you fly, and we include the private transfer to Manthali when it is needed. The return works the same way in reverse.
Delays of a day are common because the small planes fly only in clear morning weather, and now and then cloud grounds flights for several days. Our itinerary keeps a contingency day in Kathmandu. If delays run longer, a shared helicopter between Lukla and Kathmandu or Ramechhap is usually possible at extra cost, and we can arrange it.
Allow another spare day before your international flight home if you can.
Usually 15 kg per person, including hand luggage. Excess is charged by the kilo when there is room for it at all. We store anything you do not need on the trek at your Kathmandu hotel.
By climbing slowly and resting twice. Our itinerary spends extra nights at Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) and Dingboche (4,410 m), climbs high on both rest days and comes back down to sleep, and adds 300 to 500 m of sleeping height on most days above Namche. This follows the standard used by the Himalayan Rescue Association.
You sleep above 4,000 m for five nights: two at Dingboche, one at Lobuche, one at Gorak Shep and one at Pheriche on the way down. At base camp there is about half the oxygen available at sea level.
The Wilderness Medical Society guidance used by the CDC is that above 3,000 m you should raise your sleeping height by no more than about 500 m a night and add an extra night for every 1,000 m gained. Itineraries that drop a rest day to save time make the trek harder and riskier. We do not recommend them.
A mild headache, poor sleep and breathlessness on climbs are normal. A headache with nausea, tiredness or dizziness is acute mountain sickness: stop climbing and rest until it clears. A worsening headache, vomiting, confusion, loss of coordination or breathlessness at rest are danger signs that mean descending at once.
Your guide checks your oxygen saturation and pulse every evening and will turn you around if symptoms point to altitude sickness. The Himalayan Rescue Association runs a seasonal aid post at Pheriche. Drink three to four litres a day and avoid alcohol until you are back below Namche. Our altitude sickness guide goes further.
Talk to your doctor or a travel clinic before you go. Acetazolamide (Diamox) can help acclimatisation and is widely used on this trek, but it has side effects and is not right for everyone. It does not replace a slow ascent, and it does not make it safe to keep climbing with symptoms.
We grade it challenging. The path is well made and nothing is technical in the main seasons, but you walk eleven days, five to eight hours on most of them, with several days above 4,900 m where every uphill is slow. Cold nights, poor sleep at altitude and the dry, dusty air add to the effort.
Day 9, Lobuche to Gorak Shep and base camp, is seven to eight hours at around 5,000 m.
The descent days after Kala Patthar are 13 to 18 km long.
Nights above Dingboche are often −10 °C or lower inside unheated rooms in October and November.
Many trekkers pick up the Khumbu cough from the dry air. A buff over your mouth and throat lozenges help.
Yes, if you are healthy, train for two to three months and follow an itinerary with proper acclimatisation days. Many of the people on the trail are first-time trekkers. What you need is the ability to walk six hours on hilly ground with a light pack, two days in a row. If you have never been to altitude and want a gentler start, consider Annapurna Base Camp first.
Start at least two to three months before departure, with three or four sessions a week of hill walking, stair climbing or running, building up to back-to-back day hikes with 800 to 1,000 m of ascent carrying your daypack. Leg strength work protects your knees on the long descents. Fitness does not prevent altitude sickness, but it makes each day less tiring.
Weeks 1–4: two or three cardio sessions and one long walk each week.
Weeks 5–8: add stairs or hill repeats, and lengthen the weekend walk to five or six hours.
Final month: back-to-back hill days, wearing the boots and pack you will trek with.
Throughout: squats, lunges and step-ups twice a week.
See your doctor if you have heart, lung or blood pressure conditions.
Warm layers matter most: thermal base layers, a fleece, a waterproof shell and a down jacket for nights well below freezing. Add broken-in waterproof boots, insulated gloves, a warm hat, a 25–35 litre daypack and water treatment. On our trek we lend you a down jacket and a four-season sleeping bag.
Thermal base layers (two sets), fleece mid layer, waterproof jacket and overtrousers, two pairs of trekking trousers.
Warm hat, sun hat, buff, liner gloves and insulated waterproof gloves, four pairs of trekking socks.
Broken-in boots with ankle support, and light shoes for evenings.
Head torch, category 3 or 4 sunglasses, high-factor sunscreen and lip balm, power bank.
Two one-litre bottles and a filter, tablets or UV pen.
Your policy must cover trekking up to 6,000 m and helicopter evacuation, because a helicopter is the only fast way out from above Namche. Bring the policy number and the insurer's 24-hour emergency number; your guide keeps a copy. A month's cover at that altitude typically costs about USD 100–250.
You need two permits: the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit, checked at Monjo, and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit, collected at Lukla. The Khumbu uses the municipality permit instead of a TIMS card. Children under ten are exempt from both. We arrange both on our trek; you only need your passport.
Permit | Where | Fee for foreign nationals |
|---|---|---|
Sagarmatha National Park entry permit | Kathmandu or the park gate at Monjo | NPR 3,000 before 13% VAT, about NPR 3,390 |
Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit | Lukla | NPR 3,000 (NPR 2,000 for SAARC and Chinese nationals) |
The municipality raised its fee from NPR 2,000 to NPR 3,000 for most foreign nationals from the 2024/25 fiscal year.
Yes. Nepal Tourism Board rules in force since 1 April 2023 require foreign trekkers to walk with a licensed guide booked through a registered agency. The rule is applied unevenly in the Khumbu, but every trek we run is led by a licensed guide, who also handles lodges, permits and daily altitude checks.
Our permits guide and do you need a guide to trek in Nepal cover the rules in detail.
October and November bring the clearest skies and are the busiest months. March to May is warmer, with rhododendrons in flower lower down and expedition tents at base camp, though afternoon cloud and haze are more common. December to February is clear but very cold, and the June to September monsoon brings cloud and frequent flight cancellations.
Months | Conditions | Our view |
|---|---|---|
October–November | Clearest skies, cold nights, lodges busy at Lobuche and Gorak Shep | Best |
March–May | Warmer, rhododendrons low down, expedition season, more haze | Very good |
December–February | Clear, very cold high up, some higher lodges close for part of winter | Possible for well-equipped trekkers |
June–September | Monsoon cloud, frequent Lukla cancellations |
Our best time to trek in Nepal guide covers each month.
Across the market, a guided Everest Base Camp group trek of 12 to 16 days including flights, guide, porter, permits, lodging and meals commonly sells for roughly USD 1,300 to 2,000 per person, more for private trips or helicopter legs. Return Lukla flights alone are about USD 380 to 480, which is why EBC costs more than treks reached by road.
For our own price, ask us for a quote. It depends on your dates, group size and whether you travel as a group or privately.
Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
Lukla flight, Kathmandu to Lukla (foreign national) | About USD 235–240 one way |
Lukla flight, Ramechhap to Lukla (foreign national) | About USD 190 one way |
Private road transfer, Kathmandu to Ramechhap | About USD 150 per vehicle, shared between the group |
Shared helicopter, Lukla to Kathmandu | About USD 450–550 per seat |
Sagarmatha National Park permit | About NPR 3,390 including VAT |
Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality permit |
Check whether return flights, the Manthali transfer, both permits, three meals a day, a porter, Kathmandu hotel nights and a contingency day are included. Leaving any of these out makes a quote look cheaper than the trip will be. Our trip page lists everything included in ours, down to the loaned down jacket and sleeping bag.
Budget extra for drinks, snacks, hot showers, charging, wifi and tips. Our Nepal trekking cost guide and what's included in a trekking package help you compare like with like.
Simple twin rooms with foam mattresses, and shared toilets above Namche. Lukla, Phakding and Namche often have rooms with attached bathrooms and hot showers. Above Dingboche rooms are basic and unheated, and everyone gathers in the dining room around a stove burning yak dung. Lodges at Lobuche and Gorak Shep are busy in peak weeks.
Menus include dal bhat, noodles, pasta, momos, potatoes, eggs, porridge and pancakes, and Namche has proper bakeries. Dal bhat with free refills is the best fuel. Meat is carried up from below, so we suggest avoiding it above Namche. Drink only boiled, filtered or treated water.
Mobile data works in much of the valley but is patchy, and many lodges sell prepaid wifi cards that work across several villages. Namche and Lukla have ATMs, but they often run out of cash or reject foreign cards, and there is nothing higher up. Carry enough Nepali rupees from Kathmandu.
In the Everest region, the Gokyo Lakes trek is quieter with views of four 8,000 m peaks, the Three Passes trek is a harder full circuit, and the Everest View trek stays below 4,000 m. All three use the same Lukla flights and permits.
Trek | Days | High point | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
14 | Gokyo Ri, 5,357 m | Fewer people, turquoise lakes, views of Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu | |
20 | Kala Patthar, 5,545 m | Experienced, fit trekkers; crosses Kongma La, Cho La and Renjo La | |
Undecided between Everest and Annapurna? Read Everest Base Camp vs Annapurna Base Camp.
Not on a standard trek. Trekkers sleep at Gorak Shep (5,164 m), about two to three hours' walk from base camp, and visit base camp in the afternoon. The tents at base camp belong to climbing expeditions.
Yes, helicopter returns from Gorak Shep or Pheriche are possible at extra cost, and some trekkers choose them to save the descent days. Your insurance only covers a helicopter for a medical evacuation, not for convenience.
No. On our trek one porter carries for every two trekkers, up to 20 kg in total, so about 10 kg each. You carry a daypack with water, layers, snacks and a camera.
Yes, at most lodges for a fee, often solar or gas heated. Above Dingboche showers are less reliable and the cold makes them less appealing; many trekkers make do with a bowl of hot water and wet wipes for a few days.
We do not set a fixed minimum or maximum age. Children and older trekkers do complete it, but altitude affects everyone, so we discuss each case before booking. Children under ten do not pay the park or municipality fee.
Route guides
Everything you need to plan the Annapurna Base Camp trek, built around the questions trekkers ask most: how long it takes, how hard it is, the avalanche zone between Deurali and Machhapuchhre Base Camp, the best months, ACAP permits and the guide rule, and what it really costs.
5 | Trek to Tengboche | Tengboche, 3,860 m |
6 | Trek to Dingboche | Dingboche, 4,410 m |
7 | Acclimatisation day: hike up Nangkartshang (about 5,083 m) | Dingboche, 4,410 m |
8 | Trek to Lobuche via the Thukla Pass memorials | Lobuche, 4,910 m |
9 | Trek to Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) | Gorak Shep, 5,164 m |
10 | Kala Patthar (5,545 m) at dawn, descend to Pheriche | Pheriche, 4,240 m |
11 | Trek to Namche Bazaar | Namche, 3,440 m |
12 | Trek to Lukla | Lukla, 2,860 m |
13 | Fly to Kathmandu (or Ramechhap and drive) | Kathmandu, 1,400 m |
14 | Contingency day for flight delays | Kathmandu, 1,400 m |
15 | Departure |
In peak season we leave Kathmandu in the small hours for the drive to Ramechhap (Manthali) and the 20-minute flight to Lukla; at other times the flight leaves from Kathmandu. From Lukla (2,860 m) the trail drops gently through Chheplung and along the Dudh Kosi, past mani walls and prayer wheels, to Phakding. It is a short first day, which suits an early start.
We follow the Dudh Kosi north, crossing it several times on suspension bridges, and enter Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo. After Jorsale comes the high Hillary Bridge and a long, steady climb to Namche, with the first glimpse of Everest from a viewpoint partway up if the sky is clear.
We climb above town to Syangboche and the Everest View Hotel (3,880 m) for views of Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam and Thamserku, often looping through the villages of Khumjung and Khunde before dropping back to Namche. The afternoon is free for the Sherpa museum, the bakeries and the Saturday market.
A balcony trail contours high above the Dudh Kosi with Ama Dablam ahead, then drops to Phunki Thanga before a steep climb through rhododendron and fir forest to Tengboche. The monastery here is the largest in the Khumbu, and we try to arrive in time for the afternoon prayers.
We drop through Deboche, cross the Imja Khola and climb past Pangboche, a Sherpa village with a centuries-old monastery, as the trees give way to juniper and scrub. The trail turns into the Imja valley to Dingboche, a village of stone-walled barley fields directly beneath Ama Dablam.
A second rest day is what makes the rest of the trek safe. We climb the ridge of Nangkartshang behind the village to around 5,083 m for views of Makalu, Lhotse, Island Peak and the Imja valley, then come back down to sleep at Dingboche.
We walk up the open Pheriche valley to Thukla, then climb the steep moraine to the Thukla Pass (4,830 m), where stone memorials remember climbers who died on Everest. The trail then follows the edge of the Khumbu Glacier to Lobuche, with Nuptse and Pumori now close.
We follow the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier to Gorak Shep, drop our bags and have an early lunch. In the afternoon we walk over rock and ice to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) beside the Khumbu Icefall, where expedition tents fill the glacier in spring, then return to Gorak Shep for the night.
We start before dawn to climb Kala Patthar (5,545 m), the best viewpoint for Everest itself, with Nuptse, Lhotse, Pumori and the Khumbu Glacier around you as the sun reaches the summit. After breakfast back at Gorak Shep we retrace our steps past Lobuche and Thukla and descend to Pheriche, where the thicker air makes sleep much easier.
A long day of mostly downhill walking back through Pangboche and Tengboche, down to the river at Phunki Thanga and along the balcony trail to Namche. Your legs will notice the descent, but the extra oxygen helps.
We descend steeply to the Hillary Bridge, leave the national park at Monjo and follow the Dudh Kosi back through Phakding. The final climb up to Lukla takes about an hour, and the evening is a chance to thank the porters.
We take a morning flight out of Lukla to Kathmandu, or in peak season to Ramechhap followed by the drive back to Kathmandu, arriving in the afternoon. The rest of the day is yours.
We keep this day free in case weather delays the Lukla flight on either end. If the flights run on time, use it for Boudhanath, Pashupatinath or Patan Durbar Square.
We drive you to Tribhuvan International Airport in time for your flight home.
Not recommended
NPR 3,000
Teahouse room, Phakding and Namche | About USD 7–15 a night |
Teahouse room, Dingboche to Gorak Shep | About USD 15–25 a night |
Breakfast | About USD 5–8 |
Lunch or dinner | About USD 6–12, more at Lobuche and Gorak Shep |
Boiled or filtered water | About NPR 150–450 a litre, rising with altitude |
Licensed guide | About USD 25–35 a day |
Porter | About USD 20–25 a day |
Tips | Commonly 10–15% of the trek cost, or roughly USD 100–180 per trekker for two weeks |
Travel insurance to 6,000 m with helicopter cover | About USD 100–250 for a month |
Nepal tourist visa | USD 30 for 15 days, USD 50 for 30 days, USD 125 for 90 days |
8 |
Everest View Hotel, 3,880 m |
Short trips and anyone who wants to avoid high altitude |
Yes. We aim to arrive at Tengboche in time for the afternoon prayers. Visitors who go inside pay a small entry fee, and you should dress modestly, remove your hat and not photograph inside without permission.
A dry, persistent cough many trekkers develop from the cold, dry and dusty air above Namche. It is not altitude sickness. A buff over your mouth on the trail, throat lozenges and plenty of fluids help.
Enough Nepali rupees from Kathmandu for drinks, snacks, showers, charging, wifi and tips for the whole trek. ATMs in Namche and Lukla are unreliable and there are none higher up. Teahouses generally do not take cards.
In October, November and April it is busy, with lodges in Lobuche and Gorak Shep filling up. Early March, late May and December are quieter. For fewer people with similar mountains, consider the Gokyo Lakes trek.