Trip Facts
Country:
Everest Region, Nepal
Duration:
14 Days
Max Altitude:
5,545 m / 18,192 ft (Kala Patthar)
Activities:
Trekking
Region:
Sagarmatha National Park, Khumbu
Grade:
Challenging
Group Size:
1–12 people
Accomodation:
3-star hotel in Kathmandu (2 nights), teahouse lodges on trek (11 nights)
Trips Overview
Everest Base Camp is the walk almost every trekker pictures when they imagine Nepal, and it earns the reputation. Over fourteen days you climb from the terraced hills above Lukla into the high Khumbu, following the Dudh Koshi through Sherpa villages, pine forest and swing bridges, until the tree line falls away and you are walking on moraine beneath Nuptse, Pumori and the Khumbu Icefall.
What most itineraries do not tell you is that this trek is not difficult because of the distance. Individual days are moderate: five to seven hours of walking on a well-made trail. It is difficult because of the air. Above Dingboche you are working on roughly half the oxygen you have at home, and the deciding factor in whether you reach Base Camp is almost never fitness. It is how patiently you gain height.
Our itinerary is built around that. We take two full acclimatisation days rather than one, at Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) and Dingboche (4,410 m), and both are active. You climb several hundred metres and sleep low again, which is what actually drives adaptation. Sleeping altitude never rises more than about 500 m on a trekking day above Namche. It is a slower profile than the eleven- and twelve-day versions sold elsewhere, and it is the single biggest reason our groups summit Kala Patthar feeling well rather than wrecked.
Why trek this route with us
We run small groups, and the group stays together. A second guide comes on any departure of seven or more, so if one person needs to turn back or rest, the trek does not stop for everyone else and nobody descends alone.
Your guide records oxygen saturation and resting pulse every evening from Day 4. That means a problem shows up as a trend on paper rather than as an argument on a cold morning at Lobuche about whether you are fine.
You do not need previous high-altitude experience. You do need to arrive able to walk five to six hours on consecutive days over uneven ground, and you need to be willing to go slowly.
Trips Highlights
- Stand at Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) below the Khumbu Icefall, on the route every Everest summit expedition begins from
- Climb Kala Patthar (5,545 m) at first light for the clearest view of Everest's south-west face on the entire trek
- Daily oxygen saturation and pulse checks from Day 4, so altitude problems are caught early rather than argued about
Trips Itinerary
You are met at Tribhuvan International Airport and driven to your hotel in Thamel. Nothing is scheduled for the rest of the day. Most people arrive tired and the best use of the afternoon is sleep and a walk around the neighbourhood.
In the evening your guide runs the pre-trek briefing: we check your kit against the list, confirm your insurance covers high-altitude evacuation, hand over your duffel bag and map, and answer questions. If you are missing anything, Thamel’s gear shops are five minutes away and your guide will come with you.
Duration:
Transfer 30–45 min
Accomodation:
3-star hotel, Kathmandu
An early start for the flight to Lukla. In peak season this departs from Manthali, four to five hours by road from Kathmandu, so the day begins around 1 am; outside peak season it is a 35-minute flight direct from Kathmandu. Either way the approach to Tenzing-Hillary Airport is memorable: a single sloping runway cut into the hillside.
From Lukla the trail drops gently through Chaurikharka and Ghat, following the Dudh Koshi downstream. It is a deliberately short and easy first afternoon, losing height rather than gaining it, which is exactly what you want on the day you arrive at 2,840 m.
Duration:
3–4 hrs trek, 8 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Phakding
The trail crosses the Dudh Koshi repeatedly on suspension bridges strung with prayer flags, climbing gradually through Monjo, where you enter Sagarmatha National Park and your permits are checked.
After the high Hillary Bridge the day changes character: a sustained climb of roughly 600 m in two to three hours up to Namche. It is the first genuinely hard section of the trek and most people find it humbling. Go slowly and drink more than you think you need. If the cloud lifts near the top there is a first view of Everest between the ridges.
Duration:
5–6 hrs trek, 12 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Namche Bazaar
A rest day, but not a day in bed. We climb to the Syangboche ridge and the Hotel Everest View at 3,880 m, then come back down to sleep at 3,440 m. Climbing high and sleeping low is what actually drives acclimatisation. A day spent lying in a lodge does far less.
The terrace at the hotel gives an open view of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam. On the way back we can visit Khumjung village and its monastery, or the Sherpa Culture Museum above Namche.
Your guide takes the first oxygen saturation and resting pulse readings today and records them daily from here on, so any change is measured rather than guessed at.
Duration:
4–5 hrs hike, 6 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Namche Bazaar
A level, open traverse from Namche with Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam in view for much of the morning, then a steep drop to the river at Phunki Tenga and a long climb through rhododendron forest to the monastery.
Tengboche Gompa is the largest in the Khumbu and sits on a ridge directly facing Ama Dablam. Visitors are welcome at the late-afternoon prayer ceremony; your guide will explain the etiquette before you go in.
Duration:
5–6 hrs trek, 10 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Tengboche
Through Deboche and across the Imja Khola at Pangboche, the highest permanent village on the route and home to the oldest monastery in the region. Above Pangboche the last trees disappear and the landscape becomes open, rocky and much larger.
The final stretch into the Imja valley brings you to Dingboche, a village of stone-walled fields at 4,410 m. This is where thin air stops being an abstraction. Expect to be slower, hungrier for breath on small climbs, and to sleep less well than usual. All of that is normal.
Duration:
5–6 hrs trek, 10 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Dingboche
The second and more important acclimatisation day. We climb the ridge above the village towards Nangkartshang, gaining around 650 m, and return to sleep at 4,410 m. Most trekkers go as far as the prayer flags at roughly 5,000 m; going all the way to the top is optional and makes no difference to your acclimatisation.
The reward is the view. Makalu, the world’s fifth-highest peak, appears to the east, with Ama Dablam, Lhotse and Island Peak arranged around the valley.
This is the day that decides most trips. Trekkers who feel strong here almost always reach Base Camp. If your readings or symptoms suggest otherwise, this is where we adjust the plan rather than pushing on and dealing with it higher up.
Duration:
4–5 hrs hike, 4 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Dingboche
A gradual climb to Thukla, then a short steep pull to the Thukla Pass, where dozens of stone memorials stand for climbers and Sherpas who died on Everest. It is a quiet place and most groups slow down without being asked.
From the pass the trail follows the lateral moraine of the Khumbu Glacier to Lobuche, a small cluster of lodges under Nuptse. Nights here are cold, often well below freezing inside the room, and this is where your sleeping bag rating matters.
Duration:
5–6 hrs trek, 9 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Lobuche
The longest and highest day of the trek. We follow the glacier’s moraine to Gorak Shep, drop bags at the lodge and take an early lunch, then continue out across the glacier itself to Everest Base Camp.
The final section is a rocky, uneven traverse rather than a climb, but at 5,300 m it takes real effort. Base Camp sits below the Khumbu Icefall. In April and May it is a working village of expedition tents; outside the climbing season it is bare ice, moraine and prayer flags. You will not see Everest’s summit from here, which surprises people; the mountain is hidden behind Nuptse. That view comes tomorrow.
We return to Gorak Shep for the night. It is a hard place to sleep and almost nobody sleeps well.
Duration:
8–9 hrs trek, 11.5 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Gorak Shep
We leave in the dark for Kala Patthar, the black rocky shoulder above Gorak Shep. The climb is around 380 m and takes most people two hours in the cold, with head torches on. It is the hardest hour of the trek.
From the top, at 5,545 m, Everest finally reveals its full south-west face, with Nuptse, Lhotse, Changtse and Pumori around it. This is the photograph you came for, and the highest point you will stand on.
Afterwards we descend all the way to Pheriche at 4,240 m. Losing 1,300 m in a day feels extraordinary. Appetite, sleep and energy return within hours.
Duration:
7–8 hrs, 17 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Pheriche
A long day but a much easier one, retracing the valley through Pangboche and Tengboche and back around the traverse to Namche. The forest, birdsong and greenery return, and the difference in the air is obvious.
Namche in the afternoon is a good place to celebrate quietly. There are bakeries, coffee, hot showers that actually work, and shops if you want to buy something to take home.
Duration:
7–8 hrs trek, 20 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Namche Bazaar
The last walking day: down the steep section to the Hillary Bridge, then the long undulating trail along the Dudh Koshi through Monjo and Phakding, with a final climb back up to Lukla.
It is a longer day than it looks on the map, but you are fit by now and the air is thick. The evening in Lukla is traditionally when the group and the crew eat together and the guides and porters are thanked properly.
Duration:
7–8 hrs trek, 19 km
Accomodation:
Teahouse lodge, Lukla
Morning flight back to Kathmandu or Manthali, weather permitting. Flights go early because the wind at Lukla builds through the day. The rest of the day is yours for a shower, a proper bed and any last shopping.
In the evening we hold the celebration dinner at a Nepali restaurant, and hand out trip completion certificates.
If cloud closes Lukla, we wait. This is exactly why we recommend keeping spare days before your international flight.
Duration:
35 min flight, or road transfer from Manthali
Accomodation:
3-star hotel, Kathmandu
Transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport about three hours before your flight.
If you have time before departing, or if you want to extend, we can arrange a Kathmandu valley day around Boudhanath, Pashupatinath and Bhaktapur, or onward travel to Pokhara or Chitwan.
Duration:
Transfer 30–45 min
Accomodation:
Departure day
Trips Include
Everything below is covered by the trek price. We have written this list to be specific about quantities and standards, because vague inclusions are where trekking budgets quietly break.
- Airport transfers on arrival and departure in Kathmandu, in a private vehicle
- 2 nights in a 3-star Kathmandu hotel on twin-share, with breakfast (single supplement available)
- 11 nights in teahouse lodges on twin-share, with attached bathrooms where available at Lukla, Phakding and Namche
- All meals on trek: 11 breakfasts, 11 lunches and 11 dinners, plus tea or coffee with every meal
- Celebration dinner in Kathmandu at a Nepali restaurant on your return
- Round-trip flight Kathmandu or Manthali to Lukla, including the road transfer to Manthali when the season requires it
- Licensed, English-speaking trekking guide, with a second guide for groups of 7 or more
- One porter per two trekkers, carrying up to 12 kg each
- All guide and porter wages, meals, accommodation, equipment, insurance and medical cover
- Sagarmatha National Park entry permit (NPR 3,000)
- Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit (NPR 3,000). This has replaced the TIMS card in the Everest region
- All government taxes, VAT and company administrative costs
Trips Exclude
- International flights to and from Kathmandu
- Nepal entry visa: USD 30 for 15 days, USD 50 for 30 days, obtainable on arrival at Kathmandu airport
- Lunch and dinner in Kathmandu, other than the included celebration dinner
- Travel insurance, which must cover helicopter evacuation and medical treatment above 5,600 m
- Personal trekking clothing and equipment
- Tips for your guide and porters, customarily 10–15% of the trip cost, given as a group at the end
- Anything not listed under what is included
Travel insurance covering helicopter evacuation above 5,600 m is not optional on this trek. We will ask to see your policy before you fly to Lukla. Standard travel insurance almost never covers high-altitude rescue, so check the altitude limit specifically rather than assuming.
Packaging Lists
The three things that actually matter
Broken-in boots. Mid-weight, ankle-supporting, and worn for at least 50 km before you fly. New boots on Day 3 to Namche is the most common preventable injury we see.
A layering system, not a thick coat. You will be too hot climbing and cold within minutes of stopping. Base layer, fleece or light down mid-layer, windproof shell, and a heavy down jacket for evenings and the Kala Patthar morning.
A sleeping bag rated to −15°C comfort. While the hotels provide blankets, it is good to have your own back up.
Upper body
2 × merino or synthetic base layers, 1 × fleece, 1 × lightweight down or synthetic mid-layer, 1 × waterproof windproof shell, 1 × heavy down jacket.
Lower body
2 × trekking trousers, 1 × thermal leggings, 1 × waterproof over-trousers, 4–5 × underwear, 4 × trekking socks plus 1 × thick sleeping pair.
Head, hands, feet
Sun hat, warm beanie, buff or neck gaiter, glacier-rated sunglasses (category 3 or 4, because snow glare above Lobuche is severe), inner gloves, insulated outer gloves, broken-in boots, camp shoes or sandals.
For menstruating women
Enough menstrual supplies for the trek, since nothing reliable is sold above Namche and altitude often shifts cycle timing. A pee funnel if you plan to use one, optional.
Health and documents
Personal first aid kit, blister plasters, rehydration salts, any prescription medication in original packaging with a copy of the prescription, sunscreen SPF 50, SPF lip balm, headlamp with spare batteries, passport, four passport photos and insurance certificate showing high-altitude evacuation cover.
Bags
You will leave your suitcase at the hotel in Kathmandu and only carry what you need for the trek to the Everest region. You will need a personal backpack of 25–35 L. In this backpack you will carry lighter items that you require during the day on the trek, such as layers, water bottle, camera, personal documents and such. A porter will carry the rest of your belongings. We will provide one duffel bag for two trekkers. Your total items for the trek should not weigh more than 15 kg in total, including your backpack. We will conduct a gear check in Kathmandu after your arrival to ease this out.
Trips Altitude
Trips Video
Trips Gallery
Trips FAQs
The questions our trekkers actually ask, answered honestly, including the ones about difficulty and turning back that most operators avoid.
Physically the walking is moderate: five to seven hours a day on a maintained trail, with two days closer to eight. There is no climbing, no rope, and no technical ground.
The difficulty is altitude. Above 4,500 m you are working on roughly half the oxygen available at sea level, and that turns ordinary tasks into effort. Poor sleep, low appetite and mild headaches are normal for most trekkers above Dingboche.
We grade this trek Challenging rather than Moderate, which some operators use. A grading that undersells it does not help you prepare.
No. Many of our trekkers have never been above 3,000 m. What you need is the ability to walk five to six hours on consecutive days over uneven ground, and the patience to move slowly.
Acute Mountain Sickness is your body reacting to reduced oxygen. Mild symptoms like headache, nausea, poor sleep and lethargy or tiredness are common. Old school discipline of walking slowly and hydrating well is enough to make this trip.
Consult with your doctor before the trip for any allergy medication on high altitude, if you want to be on diamox or if you have any pre-existing conditions. We can get medical attention at Namche and Pheriche. However, if symptoms worsen, descending is the safest option.
Then you stop, and it is not a failure. Roughly one trekker in ten on any Everest itinerary turns back, most often at Lobuche or Gorak Shep.
With two guides on groups of seven or more, one can descend with you while the group continues. You wait comfortably at a lower village and rejoin on the way down. There is no extra charge for this. It is what the second guide is for.
March to May is the busiest and arguably the best. Rhododendron forests are in flower below Tengboche, days are mild, and Base Camp is full of expedition teams preparing to climb.
September to November gives the clearest skies of the year after the monsoon washes the air, with sharp mountain views and cold, stable nights. October is the single most popular month.
December to February is clear but severely cold, with some high lodges closed. June to August is monsoon: cloud, rain, leeches lower down and frequent Lukla flight cancellations. We do not recommend it.
Two permits, both included in your price: the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit (NPR 3,000) and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit (NPR 3,000).
A TIMS card is not required for the Everest region. The Khumbu Pasang Lhamu permit replaced it, and the municipality fee rose from NPR 2,000 to NPR 3,000 in September 2024. Many operator websites still list a TIMS card for this trek. That information is out of date.
We arrange both permits for you; you just need your passport and four passport photographs.
Teahouses are simple: a twin room with two beds, a mattress, a pillow and a blanket, and an unheated bedroom. The dining room has a traditional central stove lit in the evening and is where everyone spends time.
Bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitiser, and a head torch.
Menus are broad: dal bhat, noodles, soups, pasta, potatoes, porridge, eggs, Tibetan bread, momos. Dal bhat is the one to order most days: it is freshly cooked, generous, and refills are free.
Vegetarian and vegan are straightforward and we recommend going vegetarian above Namche anyway, since meat is carried up unrefrigerated. Gluten-free is workable with notice. Rice, potatoes, eggs and dal are all naturally safe. Tell us about allergies at booking so your guide can brief lodge kitchens directly.
Appetite usually drops above 4,500 m. Eating anyway is part of acclimatising.
Honestly, it is up to you. In general $500 should be enough to cover your non-covered expenses in Kathmandu, additional wifi and charging fees on the trek and porter tips.
A policy that explicitly covers trekking to 5,600 m and helicopter evacuation and medical repatriation. Most standard travel insurance caps altitude cover well below that, and many policies exclude helicopter rescue entirely.
Check the altitude limit in the policy wording rather than assuming, and send us the certificate before you travel. We will ask to see it before you fly to Lukla. This is the one requirement we do not make exceptions on.
One porter carries up to 24 kg shared between two trekkers, so plan for a maximum of 12 kg in the duffel we provide. You carry a 25–35 L daypack yourself with water, layers, camera, sunscreen and documents, usually 5–7 kg.
The Lukla flight allowance is 15 kg total including your daypack. Anything beyond that can be stored free at your Kathmandu hotel, which is what most people do with city clothes and travel gear.
It happens in every season, usually due to cloud or wind. If flights are grounded we wait and fly on the next available slot, and we cover the extra Kathmandu or Lukla night at the same standard as the rest of the trip.
A helicopter charter is sometimes an option in a long delay. This is why we ask everyone to keep two spare days before their international flight home.
Good to Know
The questions our trekkers actually ask, answered honestly, including the ones about difficulty and turning back that most operators avoid.
Almost everything that goes wrong on this trek comes back to gaining height too fast. Fitness does not protect you. Strong, young trekkers get altitude sickness regularly, sometimes because they move faster than they should.
What we build into the itinerary: no more than about 500 m of sleeping-altitude gain per day above Namche; two active acclimatisation days where you climb high and sleep low; and a full descent of 1,300 m on Day 10 immediately after the highest point.
What we ask from you: drink 3–4 litres of water a day, walk slower than feels natural, eat even when you do not want to, skip alcohol and sleeping tablets entirely above Namche, and report symptoms early rather than proving you can push through. Your guide records your oxygen saturation and pulse each evening from Day 4 so trends are visible.
Diamox (acetazolamide) helps some trekkers. Discuss it with your own doctor before you travel, and if you plan to use it, trial it at home first so you know how you react.
Book three to four months ahead for October and April departures. These are the two busiest months in the Khumbu, and lodge space at Dingboche and Lobuche is genuinely limited.
To hold a place we take a 20% deposit, with the balance due in Kathmandu before you fly to Lukla. We can hold a provisional booking for seven days without payment while you check flights.
Once you are booked we send a pre-departure pack with a training plan for the twelve weeks before the trek, a kit list you can tick off, and a short guide to insurance policies that genuinely cover high-altitude helicopter evacuation.
Build two spare days into your international flights. Lukla flights are weather-dependent and delays of a day or two happen in every season. If your international flight leaves the morning after you are due back in Kathmandu, a normal Lukla delay becomes a missed flight.
Which airport you fly from depends on the season. In the peak months of April, May, October and November, Lukla flights usually operate from Manthali (Ramechhap), a four to five hour drive from Kathmandu leaving very early. Outside those months they generally run direct from Kathmandu. We confirm which applies to your dates when you book, and the road transfer is included either way.
