Everest Base Camp Trek
Also known as EBC Trek / Khumbu Base Camp Trek.
Everest Base Camp Trek is a difficult 12-14-day teahouse trek in the Everest (Khumbu) region of Nepal, reaching 5,644 m. It starts at Lukla and ends at Lukla.
Key facts
- Region
- Everest (Khumbu) (Solukhumbu)
- Duration
- 12-14 days, 5-7 hours walking per day
- Distance
- 130 km
- Maximum altitude
- 5,644 m
- Difficulty
- Difficult — 12-14 days with 8+ nights above 3,400m, sleeping to 5,164m (Gorak Shep) and hiking to 5,644m (Kala Patthar). No technical terrain and excellent teahouse infrastructure, but sustained altitude, cold and cumulative fatigue make it genuinely demanding.
- Trek type
- Teahouse, out-and-back route
- Best season
- Autumn (Oct-Nov) and Spring (Mar-May)
- Guide
- Not mandatory
- Restricted area
- No
- Budget cost
- NPR 130,000–180,000
- Comfortable cost
- NPR 180,000–260,000
- Guided cost
- NPR 200,000–310,000
- Getting there
- Kathmandu → Lukla (flight 30-40 min) off-season; peak season (approx. Oct 1-Nov 15, Apr 1-May 15) flights run from Ramechhap: Kathmandu → Manthali (drive 4-5h) → Lukla (flight 15-20 min). Flight-free: Kathmandu → Salleri/Thamdanda shared jeep (12-14h over 1-2 days) → walk 1-2 days to Lukla/Phakding.
- Altitude sickness
- High — over half the route lies above 4,000m with sleeping altitudes to 5,164m; AMS symptoms are common above Dingboche and HAPE/HACE cases occur every season among trekkers who skip acclimatization days.
Weather
Autumn gives the most stable skies; spring adds Everest-expedition activity at Base Camp and rhododendron lower down. Winter is possible for experienced trekkers (very cold nights, -20°C+ at Gorak Shep, some lodges shut). Monsoon brings cloud, leeches low down and frequent Lukla flight disruption. Days above Dingboche are often windy after noon.
Permits
- Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit — NPR 3,000 for foreigners. Where to get it: Nepal Tourism Board office (Kathmandu) or park gate at Monjo
- Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Entrance Fee (Trek Card) — NPR 3,000 for foreigners. Where to get it: Lukla (or Monjo checkpoint if arriving by road) — not sold in Kathmandu
Itinerary
- Day 1: Kathmandu/Ramechhap to Phakding, 3 h, 2,610 m — Lukla landing at Tenzing-Hillary Airport; Dudh Koshi valley, mani stones
- Day 2: Phakding to Namche Bazaar, 5-6 h, 3,440 m — Monjo park gate; Hillary Suspension Bridge; first Everest view
- Day 3: Namche Bazaar to Namche (acclimatization), 3-4 h, 3,440 m — Hike to Everest View Hotel (3,880m)/Khumjung; Sherpa Culture Museum; Saturday market
- Day 4: Namche Bazaar to Tengboche, 5 h, 3,860 m — Ama Dablam views; Tengboche Monastery afternoon puja
- Day 5: Tengboche to Dingboche, 5-6 h, 4,410 m — Pangboche village (oldest gompa in Khumbu); treeline transition into Imja Valley
- Day 6: Dingboche to Dingboche (acclimatization), 3-4 h, 4,410 m — Acclimatization hike up Nangkartshang ridge (~5,083m): Makalu, Island Peak, Ama Dablam panorama
- Day 7: Dingboche to Lobuche, 5 h, 4,940 m — Thukla (Dughla) climb; Everest memorial chortens at Thukla Pass (4,830m)
- Day 8: Lobuche to Gorak Shep + Everest Base Camp, 6-8 h, 5,164 m — Everest Base Camp (5,364m) on the Khumbu Glacier; Khumbu Icefall views; expedition city in spring
- Day 9: Gorak Shep to Pheriche via Kala Patthar, 7-8 h, 4,371 m — Pre-dawn ascent of Kala Patthar (5,644m) — the classic sunrise close-up of Everest, Nuptse, Pumori
- Day 10: Pheriche to Namche Bazaar, 6-7 h, 3,440 m — Long descent, thicker air; Tengboche again
- Day 11: Namche Bazaar to Lukla, 6-7 h, 2,860 m — Farewell to the Dudh Koshi bridges; celebration night in Lukla
- Day 12: Lukla to Kathmandu/Ramechhap, 0 h, 1,400 m — Morning mountain flight out