Everest Base Camp (EBC) is the most famous walk in Nepal for a reason: two weeks through Sherpa villages and monasteries to the foot of the highest mountain on earth, with no technical climbing required. It is also a serious high-altitude trek that deserves respect and a plan. Here is the plain-English version.
The essentials
- Distance: roughly 130 km round trip from Lukla
- Duration: 12–14 days including acclimatisation days; longer if you walk in from Jiri or Salleri
- Highest sleeping point: Gorak Shep, about 5,164 m
- Highest points: Everest Base Camp 5,364 m and the Kala Patthar viewpoint at about 5,545 m
- Difficulty: challenging because of altitude and length, not terrain — the trail itself is well made
- Best seasons: October–November and March–May
The classic day-by-day route
Itineraries vary by a day or two, but almost all of them follow this shape:
- Day 1: Fly to Lukla (2,860 m), walk to Phakding (2,610 m)
- Day 2: Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) — the big climb into the Sherpa capital
- Day 3: Acclimatisation day in Namche; hike toward the Everest View Hotel or Khumjung
- Day 4: Namche to Tengboche (3,860 m) and its monastery
- Day 5: Tengboche to Dingboche (4,410 m)
- Day 6: Acclimatisation day in Dingboche; climb Nangkartshang hill
- Day 7: Dingboche to Lobuche (4,940 m), passing the Thukla memorials
- Day 8: Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5,164 m), then on to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) and back
- Day 9: Early climb of Kala Patthar (about 5,545 m) for the Everest view, descend to Pheriche
- Days 10–12: Walk back down to Namche and Lukla; fly out
Notice the two rest days. They aren't optional extras; they are the reason most people make it. Read our guide to altitude before you go.
Getting to Lukla
The Lukla flight is short, spectacular and weather-dependent. During the busy autumn and spring seasons, flights often operate from Manthali airport in Ramechhap — a four-to-five-hour drive from Kathmandu — rather than from Kathmandu itself. Delays and cancellations are common in cloud, so keep at least two spare days at the end of your trip before any international flight.
Permits
For the Everest region you need a Sagarmatha National Park entry permit and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality entrance fee; the national TIMS card is not currently required in Khumbu. Permits are issued at Monjo and in Lukla. Fees change from time to time, so check current rates with the Nepal Tourism Board or your trekking agency, and note that Nepal's 2023 guidance asks independent trekkers to hire a licensed guide in most trekking areas.
What it costs to budget for
Rather than quote figures that go out of date, think in categories: the Lukla flights, permits, a guide and/or porter, tea-house accommodation (cheap, but rooms cost more if you don't eat where you sleep), food that gets pricier with every day of altitude, hot showers and phone charging, Wi-Fi cards, travel insurance that covers you above 5,000 m and helicopter evacuation, and gear rental in Kathmandu. Carry cash — there are no reliable ATMs above Namche.
Mistakes first-timers make
- Skipping acclimatisation days to "save time" — the surest way to be helicoptered out
- Booking an international flight the day after the Lukla flight home
- Packing for summer: it can be well below freezing at Gorak Shep even in October
- Trusting the phone signal for navigation — beyond Namche it is patchy and paid Wi-Fi is the norm
- Ignoring a headache: mild AMS is common; going higher with it is the problem
Plan it in Trailma
Open the Everest Base Camp trail in Trailma to see the full route with an elevation profile stage by stage, download the map for offline navigation, and track each day so the whole journey — from Lukla's runway to the prayer flags at base camp — lives in your outdoor history.
