Everest Base Camp trek — the complete route guide
Twelve to sixteen days from Lukla (2,860 m) to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) and Kala Patthar (5,545 m), sleeping in Sherpa teahouses the whole way. You need the Sagarmatha National Park permit and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality permit — not TIMS — plus a licensed guide, and two buffer days for the Lukla flight.
Everest Base Camp is the most famous trek on earth and, contrary to its reputation, not a technical undertaking. It is a long walk at altitude on a well-established teahouse trail through the Sherpa heartland of the Khumbu, with no climbing, no ropes and no camping.
What it demands is time. The distance could be walked in a week; it takes twelve to sixteen days because your body needs the rest of them to adapt to the air. Every attempt to compress that schedule increases your chance of being carried out by helicopter.
It is also busier than any other Nepali trek. If crowds bother you, the Gokyo Lakes variation or the Three Passes route sees a fraction of the traffic for the same mountains.
The route at a glance
A round trip of roughly 130 km from Lukla and back, spending twelve to sixteen days on the trail. Maximum sleeping altitude is Gorak Shep at 5,164 m; maximum altitude touched is Kala Patthar at 5,545 m, which is the viewpoint everyone actually comes for — Everest is barely visible from Base Camp itself.
- Distance — about 130 km round trip from Lukla.
- Duration — 12–16 days walking, plus 2 buffer days for the Lukla flight.
- Start and finish — Lukla (2,860 m), reached by a short flight from Kathmandu or Manthali.
- Highest sleep — Gorak Shep, 5,164 m. Highest point — Kala Patthar, 5,545 m.
- Difficulty — moderate to strenuous. No technical skill; sustained long days at altitude.
- Best seasons — March to May, and October to early December.
The standard itinerary, and why it looks slow
The classic schedule is built entirely around two acclimatisation nights, at Namche and Dingboche. Skipping them is the single most common cause of a failed Everest trek.
- Day 1 — Fly Kathmandu to Lukla (2,860 m), walk down to Phakding (2,610 m). Note the descent: you have just gained 1,400 m in forty minutes.
- Day 2 — Phakding to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m). The long climb after the high suspension bridge is the first real test.
- Day 3 — Acclimatisation day at Namche. Day-hike to the Everest View Hotel or Khumjung, then sleep low again.
- Day 4 — Namche to Tengboche (3,860 m), for the monastery and the Ama Dablam view.
- Day 5 — Tengboche to Dingboche (4,410 m).
- Day 6 — Acclimatisation day at Dingboche. Day-hike Nangkartshang, then back down to sleep.
- Day 7 — Dingboche to Lobuche (4,910 m), past the memorials at Thukla Pass.
- Day 8 — Lobuche to Gorak Shep (5,164 m), then out to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) and back.
- Day 9 — Pre-dawn climb to Kala Patthar (5,545 m) for sunrise, then descend to Pheriche.
- Days 10–12 — Descend to Namche and Lukla. Descent is fast and, on tired legs and stone stairs, where most injuries happen.
Permits: no TIMS in the Everest region
This surprises people who have read a general Nepal trekking page. TIMS has not applied in the Everest region since 2018. You need two permits instead:
- Sagarmatha National Park entry permit — Rs 3,000 for foreign nationals, Rs 1,500 for SAARC nationals, plus 13% VAT (which is why you see figures around Rs 3,390 or 'Rs 3,400' quoted elsewhere). Buy in Kathmandu or at the Monjo checkpost.
- Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit — reported at Rs 2,000 and, more recently, Rs 3,000, with a higher rate beyond the first four weeks. It is bought at Lukla or Monjo, not in Kathmandu. Sources genuinely disagree on the current figure — budget the higher one.
- A licensed guide, under the rule in force for foreign trekkers since April 2023.
Getting to Lukla — the part that ruins itineraries
Lukla's Tenzing-Hillary Airport is a short sloping runway wedged into a hillside, flown visually. It closes for cloud, wind and visibility, sometimes for days at a time, and no amount of money reliably fixes that.
In peak season, flights are frequently shifted from Kathmandu to Manthali (Ramechhap), a four to five hour pre-dawn drive from the city. Confirm which airport your ticket is from — people miss flights over this every season.
Build two or three buffer days between your planned Lukla return and your international flight. If you get stuck, the options are waiting, an expensive helicopter charter, or walking out to Salleri or Phaplu over several days and taking a jeep.
Where to stay along the way
The Khumbu has the best teahouse infrastructure in Nepal, and the range is wider than anywhere else — from basic plywood rooms to genuinely comfortable lodges with attached bathrooms in Namche, Lukla and Deboche.
- Namche Bazaar (3,440 m) — the largest settlement, with bakeries, gear shops, ATMs and lodges at every price. Two nights here is normal and worth it.
- Tengboche / Deboche (3,860 m) — stay at Deboche just below the monastery if you want a quieter, warmer night; Tengboche itself is exposed and cold.
- Dingboche (4,410 m) — the second acclimatisation stop, with surprisingly good lodges and a famous bakery.
- Lobuche (4,910 m) — functional rather than pleasant, and often crowded. Everyone is here for one night only.
- Gorak Shep (5,164 m) — the highest lodges, basic, cold and busy. Most people sleep badly here; that is normal at this altitude.
- Book ahead in October and November, or start walking early and stop early. Guides phone ahead as a matter of course.
What goes wrong on this trek
Predictable failure modes, in rough order of frequency:
- Altitude illness from ascending too fast — overwhelmingly the biggest cause of turning back. Take both acclimatisation days.
- Lukla flight cancellations stranding people at either end of the trek.
- Stomach illness from poor hand hygiene, compounded by dehydration at altitude.
- Knee and ankle injuries on the descent — the Namche staircase on tired legs is where it happens. Poles help enormously.
- Cold at Gorak Shep with an inadequate sleeping bag. Rooms are unheated at 5,164 m.
- Underestimating the cash needed. ATMs exist in Namche but run out; prices at the top are several times Kathmandu.
Variations worth considering
The standard out-and-back is not the only option, and the alternatives are quieter.
Gokyo Lakes swaps the Base Camp valley for a chain of turquoise lakes and Gokyo Ri (5,357 m), which many trekkers rate as a better viewpoint than Kala Patthar — Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and Cho Oyu in one panorama. It can be combined with Base Camp via the Cho La pass.
The Three Passes trek — Renjo La, Cho La and Kongma La — is the full Khumbu circuit and a serious undertaking of around three weeks, for experienced trekkers only.
Walking in from Jiri or Salleri, as expeditions did before Lukla existed, adds five to seven days of lower-altitude walking and produces far better acclimatisation and far fewer people.
Key takeaways
- ✓12–16 days, roughly 130 km, Lukla to Base Camp (5,364 m) and Kala Patthar (5,545 m) — no technical skill required.
- ✓Take both acclimatisation days, at Namche (3,440 m) and Dingboche (4,410 m). This is what the schedule is for.
- ✓Permits are Sagarmatha National Park plus Khumbu Pasang Lhamu municipality — TIMS does not apply here.
- ✓Build 2–3 buffer days for the Lukla flight, and check whether you fly from Kathmandu or Manthali.
- ✓Kala Patthar, not Base Camp, is where you actually see Everest.
Explore the data behind this guide
Everest Base Camp Trek — FAQ
How difficult is the Everest Base Camp trek?+
Moderate to strenuous, but not technical — no climbing, ropes or camping. The difficulty is sustained five-to-seven-hour days on steep stone trails at altitudes where the air holds about half the oxygen of sea level. A reasonably fit walker who ascends slowly can do it.
How many days do you need for Everest Base Camp?+
Twelve to sixteen days of walking, plus two or three buffer days for possible Lukla flight cancellations. The schedule is long because of two mandatory acclimatisation days at Namche Bazaar and Dingboche — compressing it sharply raises your risk of altitude illness.
Do you need a TIMS card for Everest Base Camp?+
No. TIMS has not applied in the Everest region since 2018. You need the Sagarmatha National Park entry permit and the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality permit, the latter bought at Lukla or Monjo rather than in Kathmandu.
How much does the Everest Base Camp trek cost?+
The main components are the Lukla flight, permits of roughly Rs 5,000–6,000, a licensed guide at about US$25–35 a day, a porter at about US$18–25, and teahouse living rising from roughly Rs 3,000 a day low down to Rs 6,000–8,000 near Gorak Shep. Carry cash — ATMs above Namche are unreliable.
Can you see Everest from Everest Base Camp?+
Barely — the summit is hidden behind Nuptse from Base Camp itself. The view everyone comes for is from Kala Patthar (5,545 m) at sunrise, a pre-dawn climb from Gorak Shep, which gives an unobstructed panorama of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse.
What is the best time to trek to Everest Base Camp?+
October to early December for the clearest, most stable weather after the monsoon, and March to May for warmth, longer days and the atmosphere of the climbing season at Base Camp. Winter is clear but severely cold at Gorak Shep; monsoon means cloud and cancelled Lukla flights.
Related guides
Sources & data note
Day-by-day structure, walking times, teahouse cost ranges and difficulty judgements are our own synthesis of the route dataset behind this site, park and tourism-board information and consistent trekker reporting. They are planning estimates for a reasonably fit walker in a normal season, not published figures, and your itinerary should be built with a licensed guide who knows current trail and lodge conditions. Permit fees are quoted as base fees before 13% VAT; confirm at the issuing counter. Guides are written from primary sources — Nepali government departments, operators, park authorities and standards bodies — and each guide lists the sources used for its own facts. Rules, fees and prices in Nepal change; treat figures as current at the review date shown on each guide and verify anything money- or visa-critical with the issuing authority before you rely on it.
- Nepal Tourism Board — official site (trekking and trekker information)Nepal Tourism Board ↗
- Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation — parks and entry feesDNPWC, Government of Nepal ↗
- Trekking Agencies' Association of Nepal (TAAN)TAAN ↗
- High-Altitude Travel and Altitude Illness — CDC Yellow BookUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ↗
- Himalayan Rescue Association Nepal — altitude aid posts and adviceHimalayan Rescue Association ↗
- Nepal trekking permits and fees (2026)Follow Alice ↗
- Everest Base Camp trek permits and fees — Sagarmatha and Khumbu Pasang Lhamu permitsHimalayan Recreation ↗