Everest base camp trek trail is getting up after two years break from COVID 19 pandemic. It is one of the most demanded trekking destinations of trekkers from all around the world. Everest base camp trek is in the top ten lists in the LonelyPlanet travel book.
There used to be thousands of adventure trekkers every month during the high trekking seasons before COVID 19. But, there were least numbers of visitors last two years. Now, It is slowly coming to the normal from this spring.
Everest base camp trek is a 12 days journey from Kathmandu to Kathmandu but it may be customized shorter or longer according to the time and physical stamina of the trekkers. An adventurous short flight joins with the Everest base camp trekking trail from Kathmandu. You fly around 30 minutes from the Domestic terminal of Kathmandu to Lukla then start walking towards Phakding passing beautiful Sherpa settlements like Chaurikharka, Thadokosi and Ghat. Then, You reach the Everest base camp on the eighth day spending two acclimatization practice days in Namche Bazaar and Dingboche.
Everest base camp trekking trails remain inside the Sagarmatha national park, which is a natural UNESCO world heritage site of Nepal. Following different beautiful river valleys like Dudhkosi, Imja and Khumbu, you may see lots of natural beauty.
Everest Base Camp Trek Highlights
Everest base camp
- Adventurous scenic mountain flight with landing experience on one of the world’s technical airport
- Walking inside a natural UNESCO heritage site
- Unreal views of impressive high mountains
- Walkthrough beautiful river valleys
- Stunning viewpoints like Kala Patthar, T-serko Ri, Everest view hotel and Tengboche
- Ancient and historical Buddhist monasteries
- Traditional Sherpa villages with well carved
- Lifestyle and daily activities of mountain legendary Sherpa people
- Wildlife, rivers, waterfalls, religious monuments and more
Everest Base Camp Trek Outline Itinerary
A regular Everest base camp trek itinerary is for 12 days, starting from Kathmandu and back to Kathmandu after reaching the base camp. You will have 2 altitude practice days on the third and sixth day on the way up. It takes eight days to the base camp and three days to Lukla then fly out. Here, you can find an outline itinerary of the Everest base camp trek.
Day 01: Fly to Lukla (2,840m) 30 minutes and trek to Phakding (2,610m) 3 hrs
Day 02: Trek to Namche Bazaar (3,440m) 6-7 hrs
Day 03: Spare day in Namche and acclimatization hike to Everest view hotel (3,860m) 4 hrs
Day 04: Trek to Tengboche (3,880m) 5-6 hrs
Day 05: Trek to Dingboche (4,410m) 5 hrs
Day 06: Spare day in Dingboche and hike to T-serko Ri (5160m) 4 hrs
Day 07: Trek to Lobuche (4,910m) 5-6 hrs
Day 08: Trek to Gorakshep (5,180m) 3 hrs then hike to EBC (5,364m) and hike back to Gorakshep 4-5 hrs
Day 09: Hike to Kala Patthar (5,545m) 2 hrs and trek to Pheriche (4,210m) 5 hrs
Day 10: Trek to Namche Bazaar (3,440m) 6-7 hrs
Day 11: Trek to Lukla (2,840m) 7 hrs
Day 12: Fly out to Kathmandu (1,350m) 30 minutes
The itinerary mentioned above is followed by most of the Everest base camp trekkers. You can make it about one day shorter if you are a usual trekker and have visited the higher elevation earlier somewhere else or add a few more days if you are a slow faced hiker.
Everest Base Camp Trek Cost
Everest base camp trek is a pretty expensive trek compared to other similar time-framed base camp treks in Nepal. Flight cost to Lukla makes its high cost. If you book your Everest base camp trekking trip with trekking companies, the trip includes all the things so, you do not need to worry about arranging every single thing. Buying an Everest base camp trek with a local company is cheaper than buying with an oversea company. Trekking agencies operate a full board Everest base camp trek or you only hire a guide, porter and all paperwork arrangements with them. You may only also hire a porter from Lukla airport but every one of them might not be very much trustworthy.
A flight ticket costs you around 350 USD both ways. Trekkers need to issue two different entry permits for the Everest base camp trek. Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality entry ticket issued in Luka costs 2000 NPR for all nationality trekkers except for the Nepalese.
Different entry permit to enter the Sagarmatha national park is also needed for the visitors. It costs 3000 NPR for the trekkers except for the people from SAARC nations. Everest base camp trek permit costs 1000 NPR for people from India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Srilanka, Maldives and Bangladesh. Nepalese tourists also have to obtain Sagarmatha national permit if they are not trekking crew and the locals.
It may cost around 3000 NPR per day for food, water, a cup of hot drinks in each meal and accommodation up in the mountain region. If you drink alcoholic drinks on the way back, a couple of hundred boxes is an extra expense. It is better to take Nepalese rupees for the mountain changing in Kathmandu because you do not get a good exchange fare in the high regions.
Everest base camp helicopter tour
You can reach the Everest base camp directly from Kathmandu within an hour if you do not have enough time for a trek or don’t dare to walk throughout the high Himalayan elevation. Everest base camp helicopter tour takes you there. It is a couple of hour flight luxurious tour in Nepal. Everest base camp helicopter tour is a landing tour that lands in several places from where you may capture beautiful memories in your camera and mind.
There is also the other option who can’t afford for expensive helicopter flight but can see the great Everest Himalaya in a short period. Everest scenic mountain flight is the cheapest and fastest way to explore the stunning Himalayas from Kathmandu. This scenic flight takes off from Kathmandu and flies close to Langtang, Gaurishankar, Everest, Makalu and Kanchenjunga Himalayan ranges then lands back at the Kathmandu airport.
