Everest Base Camp
While elite climbers may set their sights on summiting the world’s highest mountain, for mere mortals, trekking just part of the route up to Everest is enough of a buzz. After a short but sometimes white-knuckle plane ride to Lukla, it takes an average 12 days to hike up to Everest Base Camp South, a small rocky camp site and the hopping off point for serious summit attempts. (Everest Base Camp North, by the way, is in Tibet and harder to access.) Few trips involve a night at Base Camp, but it’s thrilling to visit this key location, particularly if it coincides with climbing parties preparing for the epic ascent.
Our Nepal Vacations
Everest Base Camp trekking vacation, 15 days
The base of the world's tallest peak.
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US $1560 to US $2020
12 days
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Trek Nepal's famous Everest and Annapurna Trails in 2 weeks
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US $2899 to US $2990
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21 days
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Gokyo Everest trek in Nepal
Trek the Gokyo region in Northeast Nepal
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US $1375 to US $1475
18 days
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Everest Base Camp small group trek, Nepal
Everest Base Camp with an International Guide and Doctor.
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16 days
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Everest Base Camp trek, Nepal
For anyone who has dreamed of seeing Mt Everest
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US $1448 to US $1920
15 days
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Everest Base Camp and Gokyo lakes trek in Nepal
This high altitude trek explores the heart of Sherpa homeland
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US $2879 to US $3049
19 days
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Everest base camp trek
The classic route through the Sherpa heartland to Base Camp
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16 days
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Popular introduction to trekking around Everest
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14 days
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Trek to Everest base camp
Trek to the base of the world's highest mountain
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US $2990 to US $3080
17 days
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Everest base camp trek
Trek amid stunning views of the Himalayas
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US $1375 to US $1475
18 days
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Trek to Everest base camp and Gokyo Lakes
Trek to Everest Base Camp via Gokyo Lakes
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US $1754 to US $1819
18 days
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A classic, once in a lifetime Everest Base Camp lodge trek
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£1499 to £1599
16 days
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Everest Base Camp trekking vacation, Nepal
Spectacular mountain scenery & sherpa villages
From
US $1390
16 days
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Everest Base Camp heli trek, Nepal
The base of the world's tallest peak.
From
US $2375 to US $4595
11 days
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Trek up to see the highest mountain on Earth
From
US $1939
19 days
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trek to Everest base camp
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US $1533 to US $1598
14 days
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The base of the world's tallest peak
From
US $1700
15 days
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Everest Base Camp treks
An ultimate bucket list trip to the World's tallest mountain
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US $2490
19 days
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Hiking Everest base camp vacation
A walk to the base of the world's highest mountain!
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£2769
17 days
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Everest Base Camp Photography expedition
Stunning mountain photography en route to Everest Base Camp
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£2550
16 days
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Everest Base Camp luxury trek in Nepal
Luxury lodge trek up to see the highest mountain on Earth
From
US $3219
19 days
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Classic Everest Base Camp trek
A visit card of the Himalayas within 12 days up to Base Camp
From
US $999 to US $1540
12 days
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Highlights of the trek
Extraordinary views of Everest are just one of the highlights of this route. You’ll pass through traditional villages and an ever-changing landscape, starting in blue pine forests and river valleys and finishing in high altitude, rocky terrain.
Namche Bazaar is one of the first stops, a busy trading center and cradle of Sherpa culture. Its Sherpa Museum reveals the extraordinary role local people have played in making attempts on Everest possible and safe, often at great personal cost.
Namche Bazaar is one of the first stops, a busy trading center and cradle of Sherpa culture. Its Sherpa Museum reveals the extraordinary role local people have played in making attempts on Everest possible and safe, often at great personal cost.
Further up, the village of Tengboche is a midway point along the trail to Base Camp, with excellent views of Everest and Lhotse. It’s also home to the region’s largest Buddhist monastery, with a dazzling golden interior.
Situated on the southern slopes of Lhotse above the tree line, Dingboche and Lobuche are key acclimatisation points and from here, the scenery becomes utterly otherworldly, as you trek on or alongside Khumbu, the highest glacier on the planet. Walking on this lunar landscape, you pass frozen lakes and tall ice pinnacles carved by the slow grind of the glacier, before reaching Gorak Shep. This is the final overnight stop before Base Camp. The day after reaching Base Camp, many trips tackle the three-hour ascent to the highest point on the route, Kala Patthar at 5,545m. Departing early to avoid the morning cloud, you’ll be rewarded with bucket-list views of Everest, Lhotse, Nuptse and other surrounding peaks.
Our top Nepal Vacation
Nepal trekking vacation, Annapurna and Everest
Trek Nepal's famous Everest and Annapurna Trails in 2 weeks
From
US $2899 to US $2990
15 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2020: 29 Feb, 10 Mar, 28 Mar, 11 Apr, 19 Sep, 3 Oct, 17 Oct, 29 Nov
2021: 2 Jan, 6 Feb, 27 Feb, 9 Mar, 27 Mar, 10 Apr, 18 Sep, 2 Oct, 16 Oct, 30 Oct, 28 Nov
2020: 29 Feb, 10 Mar, 28 Mar, 11 Apr, 19 Sep, 3 Oct, 17 Oct, 29 Nov
2021: 2 Jan, 6 Feb, 27 Feb, 9 Mar, 27 Mar, 10 Apr, 18 Sep, 2 Oct, 16 Oct, 30 Oct, 28 Nov
Travel Team
If you'd like to chat about Nepal or need help finding a vacation to suit you we're very happy to help.
Walking through history
Unlike Nepal’s other great hiking route, the Annapurna Circuit, the trek to Everest Base Camp is drenched in climbing history. You are following in the footsteps of famous mountaineers and hardy Sherpas and will be towered over by a peak that has claimed numerous lives, and continues to do so. Local guides can tell fascinating and humbling stories about climbing Everest from the unsung Sherpa perspective, as well as lifting the lid on life in this remote part of the world.
Pack smart & be prepared
Trekking to Everest Base Camp is no walk in the park, but the right kit – and expectations – will help. Bring boots that you’ve already broken in and at least five pairs of socks. Some foot first aid, including blister treatments, is also a good idea. Pop a bandana or scarf in your pack, too, so you can protect your mouth and nose from the dust kicked up by other trekkers and yaks.Be prepared for basic but welcoming accommodation in the teahouses that line the route. They can be very cold, with no hot water or electricity (which means limited opportunity to wash), so bring a head torch and a sleeping bag comfortable to minus 20°C. You’ll also be sharing toilets and possibly dorms.
Don’t expect haute cuisine either. Hearty dal bhat (rice and lentil soup/curry, with veggie variations) is often the only thing on the menu, with more variety in Lukla and Namche Bazaar.
Responsible Travel’s Sarah Faith has this advice: “The food tends to be the same from one teahouse to the next. You can get to the point where you think, if I see another plate of dal bhat I’ll scream! Take some spicy sauce or other condiments along with you to pep up simple dishes. Also take a reusable water bottle. Bottled water is available but produces waste.”
Safety on the Everest Base Camp trek
With the altitude you’re gaining, this is a trek you mustn’t rush, so beware of any itineraries that get you from Kathmandu to Base Camp and back in less than 12 days. Trekking at a steady pace, resting frequently and stopping off at points along the route will help you acclimatise safely. Even with the correct precautions, you may still experience breathlessness, mild headaches and impaired judgment, thanks to the limited oxygen. If you have pre-existing respiratory problems, consult your doctor before signing up. It’s possible to hike the trail independently, but an experienced guide will manage the ascent and keep an eye on you, too, while a porter will carry your pack and allow you to concentrate on the view.In terms of training, definitely do some! Sure, you don’t need to be an Olympian to tackle the trek to Base Camp, but the more fitness training and hiking you do before you go, the more you’ll enjoy it. The best preparation for hiking at altitude is lots of walking before you arrive. Do as many hill walks as possible. In particular, try and do two walks at the weekends – one on each day. It’s the second day’s walking that really improves your fitness.
Best time to trek to Everest base Camp
The best time to trek to Everest Base Camp is either side of the mid-May to mid-September monsoon season. Late September to November and February to May are the main trekking months with fairly stable conditions, good visibility and rhododendrons in full bloom on the lower slopes. At Base Camp, you might also encounter groups of climbers at this time preparing for their attempts on Everest’s summit. Although late November to February are extremely cold, especially at night, clear skies are usually the norm with quieter trails and tea houses adding to the exhilarating feeling of wild and unadulterated isolation.
More about Nepal
The best time to visit Nepal will depend on whether you plan plans to visit Chitwan National Park, Kathmandu or Everest Base Camp, but as we cover all three locations in our temperature and rainfall chart, as well as our month by month guide, you can start your research here.
This is your opportunity to find out the best and worst of Nepal vacations as you delve into our Nepal travel guide and dig out a few tasty tidbits along the way, including: a brief history of Nepal, how much do things cost and how to travel like a local on your Nepal vacation.
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Our Nepal travel advice does exactly what it says on the packet with tips from our friends in Nepal providing responsible travelers with the very best advice and recommendations on everything from reducing rubbish to surviving power cuts.
Travel right in Nepal by doing your research and getting to grips with the big issues and conservation projects that can make a major difference to the depth of your overall travel experience.
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Photo credits: [Page banner: Stefanos Nikologianis] [Intro: Rupert Taylor-Price]
[Tengboche: Niklassletteland]
[Walking through history: Ben & Gab]
[Dal bhat : Vera & Jean-Christophe]
[Best Time to go: Ben & Gab]
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