Everest Base Camp Trek Itinerary: Day-by-Day (2026)

Everest Base Camp is one of the few bucket-list adventures that an ordinary, reasonably fit person can actually complete — no ropes, no crampons, no climbing skill required. What makes or breaks the trek isn't the trail. It's the altitude, and the only tool that reliably beats altitude is a sensible itinerary with the rest days built in.

This is the classic day-by-day route to Base Camp and back: where you sleep each night, how high you climb, how long you walk, and where the schedule deliberately slows down to let your body catch up. Numbers here are drawn from official and established trekking sources (linked at the end), but mountain logistics change — treat costs and rules as a starting point and confirm the current position before you book.

Key takeaways

• The standard trek is 12 days from Lukla (10–11 walking days), or 14 days door-to-door with Kathmandu buffer days.
• You climb from Lukla at 2,840 m to Kala Patthar at ~5,545 m — the highest point you stand on. Base Camp itself is ~5,364 m.
• Two acclimatization days (Namche and Dingboche) are non-negotiable. They are why people summit, not wasted days.
• Best seasons are March–May and September–November, with October the most reliable.
• Budget independently from roughly US$800–1,200 on the trail; all-inclusive packages run about US$1,200–1,500 (as of 2025).

The classic route at a glance

| Day | Route | Hours | Sleep elevation | |---|---|---|---| | 1 | Fly Lukla → Phakding | ~3–4 | 2,640 m | | 2 | Phakding → Namche Bazaar | ~5–6 | 3,440 m | | 3 | Acclimatization — Namche | hike | 3,440 m | | 4 | Namche → Tengboche | ~5–6 | 3,867 m | | 5 | Tengboche → Dingboche | ~5–6 | 4,410 m | | 6 | Acclimatization — Dingboche | hike | 4,410 m | | 7 | Dingboche → Lobuche | ~5–7 | 4,940 m | | 8 | Lobuche → Gorak Shep → EBC | ~7–8 | 5,170 m | | 9 | Kala Patthar → Pheriche | ~6–7 | 4,240 m | | 10 | Pheriche → Namche | ~7–8 | 3,440 m | | 11 | Namche → Lukla | ~7–8 | 2,840 m | | 12 | Fly Lukla → Kathmandu | — | — |

Round-trip walking distance is roughly 130 km (about 65 km each way), depending on the exact lodges you use.

Day-by-day breakdown

Days 1–3: Lukla to Namche, then rest

The adventure opens with the famous flight into Lukla — about 35 minutes from Kathmandu onto a short hillside runway. Flights go in the morning only, because cloud and crosswinds build by afternoon, and cancellations are common enough that you should never schedule a tight onward connection. In peak months the government sometimes routes these flights from Ramechhap (a 4–5 hour drive from Kathmandu) to ease air traffic, which changes your Day 1 logistics — check which airport your flight actually uses.

From Lukla the first day is a gentle downhill walk to Phakding. Day 2 is the trek's first real test: a steep climb over the high suspension bridges to Namche Bazaar (3,440 m), the bustling Sherpa capital with bakeries, gear shops, and ATMs. Day 3 you do not move on — you take an acclimatization day, hiking a few hundred metres higher (toward Syangboche or the Everest View Hotel) and returning to sleep at Namche. This "climb high, sleep low" rhythm is the single biggest reason people reach Base Camp.

Days 4–7: Into the high valley

Day 4 brings the first jaw-dropping views — Everest, Lhotse, and the spire of Ama Dablam — on the way to Tengboche and its hillside monastery. Day 5 climbs to Dingboche (4,410 m) in the Imja Valley, where Day 6 is your second acclimatization day. By now you are above 4,000 m and the air is noticeably thin; the rest hike toward Nangkartshang ridge pays off later. Day 7 pushes up past Thukla pass, where stone memorials remember climbers lost on Everest, to Lobuche (4,940 m).

Days 8–9: Base Camp and Kala Patthar

Day 8 is the big one. You trek to Gorak Shep (~5,170 m), drop your pack, and continue across the Khumbu Glacier moraine to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m) — 7 to 8 hours all told — then return to Gorak Shep to sleep. Base Camp has no permanent view of Everest's summit, which is why Day 9 starts before dawn with the climb to Kala Patthar (5,545 m), the iconic viewpoint where the sunrise lights up the whole massif. From there you begin descending, dropping to Pheriche to recover.

Days 10–12: The descent and the flight home

The way down is faster and far kinder on your lungs: Pheriche to Namche (Day 10), Namche back to Lukla (Day 11), and the morning flight to Kathmandu (Day 12). Always keep a spare day in Kathmandu — if Lukla is weathered in, you'll be grateful for the buffer.

Why the acclimatization days matter

It is tempting to look at Days 3 and 6 and think you could skip them and shave the trip. Don't. Around 40–50% of trekkers feel some altitude symptoms, and the people who get into real trouble are overwhelmingly those who climbed too fast. Fitness does not protect you — acclimatization does. If you read nothing else before you go, read our altitude sickness guide for Nepal treks and learn the warning signs.

Shorter and longer variations

• 14-day version: the same backbone with a Kathmandu arrival/prep day and an extra buffer day near the end — the most common commercial format.
• Helicopter return (9–10 days): trek in, then fly out from Gorak Shep to Lukla, cutting several descent days. Convenient, but you trade away gentle descent time.
• Gokyo Lakes via Cho La Pass (17–18 days): a tougher loop that adds the turquoise Gokyo Lakes and a glaciated 5,420 m pass. Only for trekkers comfortable with high passes.

Permits and fees for 2026

You no longer need a TIMS card for the Khumbu. What you do need:

| Permit | Fee (foreigners) | Where you pay | |---|---|---| | Sagarmatha National Park entry | NPR 3,000 (~US$22) | Monjo checkpoint | | Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality | NPR 2,000–3,000 (~US$15–22) | Lukla |

The national park fee is confirmed on the Nepal Tourism Board's official fee page (as of 2025). The municipal fee is quoted as NPR 2,000 by most operators, though at least one source reports an increase to NPR 3,000 — verify on arrival. For the full picture see our Everest Base Camp permits guide, and on the guide question, our do-I-need-a-guide breakdown.

How hard is it, really?

If you can comfortably hike 5–7 hours on consecutive days, you have the fitness. Train with cardio and back-to-back hill walks for two to three months and you'll arrive ready. The mental challenge — cold nights, thin air, basic lodges — is real but manageable. For what those lodges are actually like, see our teahouse food and accommodation guide.

What it costs

A budget-conscious independent trekker spends roughly US$800–1,200 on the trail (food, lodging, guide, porter), not counting the Lukla flight at around US$200–217 one way (as of 2024–2025). All-inclusive packages booked from abroad run about US$1,200–1,500 for the standard trek, while helicopter-return packages climb to US$2,250–3,150+. For a line-by-line breakdown including the hidden costs, read our honest EBC cost guide.

Before you go

• Build in a buffer day in Kathmandu for Lukla flight delays.
• Buy insurance that covers helicopter evacuation, not just medical bills.
• Carry 30,000–40,000 NPR in cash from a Kathmandu ATM — card machines on the trail are scarce and unreliable.
• Learn the trail phrases every trekker should know — a little Nepali changes how you're treated in every lodge.

The mountain rewards patience. Walk slowly, take the rest days seriously, and the standard itinerary will carry you all the way to the foot of the highest mountain on earth.

Sources

• Nepal Tourism Board — national park entry fees
• EBC trek distance — ebctrekguide.com
• Best months to trek to EBC — Ian Taylor Trekking
• New trekking guide rules (2023) — Much Better Adventures
• Altitude sickness on the EBC trek — Himalayan Glacier
• 12-day EBC package details — Discovery World Trekking