Everest Base Camp Trek: 14 Days Kathmandu & Mount Everest

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Duration14d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN

PickupAt your hotel

Two weeks walking toward the world's highest mountain, starting from Kathmandu's temples

You walk from Kathmandu's temples to Everest Base Camp over 14 days, staying in tea houses and acclimatizing at set points along the route. The guide handles permits and navigation, the flights are included, and meals come with lodging. You carry a light pack (under 10 kg) and walk 5 to 9 hours most days. The return flight gets you back to Kathmandu by afternoon on day 14.

14d

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Arrive and explore Kathmandu

Arrive in Kathmandu
Visit Thamel area

Day 2 — Fly to Lukla and trek to Phakding

Fly to Lukla
Visit Swayambhunath Temple
Visit Boudhanath Stupa
Visit Garden of Dreams
Trek to Phakding

Day 3 — Trek to Namche Bazaar

Trek to Namche Bazaar
Cross Dodh Koshi river

Day 4 — Acclimate in Namche Bazaar

Rest in Namche Bazaar
Visit Everest View point

Day 5 — Trek to Tengboche

Trek to Tengboche
Visit Tengboche Gompa
View Mt. Ama Dablam and Mt. Taboche

Day 6 — Trek to Dingbuche

Trek to Dingboche

Day 7 — Acclimate in Dingbuche

Rest in Dingboche
Visit Chukhung

Day 8 — Trek to Lobuche

Trek to Lobuche
View Khumbu Glacier

Day 9 — Trek to Gorak Shep and Everest Base Camp

Trek to Gorak Shep
Visit Everest Base Camp

Day 10 — Hike Kala Patthar and descend to Pangboche

Hike to Kala Patthar
Descend to Pangboche

Day 11 — Trek back to Namche Bazaar

Trek to Namche Bazaar

Day 12 — Trek back to Lukla

Trek to Lukla

Day 13 — Fly back to Kathmandu

Fly to Kathmandu

Day 14 — Departure from Kathmandu

Depart from Kathmandu

The Experience

The flight to Lukla was delayed four hours. Not a disaster — it happens often enough that the guides expect it — but it meant we didn't reach Phakding until late afternoon instead of midday, and the whole rhythm of the first day shifted. That's the thing about the Everest Base Camp Trek: you can plan the 14 days down to the hour, but the mountains and the weather have other ideas. Still, once we started walking the next morning, the delay stopped mattering. The trek covers 5,364 meters of elevation gain over two weeks, moving from Kathmandu's UNESCO temples through the Khumbu region toward Mount Everest itself, and the pace is built around acclimatization, not speed.

We spent the first two days in Kathmandu before flying to Lukla. Day one was Thamel and the 3-star hotel near the old city center; day two was the temples — Swayambhunath, Boudhanath, the Garden of Dreams — before heading to the airport. The licensed guide met us at the hotel and stayed with us the whole time, handling logistics and pointing out details we'd have missed otherwise. The flight itself is only 35 minutes, but it's steep and narrow, and the runway in Lukla tilts uphill so the plane can stop. From there, the trek proper begins: Phakding, then Namche Bazaar (the main trading town in the Khumbu), then higher into thinner air — Tengboche with its gompa, Dingbuche, Lobuche, and finally Gorak Shep and the base camp itself at 5,170 meters. The last push to Kala Patthar at 5,545 meters gives the clearest view of Mount Everest, though the mountain itself stays distant, a white triangle on the horizon.

Accommodation is in tea houses — small family-run lodges where trekkers sleep and eat. They're basic but warm, and the food is consistent: dal bhat (lentils and rice), noodles, potatoes, the occasional egg. The guide carries a first aid kit and knows the route and the altitude risks. Most days are 5 to 7 hours of walking, with one acclimatization day built in at Namche and another at Dingbuche so your body can adjust before you go higher. The descent takes almost as long as the ascent — six to eight hours from Pangboche back to Namche, then another seven to eight hours down to Lukla. The return flight to Kathmandu is 35 minutes, and you're back in the city by afternoon.

What's included: pickup and dropoff from your Kathmandu hotel, the domestic flights both ways, 11 nights in tea houses, 2 nights in a 3-star hotel in Kathmandu with breakfast, all meals during the trek, the licensed guide, government permits and taxes, and a Himalayan Recreation t-shirt and first aid kit. You'll need travel insurance that covers altitude-related emergencies and medical evacuation — that's required, not optional. Groups stay under 8 people. The trek is demanding: you're walking at altitude where the air is thin, weather can turn fast, and altitude sickness is common even if you're fit. The company recommends discussing it with a doctor before you book.

What’s included

Your 14 days include hotel pickup and dropoff by private car, domestic flights Kathmandu–Lukla–Kathmandu with airport tax, 2 nights in a 3-star Kathmandu hotel with breakfast on days 1 and 13, 11 nights in tea houses during the trek with all meals, a government-licensed trekking guide with full facilities, a first aid kit, Himalayan Recreation t-shirt, all government taxes and VAT, and dinner each evening. You'll need to arrange your own travel insurance covering altitude-related medical emergencies and evacuation, and submit a passport photocopy, 2 passport photos, occupation details and home address before departure.

Good to know

Demanding physical levelStroller friendlyNot for pregnant travelersInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Himalayan Recreation Treks & Expedition Pvt.Ltd

Is this one for you?This trek suits people who want to reach Everest Base Camp without arranging flights, permits, accommodation and a guide separately — the 14-day structure and included logistics remove the planning burden, though the high altitude and long daily walks demand serious physical preparation and a conversation with your doctor beforehand.