How To Do The Everest Base Camp Trek In Nepal
The Mount Everest Base Camp Trek in Nepal is one of the world’s best bucket list hikes. In less than 2 weeks, you can trek to the foot of Mt Everest and other snowy peaks in the Himalayan mountains.
The good news is that it’s not a super difficult hike, and you don’t need a big budget to do it. The EBC trek is worth it for the fun and accomplishment alone, but you also get views of the Himalayas that are out of this world.
This travel guide will explain how you can do the Mt Everest Base Camp hike independently (with or without a tour guide), along with a recommended packing list and everything else you need to know before you go!
Best Everest Base Camp Tours
First of all, if you’d rather skip the hassle of planning your own EBC Trek, Klook has Everest Base Camp Tours starting as low as $900 USD for a full 12-day trek.
You may be able to find something cheaper than this once you land in Kathmandu, but booking online with a vetted tour company has some big advantages, and the reviews on their website are very positive.
We’ve used Klook for lots of tours and activities around the world, and they’re great! Highly recommended.
When To Do The EBC Trek
The Mt Everest region has 4 different trekking seasons:
- March – May: High season. Best weather, with stable temperatures and bright sunny days, but the trails can get crowded. During these months you may share the EBC trail with pro climbers on the way to go summit Everest.
- June – August: Monsoon season. There’s a lot more rain during these months, and the trails are mostly empty.
- September – October: Clear days and busy trails. This is one of the most popular trekking seasons.
- November – February: Coldest season, but the weather is stable and dry. The trails are mostly clear.
I trekked in early February, and even though it was nice having the trail mostly to myself, the cold in the evenings and mornings was straight up misery.
My home state of Missouri can get very cold in the winter, but the cold has just never been my thing. If I could go back and change it, I would definitely do my Everest Base Camp hike later in the season.
Everest Base Camp Weather
Temperatures on the Mt Everest Base Camp Trek can range from 5 °C (40 °F) to 20 °C (70 °F) depending on month, and as low as -30 °C (-22 °F) at night during the winter months.
If you trek during the warmer months (Mar-May and Sep-Oct), the cold is not a big problem and shouldn’t be hard to cope with. Winter is a different story. Your snot will freeze in your nose at Gorak Shep.
Sunshine is key for winter trekking in Nepal, and thankfully you should have lots of sun in most months outside of the monsoon season. On my February hike, I often found myself shedding all my layers while trekking because I was heating up in the sun.
If you do your Everest Base Camp hike during the winter, the biggest issue is staying warm in the evenings and at night. For this, you’ll definitely want a top quality down jacket and sleeping bag.
EBC Trek Packing List / Gear
This isn’t a complete list of everything to bring on a Mt Everest Base Camp Trek, and you may have to change things up a little depending on what month you go, but these are just some of the basics.
You can find most of this gear in Kathmandu, but in my opinion you’ll get higher quality and a wider selection if you order online.
- Beanie: I only wore this at night, but it definitely helped keep my ears warm.
- Down Jacket: Bring the biggest, warmest DJ possible. This is your most important piece of gear. You can use it as an extra cover at night.
- Fleece Sweater: This is the only jacket you’ll need to wear while trekking most days, especially if it’s sunny.
- Shirts: Something comfy with quick dry material.
- Trekking Pants: Something lightweight and breathable.
- Thermal Underwear: May not be needed if you trek in the warmer months.
- Gloves: I only wore these at night, but they definitely helped keep my hands warm.
- Socks: Merino wool is best for staying warm and stopping moisture.
- Headlight: Smart to have at least a small one, just in case.
- Tumbler: 1 liter water bottle to refill daily on the trek.
- Sunblock: It’s easy to sunburn at high altitudes. A small bottle is plenty.
- Sunglasses: Good for snow. May not be necessary unless you plan to hike a mountain pass like Cho La.
- Hat: I wore old faithful throughout the hike.
- Watch: An altimeter watch would be fun to play with here.
- Camera: Duh. You can’t do the Mt Everest Base Camp Trek without taking lots of pictures.
- Power Bank: Bring a big power bank and you might only need to recharge it once on the whole trek.
Everest Base Camp Trek Cost
For a 13 day trek, I paid about $21 USD per day for food, drinks, and room. Porter/guide was an extra $25 per day, although it’s not a requirement. Flights to Lukla were $330 return, but again not a requirement if you hike in.
You can read the sections below for more info on the daily trekking costs and what you get for your money. It’s not a very expensive trek, all things considered!
Keep in mind, these numbers will go up a little over time. Exchange rates may also vary, so check the latest rates.
Guide / Porter / Solo
You can do the EBC trek with a guide, porter, OR independently (solo).
A guide will show you the way to Mt Everest Base Camp and help with lodging, navigation, advice, taking pictures for you, etc. A porter-guide will do these same things and also carry a 20 kg (45 lb) pack for you.
A porter or guide is NOT a requirement to do this hike, especially if you go in the warmer months when you may not need as much gear. In 2023, they were supposedly introducing a guide requirement for EBC, but so far that has not been enforced at all, thankfully.
With that said, there are some good advantages to hiring a guide, and it’s pretty cheap by Western standards. A porter is only $15 or $20 USD per day, and a porter-guide is $25 per day. A popular arrangement is to hire one porter for two hikers, splitting the cost and still making things easier for both of you.
Hiking Fees
If you’re hiking EBC independently, you’ll need to be aware of two fees you have to pay near the start of the trek.
There’s a local government tax that they’ve now started collecting in Lukla. This one is currently 2,000 Rupees ($17 USD).
There’s also an Everest park fee/ticket you have to pay at the Sagarmatha National Park entrance just beyond the small village of Monjo, Nepal. This one is currently 3,500 Rupees ($30 USD).
No TIMS card is needed anymore for independent hikers. That fee has been retired for the Mount Everest Base Camp Trek.
Accommodation & Amenities
Throughout the Everest Base Camp hike, you’ll stay and sleep at small guesthouses along the way, called teahouses.
This is where you get your meals and drinks for the trek, along with the occasional amenities like showers, charging, or WiFi. The teahouses start out decent, but quickly get more shabby as you go further up the trail.
You have to pay for everything you use, of course, and the prices get quite high as you go, because everything has to be hauled up on the backs of the poor porters.
Guesthouses
The teahouses on the EBC trek are cold and dingy, with drop toilets and cracks in the walls. Don’t expect luxury.
Most rooms are free as long as you buy your meals there (the meals are how they make their money). If you stay at a lodge and don’t eat there, you’ll be expected to pay for the room.
In some cases, I was charged 500 Rupees for a room on top of my meal costs. I’m not sure why some teahouses do this and others don’t, but I never paid more than 500 Rupees for a room, and most were free with the meals.
Food & Drink
I’m happy to report that the food and drinks on the Everest Base Camp hike are top notch, especially after you’ve worked up an appetite trekking.
You have western food choices, or the standard local staples like veggie fried rice, steamed momos (dumplings), and mushroom soup. Everything was hot and fresh. Meal prices for these ranged from 250 to 750 Rupees depending on altitude. Not too bad.
For drinks I tried hot chocolate, lemon/apple/mint tea, and occasionally bottled water for my tumbler. These ranged from 100 to 400 Rupees. If you want to avoid plastic bottles, there’s usually boiled water available and this is safe to drink too.
Getting enough water on the trek is never a problem. Just fill up a 1 liter tumbler in the morning, and this will last you until evening, especially since you’re likely to pass more tea houses along the trail as you’re hiking throughout the day.