The cost of your trek to Everest Base Camp will be determined by the type of trek you are planning, your trekking route, your time on the trail, and the season you choose to trek. We have done a lot of trekking in Nepal, including the Everest Base Camp trek twice. I interviewed several agencies, hotels, and guides in Kathmandu and Lukla, and in this post, we give a detailed breakdown of the exact cost of the EBC trek with a tour, your own crew, and completely independent. We (Campbell & Alya) working at the terrace of our guesthouse on our acclimatization day in Namche Bazar The cost of an Everest Base Camp trek can be as low as $750 but can go up to several thousand dollars for making your way on foot to Kala Patthar. Some luxurious options are to get to Lukla from Kathmandu Airport by helicopter and to stay at Everest Base Camp. Most trekkers turn around at EBC and stay at Gorkshep, there are however tours including a night or two staying in tents at Base Camp before turning back. We have done several treks in Nepal including 2 treks to EBC. Trekking in Nepal on different budgets we kept an exact record of the cost of the Everest base camp trek. The post has been updated to reflect the cost of trekking to EBC in 2024. Disclosure: Stingy Nomads take part in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you buy something recommended in this post, we may get an affiliate commission — but it never affects your price or what we pick. How Much Does an Everest Base Camp Trek Cost? The cost of the trek to Everest Base Camp can vary greatly from as little as $600 to thousands of dollars. This is the average starting price to budget for doing the trek in different styles as discussed in this article.
- Package tour EBC trek with international agency $1500
- Package tour EBC trek with local agency $1500
- Independent EBC trek with a guide and porter $1370
- Independent EBC trek with a guide $1085
- Independent EBC trek with a porter $930
- EBC Trek completely independent $766
The cost of the Everest Base Camp trek varies greatly with personal expenses, how many days you are on the EBC trek, which trekking trails are followed, if you are trekking in peak season, and if you are using a travel agency. Overall due to expensive transportation (a return flight from Kathmandu – to Lukla) Everest Base Camp trek works out quite a bit more expensive than other well-known hiking routes in Nepal such as the Annapurna Circuit or the Annapurna Base Camp trek. Everest Base Camp Trek video Is a Guide Compulsory for Doing the EBC Trek in 2024? A Guide is not compulsory for doing the Everest Base Camp Trek (February 2024), but hiring a local guide is a very good idea. The Nepal Tourism Board (March 2023), announced that all tourists visiting Nepal will be required to hire a licensed guide or porter before trekking. The municipality under whose jurisdiction the Everest region falls subsequently decided not to comply with this decision and that solo trekking would still be allowed in the Everest area. See The Kathmandu Post Article – Nepal ends solo trekking era. Everest region is an exception. Different Ways to Trek to Everest Base Camp The way you trek (the crew you choose) will be the main factor that determines the cost of your trek. Trekking season is the best time weather-wise but is also more expensive. It is possible to do the trek in a short time, but the risk of acute mountain sickness limits the speed and distance you can walk every day. Go slow, and enjoy the local culture and beautiful scenery. 12 Days is a good time frame to work on, see our detailed 12-day Everest Base Camp trek itinerary including two acclimatization days in Namche Bazar and Dingboche respectively. You can either do a package tour through an agency where everything for your Himalayan adventure is organized for you; hire your crew a guide and porters as required or do the trek completely independently. Irrespective of which way you decide to trek, the food, and facilities on the way will be very similar, everybody stays and eats in the same tea houses in most villages. Add sufficient acclimatization days, the best option is to trek slowly to avoid problems with altitude sickness. Cost of Everest Base Camp Trek Tour The biggest choice that you have to make here is if you are going to book a tour when you arrive through a local tour operator or if you are going to book a package tour beforehand through an agency online. Most of the international and local companies use the same local guides and porters, so even with an international company booking your tour you do support the local community, just check you use an ethical company, paying proper wages. Remember to add additional costs, such as hot showers and charging equipment. Hand your money to a company you trust, because in the end they are responsible for your safety and you want to go with a company using the best staff. When we were staying at Gorak shep a lady with a local guide for the trek walked to EBC from the teahouse on her own, leaving her guide behind. Four hours later it was dark and -20C outside, the guide and some staff at the teahouse started a search. She got lost somewhere but found her way back on her own 2 hours later. It would be good to know that there is a system in place to prevent this and to resolve it if it does happen and I think with a reputable tour operator you will have this peace of mind. Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania was a great guided expedition I went on. Comparing the cost of this trek with EBC is interesting. Cost of an EBC Package Tour with an International Agency The average cost of a 12-day Everest Base Camp Trek package tour with an international tour operator – starts from $1100 + $400 food, guide, and porter – $1500 12 days, Kathmandu to Kathmandu. English-speaking local guide and assistants for the trek. Trekking to Everest Base Camp. domestic flights (Kathmandu to Lukla). All transport between destinations and to/from included activities. Food is not included in the price, but these packages are available including food. Tours are cheaper when booked for larger groups. Cost of an EBC Package Tour with a Local Agency The average cost of a 14-day Everest Base Camp Trek package tour with a local tour operator – starts from $1500 (all-inclusive) The nice thing about using a local agency is that all the money goes to the local community. Walking through the streets of Kathmandu I saw many amazing prices advertised, with a 14-day trek starting from as little as $550! I talked to these agencies and as I added more and more things I wanted to be included the price kept climbing until it was more or less the same that I saw online. Many hotels have their own travel agencies and the prices are similar to the agencies in town. Ask at your hotel and walk around in town, ask at several agencies. It is nice if you stay in a hotel for a couple of days, use guides and services you trust, leave your luggage at the hotel when you go trekking, and return to the same hotel following the trek. Underneath the highest mountain in the world. The average price I was quoted for an all-inclusive package tour (14 days) Kathmandu-Everest Base Camp – Kathmandu started from $1500 (USD) for a mid-range tour, which included – 2 nights in a midrange hotel in Lukla, return flights to Kathamandu-Lukla, guide, porter, permits, accommodation, and food. Some agencies did offer luxury ($2000) and budget ($1300) tours. With the luxury packages, you will stay in luxury accommodations in Kathmandu, Lukla, Namche Bazaar, and Teng Boche with more expensive meals, I think the rest of your tour will be very similar since the tea houses where you eat and sleep are pretty stand in the rest of the villages. You will need your gear; clothing, sleeping bag, backpack etc. See our Everest Base Camp packing list With these package tours, the price does come down a bit if there are more people, the average quote for…
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