Self-Launched Everest Base Camp Trek (with Overnight at Base Camp) — 15 Days

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a prepaid taxi to Thamel (roughly NPR 700-1,000, £4-6) rather than a private transfer. Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Thamel, sort your Nepal visa on arrival (USD 30 for 15 days, ~£24 - bring cash), buy a local SIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£2-4), and pick up any last gear. In the afternoon walk to Kathmandu Durbar Square or Swayambhunath if you have energy. Evening: meet your hired guide (arrange in advance via a Kathmandu trekking agency or a guide you contact directly) to confirm permits and the Lukla flight.

🚌Prepaid airport taxi ~£5

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Thamel (dorm £6-10, private £12-18)

• →Thamel orientation walk
• →Buy SIM card and permits briefing
• →Optional Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) entry ~£2

Early domestic flight from Kathmandu (or Ramechhap in peak season) to Lukla's Tenzing-Hillary Airport - book this yourself through Yeti/Tara/Sita Air or a local agent, roughly £130-160 return; flights are weather-dependent so build in a buffer day. From Lukla walk ~3-4 hours gently downhill along the Dudh Koshi to Phakding (2,610m), crossing suspension bridges. Buy your Sagarmatha National Park entry permit and Khumbu Pasanglhamu municipality fee at Monjo the next morning (combined roughly £27). Eat dal bhat and sleep early.

🚌Domestic flight KTM-Lukla (return portion counted in Day 14 budget) ~£145 return total

🛏Teahouse in Phakding (shared twin, £3-6 per person)

• →Scenic mountain flight to Lukla
• →Trek Lukla to Phakding (~3-4 hrs)

A solid 6-7 hour day climbing through Toc-Toc, Benkar and Monjo, then across the high Hillary Suspension Bridge into Sagarmatha National Park. Pay for your park permit and Khumbu municipality fee at the checkpost (bring passport photos and cash, ~£27 combined). Final steep switchbacks up to Namche Bazaar (3,440m). Teahouses in Namche are plentiful - pick one on arrival, and ask about the free/cheap room-with-meals arrangement.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Namche Bazaar (shared twin £4-8 per person)

• →Sagarmatha National Park entry
• →Hillary Suspension Bridge
• →Trek ~6-7 hrs

Rest day, but hike high: walk up to the Everest View Hotel or to Khunde/Khumjung for views of Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam (3-4 hrs round trip). Visit the Sagarmatha National Park visitor centre and museum (small entry fee ~£2-3). Stock up on snacks and cash here - ATMs exist but are unreliable above Namche. Bakeries and coffee shops make this a comfortable rest day.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Namche Bazaar

• →Acclimatisation hike to Everest View Hotel or Khumjung
• →Sagarmatha National Park visitor centre

Walk ~5 hours along a spectacular contour trail above the Dudh Koshi with Ama Dablam ahead, dropping to Phunki Tenga for lunch before climbing to Tengboche (3,860m). Visit Tengboche Monastery, the largest in Khumbu, and join the late-afternoon prayer ceremony (free, donations welcome). Sleep in a teahouse beside the monastery.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Tengboche (£4-7 per person)

• →Trek Namche to Tengboche (~5 hrs)
• →Tengboche Monastery evening puja

Trek ~5-6 hours through Deboche, cross the suspension bridge over the Imja Khola, pass Pangboche (its gompa is worth a short detour) and climb gradually to Dingboche (4,410m). The landscape opens up with Lhotse, Island Peak and Ama Dablam around you. Cloud usually rolls in by afternoon, so start early.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Dingboche (£5-8 per person)

• →Trek via Deboche and Pangboche
• →Imja Khola suspension bridge

Classic acclimatisation hike up the ridge to Nangkartshang Gompa (~4,730m) and optionally to the summit above 5,000m, with huge views of Makalu and Ama Dablam. 3-4 hours up and down, then rest, hydrate and eat. Check your oxygen saturation at the teahouse if they offer it and monitor for altitude symptoms.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Dingboche

• →Nangkartshang Gompa acclimatisation hike
• →Optional Nangkartshang summit (5,090m)

A shorter 4-hour day to keep acclimatising: climb through Dughla, cross the moraine at the base of the Khumbu Glacier, and reach the Chupki Lhara memorial site where climbers' chortens stand - a quiet, moving place. Sleep at a teahouse near Thukla/Chupki Lhara (4,830m). Tomorrow is the big push, so eat well and sleep early.

🚌On foot

🛏Basic teahouse at Chupki Lhara/Thukla (£5-8 per person)

• →Khumbu Glacier moraine crossing
• →Chupki Lhara memorial chortens

Trek over Lobuche Pass to Lobuche (4,910m), drop bags at Gorakshep (5,164m), then scramble up Kala Patthar (5,555m) for sunset views of Everest's south face and the Khumbu Icefall - roughly 3 hours up, 1.5 down. Cold and slow going at this altitude; take it very easy. Sleep at Gorakshep's teahouses (basic, ~£8-12 per person).

🚌On foot

🛏Basic teahouse at Gorakshep

• →Lobuche Pass
• →Kala Patthar sunset hike (5,555m)

Walk 2-3 hours across the glacier boulders to Everest Base Camp (5,364m), arriving by late morning. Spend the afternoon at Base Camp with views of the Khumbu Icefall, Nuptse, Pumori and Khumbutse, and stay overnight in a tented camp set up by a local agency (this overnight is the selling point of the original tour and is only arranged through operator-run camps - book it in advance with a Kathmandu agency, roughly £25-40 including meals and tent). Very cold night, expect -10C or below.

🚌On foot

🛏Tented camp at Everest Base Camp (booked locally, ~£25-40 with meals)

• →Trek to Everest Base Camp
• →Khumbu Icefall viewpoint
• →Overnight tented camp at Base Camp

Early start back down over the glacier boulders to Gorakshep and Lobuche, then a long descent to Pangboche (3,985m) - roughly 8-9 hours but the altitude drop makes it feel easier. Retracing your steps, you'll see things you missed on the way up. Sleep in Pangboche.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Pangboche (£4-7 per person)

• →Long descent via Lobuche
• →Optional Pangboche gompa visit

Trek back through Tengboche and down through rhododendron forest to Phunki Tenga, cross the Dudh Koshi and climb the contour trail back to Namche (about 6 hours). Enjoy a bakery coffee and a proper bed. Optional detour to the monastery again if you missed the ceremony on the way up.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse or guesthouse in Namche Bazaar

• →Trek via Tengboche and Dudh Koshi gorge

A long but mostly downhill 7-8 hours back over the Hillary Bridge, through Monjo, Benkar and Phakding to Lukla. Celebrate with a beer and momos in one of Lukla's lodges. Confirm tomorrow's flight - if the weather looks doubtful ask about the helicopter or jeep-plus-bus alternative out of Salleri/Surke.

🚌On foot

🛏Lodge in Lukla (£6-10 per person)

• →Trek ~7-8 hrs
• →Optional celebration drinks in Lukla

Morning flight back to Kathmandu (included in your return airfare booked on Day 2; flights can be delayed by weather so leave a buffer day). Transfer to a Thamel hostel, then spend the afternoon shopping for souvenirs, eating a proper steak or Newari meal, and visiting Boudhanath Stupa or Pashupatinath (entry ~£2-4).

🚌Flight Lukla-Kathmandu (already paid) + prepaid taxi ~£5

🛏Hostel or budget guesthouse in Thamel (£8-15)

• →Boudhanath Stupa or Pashupatinath
• →Thamel souvenir shopping

Lazy breakfast, final souvenir run, and a prepaid taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport for your flight home. Extra buffer: if you had weather delays, you may need one of your contingency days here - consider adding 2 days of slack in Kathmandu before booking onward flights.

🚌Prepaid taxi to airport ~£5

🛏—

• →Airport transfer