14-Day Everest Base Camp Trek — Self-Launched

Arrive at Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM). Pre-book a Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel (many offer free airport pickup) and spend the afternoon sorting permits: the Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality permit (about NPR 3,000) and Sagarmatha National Park entry (about NPR 3,000) can be bought at the Nepal Tourism Board office or the TIMS counter in Kathmandu — bring passport photos and cash. Also hire a licensed guide/porter from a local agency in Thamel if you want one (a government-licensed guide is roughly £20–25/day, a porter £12–15/day). Confirm your Lukla flight or book the Tara Air / Sita Air ticket at the airline office. Evening wander around Thamel for gear and a dal bhat dinner.

🚌Airport pickup by guesthouse or pre-paid taxi (NPR 700–1,000, ~£5); on foot in Thamel

🛏Budget guesthouse in Thamel, Kathmandu (private room £12–18)

• →Buy Khumbu Municipality permit and Sagarmatha National Park entry at NTB office
• →Hire guide/porter directly in Thamel (optional)
• →Book Kathmandu–Lukla flight
• →Explore Thamel, Durbar Marg and gear shops

Take the early morning 30-minute flight from Kathmandu to Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Lukla (about £130–160 one-way, book direct with Tara Air, Sita Air or via an agency). In peak season flights can be delayed — build a spare day into your plan if you can. From Lukla follow the stone trail down through Chaurikharka and Cheplung to Phakding (2,610m), roughly 3–4 hours of gentle trekking through pine forest and along the Dudh Kosi. Check into a tea house; standard rooms are basic twin-share with shared bathrooms (about £5–8 per person including a simple meal).

🚌Flight Kathmandu–Lukla (~£140 one-way); trek 8km, 3–4 hrs

🛏Tea house in Phakding (twin room, shared bathroom)

• →Scenic mountain flight to Lukla
• →Trek the Dudh Kosi valley to Phakding
• →Cross the first suspension bridges

A long day of about 6–7 hours: cross the Hillary Suspension Bridge, pass the villages of Benkar, Monjo and Jorsale, then enter Sagarmatha National Park at the checkpost (show your permits). Climb the infamous Namche hill to Namche Bazaar (3,440m) — take it slowly, this is your first altitude gain. On a clear day you get your first view of Everest, Lhotse and Nuptse from the trail. Tea houses in Namche are the best-equipped on the trek: bakeries, gear shops, hot showers and Wi-Fi for a fee. Shop for anything you forgot here.

🚌Trek 10–11km, 6–7 hrs, +1,100m

🛏Tea house in Namche Bazaar (about £7–10 pp)

• →Enter Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo checkpost
• →Cross Hillary Suspension Bridge
• →First Everest viewpoint on the Namche climb
• →Browse Namche gear shops and bakeries

Use the acclimatisation day to sleep low, climb high. The classic route is up to the Everest View Hotel at Syangboche (3,880m) for the panorama of Everest, Ama Dablam and Thamserku, then down through Khumjung village to see the monastery and the famous (if dubious) yeti scalp — small entry fee. Alternatively hike to Thame village, home of many Everest expedition Sherpas, or the shorter trekker's loop to Khunde hospital. Stay a second night in Namche and drink plenty of water.

🚌Trek 6–7km, 4–5 hrs, on foot

🛏Same Namche tea house

• →Hike to Everest View Hotel at Syangboche
• →Visit Khumjung Monastery and Khunde hospital
• →Optional detour to Thame village

Trek out of Namche on the high contour trail with Ama Dablam dominating the skyline, drop steeply to Phunki Tenga (3,250m) for lunch, then climb through rhododendron forest to Tengboche (3,860m) in about 5 hours. Tengboche Monastery is the largest in the Khumbu — time your arrival for the late-afternoon prayer ceremony (small donation). Tea houses here are simple and cold at night; bring a warm layer.

🚌Trek 10km, 5 hrs

🛏Tea house in Tengboche (about £6–9 pp)

• →Trek the Ama Dablam viewpoints
• →Visit Tengboche Monastery and attend puja ceremony

Descend briefly through Deboche forest to the Imja River, cross the bridge and walk up to Pangboche (3,930m) — home to one of the oldest monasteries in Khumbu. Then continue across open yak pasture above the treeline to Dingboche (4,410m), around 4–5 hours. Dingboche is a spread-out village of stone-walled tea houses with excellent bakeries — a good place to rest and acclimatise.

🚌Trek 12km, 4–5 hrs

🛏Tea house in Dingboche (about £6–9 pp)

• →Visit Pangboche Monastery
• →Cross the Imja Khola
• →Trek above the treeline into the Khumbu high country

Another acclimatisation day. The best hike is Nangkartshang Peak (5,100m), roughly 3.5 hours up and back — slow and steady, gaining about 700m before returning to sleep low. Views open to Makalu, Lhotse, Cholatse, Tawache and Ama Dablam. If you feel unwell, go only partway; the point is altitude adaptation, not the summit. Alternatives are Nagarjun Hill or the Chukkhung valley walk.

🚌Day hike 6km, 3.5 hrs, no pack

🛏Same Dingboche tea house

• →Day hike to Nangkartshang Peak (5,100m)
• →Optional Nagarjun Hill or Chukkhung valley walks

Climb past yak pastures to Dughla (4,620m) at the foot of the Khumbu Glacier, then ascend the steep moraine ridge to Chupki Lhara, where memorial cairns line the trail for climbers lost on Everest — a sober, moving place. Continue along the lateral moraine to Lobuche (4,940m), about 4–5 hours. Lobuche tea houses are basic and pricey (expect £8–12 for a room and £6–9 for a main meal); bring cash (Nepalese rupees, changed in Namche).

🚌Trek 8km, 4–5 hrs

🛏Tea house in Lobuche (about £8–12 pp)

• →Visit Chupki Lhara Everest memorial site
• →Walk the Khumbu Glacier moraine
• →Optional sunset viewpoint over Nuptse

The big day. Trek the rock-and-glacier trail to Gorak Shep (5,164m) in about 2.5 hours, drop your bag at a tea house, then walk the undulating moraine to Everest Base Camp (5,364m) — roughly 2 hours each way. In spring you'll see expedition tents clustered below the Khumbu Icefall; in autumn it's quieter. Return to Gorak Shep for the night. Pace yourself, drink constantly and watch for headache or nausea.

🚌Trek 13km, 6–7 hrs total

🛏Tea house in Gorak Shep (about £10–14 pp, basic)

• →Reach Everest Base Camp (5,364m)
• →View the Khumbu Icefall and expedition camps

Start around 4am with a headtorch for the 1.5–2 hour climb of Kala Patthar (5,545m) — the best close-up view of Everest anywhere on the trek, with Lingtren, Khumbutse and Changtse around you. Descend back to Gorak Shep for breakfast, then continue down through Lobuche and Pheriche to the lower, warmer village of Pangboche (3,930m) — a long 8–9 hour day but a big altitude drop that helps recovery.

🚌Trek 17km, 8–9 hrs, mostly descending

🛏Tea house in Pangboche (about £6–9 pp)

• →Sunrise summit of Kala Patthar (5,545m)
• →Long descent via Pheriche and the Khumbu valley

An easier day retracing the trail: down through Deboche forest, past Tengboche, across the prayer-flag-decorated bridge over the Dudh Koshi at Phunki Tenga, then the long climb back up to Namche Bazaar via Sanasa (about 6–7 hours). Reward yourself with a bakery coffee and a hot shower; Namche feels luxurious after the high villages.

🚌Trek 14km, 6–7 hrs

🛏Tea house in Namche Bazaar (about £7–10 pp)

• →Cross the prayer-flag bridge at Phunki Tenga
• →Return to Namche Bazaar via Sanasa

The last trekking day: descend the Namche hill, cross back through Jorsale and Monjo, and follow the Dudh Kosi to Phakding and on to Lukla (about 7–8 hours). Book your return Lukla–Kathmandu flight for the next morning as early as possible — weather delays are common, so build in a buffer. Celebrate with a beer at one of Lukla's trekker bars.

🚌Trek 19km, 7–8 hrs

🛏Tea house/lodge in Lukla (about £7–10 pp)

• →Final descent through Sagarmatha National Park
• →Reach Lukla and confirm return flight

Early morning flight back to Kathmandu (about £130–160) — if flights are cancelled, shared helicopter seats are the fallback (roughly £250–350, insurance-dependent). Check back into your Thamel guesthouse, then take a taxi or walk to Boudhanath Stupa to walk the kora at sunset, and finish with a Nepali thali or momos in Thamel. If you want a guided city tour, a half-day Patan or Kathmandu Durbar Square tour booked through GetYourGuide or a local guide costs about £25–35.

🚌Flight Lukla–Kathmandu (~£140); taxi around the city (£2–4 per trip)

🛏Budget guesthouse in Thamel, Kathmandu (private room £12–18)

• →Scenic return flight to Kathmandu
• →Sunset kora around Boudhanath Stupa
• →Optional Patan or Kathmandu Durbar Square guided tour
• →Farewell dinner in Thamel

Breakfast at the guesthouse, last-minute souvenir shopping in Thamel (pashminas, singing bowls, prayer flags), then transfer to Tribhuvan International Airport for your international flight home. If you have a few days spare, consider a side trip to Bhaktapur or Pokhara by tourist bus (about £8–12, 7 hours) before flying out.

🚌Taxi or guesthouse transfer to KTM (about £5)

🛏N/A — depart

• →Souvenir shopping in Thamel
• →Airport transfer