Everest Base Camp Trek: Self-Launched 12-Day Itinerary

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a prepaid taxi or ride-hailing app to Thamel (roughly NPR 700–1,000 / £4–6). Use the afternoon to sort logistics yourself: apply for or confirm your Sagarmatha National Park permit and Khumbu municipality trekking card online via the Nepal trekker portal, or visit the Nepal Tourism Board office in Bhrikutimandu. Then interview a licensed guide in Thamel — a good guide costs around £18–25/day and a porter around £12–18/day, shared across a small group of 2–4 it is far cheaper than a package. Buy or rent down jackets, sleeping bags and poles in Thamel (rental ~£2–3/day for a set). Evening briefing over momos on the route, teahouse etiquette and altitude plan.

🚌Airport taxi (~£5) and walking

🛏Thamel hostel or budget guesthouse, dorm or private twin (£8–15)

• →Pre-trek briefing with your hired guide
• →Permit applications (Sagarmatha National Park + Khumbu card)
• →Gear rental in Thamel

Take the early morning flight from Kathmandu (Ramechhap airport in peak season) to Tenzing Hillary Airport, Lukla — book direct with Tara Air, Summit Air or Sita Air, roughly £130–180 one way; note that during busy autumn/spring seasons flights are often shifted to Ramechhap, requiring a 4–5 hour shared jeep from Kathmandu (~£12) first. From Lukla walk about 3 hours downhill along the Dudh Koshi River to Phakding, entering Sagarmatha National Park and passing the Rimishung Monastery just above the trail. Short village stroll in the afternoon to help acclimatisation.

🚌Domestic flight Kathmandu–Lukla ~£130–180; on foot 3 hrs

🛏Phakding tea house, twin room (~£6–10 per person, meals extra)

• →Flight into Lukla
• →Trek Lukla to Phakding
• →Rimishung Monastery and Dudh Koshi riverbank walk

A 6–7 hour day crossing the famous high suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi, up through Monjo (where permits are checked) and into Sagarmatha National Park, then the long zigzag climb to Namche Bazaar at 3,440m. Carry cash — there are ATMs in Namche but they are unreliable — and expect to pay for hot showers, charging and Wi-Fi at tea houses (£1.50–3 each). Evening wander through the bazaar's bakeries and gear shops.

🚌On foot 6–7 hrs

🛏Namche Bazaar tea house (~£10–15 per person)

• →High suspension bridge crossings
• →Sagarmatha National Park checkpoint
• →Namche Bazaar evening market stroll

Staying put at 3,440m is one of the most important days of the trek. Hike 1.5–2 hours up to the Everest View Hotel or Khunde/Khumjung for your first sight of Everest and Ama Dablam, then visit the Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Centre and museum in Namche. Friday evening or Saturday morning brings the weekly market with traders from Tibet and the lowlands. Alternatively take a side trip towards Thame village (4–5 hrs) if you feel strong — but keep it easy, this is an acclimatisation day.

🚌On foot, optional side hikes

🛏Namche Bazaar tea house (~£10–15 per person)

• →Sunrise viewpoint hike to Everest View Hotel (~£3 entry for tea)
• →Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Centre
• →Optional Thame or Khunde village walk

A spectacular 5–6 hour traverse high above the valley with constant Everest and Ama Dablam views, dropping to Kyanjoma, crossing the Dudh Koshi at Phunki Tenga, then climbing steeply through pine and rhododendron to Tengboche (3,860m). Attend the late-afternoon prayer ceremony at Tengboche Monastery, the largest in Khumbu — free to enter, donations welcome — and enjoy the bakery next door.

🚌On foot 5–6 hrs

🛏Tengboche tea house (~£8–12 per person)

• →Prayer ceremony at Tengboche Monastery
• →Everest and Ama Dablam viewpoints
• →Dudh Koshi river crossing at Phunki Tenga

Walk about 5 hours via Deboche, Pangboche (tea break — its old monastery claims the yeti scalp relic) and Somare for lunch, crossing the Lobuche River and climbing into the treeless Imja Valley to Dingboche (4,410m). From here the landscape is starkly alpine; sleep may be broken at this altitude. Drink 3–4 litres of water a day and watch for headache.

🚌On foot 5 hrs

🛏Dingboche tea house (~£8–12 per person)

• →Pangboche village and tea stop
• →Imja Valley views of Ama Dablam
• →Lobuche River crossing

Second acclimatisation day. Climb the ridge towards Nangkartshang Peak (5,083m) — around 3–4 hours return at a slow pace — for huge views of Makalu and Island Peak, then rest in the afternoon. The alternative is a gentler walk up the Chhukung Valley. Either way, back to Dingboche for the night to sleep low.

🚌On foot 3–4 hrs

🛏Dingboche tea house (~£8–12 per person)

• →Nangkartshang Ridge hike
• →Optional Chhukung Valley walk
• →Makalu viewpoint

A shorter but high day: 4–5 hours up to Dughla (4,620m) for lunch beneath the Thukla Pass memorial cairns to climbers who died on Everest, then a steady climb across moraine to Lobuche (4,940m). Cash and card machines stop here — carry enough rupees for the final high-altitude days, where a plate of dal bhat can cost £6–8 and a bottle of water £2–3.

🚌On foot 4–5 hrs

🛏Lobuche tea house (~£10–14 per person)

• →Thukla Pass memorial cairns
• →Khumbu Glacier moraine views
• →Dughla lunch stop

Walk 3 hours to Gorakshep (5,164m) and drop your bag, then continue 2–3 hours along the Khumbu Glacier to Everest Base Camp (5,364m) — the highlight of the trek, with the icefall and climbers' tents in season. Return to Gorakshep, then if you still have legs, climb nearby Kala Patthar (5,545m, ~2 hrs up) for sunset light on Everest. This is the toughest day of the trip: go slow, keep eating, and turn back if altitude symptoms worsen.

🚌On foot 7–8 hrs total

🛏Gorakshep tea house, basic and shared (~£12–18 per person)

• →Everest Base Camp
• →Khumbu Icefall viewpoint
• →Kala Patthar sunset (optional)

Optional pre-dawn climb of Kala Patthar (about 2 hours up, 1 down) for the classic sunrise view of Everest — if you did sunset yesterday, sleep in instead. Then a long descent of 5–6 hours down past Lobuche and Dughla to Pheriche (4,270m), which feels easier with every metre of altitude lost. Pheriche has a small Himalayan Rescue Association clinic with a daily altitude talk worth an hour of your time.

🚌On foot 5–6 hrs

🛏Pheriche tea house (~£8–12 per person)

• →Kala Patthar sunrise (optional)
• →Descent via Dughla
• →HRA clinic altitude talk

A big descent day, 7–8 hours, back through Deboche, Tengboche and its rhododendron forest, down to the Imja Khola and Phunki Tenga, then the hard climb back up to Namche Bazaar. Legs will be tired but you're now comfortably under 3,500m. Reward yourself with a bakery visit and a hot shower at the tea house.

🚌On foot 7–8 hrs

🛏Namche Bazaar tea house (~£10–15 per person)

• →Rhododendron forest descent
• →Tengboche revisit
• →Namche bakery stop

Final trek: 7–8 hours down through Monjo and Phakding along the river to Lukla. If you fly out the same day, the morning flight is best (weather cancels afternoon flights often) — otherwise overnight in Lukla and take the first flight the next morning, then a taxi back to your Thamel hotel in Kathmandu. Keep a buffer day or two in Kathmandu before your international flight, because Lukla delays are common. Allow roughly £130–180 for the return flight.

🚌On foot 7–8 hrs; flight Lukla–Kathmandu ~£130–180; airport taxi ~£5

🛏Thamel hostel or guesthouse, or Lukla guesthouse if delayed (£8–15)

• →Final descent via Monjo and Phakding
• →Flight out of Tenzing Hillary Airport
• →Return to Kathmandu