Everest & Annapurna Base Camps: Self-Launched Double Trek

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a prepaid taxi to Thamel (NPR 800–1,000 / ~£6) rather than a private transfer. Settle into a Thamel guesthouse, buy a Nepali SIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£2 for data), draw cash from ATMs, and arrange your permits: Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality permit (NPR 3,000) plus Sagarmatha National Park entry (NPR 3,000) for Everest, and ACAP (NPR 3,000) plus Annapurna Conservation TIMS for the Annapurna section. Any Thamel trekking agency will do this for a small service fee — or do it yourself at the Nepal Tourism Board office. Hire/buy gear you lack (down jacket, sleeping bag, poles can be rented in Thamel for ~£2–3/day).

🚌Prepaid airport taxi ~£6

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private room (~£14)

• →Permit paperwork at Nepal Tourism Board or agency
• →Gear rental in Thamel
• →SIM card purchase
• →Evening wander around Durbar Marg / Thamel

Book the KTM–Lukla flight yourself a few weeks ahead (Sita Air, Tara Air or Summit Air; ~£150–170 one-way — this is the single biggest cost of the trip). Morning flights are more reliable; weather cancellations are common, so build a buffer day later. From Lukla (2,840m) walk north through Cheplung, Ghat and a string of suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi to Phakding (2,610m) — about 3–4 hours, an intentionally easy first day.

🚌Domestic flight KTM–Lukla ~£160; trekking on foot

🛏Teahouse in Phakding, twin room (~£6)

• →Lukla–Phakding acclimatisation walk
• →Dudh Koshi suspension bridges

A big day: 6–7 hours climbing through Sagarmatha National Park gate at Monjo (have your permit and passport ready), over the high Hillary Suspension Bridge, then the relentless switchbacks up to Namche (3,440m). Walk slowly, drink water, and don't skip the checkpoint registration. Namche has bakeries, gear shops, ATMs and Wi-Fi (paid).

🚌On foot ~6–7 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Namche, twin room (~£7)

• →Sagarmatha National Park entry checkpoint
• →Hillary Suspension Bridge
• →First views of Everest from the Namche ridge

Mandatory rest/acclimatisation day. Do the standard 'climb high, sleep low' hike to the Everest View Hotel at Syangboche (3,880m) — 2–3 hours round trip, with the best Everest–Lhotse–Ama Dablam panorama of the trip. Afternoon: Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Centre museum (free), the Saturday market if timing aligns, and bakery coffee. Optional side walk to Khunde or Thame village.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Namche, twin room (~£7)

• →Hike to Everest View Hotel / Syangboche
• →Sagarmatha National Park Visitor Centre
• →Namche market and bakeries

5–6 hours on a beautiful traversing trail above the Dudh Koshi, through Phunki Tenga (lunch and the last easy water refill before the climb), then up through rhododendron forest to Tengboche (3,860m). Time your arrival for the late-afternoon prayer ceremony at Tengboche Monastery — free to attend, small donation appreciated. Wrap up warm; it's cold here.

🚌On foot ~5–6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Tengboche, twin room (~£7)

• →Tengboche Monastery afternoon puja
• →Rhododendron forest trail

5–6 hours through Somare, Orsho and Pheriche (there's a Himalayan Rescue Association clinic here with daily altitude talks — worth an hour). Emerge above the treeline to Dingboche (4,410m). Expect the first genuinely cold night; check your teahouse has a heated dining room.

🚌On foot ~5–6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Dingboche, twin room (~£7)

• →Pheriche HRA altitude talk
• →Above-treeline crossing to Dingboche

Second acclimatisation day. Hike up to Nangkartshang Gompa (4,730m) — about 2 hours up, 1 hour down — for views of Makalu and Ama Dablam. Strong trekkers can push to the Nangkartshang summit (5,090m) but only if you feel good; turn around if headache or breathlessness builds. Rest, hydrate and eat in the afternoon.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Dingboche, twin room (~£7)

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

4–5 hours, passing Dughla and the Khumbu Glacier moraine, with the memorial chortens at Chupki Lhara (a sobering and moving stop). Views of Pumori, Khumbutse and Lingtren open up. Lobuche (4,940m) is basic and cold — pay the small extra for a room with an attached bathroom if offered.

🚌On foot ~4–5 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Lobuche, twin room (~£7)

• →Khumbu Glacier moraine
• →Chupki Lhara memorial chortens

The big one. Drop bags at Gorak Shep (5,164m), then walk the glacier moraine trail to Everest Base Camp (5,364m) — 3 hours each way, mostly flat but at serious altitude. Base Camp in trekking season is a tent city with expedition teams; in winter it's empty and stark. Back to Gorak Shep for the night. Go slowly, eat even if you don't feel like it.

🚌On foot ~7–8 hrs total

🛏Teahouse in Gorak Shep, twin room (~£8)

• →Everest Base Camp (5,364m)
• →Khumbu Icefall viewpoints

Pre-dawn start (4am) for the 2-hour climb to Kala Patthar (5,545m) — the classic Everest viewpoint and higher than Base Camp itself. Watch sunrise on Everest's south face, then descend all the way to Pangboche (3,985m) — a long 8–9 hours total but the rapid descent helps recovery. Bring a headtorch and every layer you own.

🚌On foot ~9 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Pangboche, twin room (~£6)

• →Kala Patthar sunrise (5,545m)
• →Long descent via Lobuche and Pheriche

6–7 hours descending through Tengboche (stop at the monastery bakery — genuinely good cake) and back over the Dudh Koshi to Namche. Your appetite and energy should return fast with the altitude loss. Celebrate with a proper meal and a hot shower.

🚌On foot ~6–7 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Namche, twin room (~£7)

• →Tengboche bakery stop
• →Descent to Namche

The last long trekking day: 7–8 hours back down through Monjo and Phakding to Lukla. Collect your permit exit stamps. Book or confirm your Lukla–Kathmandu flight for the next morning and keep a spare day in your plan in case of weather cancellations — this is the single most common itinerary break.

🚌On foot ~7–8 hrs

🛏Lodge in Lukla, twin room (~£8)

• →Final Khumbu descent
• →Reconfirm Lukla flight

Morning flight back to Kathmandu (~£160, or join a shared helicopter if flights are cancelled — around £300–350 and worth it if you're time-bound). Afternoon: shower, laundry, and a proper meal in Thamel. Buy your Pokhara tourist bus ticket for tomorrow (Greenline or a local tourist bus, ~£10–22).

🚌Lukla–KTM flight ~£160; airport taxi ~£6

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private room (~£14)

• →Rest and recovery
• →Book Pokhara bus

6–7 hour tourist bus (or the 25-minute flight for ~£60–80 if you'd rather save the day). Arrive Pokhara, stay in Lakeside, and arrange your Annapurna permits locally (ACAP NPR 3,000, TIMS NPR 2,000) at the Nepal Tourism Board office on Lakeside Road. Sunset walk along Phewa Tal and an early night.

🚌Tourist bus Kathmandu–Pokhara ~£12

🛏Lakeside guesthouse in Pokhara, private room (~£10)

• →ACAP/TIMS permits in Pokhara
• →Phewa Tal sunset walk

Shared jeep or local bus from Pokhara to Nayapul (~£2–4, 1.5 hrs), then walk via Birethanti (permit checkpoint) and Hille along the Modi Khola to Tikhedhunga (1,540m) — about 3 hours. Easy warm-up day through villages and rice terraces.

🚌Local bus/shared jeep to Nayapul ~£3; on foot ~3 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Tikhedhunga, twin room (~£5)

• →Birethanti permit checkpoint
• →Modi Khola valley walk

The infamous 3,000 stone steps up through Ulleri — tough but only 4–5 hours. Then gentler rhododendron forest via Banthanti and Nangethanti to Ghorepani (2,860m). Cold at night; expect to pay for hot showers (~£1–2).

🚌On foot ~4–5 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Ghorepani, twin room (~£6)

• →Ulleri stone staircase
• →Rhododendron forest

Up at 4:30am for the 45-minute climb to Poon Hill (3,210m) — the best sunrise panorama in Nepal, with Dhaulagiri and Annapurna South lit up. Back for breakfast, then 5–6 hours along the ridge through Deurali to Tadapani (2,630m).

🚌On foot ~6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Tadapani, twin room (~£5)

• →Poon Hill sunrise (3,210m)
• →Ridge walk to Tadapani

4–5 hours descending steeply to the Chomrong Khola, then a punishing final climb up to Chomrong (2,170m) — the gateway to the sanctuary and the last village with proper shops. Buy snacks and cash here (there are no ATMs further up).

🚌On foot ~5 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Chomrong, twin room (~£5)

• →Chomrong Khola descent
• →Stocking up for the sanctuary

5–6 hours through Khuldighar and into the bamboo and rhododendron forest along the Modi Khola. Dovan (2,505m) is small and basic — village-run teahouses only. Keep an eye out for langur monkeys and danphe pheasants.

🚌On foot ~5–6 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Dovan, twin room (~£5)

• →Bamboo forest trail
• →Wildlife spotting

Only 3–4 hours, past the Himalaya Hotel and the Hinku Cave, to Deurali (3,230m). Keep the day short to acclimatise before the sanctuary. Avalanche-risk signage is real here in winter — follow local advice on the trail route.

🚌On foot ~3–4 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Deurali, twin room (~£5)

• →Hinku Cave
• →Short acclimatisation day

4–5 hours up through Machapuchare Base Camp, then the final climb to Annapurna Base Camp (4,130m). You walk into a natural amphitheatre ringed by Annapurna I, Annapurna South, Gangapurna and Machapuchare — arguably the most dramatic setting of any base camp in Nepal. Sleep here for the sunrise.

🚌On foot ~4–5 hrs

🛏Teahouse at ABC, twin room (~£6)

• →Machapuchare Base Camp
• →Annapurna Base Camp (4,130m) sunset

Sunrise on the sanctuary walls, then a long descent — 6–7 hours down past Deurali and Himalaya to Bamboo (2,310m). Knees will complain; poles help. Warmer and oxygen-rich by evening.

🚌On foot ~6–7 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Bamboo, twin room (~£5)

• →Base Camp sunrise
• →Descent through the sanctuary

5 hours up over the Chomrong ridge and down to Jhinu Danda (1,780m), then a 20-minute walk down to the riverside hot springs — the perfect reward after two base camps. Entry is around NPR 100. Soak, then climb back up to the teahouse.

🚌On foot ~5 hrs

🛏Teahouse in Jhinu Danda, twin room (~£5)

• →Jhinu Danda hot springs

3 hours down to Birethanti/Nayapul, then a local bus or shared jeep back to Pokhara (~£3). Check out of the trek and into a Lakeside guesthouse, then take a rowboat across Phewa Tal to the Barahi Temple (boat hire ~£3–4). Cold beer and momos on Lakeside.

🚌Local bus Nayapul–Pokhara ~£3; rowboat ~£4

🛏Lakeside guesthouse in Pokhara, private room (~£10)

• →Barahi Temple by rowboat on Phewa Tal
• →Lakeside evening

Bus back to Kathmandu (~£12, 6–7 hrs) or fly (~£60–80). If you have the energy and budget, book a paragliding flight over Pokhara (~£70–80, bookable via GetYourGuide or directly with local operators) or a Trishuli river rafting day (~£35) before you leave. Evening in Thamel for last-minute shopping.

🚌Tourist bus Pokhara–Kathmandu ~£12

🛏Thamel guesthouse, private room (~£14)

• →Optional Pokhara paragliding (~£75)
• →Optional Trishuli rafting (~£35)
• →Thamel shopping

Optional morning: Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) or Boudhanath Stupa — both a short taxi ride from Thamel and around £2 entry each. Then pack, and take a prepaid taxi to the airport (~£6) for your flight home.

🚌Taxi to airport ~£6

🛏None (departure day)

• →Swayambhunath or Boudhanath stupa (optional)