Everest Base Camp Trek — Self-Launched (14 Days)

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a prepaid airport taxi to Thamel (about NPR 800-1,200 / £5-8). Check into a Thamel guesthouse, then spend the afternoon sorting logistics: buy or confirm your Sagarmatha National Park permit and Khumbu Pasanglhamu Rural Municipality permit at the Nepal Tourism Board office (about NPR 3,000 and NPR 2,000 / £18 and £12), and confirm your Lukla flight with the airline directly. If you want a guide or porter, most Thamel agencies can arrange one same-day for roughly £20-25/day (guide) or £15-20/day (porter). Evening: walk to Swayambhunath (Monkey Temple) for sunset — it's a 25-minute walk or £3 taxi, entry about £2.

🚌Prepaid airport taxi ~£6; walking or £2-3 taxis around town

🛏Thamel guesthouse or budget hotel, private room (~£15-25)

• →Permit office (Nepal Tourism Board, Bhrikutimandap)
• →Swayambhunath Stupa at sunset
• →Thamel gear shopping (rent down jacket & sleeping bag ~£2-3/day each)

Early flight from Kathmandu (or the 4-5 hour shared jeep to Ramechhap/Manthali airport during peak season, roughly £5-8) to Tenzing-Hillary Airport, Lukla — about £130-160 one-way booked direct with Tara Air, Sita Air or Summit Air, or through an agent. From the airstrip it's an easy 3-4 hour, 8km walk downhill to Phakding along the Dudh Koshi, crossing several suspension bridges. Register your permits at the Monjo checkpost tomorrow, not today. Teahouses in Phakding are plentiful; a room is often free or ~£3-5 if you eat dinner there.

🚌Domestic flight KTM–Lukla ~£140 one-way; walking

🛏Tea house in Phakding (~£3-6 room, dal bhat ~£4)

• →Lukla flight and landing at Tenzing-Hillary Airport
• →Trek Lukla to Phakding (8km, 3-4 hrs, descending)

A big day: 11km and 5-6 hours, mostly along the river before the long climb up through Jorsale. Show your permits at the Monjo checkpost (Sagarmatha National Park entry). Cross the famous high suspension bridges above the Dudh Koshi, then grind up the switchbacks to Namche — the last hour is steep and relentless. Namche is the region's hub: bakeries, gear shops, ATMs, and the best coffee you'll see for a week. Altitude is now above 3,400m, so drink water steadily and take it easy in the evening.

🚌Walking (11km, 5-6 hrs)

🛏Tea house in Namche (~£5-8 room)

• →Monjo permit checkpost
• →High suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi
• →Namche Bazaar acclimatisation walk-around

Non-negotiable rest day. Best use of it: a 2-3 hour hike up to the Sagarmatha National Park visitor centre above town (entry already covered by your park permit) for your first proper view of Everest, then continue to Khumjung village (3,790m) to see the Hillary School and the monastery that supposedly holds a yeti scalp — small donation expected. Climb high, sleep low. Alternatively, walk to the Everest View Hotel for tea and the classic panorama. Afternoon: laundry, gear check, and an early night.

🚌Walking (day hike 4-5 hrs)

🛏Tea house in Namche (~£5-8 room)

• →Sagarmatha National Park HQ & Everest viewpoint
• →Hike to Khumjung village & Hillary School
• →Optional Everest View Hotel tea stop

Take the quieter, less-crowded trail this operator uses: Namche up to Syangboche airstrip, across to Khumjung, then traverse via Mong La and down to Phortse Gaon on the far side of the valley. About 6-7 hours total. Phortse is a traditional Sherpa village with a monastery and a good acclimatisation profile — overnight here instead of the busier Tengboche-approach line. This route bypasses the main EBC highway, so teahouses are quieter and slightly cheaper.

🚌Walking (6-7 hrs)

🛏Tea house in Phortse (~£4-7 room)

• →Syangboche airstrip & Everest View Hotel
• →Traverse through Khumjung and Mong La
• →Sherpa village of Phortse Gaon

Descend to the Dudh Koshi and rejoin the main valley at Pangboche (about 4 hours), visiting the old gompa — the oldest monastery in the Khumbu. Then continue to Pheriche (5-6 hours total), climbing steadily above the treeline. Pheriche sits above the valley floor and is windy and cold; it also has the Himalayan Rescue Association clinic, which gives free daily altitude-sickness talks at 3pm in season — genuinely worth attending.

🚌Walking (5-6 hrs)

🛏Tea house in Pheriche (~£5-8 room)

• →Pangboche Gompa visit
• →Himalayan Rescue Association altitude lecture in Pheriche

A shorter but higher day: 4-5 hours via Dughla, then the steep, morale-testing climb past the Thukla Pass memorials to Lobuche. Above 4,900m now, so expect disturbed sleep and a headache. Keep the afternoon gentle, eat what you can, and drink 3-4 litres. Tea houses in Lobuche are basic and rooms often shared; pay for a hot shower only if you really want it (about £3-4).

🚌Walking (4-5 hrs)

🛏Tea house in Lobuche (~£5-8 room)

• →Thukla Pass memorial chortens
• →High-altitude acclimatisation walk (short)

About 3.5 hours of glacier-scoured moraine walking to Gorak Shep, the last settlement before Base Camp. Arrive by midday, take a short rest, then if you feel good, climb Kala Patthar (5,545m) this afternoon rather than at dawn — the views of Everest and the Khumbu Glacier are just as good and you avoid a 4am start in the cold. Gorak Shep tea houses charge premium rates for everything, including phone charging.

🚌Walking (3.5 hrs)

🛏Tea house in Gorak Shep (~£6-10 room, higher food prices)

• →Trek to Gorak Shep
• →Optional Kala Patthar sunset climb (2-3 hrs round trip)

The big one. Walk out to Base Camp along the Khumbu Glacier moraine, roughly 2 hours each way — you can't go onto the ice itself, but the prayer flags, the icefall view and the sheer scale are the payoff. Return to Gorak Shep for lunch, then retrace your steps down to Lobuche (2-3 hours). If you skipped Kala Patthar yesterday, do it at dawn before heading to Base Camp. Descending to Lobuche to sleep makes the coming days much easier.

🚌Walking (7-8 hrs total)

🛏Tea house in Lobuche (~£5-8 room)

• →Everest Base Camp
• →Khumbu Glacier viewpoint
• →Optional dawn Kala Patthar ascent

Downhill all day and the air gets thicker fast. Retrace via Pheriche (stop at the HRA aid post if you have any altitude symptoms lingering), Pangboche (you can revisit the old monastery), then the long forested descent to Tengboche. The monastery here is the largest in the Khumbu and holds an evening puja around 4-5pm — free to attend, donations welcome. Bakeries and hot showers are back.

🚌Walking (6-7 hrs)

🛏Tea house in Tengboche (~£5-8 room)

• →Descent via Pheriche & Pangboche
• →Tengboche Monastery evening puja

A 4-5 hour descent through rhododendron forest, past Phunki Tenga's water-driven prayer wheels, up the short climb to Namche for lunch, then down to Monjo. Lower altitude means better sleep, cheaper food, and phone signal. Monjo is a small, quiet village just below the park gate — a pleasant last-forest night after a week above the treeline.

🚌Walking (4-5 hrs)

🛏Tea house in Monjo (~£4-7 room)

• →Phunki Tenga prayer wheels
• →Lunch stop in Namche Bazaar
• →Monjo village

Easy final trekking day: Monjo to Phakding along the river, then the last climb back up to Lukla, 4-5 hours total. Confirm your return flight with the airline the moment you arrive in Lukla — departures get reshuffled constantly and early slots are gold. Celebrate at a Lukla bar with your trekking companions; there's always somebody heading down who's up for it.

🚌Walking (4-5 hrs)

🛏Tea house or lodge in Lukla (~£5-10 room)

• →Final trail day
• →Confirm return Lukla flight
• →Farewell drinks in Lukla

Morning flight back to Kathmandu (about £130-160) — or, in peak season, the jeep-and-vehicle run to Ramechhap plus flight. Build in a buffer: Lukla flights cancel regularly for weather, so a spare day here is worth the £20 hotel bill. Check into a Thamel or Patan hotel, then spend the afternoon on a self-led walk through Kathmandu Durbar Square (entry about £8) and the Kumari Chhen (Kumari Ghar), where you may glimpse the living goddess from the courtyard. Farewell dinner: a proper Nepali thali and Momos in Thamel, about £6-9.

🚌Domestic flight ~£140; taxis in Kathmandu ~£5

🛏Thamel or Patan boutique hotel, private room (~£20-35)

• →Lukla–Kathmandu flight
• →Kathmandu Durbar Square self-guided walk
• →Kumari Chhen courtyard
• →Nepali farewell dinner in Thamel

Last morning for a slow breakfast, last gear shopping or a wander around Boudhanath Stupa (about £3 entry, a 25-minute taxi from Thamel). Prepaid taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport, about £6. If your flight is late, most Thamel hotels will store bags and let you use the lobby.

🚌Airport taxi ~£6

🛏None (departure day)

• →Optional Boudhanath Stupa visit
• →Airport transfer