Everest Base Camp Trek with Helicopter Return — Self-Launched

Land at Tribhuvan International Airport and take a pre-paid taxi or ride-hailing app to a guesthouse in Thamel or Paknagar (roughly NPR 700–1,000, ~£5). Sort out your TIMS/Khumbu permit paperwork online or via the Nepal Tourism Board office, buy or rent a down jacket and sleeping bag if you haven't brought them (rental is ~£2–3/day, or buy cheap in Thamel), and pick up a Nepali SIM (Ncell or NTC, ~£3–5 with data). Easy evening, early night — jet lag plus altitude later means rest matters.

🚌Airport taxi ~£5 each way

🛏Budget guesthouse in Thamel, private room with hot water (~£10–15)

• →Arrive Tribhuvan International Airport
• →Pick up Ncell/NTC SIM card
• →Rent or buy down jacket and sleeping bag in Thamel
• →Buy Khumbu Pasang Lhamu permit + Sagarmatha National Park entry (or online in advance)

Self-guided walk through the Kathmandu Valley's UNESCO sites. Start at Kathmandu Durbar Square and Kumari Chowk, then walk or take a short taxi to Swayambhunath (monkey temple) for the valley views. In the afternoon head to Boudhanath stupa and finish with the evening aarti at Pashupatinath. A multi-site ticket or individual entry tickets total roughly £15–20; a local guide at Durbar Square costs ~£15 if you want context.

🚌Taxis/metro-style local buses around the valley ~£4–6

🛏Budget guesthouse in Thamel (~£10–15)

• →Kathmandu Durbar Square and Kumari Chowk
• →Swayambhunath monkey temple
• →Boudhanath stupa
• →Pashupatinath riverside aarti

Early flight from Kathmandu (or Ramechhap in peak season) to Lukla — book through a Kathmandu agent or airline direct; return/one-way fares are roughly £140–180 and delays are common, so build in slack. From Lukla walk north on the well-marked trail through Chaurikharka and Ghat to Phakding (~3–4 hrs, mostly gentle descent). Register your Khumbu permit at Lukla checkpost on the way out.

🚌Domestic flight Kathmandu–Lukla ~£150 one-way (check Tara Air / Sita Air / Summit Air)

🛏Teahouse in Phakding, twin room shared bathroom (~£5–8; meals bought at the teahouse cover the room)

• →Flight into Lukla airstrip
• →Permit check-in at Lukla
• →Trek Lukla to Phakding (~3–4 hrs)

The big day: cross the long suspension bridges over the Dudh Koshi, enter Sagarmatha National Park at Monjo (permit check), then climb the relentless switchbacks to Namche Bazaar (~6–7 hrs). Take it slow, drink water, and don't rush the last hour. Namche is the last place with ATMs, decent gear shops and good coffee — stock up on cash here.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Namche Bazaar (~£6–10)

• →Cross Hillary suspension bridge
• →Sagarmatha National Park entry check at Monjo
• →Trek to Namche Bazaar

Rest day — non-negotiable for a safe trek. Do the classic acclimatisation hike up to the Everest View Hotel at Syangboche (~3,880 m, 2–3 hrs round trip) for your first proper Everest, Lhotse and Ama Dablam views, then drop back down to sleep low in Namche. Afternoon for bakeries, the Sherpa Culture Museum and gear shopping.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Namche Bazaar (~£6–10)

• →Acclimatisation hike to Everest View Hotel / Syangboche
• →Sherpa Culture Museum
• →Rest and hydrate

A beautiful contouring trail high above the valley to Phunki Tenga, then a steep climb through pine and rhododendron forest to Tengboche (~5 hrs). Visit Tengboche Monastery, the largest in Khumbu, and catch the afternoon prayer ceremony if timing works. The panorama from here — Everest, Nuptse, Lhotse, Ama Dablam — is one of the trek's highlights.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Tengboche (~£6–10)

• →Trek Namche to Tengboche
• →Tengboche Monastery and prayer ceremony
• →Mountain viewpoint (Everest, Lhotse, Ama Dablam)

Descend briefly to Deboche and cross the river, then climb through Pangboche (oldest monastery in Khumbu) and on up the open valley to Dingboche (~5 hrs, 4,410 m). The landscape turns treeless here. Go slow, eat well, and expect colder nights — this is where altitude starts to bite.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Dingboche (~£6–10)

• →Trek to Dingboche via Pangboche
• →Pangboche Monastery
• →Optional side trip to Ama Dablam base camp if acclimatised

A deliberately short 3-hour walk up to Dughla (4,620 m) — this doubles as your second acclimatisation day, which is the main difference from the operator's itinerary and worth keeping. In the afternoon, walk 20 minutes up to the Thukla Pass memorial chortens honouring climbers lost on Everest, with Pumori and Cholatse right above you. Rest, hydrate, sleep early.

🚌On foot

🛏Teahouse in Dughla (~£6–8)

• →Trek Dingboche to Dughla (~3 hrs)
• →Thukla Pass memorial chortens
• →Rest/acclimatisation

The big one. Climb past Lobuche and the Khumbu Glacier moraine to Gorakshep (5,164 m, ~3 hrs), drop bags, then continue 2–3 hrs along the glacier to Everest Base Camp (5,364 m). In spring you'll see the expedition tent city; in autumn it's mostly empty ice. It's a long, cold, exhausting day — start early, carry water, and turn back if you feel headache or nausea. Overnight at Gorakshep.

🚌On foot

🛏Basic teahouse at Gorakshep (~£7–10, shared facilities, cold)

• →Trek Dughla to Gorakshep
• →Khumbu Glacier and Lobuche
• →Trek to and visit Everest Base Camp

Pre-dawn climb (1.5–2 hrs) to Kala Patthar (5,545 m) for the classic Everest sunrise view — the best close-up of the summit you'll get without climbing. Back to Gorakshep for breakfast, then take a shared helicopter seat out: Gorakshep (or Pheriche) to Lukla is typically £200–300 per seat, and operators fly weather-permitting, usually in the morning. Some services fly straight to Kathmandu (~£350–450); the Lukla leg keeps costs down. Book seats 2–3 days ahead via a Kathmandu or Lukla operator, and hold a buffer day in your plan — helicopters get grounded by cloud.

🚌Shared helicopter Gorakshep/Pheriche–Lukla ~£250 per seat

🛏Teahouse/lodge in Lukla (~£6–10)

• →Sunrise hike to Kala Patthar
• →Helicopter flight over the Khumbu Glacier to Lukla

Morning flight back to Kathmandu (book the earliest slot — afternoon flights cancel more often; ~£150). Check back into a Thamel guesthouse, shower, and spend the afternoon souvenir shopping for pashmina, tea and prayer flags. Evening farewell dinner with a Nepali thali and live cultural dance — Kathmandu Durbar Square and Thamel both have traditional dance restaurants, £10–15 for a set menu.

🚌Lukla–Kathmandu flight ~£150; airport taxi ~£5

🛏Budget guesthouse in Thamel (~£10–15)

• →Flight Lukla–Kathmandu
• →Thamel souvenir shopping
• →Nepali farewell dinner with cultural dance

Buffer morning for delays or last-minute shopping, then taxi to Tribhuvan International Airport for your international flight home. If you have spare days, consider adding a Bhaktapur or Patan half-day before flying out.

🚌Airport taxi ~£5

🛏None (departure day)

• →Departure transfer
• →Optional Bhaktapur or Patan half-day