Nepal is notorious for its amazing hikes through the Himalayas which are rising in popularity year on year. Hiking through these beautiful trails can be either cheap and budget friendly, or can cost you quite a bit of money. How much does the Everest Base Camp Trek cost is a question that we have been asked a lot! It totally depends on how much you are willing to spend and what type of adventure you are wanting to experience!
We hiked to Everest Base Camp in February 2023 on a tight budget as it was our first stop. Not wanting to spend a fortune, we found the best way to enjoy the stunning trek without breaking the bank! Find out below how much we spent, the route we took and day to day budgeting tips so you can work out how to plan your own trip to fit in with your price range.
Everest Base Camp Trek Cost – Think about these things when planning your budget.
From start to finish the trek will take around 12 days to complete. You must factor in many costs to include in your budget, but also have an enjoyable and comfortable hike! Below we will discuss the cost of getting to the starting point of the trek, food, accommodation, permits and everything else that you need to know about prices along the route!
Our TOP TIP would be to work out how much you think you will spend, and then take extra! There are next to no ATM’s along the trek, and when there is one, it often doesn’t have money in. You don’t want to be in a position where you have no money and need to pay for something.
Starting the Trek
Where and how you start the trail can determine a big factor of the cost of your trip to Everest Base Camp. The actual starting point of the Everest Base Camp trek is at the village, Lukla. There are many different ways you can get to the starting point, all which differ in price and duration.
Flying to Lukla Airport
This is the option that many people choose to start their journey to Everest Base Camp. In the low season you can get flights direct from Kathmandu, this is the route we took. Flights are scheduled early in the morning, they take about 30mins to reach Lukla but are often cancelled/delayed due to the weather conditions. If this is the case, you will be scheduled on the next flight or even the day after (no extra charge). You can read about flying to Lukla more on our blog ‘Worlds Most Dangerous Airport’.
Flights from Kathmandu cost around $180-$200 (£140-£161) per person, each way.
During peak season, flights from Kathmandu are often stopped and you have to fly from Ramechhap airport instead. The flight takes approx 20mins to reach Lukla. Reaching Ramechhap Airport can be done from Kathmandu via public bus for about NPR 600 (£3.60), shared jeeps, tourist bus $35-45 (£27-£35) or private car transfer around $150-250 (£120-250). Companies vary in prices and you need to book a seat at least a few days before you set off.
Flights from Ramechhap cost around $140-160 (£115-£130) per person, each way.
You can also get a private helicopter from Kathmandu straight to Lukla Airport. This is the most expensive way to get to Lukla, but if budget isn’t an issue then I’m sure the views from the helicopter are definitely worth it! This can cost around $2000 (£1600) each way.
Walking to Lukla from Jiri
The cheapest option by far is to add an extra week of walking on your hike to Everest Base Camp. If you have the time, and have a tight budget, then this is the best option for you. You can get the bus from Kathmandu to Jiri, which is a long 10hr bus journey over bumpy roads and paths. However, it only costs around NPR 1200 (£7). You just need to factor in costs of teahouses and food along the way for the extra days of hiking, which should be minimal.
We spent a total of $800 (£640) on flights. Also two return taxi journeys to and from the airport from Thamel, approx NPR 2500 (£15).
Permits for the Trek
Permits will enable you to pass freely through the Khumbu region and the Sagarmatha National Park, which is where Mount Everest is located. There are three permits that you must get for the trek. Some permits need to be obtained before you leave Kathmandu, others can be obtained along the trek. They will be checked at many points so make sure to keep them safe!
IMPORTANT UPDATE: As of April 2023, Nepal Tourism Board has released an official statement confirming that a TIMS Card (Trekking Information Management System) will now be necessary to obtain before starting your trek. Read their new guidelines here.
1- Khumbu Rural Municipality Entrance Permit
The cost for Foreign Nationals is NPR 2,000 per person (for the first four weeks). Anything over than four weeks is NPR 2,500 per person. This rate is the same for all foreigners. Buy this permit at Lukla at the beginning of the trail.
2- Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit
The cost for Foreign Nationals is NPR 3,000 per person, per entry (inc 13% VAT). For SAARC nationals, the cost is NPR 1,500, and for Nepalis, the entry fee is NPR. 100. Buy this permit at the entrance to the National Park on the trail or from the Department of Tourism Building in Kathmandu.
3- TIMS Card (Trekking Information Management System)
As of April 2023, you must obtain a TIMS card to trek to Everest Base Camp. The cost for foreigners will be NPR 2,000 per person and SAARC nationals, the cost is NPR 1,000. Buy this permit at the Department of Tourism Building or through an authorised trekking agency.
Check out ‘What Permits Do I Need For Everest Base Camp?’ for a full breakdown and information on them! You can be fined if you do not have the correct permits so ensure you get them in time for your trek.
From April 2023, the total cost for all three permits, per person, is NPR 7000 (£43).
Group Tours / Guides & Porters
When calculating your Everest Base Camp Trek cost, this outgoing is going to be one of the biggest. Depending on your experience of hiking and if you prefer being part of a group, you could hire a local guide for a private trek or a our guide and go as part of a group.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: As of April 2023, Nepal Tourism Board has released an official statement confirming that foreigners must hire an official guide or porter for their journey. This has been met with objections from the local authorities, however, you could face a fine of NPR 12,000 (£75) if found on the trail without an official guide. Read their new guidelines here.
Tour Groups
Many tour groups will take you to Everest Base Camp which can be booked online or when you arrive. Tour groups can cost anywhere from a few hundred pounds to thousands! If you are travelling on a budget, like us, we recommend hiring a local guide to show you the way instead. Always check a tour group is licensed before booking along with details and Itinerary.
Local Nepali Guide
Not only will a local guide help you on your way to base camp, but they will also help you understand the Nepalese culture, their lifestyle and enhance your trekking experience. Local guides can be booked in advance or in Kathmandu and cost around $20 – $30 (£16-£24) per day. There are plenty of agencies in Kathmandu where you can organise this, just be sure to do a bit of research to make sure they are legitimate.
Porter
If you don’t want to carry your own bags, your guide can also get a local porter to come along with you to carry your belongings. All you will need to carry is your day pack with essentials in! Porters usually cost around $20 (£16) per day and can carry up to 25kg, sometimes even more!
We hired a local guide, carried our own bags and this cost us $242 (£195) plus a tip, totalling $280 (£225) for 11days.
Accommodation on the Trek
Depending on the whether its low/high season and high how up on the trek you are will depend on the cost of the teahouses. Generally, teahouses cost around NPR 500 – NPR 1200 (£3-£8), depending on how high up you are.
As we did this trek outside of peak season, all our teahouses were NPR 500 (£3) for a double room per night, however, once peak season hits they generally increase them or double the price.
These prices are just for the room only. Most rooms are pretty basic, and only some have plug sockets available to use. If you want to use the hot shower, wifi, electricity and phone charging, these will cost extra. Hot showers range from NPR 300 – 800 (£2 – £5) and phone charging ranges from about NPR 100 – 300 (60p – £2).
In total for accommodation for 11 nights we paid NPR 5,500 (£35). We didn’t use any of the shower facilities or phone charging points as we had cold showers and charged our battery pack on free sockets in the teahouse dining areas.
Food, Snacks and Drinks
Eating along the trek can be a bit expensive, however, if you stick to the local dishes they are often cheaper. The higher you are the price generally increases as it takes longer for products to reach the higher points. It’s important to note that the teahouse you stay in expects you to eat there, otherwise, they often charge more for your room. Make sure you check this if you want to eat elsewhere!
The most famous dish along the EBC trek is Dal Bhat! Often its refillable too, so you can get extra servings if you’re not full. Usually ranges from 600-1200 NPR (£4-£8) (The higher price being higher up the trek).
There’s lots of other meals you can get in all the teahouses. Some of our favourites were French toast, omelettes, noodles, fried potatoes and veg thukpa! (Omelettes are about NPR 400 (£2.40), noodles around NPR 500 (£3) and thukpa around NPR 600 (£3.60)
Water / Snacks
We had water purification tablets that cost us NPR 200 (£1.20) in Kathmandu so we refilled our water bottles with tap water the full journey. (A litre bottle of water cost around NPR 100 (60p) and you need to drink lots each day so it would be quite expensive). We also brought some flavoured electrolyte tablets which were helpful higher up to reduce altitude sickness and dehydration.
We bought some snacks in Kathmandu before we set off for base camp. Packets of granola bars and snickers are just what you need for a little sugar boost on the trek. You can get plenty of lightweight snacks and sweets in the corner shops in the city. (Snickers can cost around NPR 500 (£3) each and a tube of Pringles can cost NPR 1000 (£6) in some places higher up on the trail)
In an average day, for two people, we would spend around NPR 3000 (£18) on food and drinks.
Extras / Misc Items
In Kathmandu, you can find everything you need for the trek! From walking poles to jackets and everything in-between! Most items are very cheap and you can rent a lot of items too. We bought a pair of walking poles which cost NPR 1000 (£6) and hired two -10c sleeping bags NPR 130 (80p) each per day. Shop around for the best deals as shops a bit further outside the centre are often way cheaper.
On acclimatisation days especially, you have time to explore the villages your staying in which means shopping! There’s often jewellery stalls, pharmacies, shops, cafes and even bakeries which sell homemade goodies, depending on the village you’re at.
In Namche Bazaar, there are lots of shops, cafes and even an Irish pub! Here you can get any last minute items before you continue to the higher elevation points on the trek, where shops lack in items.
Examples of prices in Namche Bazaar.
- In one of the cafes we got a cup of hot tea each, a cinnamon roll and chocolate cake which was NPR 1000 (£6)
- From the pharmacy we got a pack of heartburn tablets NPR 300 (£1.85) and one toilet roll NPR 200 (£1.20).
- We watched a football match in the pub. Beer was about NPR 600 (£3.60) and a coke about NPR 300 (£1.80).
Higher up on the trek you can still buy hiking equipment if something has broken or you have left something by accident, however, they can be quite expensive compared to back in Kathmandu.
Everest Base Camp Trek Cost Total
In total, for two of us, we spent £1,325 ($1600 US)
We used a local guide, no porter and budgeted our daily spend to around NPR 5000 (£31) per day. This total includes everything, from the flights to Lukla, hire of our guide, food, drinks and all accommodation along the way.
If you are budget conscious the cheapest route would be starting the walk from Jiri, in low season with a local guide. However, our total spend is a realistic budget for the normal route without overspending and being sensible with what they buy on the trail!
Make sure to always check guides are licensed and shop around for the best deals for any equipment and travel. We hope this blog will enable you to work out your Everest Base Camp Trek cost and don’t forget to take a bit extra, just incase!
