The cost of your trek to Everest Base Camp will be determined by the type of trek you are planning, your trekking route, time on the trail, and by the season you choose to trek. We have done a lot of trekking in Nepal, including the Everest Base Camp trek twice. I interviewed several agencies, hotels, and guides in Kathmandu and Lukla, and in this post, we give a detailed breakdown of the exact cost of the EBC trek with a tour, your own crew, and completely independent.
We wrote down everything we spent on our trek in 2020 daily, and prices have been updated for 2022. Our budget was sufficient for a comfortable trek, buying tea or coffee when we were thirsty, and pretty much eating what we felt like it. This was an average budget, you will be able to be a lot more frugal or lavish.
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Table of Contents
Is a Guide Compulsory for Doing the EBC Trek in 2023?
A Guide is not compulsory for doing the Everest Base Camp Trek (October 2023). The Nepal Tourism Board (March 2023), announced that all tourists visiting Nepal will be required to hire a licensed guide or porter before trekking. The municipality under whose jurisdiction the Everest region falls subsequently decided not to comply with this decision and that solo trekking would still be allowed in the Everest area. See The Kathmandu Post Article – Nepal ends solo trekking era. Everest region is an exception.
How Much Does an Everest Base Camp Trek Cost?
The cost of the trek to Everest Base Camp can vary greatly from as little as $600 to thousands of dollars. This is the average starting price to budget for doing the trek in different styles as discussed in this article.
- Package tour EBC trek with international agency $1500
- Package tour EBC trek with local agency $1500
- Independent EBC trek with a guide and porter $1370
- Independent EBC trek with a guide $1085
- Independent EBC trek with a porter $930
- EBC Trek completely independent $645
Overall due to expensive transportation (a return flight from Kathmandu – to Lukla) Everest Base Camp trek works out quite a bit more expensive than other well-known hiking routes in Nepal such as the Annapurna Circuit or the Annapurna Base Camp trek.
Different Ways to Trek to Everest Base Camp
The way you trek ( the crew you choose) will be the main factor that determines the cost of your trek. You can either do a package tour through an agency where everything for your Himalayan adventure is organized for you; hire your own crew a guide and porters as required or do the trek completely independently. Irrespective of which way you decide to trek, the food, and facilities on the way will be very similar, everybody stays and eats in the same tea houses in most villages.
- Doing an organized tour through an agency is a good option if you are alone, not confident to do the trek unassisted, or don’t feel like spending hours planning your Everest Base Camp trek itinerary. It is an easier and safer but more expensive option.
- Hiring a local guide and a porter is a cheaper way of trekking than on a package tour. Finding porters and guides in Kathmandu is easy, just go to any local agency they will assist you in organizing staff for your purposes.
- Doing it yourself is not hard and plane, bus, or jeep tickets from Kathmandu to Lukla are the only thing that you have to organize. You follow a very clear path, everybody stays in the same little “towns” with many tea houses, it is not necessary to book anything.
Getting to Lukla from Kathmandu
All plane flights to Lukla will be operated via Ramechhap Airport from the 1st of October 2022. To fly to Lukla you will have to do a 4-hour drive to Ramechap or fly from Kathmandu by helicopter. See this trek including helicopter flights – EBC trek 11 Days including helicopter flights Kathmandu-Lukla
Everest Base Camp Trek Tour Cost
The biggest choice that you have to make here is if you are going to book a tour when you arrive through a local agency or if you are going to book a package tour beforehand through an agency online. Most of the international and local companies use the same local guides and porters, so even with an international company booking your tour you do support the local community, just check you use an ethical company, paying proper wages. Hand your money to a company you trust, because in the end they are responsible for your safety and you want to go with a company using the best staff.
When we were staying at Gorakshep a lady with a local guide for the trek walked to EBC from the teahouse on her own, leaving her guide behind. Four hours later it was dark and -20C outside, the guide and some staff at the teahouse started a search. She got lost somewhere but found her way back on her own 2 hours later. It would be good to know that there is a system in place to prevent this and to resolve it if it does happen and I think with a reputable agency you will have this peace of mind.
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania was a great guided expedition I went on. Comparing the cost of this trek with EBC is interesting.
Cost of a Package Tour with an International Agency
The average cost of a 12-day Everest Base Camp Trek package tour with Klook, an international agency – starts from $900 + $100 Porter + $500 food – $1500
12 days, Kathmandu to Kathmandu. English-speaking local guide and assistants for the trek. Trekking to Everest Base Camp. Internal flights. All transport between destinations and to/from included activities. Food is not included in the price, but these packages are available including food. Tours are cheaper when booked for larger groups.
Cost of a Package Tour with a Local Agency
The average cost of a 14-day Everest Base Camp Trek package tour with a local agency – starts from $1500 (all inclusive)
The nice thing about using a local agency is that all the money goes to the local community. Walking through the streets of Kathmandu I saw many amazing prices advertised, with a 14-day trek starting from a little as $550! I talked to these agencies and as I added more and more things I wanted to be included the price kept climbing until it was more or less the same that I saw online. Many hotels have their own travel agencies and the prices are similar to the agencies in town. Ask at your hotel and walk around in town, ask at several agencies. It is nice if you stay in a hotel for a couple of days, use guides and services you trust, leave your luggage at the hotel when you go trekking, and return to the same hotel following the trek.
The average price I was quoted for an all-inclusive package tour (14 days) Kathmandu-Everest Base Camp – Kathmandu started from $1500 (USD) for a mid-range tour, which included – 2 nights in a midrange hotel in Lukla, return flights to Kathamandu-Lukla, guide, porter, permits, accommodation, and food.
Some agencies did offer luxury ($2000) and budget ($1300) tours. With the luxury packages, you will stay in luxury accommodations in Kathmandu, Lukla, Namche Bazaar, and Teng Boche with more expensive meals, I think the rest of your tour will be very similar since the tea houses where you eat and sleep are pretty stand in the rest of the villages
With these package tours, the price does come down a bit if there are more people, the average quote for a standard package per person, is 1 person $1500, 2 people $1300, and 4 people $1200.
Everest Base Camp Trek with your own staff
$643 (hike independent) + $440 (guide) + $286 (porter) – starting from $1369
Organizing your own trek with guides and porters sounds very expensive, but is actually a very affordable way of trekking. Many solo hikers hire a guide that doubles as a company. A group of trekkers often share a guide making it even more affordable. You can hire a porter to help you carry your luggage. Since a porter can carry up to 25kg, 2 trekkers often share a porter.
Hiring guides & porters for the EBC trek
Organizing a guide in Kathmandu
If you are going to hire your own crew doing it in Kathmandu is the most common way, few people do this online. You do get approached by touters or guides themselves in Kathmandu, but the safest way of doing this is by going to a local agency. This way you do have someone to turn to if there is a problem, your guide cannot just disappear.
Some agencies in Kathmandu organize that you meet your guide in Lukla while some prefer to send a guide with you from Kathamandu, in this case, you will have to pay for the guide’s flight, Nepalese citizens fly at a reduced price of $100 for the return flight. You do not have to pay for food or accommodation for your guide, they get this for very cheap at the tea house or for free for bringing you.
I will recommend that you meet with the guide before, check if he speaks good enough English if you trust him, and if you get along. I have met guides that have climbed Everest, some of these guys are extremely knowledgeable.
- Make sure you are using a registered guide
- The guide should be insured
The cost of organizing a guide for EBC in Kathmandu
Cost of taking a guide from Kathmandu – $100 (flight) + 13 days x $30 + 10% tip = $540
The average price of a guide is $25 to $30 per day, you are allowed to share a guide. It is recommended to use a guide for not more than 4 people and some companies require you to hire an assistant guide for bigger groups.
The cost of organizing a guide for EBC in Lukla
Cost of hiring a guide in Lukla 13 days x $30 + 10% tip = $440
The price for a guide is the same as organizing it in Kathmandu, $25 to $30 per day. It is definitely possible to get a guide in Lukla or even later on in the trek. We were approached by more than one guide when we arrived at Lukla airport at 07:00 in the morning. The advantage is you do not have to pay for a flight, but obviously, you will know nothing about this guide with no references. There are however many agencies in Lukla and in Namche Bazaar where you can still organize a guide.
The cost of hiring Porters
Cost of hiring a porter 13 days x $20 + 10% tip = $286
Guides do not carry luggage and you will have to hire a porter for this service. Porters usually charge $20 per day and can carry up to 25kg, some porters charge $25 if they carry luggage for 2 people. If you work through an agency in Kathmandu you do not have to fly porters to Lukla, they will organize porters that can meet you in Lukla. If you start doing the trek without a porter and feel you need a porter later in the trek, you should be able to find a porter without too much trouble in Namche Bazaar or even later on during the trek, this is of course not guaranteed, and a bit of a risk.
You can find a full list of gear and clothes for hiking the Everest Base Camp trek in our detailed EBC packing list.
The cost of accommodation on the EBC trek
Accommodation 11 nights – NPR 5590 / $47 (500×2+500×2+500+2×500+700+200+1190)
Our total cost of accommodation was $47 for 11 days excluding shower and wifi. The price of accommodation is cheap if you eat in the tea house that you are staying at, the tea houses make money from you buying food, not accommodation. Below is a list of the tea houses we stayed in and the cost per night, what is included, and the cost of extras.
- Monjo, Mount Kailash (stayed here twice) – NPR 500 per room wifi 500, hot shower free, charging 200
- Namche Bazaar, International Foot Rest Lodge (2 nights) – Namche has a fixed price of NPR 500 per person, a hot gas shower of 500, Wi-Fi free, charging free
- Teng Boche, Himalayan Guesthouse – NPR 500 per room
- Dingboche, Himalayan Culture Home (2 nights) – NPR 500 per room, Wi-Fi NPR 800 (1gig), hot shower NPR 500 pipes were frozen throughout the whole town so we took a bucket shower, we shared one bucket of hot water.
- Lobuche, New EBC Guest House – Lobuche has a fixed price of NPR 700 per room (1 to 3 people) charging device for 1 hour NPR200, shower NPR 700
- Gorakshep, Himalaya Lodge – Room was free Hot shower 1000 NPR
- Phortse, Thamserku View Lodge – NPR 200 per room, charging NPR 300, bucket shower NPR 500
- Lukla, Hikers Inn, includes a hot shower and wifi, $10
The cost of food on the Everest Base Camp Trek
Total Cost of food for 11 days on EBC Trek NPR 54 140 ($455) thus NPR 4921 / $41 per day for 2 people = $20.50 per person per day
The menu is very similar in all tea houses, we found the prices to be similar in most teahouses from Lukla to Dingboche, from Lobuche, everything became significantly more expensive since porters and pack animals must carry the food up the mountain. In the table below you can see the price of a couple of different dishes at three different altitudes.
We met some trekkers that had severe diarrhea after eating meat and chicken and we decided to avoid eating meat. We never had any stomach problems. There are many yaks at high altitude, so I assume here the yak meat is good.
Breakfast (2 egg omelette, muesli porridge)
- at lower altitudes, Namche Bazaar (3440m) – Avg. NRP 500
- at higher altitudes, Lobuche (4930m) Avg. NRP 550
- high altitude, Gorakshep (5180m) Avg. NRP 600
Lunch/dinner (spaghetti, fried rice, spring roll, momo, etc.)
- at lower altitudes, Namche Bazaar (3440m) – Avg. NRP 550
- at higher altitudes, Lobuche (4930m) Avg. NRP 800
- high altitude, Gorakshep (5180m) Avg. NRP 850
Dal Bhat
Dal Power! the most popular local food and definitely more than 50% of the local diet. Lentil soup, rice, and some potato vegetables that come with it. It is not crazy cheap but is usually served bottomless, they keep filling your plate when it is empty, just make sure of this when you order, but after a hard day of trekking quantity-wise, this is usually the best deal you can order!
- at lower altitudes, Namche Bazaar (3440m) – Avg. NRP 700
- at higher altitudes, Lobuche (4930m) Avg. NRP 850
- high altitude, Gorakshep (5180m) Avg. NRP 850
Milk tea
- at lower altitudes, Namche Bazaar (3440m) – Avg. NRP 150
- at higher altitudes, Lobuche (4930m) Avg. NRP 200
- high altitude, Gorakshep (5180m) Avg. NRP 180
Hot water (boiled)
At some of the lodges, a 1L thermos flask of water was for sale for a bit cheaper.
- At lower altitudes from NRP 100 cup
- At higher altitudes up to NRP 120 per cup
- high altittude, Gorakshep (5180m) NRP 120 per cup
Drinking water
Tap water is not potable hiking to EBC and drinking water is a significant expense if you buy bottles of drinking water all the way. We use filter bottles and did not buy any water on the trek, the LifeStraw bottle, can be filled from any stream or tap, this is also great for the environment since you do not buy plastic bottles and create a lot of waste on the mountain every day. A 1l bottle of water costs between NRP 100 and up to NPR 400!
Hiking Everest Base Camp Independent
The total cost of our independent trek to Everest Base Camp for 11 days from Kathmandu to Kathmandu cost NPR 38 400 ($ 323) + $160 x 2 (flights) = $643 per person
$58 per day or $29 per day without flights
Breakdown of our Independent EBC Trek Cost
- Permits – NPR 5000/USD $42
- Flights – USD 320
- Accommodation – 11 nights – NPR 5590 / $47
- Food – NPR 27 094 / USD $228
Everest Base Camp Trekking Permit Cost
The local permit and national park permit total price of NPR 5000 – You require two permits to hike to Everest Base Camp.
- Local permit (Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality Entrance Permit) for NPR 2000 obtainable in Lukla.
- National park permit (Sagarmatha National Park Entry Permit) NPR 3000 available in Kathmandu or Monjo. TIMS is no longer required.
I would recommend that you get both permits on the route while trekking, it is very easy and basically impossible to miss all the checkpoints where they are available, just take enough cash. Overall the cost of the permits for hiking to Everest Base Camp is the same as for the other popular treks in Nepal e.g. the Poon Hill or Annapurna Circuit trek.
Do you need a TIMS permit to trek to Everest Base Camp?
You don’t need a TIMS permit for trekking in the Everest Region anymore.
If you hike from Jiri or Salerri to Lukla you pass through areas controlled by different local governments and a TIMS might be necessary.
The cost of getting to the start of the Everest Base Camp Trek
The trek to base camp starts at the small village of Lukla in the Himalayas, there is no road leading all the way here, and flying is the most common way of getting to Lukla. It is also possible to get here from Kathmandu with a combination of Jeeps and walking.
Cost of Flights to Lukla
All plane flights to Lukla will be operated via Ramechhap Airport from the 1st of October 2022. You will have to go from Kathmandu to Ramechhap, a four-hour drive, or fly from Kathmandu to Lukla by helicopter.
Flights from Kathmandu to Lukla in August 2022 cost $179 one way with Yeti Airlines
Go to Lukla overland – We have also walked from Lukla to Salerri (2 days) and took a very long and uncomfortable jeep journey from Salerri to Kathmandu for $20 a couple of years ago when our flight was canceled due to weather conditions.
Coming from Kathmandu you can do the reverse and take a jeep from Kathmandu to Salleri. Salleri is 265 km away from Kathmandu. The ride is about 8 hours costing about NPR 1,100 ($10) for Buses and NPR 1700 ($17) for Jeeps, buses go daily from Kathmandu. You can walk from Salleri to Lukla in 2 or 3 days.
The trip between Kathmandu and Lukla can be made by helicopter, which is awesome and will cost you about $2500 one way for a helicopter that can be split between 5 people. You can sometimes get awesome deals with helicopters if you are a bit lucky with perfect timing.
Insurance for Everest Base Camp Trek
Want to know how much insurance will cost? Get an instant online quote here!
When hiking at high altitudes in remote locations, there are obviously very real risks. Altitude sickness is common and in case of emergency evacuation might be necessary. This is not common. Evacuation in Nepal is expensive since there are no roads in the mountain. When I enquired on the trail I was told that emergency evacuation by helicopter costs about $3000.
Travel insurance that covers you to an altitude of 6000m which means it will cover you at Everest Base Camp at 5364m is required for trekking to EBC.
World Nomads offers simple and flexible travel insurance. Buy at home or while traveling and claim online from anywhere in the world.Where to stay in Kathmandu?
Thamel is the popular, touristy part of Kathmandu, we have stayed in several parts of Thamel and our favorite location is Keshar Mahal Marang Street. A short, dead-end street with a couple of hotels, hostels, restaurants, and coffee shops. Five minutes walk from the main touristy area with plenty of shops and agencies. This area has nice coffee shops and restaurants.
Aryatara Kathmandu Hotel is a nice hotel, we stayed here several times when we returned from a trek. Large comfortable rooms, nice breakfast, TV, Wi-Fi, all facilities. free airport pick-up (for international flights only). Friendly and helpful staff. They do luggage storage and we always leave all extra luggage between treks.
Other Accommodation options in the same street
- Budget | Hostel Milarepa | Shangri-la Boutique Hotel |
- Middle price | Oasis Kathmandu Hotel | Hotel Blue Horizon |
- Luxury | Fairfield by Marriott Kathmandu |
Questions or Comments?
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The strong half of Stingy Nomads, a nomadic aquaman that would be happy to spend all his life in the water diving, surfing and spearfishing but often has to compromise with Alya and go hiking instead. Campbell is responsible for all our marine adventures and following them with write-ups. He loves traveling, braai (BBQ in South Africa), red wine and spending the day in a wetsuit.
Brad
Saturday 1st of April 2023
Now it is a requirement to have a guide and a TIMS , where exactly will I need to engage my guide? Do I need to start out from Kathmandu with the guide or can I engage one in Lukla or further on. I guess the question is where , at what border line does trekking officially start? Thanks again for your help Brad.
Stingy Nomads
Saturday 1st of April 2023
Hello Brad, I am very sorry to hear about your experience. The rollout of this rule was not done in a good way, and I can understand independent trekkers arriving in Nepal now would be very upset. Unfortunately, I don´t have detailed information about the procedure for you, since it seems nothing has been released yet. I will contact the Nepalese tourism board and see what official information I can get. I assume you must have a guide from the start of the trek at Lukla, so your options will be to arrange this in Kathmandu or Lukla. There are many trekking agencies in Kathmandu, many hotels also have an in-house trekking agency. You can go to 2 or 3 different agencies and get quotations, listen to what they tell you and compare quotes. Please let me know what your experience was like! Safe Travels https://ntb.gov.np/latest-travel-updates
Brad.
Saturday 12th of November 2022
Hi again and thanks for your reply. I have been doing a lot of reading about the trek to EBC and all the agencies warn that you must book ahead for tea rooms accommodation in high season. I will be trekking the second half of April which is high season. Do you think accommodation might be difficult? I mean they can't let you sleep outside in the snow will they , LOL. I am going to wing it and also have decided to start from Saleri which will means I will avoid having to be locked into the flight dates from Lukla. I have seen a lot of bad reviews about the Lifestraw water bottle , have you had any problems, hard to drink through or leaking? You don't have a donations page? I feel a little tip would be in order , once again thanks, Brad.
Brad
Saturday 1st of April 2023
@Stingy Nomads, Hi , I woke up in my hotel in Adelaide this morning to find this email.
"The Nepal Tourism Board has revised trekking procedures. From 1 April, solo trekkers must have a licenced trekking guide and a Trekking Information Management System (TIMS) card before undertaking treks and climbing in the Himalayan region of Nepal."
Unfortunately this is not an April fools day trick! My son and I fly out to Nepal tomorrow morning. You would think that the Nepali gov would show a little consideration for all those who like myself have everything planned around an unguided independent trip. So I will have to look up a guide in Kathmandu I guess , what a drag. Apart from the extra cost I was so looking forward to being free of any company and making decisions on a daily basis. Now I will have to make out an itinerary and get to each place on the specified day etc. I had given myself thirty days trek so I could stay for a few days here and there but I guess that can't be done if I have a guide. Luckily I am old now and this is my last trip. I have to be thankful for the years of roaming the world when the world was a much less crowded and free place to be. I was remembering going through the madness at security at Melbourne airport yesterday ( I had to strip!) that back when I was young there was no airport security , NOTHING! Disappointed but will work it out. Have a great day with your family , Brad.
Brad.
Friday 18th of November 2022
@Stingy Nomads, Thanks again , my main motto in life is don't be scared so I am going to do the EBC trek totally independently.I am renting a motorbike for a two riding trip around Nepal before trekking. Thinking seriously about extending the trip another two or three weeks , bring it on!
Stingy Nomads
Wednesday 16th of November 2022
Hi Brad. As far as I know independent trekkers can not book tea houses, companies or guides do sometimes have arrangements with the tea houses. We have never been worried about this and in all our trekking in Nepal we have never met (or heard of) anyone that could not get tea house accommodation on any of the trekking routes we have done. There are a limited amount of tea houses, so it is off course a risk that you take. My opinion is that you might not get a room at your first choice tea house if you arrive late. I love the Lifestraw and used it to drink all my water through on many treks. We have had 2. I have never had a problem with leaking, I had some problems with it drinking a bit tough (it was an old bottle), but this somehow resolved. (maybe the filter was clogged up). Thanks for your donation offer, I have an expensive coffee habit, you can buy us a coffee or 2 at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/FRZhxe5KD (there is also a 'buy me a coffee' button in the sidebar of our page). Thank you, I am sure you are going to have a fantastic time!
Brad.
Thursday 10th of November 2022
Hallo and thank you both so much for making your blog , it is the site I have been looking for, clear concise and up to date information. I am flying to Katmandu on April 02/04/23. I will spend two weeks traveling around Nepal before the trek which I plan to start on 17/04/23 , and will have have three weeks to complete. I like to travel independently and have flexibility in my schedule. The one thing I am still not clear on is the number of days I can spend doing the EBC trek. I would prefer to go slow and take about sixteen days or longer if I feel like it. I will not have a guide or a porter partly for this reason as I don't want to be locked in to dates and times. How long can I spend on the trek , is the permit for an indefinite period or only for a limited time? Can I extend the permit time if I want to stay longer?
Thanks so much for taking the time to provide the information for us nomads and congratulations on now being three! Best wishes, Brad.
Stingy Nomads
Friday 11th of November 2022
Hello Brad, thanks for reading, I am glad our post was helpful. You can get both permits you need on the route while trekking. I do not think there is a time limit on the national park permit. The Khumbu Rural Municipality Permit, cost NPR 2000, is valid for 4 weeks if you stay longer the permit cost is NPR 2500. If you plan to stay more than 4 weeks than just mention this to the official where you buy your permit and he will tell you how to proceed. Enjoy Nepal, safe travels!
Chris
Monday 7th of November 2022
Thanks so much for sharing the info! I have read in some posts that it is not longer possible to do the EBC trek by solo anymore, you will need at least one certified guide, what do you know about it? Regards!
Stingy Nomads
Friday 11th of November 2022
Hello Chris, sorry for taking so long to respond, I have been corresponding with the Nepali tourism board and waiting for answers from other sources in Nepal. Officials definitely try to leave you with the impression that it is compulsory, but after exchanging several emails they conceded that it is strongly recommended but not compulsory. This has always been the case. There are rules that require a guide for trekking in 'restricted areas', but according to all information I could find the EBC trek is not included in these areas.
Kelley
Wednesday 14th of September 2022
This is such a helpful breakdown! Thank you! :) My one point would be if using World Nomads people need to be aware that if you go solo without a porter or guide your policy may be void. I had already purchased their explorer plan and then read the fine print and am currently trying to sort through this issue with them now. Worth clarifying for anyone going solo. Also the policy may be void if the guide you hire isn’t properly licensed, as you say.
Stingy Nomads
Saturday 24th of September 2022
Hello Kelley, thanks for your comment. I apologize for taking so long to respond. There are a lot of changes happening at World Nomads and it is taking a long time to get a clear response from them. I will appreciate it if you can let me know what happened with your insurance issue. When I get an official answer from World Nomads I will add the information to this article. Enjoy EBC and Safe Travels!